Bladeforums - Best Bowie 2007

ptgdvc said:
Roger,

Reread post #21. Is the Walnut Hanson in contention?

P
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Probably should not be - but since I didn't make a point of removing it from consideration before voting started, I'll let it be.

Roger
 
I made a number of bungles in this thread: I found the image of the walnut bowie (post #5) for Don in my Spring 2007, so I thought it was OK. Sorry.

Coop
 
Absolutely drool worthy thread.... the pics here are going into my personal collection of knife pics..

BUT.. there can only be 7...

My picks

- Post 7 (Don Hanson)
- Post 5 (Don Hanson Ozark Walnut Bowie)
- Post 3 (The BFB)
- Post 1 (Burt Foster's Laminate Fighter)
- Post 25 (Russ Andrews Stag and Damascus)
- Post 76 (Harvey Dean's El Diablo, this was first posted somewhere else...)
- Post 103 (Dan Hanson's Guild Award Winner, again this was first posted somewhere else)

Thanks..

PS... I guess I must be a Dan Hanson fan... :D :D
 
I'm a disciple of the Loveless school of knife making. He is the most copied maker today because he is the only one who can get $5k for a drop point hunter made of stainless steel and micarta with no adornment. He does it with clean, deceptively simple design along with superb build quality. All the elements are complementary and the sum is greater than the parts. It always amazes me how such simplicity can be so attractive. Burt Foster's integrals affect me the same way--how can so little be so much. In my book the great knives are the ones where the bright satin metal gleams and rich wood glows in simplistic forms which are mutually enhancing, imparting an unmistakable mystique that is not easily erased. While most of the bowies on this thread are triumphs in many ways, very few are magical.

Handles are the downfall of many bowies because many handle materials are insufficiently large to produce a form befitting the blade. Too often the handle ends up being a truncated broomstick in shape, a beautiful broomstick to be sure, but a broomstick nonetheless. I love stag and mammoth ivory, but usually there is too little stock to form a handle commensurate with the blade, which is why I generally prefer wood. Coffin handles are like capricious politicians; I just don't care for them.

As for bedazzlements (fancy damascus, engraving, inlays, etc.), I can take' em or leave' em. In evaluating an ornate knife I always try to visualize the knife without the glitter, and if it does not hold up naked, I'm just not interested. Often the embellishments just compete and distract the eye from the more salient features .

So, with that background perhaps you may understand my picks. Drum roll please . . .

In descending order.

1. Jason Knight (post #106) Like Nick Wheeler said, this baby elicits a range of emotions from gorgeous to the grim reaper. Perfect form to my eyes.

2. Jason Knight (post #5) Same form as the knife above but the maple handle is slightly less attractive than ironwood.

3. Don Hanson (post #5) Sinistre. If this knife were human it would be a beautiful model/spy out to murder James Bond. The knife is wonderfully named.

4. Nick Wheeler (post #1) Blackwood. Right up there with Jason Knight except for the blade, which is a bit off for my tastes.

5. Rodrigo Sfreddo (post #27) Unique Nouveau. This one is like the nude beauty queen in the condo across the street; I keep returning to the binoculars for yet another peek.

Another bowie that I'm really fond of but did not make this thread is the Brion Tomberlin knife posted a few days back by Roger I think.

Ken
 
Voting will remain open for the rest of the day.

As before, the "day" will end at midnight tonight, Eastern Standard Time. The fnalists will be declared Sunday morning.

If any of your knife buddies can't seem to get off the couch, give them a prod and encourage them to vote. Peter, the clock is ticking on your final pick. :p

Thanks to all who have participated - it has been interesting watching the voting unfold.

On the selection of the knife, what say you - do I understand it correctly that those with a non-paying membership can't vote in polls? The forum polls are cool because you get the nice bar graphic generated as voting unfolds, but I don't want to exclude people who have participated in the process this far. Should we forgo the poll and keep the voting open as it has been to this point? Suggestions?

Roger
 
Here are my choices, in no particular order:

- Burt Foster laminate, post 1
- Nick Wheeler large bowie, post 1
- Jason Knight, post 5
- Don Fogg bowie, post 5
- Don Hanson Guild Show winner, post 21
- Rodrigo Sfreddo gold leaf integral, post 25
- Rodrigo Sfreddo damascus & blackwood, post 101
 
RogerP said:
Voting will remain open for the rest of the day.

As before, the "day" will end at midnight tonight, Eastern Standard Time. The fnalists will be declared Sunday morning.

If any of your knife buddies can't seem to get off the couch, give them a prod and encourage them to vote. Peter, the clock is ticking on your final pick. :p

Thanks to all who have participated - it has been interesting watching the voting unfold.

On the selection of the knife, what say you - do I understand it correctly that those with a non-paying membership can't vote in polls? The forum polls are cool because you get the nice bar graphic generated as voting unfolds, but I don't want to exclude people who have participated in the process this far. Should we forgo the poll and keep the voting open as it has been to this point? Suggestions?

Roger
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IMO, we should most definitely use the great polling devise that BF has provided us. What does a annual membership cost $10/$25(gold)? Whichever, it's the biggest bargain in custom knives. If you want to play, PAY......

In addition, the BF polling process allows you to keep votes anonymous, therefore some that chose not to vote for the finalist may vote for the best. It also offers "0" chance for error over digging through post and scratching marks on a note pad.

I'm willing to help non-paying members who regularly contribute here that truly can't afford a membership. kj1056@aol.com
 
ptgdvc said:
To heck with that! :thumbdn: I want a public ballot. :thumbup:

P
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I find it interesting in seeing who votes for what too not that there's any surprises as to how us regulars vote ;), however some have reason not to vote publicly. This is obvious in that only knife collectors have voted for finalist up to now.
 
If any makers/purveyors wanted to vote for finalists, couldn't they have someone else post it anonymously like Roger did?
 
KJ,

Fair enough.

BTW, I have it narrowed down to three, and I don't know how I am going to vote. :confused:

If you could PLEASE let me know now, it would save me a lot of aggrivation.

Best,

P
 
ptgdvc said:
KJ,

Fair enough.

BTW, I have it narrowed down to three, and I don't know how I am going to vote. :confused:

If you could PLEASE let me know now, it would save me a lot of aggrivation.

Best,

P
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:D Peter, don't pretend to be other than the wise old owl you are.;) :)

Not so much in picking the one favorite, however we regulars know each other's taste, preferences, favorite makers and even what's in each other's collections. So I'm sure you were not surprised by my top seven as I was not by yours, or Roger's and so on. :D :D :)

Now STeven will leave us wondering at times :confused:, but that's one of the things I like about him. :thumbup:

Roger thanks for starting this thread as it's been a lot of FUN. :)
 
RogerP said:
Voting will remain open for the rest of the day.



As before, the "day" will end at midnight tonight, Eastern Standard Time. The fnalists will be declared Sunday morning.

If any of your knife buddies can't seem to get off the couch, give them a prod and encourage them to vote. Peter, the clock is ticking on your final pick. :p

Thanks to all who have participated - it has been interesting watching the voting unfold.

On the selection of the knife, what say you - do I understand it correctly that those with a non-paying membership can't vote in polls? The forum polls are cool because you get the nice bar graphic generated as voting unfolds, but I don't want to exclude people who have participated in the process this far. Should we forgo the poll and keep the voting open as it has been to this point? Suggestions?

Roger
Click to expand...

Dear Fellow Council Members,


I don't want to step on toes but I thought we were the ones posting knives and also the ones narrowing it down to 7, of which the top 5 would enter the poll. It was open to "registered members" to begin with and it should stay that way because it is only logical. I'm starting see shades of Marie-Antoinette.:confused: Almost in line with the styles of knives that have been brought forward that are questionable Bowie's to begin with. Even D. Brock's, which I put forward, has a dual edge in violation of the definition of a Bowie Knife. Nearly every dictionary defines a Bowie as a single edged weapon. Texas and Arkansas laws have their own definition of an Illegal Bowie or Arkansas Toothpick, as the legislation defined, which does include many knives brought forward. So, this leads us to be liberal on our own when deciding an individual knife as a Bowie before posting for consideration.

So, since we agreed to be liberal from the beginning I think we should be liberal on who gets to vote in the poll in the spirit of Susan B. Anthony.:) We should see whether our collective opinion of substance over form or vice versa wins the day.

EDIT: This is THE FORUM that can set a popular definition of a Bowie, which is very controversial, by allowing everyone the ability to contribute. If we get pie in our face than so be it. We should each think long and hard before selecting one's Final Seven picks because in the end there can be only one based on everyone's right to vote. I vote against an electoral college system and opt for the popular vote.
 
Questionable bowies or not, the original post called for custom fixed blades made in 2007 of 7" or greater length. That's how it was "to begin with and it should stay that way because it is only logical."
 
Wow... that was tough!

I am still not convinced I'm totally happy with my final list... not because I don't like any of them, but because I like a handful of OTHERS so much that I feel weird not including them. But I can play by the rules :D



Burt Foster laminate, post #1. Just an OUTSTANDING piece in every way! Gorgeous lines, even more so on the color scheme of the piece. The very idea of it has a lot of cool factor. The guard and pommel and very Burt, and very much not anyone else... VERY cool. This is a knife that just makes you smile. :)


Harvey Dean, El Diablo post #4. Harvey is the king of clean, simple lines in bowies that leave you feeling the knife is just "right." You don't look at a piece like that and think, "Well, if the blade were just a bit more.... and the handle was just a bit more...." You just know he did it right. Trust me, when you first hammer it, and then take it to a grinder that literally EATS steel... to get the lines right, spot on like that... you just have something special. The damascus is fantastic. The handle is beautiful. Amazing.


Jason Knight, fighter post #5. I already explained this one... Jason NAILED it. It's got (in my eyes) perfect lines, and I know how dedicated Jason is to clean fit and finish. A knife like that doesn't work if it's not stellar in the F&F department. It's elegant, graceful, yet formidable. To quote my friend Anthony, "It looks like it's going 100 mph!" :)


Russ Andrews, big carbon bowie, post #6. While it's not got the photograph to show it off as well as some others in this thread (just some lighting Peter ;) ) this knife is fantastic. It is a classic bowie. Russ's attention to detail is no secret, and I don't think you could have a BEST bowie thread withOUT Russ included. I've seen Russ's finish on carbon steel, and it is what I think of when I tell people that a TRULY WELL DONE carbon steel blade is a thing of beauty and definitely a lot of time, hard work, and patience.


Don Hanson Guild Show Winner, post #21. This knife just screams COOL!!! It's a little different than the "stay within the lines" more standard bowies... but that is part of its charm. Don makes light, fast, lively knives. While I have not handled THIS one, I KNOW that it is too. I LOVE the coloring on this knife... from the blade treatment to the gorgeous ivory... it just works! The natural part of the ivory just adds a great depth and character.


Rodrigo Sfreddo, Fall Leaves, post #25. WOW! Both design and technical difficulty on this one are a 10. Rodrigo is a force to be reckoned with in the bladesmithing world. I have to admit I'd actually like it even more sans the leaves... but that's just because the lines, damascus, and overall execution just work so well. It's like that BEAUTIFUL woman that actually looks even better naked without make-up than all dolled up with an evening gown because she has that pure, drop you to your knees beauty WITHOUT any adornment. This is NOT to take away from Rodrigo's knife... it's to point out how hard he nailed this one. Great stuff.



Holson/Hanson collaboration, post #38. This is just a ridiculously cool knife! It is simple in line, but the lines are smooth, flowing, and just leave me feeling happy about the knife. The way the bolster style guard flows from handle down to blade is a simple feature but one that helps make the knife. Carbon steel with a hamon, damascus furniture, and a beautiful piece of ivory are one of my absolute most favorite combinations. Kudos to you two for such a wonderful knife.




The four that are REALLY REALLY digging at me because I didn't post them would be Bailey's Grapes of Wrath... Um, how freaking awesome is it?!?!, Hanson Sinistre... just plain neat-O! (and I've handled this one... great stuff!), Andrews damascus bowie in post #25.... freaking awesomeness... Andrews, damascus, stag, and Russ's signature awesome fittings... AWESOME, and finally Jerry Fisk's bowie in post #41 a big, honk'ng damascus and ivory piece.... beautiful steel, great lines, probably one of my favorite Fisk's of all time.

I hope no one is put off by my voting. If I could have every knife in this collection, I would have one AMAZING knife collection.
 
Charles M said:
Questionable bowies or not, the original post called for custom fixed blades made in 2007 of 7" or greater length. That's how it was "to begin with and it should stay that way because it is only logical."
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Out of all fairness the Title of the Thread is Best Bowie 2007. Very objective with the exception of all the appendixes that keep coming up. It doesn't give a bye to what a Bowie is. It just shows that some people don't know the difference and used the "fixed blade" bug-a-boo as a reason to post a favorite knife. That is why I want a popular vote and I suspect some people want a closed vote. Thus, my comment concerning substance over form. If you had read my post with a little less biasness you would see that I agree with you.
 
Culpeper, I don't see what you are bothered by? :confused:

Perhaps we are all taking this too serious. It's basically just a thread to recognize the special knives/photos of 2007 and meant to provide some fun over the Holidays when members have time off.

There's no prize involved, not even really "best bowie" as we can't handle and/or examine them. It's just entertainment. :)
 
Culpeper said:
Out of all fairness the Title of the Thread is Best Bowie 2007. Very objective with the exception of all the appendixes that keep coming up. It doesn't give a bye to what a Bowie is. It just shows that some people don't know the difference and used the "fixed blade" bug-a-boo as a reason to post a favorite knife. That is why I want a popular vote and I suspect some people want a closed vote. Thus, my comment concerning substance over form. If you had read my post with a little less biasness you would see that I agree with you.
Click to expand...

It's not about an "open or closed vote". It's just about using a great polling tool provided by the Blade Forums that's fun as its keeps a live vote tally, can either be anonymous "or not" and it's error free. The votes for the 7 finalist are being calculated manually by people digging through the post and marking on a scratch pad. That has margin for error and is work.

Why not use the BF poll? Every other poll we have done this last year used it.
 
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