Alternatives to Randall Knives.....Suggestions Please.

brownshoe said:
Or "ripoff". Do a search on Mike Stewart in the GB&U before you buy Bark River or BlackJack...eyes wide open as they say.

If I wanted a Randall, I'd do as Herlock suggested and order one and save 10/month until it is delivered :)

If you will be truly using the knife in the field, you may want a normal edge that can be easily touched up by the stone that comes in the Randall sheath.
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Interesting... I had always assumed they were made with permission!
 
How about a Dustar model 1 Arad it's modeled after the Randall 14 and is made from D2 steel and is around 250.00 from what I've seen online. I believe one of our vendors around here carry them too in black or a bead blast type finish. While I have never owned one they do look pretty nicely made.



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Regardless of how some people feel about Bark River, I very much like my Blackjack 1-7 and 125 models.
 
A friend that hunts bought a new 3V version Blackjack 1-7 from a supplier here in Qld a couple of months ago after I told him to have a look at them, the same supplier I bought my Attack 14 from, and he can't stop saying enough good things about it. He simply loves it.
 
I have collected BRK's for 9 years and I enjoy my Bark River knives very much.
Today Mike Stewart employs 40 people making knives in Michigan UP.
I think that is a great achievement in itself.

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I've said it before and I say it again:
Mike Stewart add more than he takes!


Regards
Mikael
 
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22-rimfire said:
Regardless of how some people feel about Bark River, I very much like my Blackjack 1-7 and 125 models.
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I think some people are confused and still thinks he has more to do with Black Jack than he does. He doesn't own the name nor does he distribute those knives, he simply makes them for the current owner. The few that I've handled out of the box were pretty nice.
 
I am also happy with my Hess Whitetail and Tiburon knives. They are smaller knives but VERY nicely finished. Does Hess make bushcraft style (3.5-4.5 inch) blade knives?
 
Area FiftyOne said:
I am also happy with my Hess Whitetail and Tiburon knives. They are smaller knives but VERY nicely finished. Does Hess make bushcraft style (3.5-4.5 inch) blade knives?
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Outdorsman maybe?
4.75" blade and fulltang.


Regards
Mikael
 
Eric@DLT said:
I think some people are confused and still thinks he has more to do with Black Jack than he does. He doesn't own the name nor does he distribute those knives, he simply makes them for the current owner. The few that I've handled out of the box were pretty nice.
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I believe Blue Ridge knives owns the Blackjack trademark. They also distribute. I know DLT had the BJ 124 made special. Bark River has a similar knife with their name on it. That said, Mike Stewart has had a long history with Blackjack knives in terms of making them.
 
Blue Ridge bought Blackjack from Ken Warner a few years ago, who in turn bought the name a few years after the original Blackjack failed. Stewart's always been the sub contractor for the higher end stuff.

As far as Randall and Blackjack, they've always been classy about it. They aren't exactly happy about it, but felt that folks would see the differences between them. And they hoped that some would make the jump to a real Randall if they liked the Blackjack.

At least that's how it was a couple of decades ago when they were asked about it.
 
Check out Treeman Knives (Jim Behring: Romeo, Michigan) or his son James Behring....Behring Made out of Missoula, Montana.
A Scagel/ Randall influence. Quality blades meant to be used....great people to deal with.
 
This might not be what you wanna do but it's an option.
Instead of spending that money on another knife why not put a 50 dollar deposit on a real Randall through a dealer and pay off a little bit at a time 50 bucks a month or so , so when in 6-8 months your knife is ready you already have it paid for. Plus you can order it the exact way you want it.
This is what I did I just ordered a 15 today.


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Matt81818 said:
This might not be what you wanna do but it's an option.
Instead of spending that money on another knife why not put a 50 dollar deposit on a real Randall through a dealer and pay off a little bit at a time 50 bucks a month or so , so when in 6-8 months your knife is ready you already have it paid for. Plus you can order it the exact way you want it.
This is what I did I just ordered a 15 today.


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This^^^ if you want a real Randall.
 
To the OP, I can truly understand your desire for a Randall a Made Knife, I too went through the same situation many years ago. The Randall Model 1 was just a classic knife manufactured by a real classy guy, Bo Randall. They are deep in history and were and are still carried by our brave service people in every theater of war. Yes there are most likely other knives that resemble the look of Randall Knives and most likely perform as well if not better, however they are not Randall Made.

I have carried my Model 14 since 1984, been to a few exotic places, but now goes on hikes and camp outs but it feels like a close friend. Nothing wrong with getting something similar until your finances permit you the opportunity to get a Randall, but that other knife still won't be what you want.

I have owned many motorcycles over the years and really wanted a Harley, some resembled Harley Davidsons and had a similar exhaust sound, occasionally people would ask me is that a Harley and I would answer no it isn't but looks and sounds like a Harley. It wasn't until I finally got my first Harley over 25 yrs ago did I realize what I was missing. It was American made for the most part but it had that history or mystic about it that was so satisfying. Yes there are a lot of folks copying the Randall look and function just fine however there is something to owning the real deal. Whichever path you choose someday I hope you are able to get your Randall.
 
If you really want a Randall, then be patient, save up for one & get it. You'll likely spend more $$$ trying different brands looking for "something just as good as a Randall" than you would if you had just bought the real thing in the first place. Plus, you'll never be completely satisfied until you have the real thing.

Just a bit of unsolicited advice from an old phart, who's gone down that road many times.
 
Thank you all guys for the recommendations. LOTS of beautiful knives out there to choose from. That DUSTAR posted above is a beauty, for sure. BladeHQ sells it for $205, 1/2 or less than a Randall. Then again, it ain't a RANDALL either.

I agree with what most of you all said. I should get what I want, a RANDALL. By the time you buy one that is almost what you want, then sell it, then buy another that's closer, sell it and do that a couple more times, you could've had a Randall.

I think I'll find a dealer that might work with me and let me set up some kind of deal where I can just send them money from time to time and apply it to what I want and eventually I'll have a Randall. Might be difficult to find a dealer that would be willing to put up with that kind of headache from someone that they don't know personally.

I'll get one somehow. The real problem comes in deciding what one to get.

Thanks again all.
Have a great weekend.

Larry
 
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