Bladeforums - Best Bowie 2007 - Here are your finalists!

[Kohai999]

Foster got my vote...it is an exceptional piece, amongst exceptional pieces.

Everyone is a winner...right, Coop!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[ptgdvc]

First of all this field is simply outstanding. ANY of them would be a worthy choice.

FWIW, I approached MY selection process in reverse, by identifying at each point in the process, the knife least likely to get my vote. I don

1. The Jason Knight was a relatively simple choice. I own and love a virtually identical example. The heavy weight competition it is up against just overwhelms it.

2. The Russ Andrews lll was his first Damascus blade and is simply amazing. But I think Russ would be the first to plead Nolo Contendere (no contest) versus the Dean. If it had been a full 10+" Bowie.....

3. The Don Hanson lll was much harder, it came down to one of Don's greatest strengths the SUPERB handle material. I know this may sound crazy, but at this level I am grasping for straws, I felt the walrus ivory alone, was so terrific that IT deserved a measure of the credit for the knife. Grasping at straws, I know.

4. The Burt Foster versus the Harvey Dean
In my final analysis, it came down to the mastery and control of the steel. Burt's innovative technique permitted a bit of the carbon core to bleed through into the stainless. The Dean is simply flawless.

I voted for the Dean.

 

[Kohai999]

The Burt Foster versus the Harvey Dean[/B]
In my final analysis, it came down to the mastery and control of the steel.

Burt's innovative technique permitted a bit of the carbon core to bleed through into the stainless. The Dean is simply flawless.

I voted for the Dean.

Peter...we have spoken about this...you see the bleed as a negative...I see the carbon migration as simply fantastic, true art...it goes back to the "butt for every seat statement".

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Marcel54]

In the end it came down between two makers for me...Hanson and Foster. After weighing all the pros and cons (IMHO) between these two knives my vote goes to the Hanson piece.

Marcel

 

[Murray White]

I liked both the Dean and the Russ Andrews knives but the soft smooth flowing lines are just so awesome that it swayed me to it.

 

[canineforge]

Tough, tough choice. I would love to have any one of these in my collection. I love Burt's laminate bowie, and can appreciate the talent involved to pull it off so well, but I guess I am just not use to that laminate steel look? A tremendous piece, along with Russ' stag/damascus bowie. The Dean is just awesome, and Jason's the same. Would love to get a chance to handle any of these.

I decided the only way to choose between the five was to pretend Santa said, out of the five bowies, I could have the one I wanted for Christmas! In that case, it would have to be the big, bad Don Hanson bowie. The size, the lines, the unique hamon and the awesome ivory make this tops for me.

Thanks for this wonderful end-of-the-year vote, Roger. :thumbup: Appreciate all of your work.

- Joe

 

[Kevin Jones]

Peter...we have spoken about this...you see the bleed as a negative...I see the carbon migration as simply fantastic, true art...it goes back to the "butt for every seat statement".

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

STeven, you and I differ here as I see the blade as COOL, but not fantastic true art.
However, the rest of Burt's knife as absolutely magnificence. The overall design and choice of materials are excellent. The attention to detail outstanding and fit/ finish seem flawless. Love the functional yet artistically placed pin on the butt cap.

IMO, the blade catches the eye, but the rest keep you looking. As you said "a butt for every seat".

 

[Justin.Mercier]

All the knives are fantastic, and any of those deserve to be the best. It was hard to vote but when it finally came down to it I voted based upon which one I felt that I would rather hold in my hands and show friends who don't know anything about knives as being exemplary of something I'd strive for myself.

The mammoth, and the handle shape, I think, finally gave me the nudge to vote for Burt Foster's blade.

 

[OldPhysics]

Burt Foster's knife nearly swayed me. Classic lines and a very dramatic color contrast in the laminated steel of the blade.

But ... Don Hanson just 'does it' for me. His work is more subtle but also much more complex. And I love the elongated shape of his work, continued into the natural material he's chosen for the handle.

I suspect Mr. Foster may win this -- and his knife truly is superb.

But ... take a second and even a third look at Mr. Hanson's work. A subtle mind and a cunning hand in perfect harmony. I could contemplate that knife for hours.

 

[SharpByCoop]

What a field.

OK, I really *should* remain neutral and let you guys figure it out. Ahhhh, that's for the weak. I'm a fighter... :thumbup:

This is all subjective, and regardless of the complexity of build, I looked at the knives as which one would I really wish to own in my own collection--only having one choice, and value being arbitrarily consistent.

My finalists are the SEXAY Russ Andrews damascus with a handle that has more valleys than Utah, and Jason Knight's speed-defying long blade with supermodel as a handle. Hmmmm.....

I'm an ex-drag racer, not a desert biker. I chose the Knight.

Coop

 

[Jon Brand]

Burt Foster's knife nearly swayed me. Classic lines and a very dramatic color contrast in the laminated steel of the blade.

But ... Don Hanson just 'does it' for me. His work is more subtle but also much more complex. And I love the elongated shape of his work, continued into the natural material he's chosen for the handle.

I suspect Mr. Foster may win this -- and his knife truly is superb.

But ... take a second and even a third look at Mr. Hanson's work. A subtle mind and a cunning hand in perfect harmony. I could contemplate that knife for hours.

I completely agree with this. I love Burts peice and have never really seen anything like it. The contrast of materials really stands out and looks beautiful. I also really like Jason Knights peice. However, ever since I first saw Don Hansons work I felt that it best complimented my taste in style, so I went with that. Something about the lines, blade, and shape of the handle really defines what I think a knife should look like.

All of these are great and all of the makers deserve a pat on the back.

 

[Jose Reyes]

For me it came down to the Dean or Foster.

I agree with Peter that the core bled out too much on the Foster. I think the bleeding actually does add to the look to make the transition line stand out more but I would have preferred if it was a bit more controlled and parallel to the weld line. To my eye it traveled across the width of the blade too much and is too pronounced at spots.

The Dean is just about as close to perfect as you can get. The damascus is jaw-dropping and the engraving and stag are top notch. A masterpiece.

What swayed my vote though was the overall flow of Burt's knife. If I had a chance to handle these I might change my mind but the elegant sweep to the handle and shape of the fittings won me over.

Good work everyone... :thumbup:

 

[RogerP]

Great discussion guys!

Roger

 

[aeinfantry]

For me it is a toss up between the feathered Damascus and the mammoth laminate. But I will have to go with Burt Foster's submission.

 

[RogerP]

Peter...we have spoken about this...you see the bleed as a negative...I see the carbon migration as simply fantastic, true art...it goes back to the "butt for every seat statement".

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

Agree completely (I know, big surprise ) Visually, the knife would be far less interesting without that "ghosting" effect (as others have aptly described it) of the carbon migration. A clean, abrubt demarcation between the stainless outer layer and carbon core wouldn't provide anywhere near the visual drama. True art, indeed.

Roger

 

[Kevin Jones]

It wouldn't look too shabby with a continuation of the Damascus for the blade.

 

[Doug C]

GOOD THREAD ROGER! :thumbup:
Lots of fun.
Great work by ALL the makers.
I was surprised the Fisk and Hancock didn't make it,as well as several others.
I got it down to Don's Walrus ivory big blade,Roger's gorgeously fitted and finished Burt Foster laminate and Kevin's Feather pattern fighter.
I voted for the Dean.

Doug

 

[RAN]

Very Interesting Comments
Each maker is instantly identifiable from each of these knives ..Thats Cool.

The Knight has that Signature 'Attack' and Handle shaping all his pieces seem to have

The Andrews is a mature and measured piece I envision a man methodically and lovingly shaping those fittings..they are achingly beautiful.

The Dean is Masterfully Crisp..perfect in every way The Devil indeed.

The Foster has an enfant terrible sort of defiance..its pushes the envelope it challenges and delivers Think about the skill required for that steel to bleed yet be perfectly finished..that is control.

The Hanson piece...of course the Ivory artifact is a vital element it alone adds a pricelessness to the piece..it is so restrained so quiet yet it shocks and awes..Id Like to contemplate this one for hours and hours and hours

Hanson

 

[deker]

Burt Foster.

For me, it's all about the subtlety of design when we're discussing work at this level. Clearly all of these craftsman have overall execution, fit and finish down. There are a few things that really strike me about Burt's knife.

1. The opposition of light and dark. On the blade there is light at the top and dark at the bottom. Careful selection and placement of handle material opposes this very nicely in the handle.
2. Shape repitition from many angles. Look at the curves on the top and the bottom of the handle. Notice how the slight thumb ramp at the top of the guard matches the choil in shape. See how the cross section of the handle (as seen in the 3/4 shot) mimics the curve at the front of the guard. The "pin" in the buttcap matches the domed handle pins. It's that type of attention to detail and continuity that really sets this piece off for me.
3. Overall visual balance. Both the blade and the handle have a somewhat subtle pattern, but the transition between shows us some detail in the guard that draws the eye to the proper "center point" for the entire knife. Obviously the guard isn't at the center of the knife, but the visual balance created by the guard detail makes it "feel" as if it is.

Oh yeah, and there's also a few bonus point for welding stainless to carbon. It's not that easy.

-d

 

[RogerP]

Riad - your descriptions border on the poetic. Well said.

Roger