BladeForums BEST BOWIE 2010 - Here are your finalists - let the voting begin!

What is your choice for the Best Bowie of 2010?

  • Bruce Bump Justice Bowie

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Jerry Fisk Artifact South West NLT

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Dave Lisch Flying Dragon Bowie

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Rodrigo Sfreddo Moghul Fighter

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Nick Wheeler W2 Fighter

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
For me to have a knife or two in the running that got some votes, I take that as a huge honor--I have enjoyed watching the whole thing.

Each knife has specific components that really appeal to me, such as Dave's damascus, Rodrigo's sculpting, Nick's hamon work; but when stepping back and looking at the whole knife I had to vote for Fisk.

Tad
 
I avoided reading the responses, as I wanted to be clear on my own intentions. I studied all of these finding merit in every piece.

Now that I've voted I'm seeing very similar reactions.

My final two were Bruce's fighter and Rogrigo's fighter. Both were knives I would adore owning. Both knives equal in stature.

The tipping point? The Moghul sheath. That Rodrigo also finishes his sheaths, inched his appraisal just over the top.

Making the Olympic finals is a glorious occasion. I salute EVERY maker in this thread. :)

Coop
 
Nick Wheeler
Looks old skool/Old West
I like the blade shape and the ONE handle pin
The sheath is way classic looking too:thumbup:
And it's not Damascus steel;)
I think Damascus steel is over rated and not really that attractive...(just my opinion...don't everyone get all bent out shape now.....:cool: )
Who knows..maybe someday I will start to like the looks of Damascus steel....
 
All are very nice, but I voted "David Lisch" because of the beautiful damascus.

Kind regards,

Jos
 
I had to go with the Bump Justice Bowie. Just beautiful. Also, I love the blade grind and find the knife as a whole to be rather unique.

I weighed it against my second choice, the Fisk, but didn't care for the firestarter ivory handle, and just appreciated Bump's blade grind a bit more. Still, it was pretty close.

Nice knives by all the makers involved.
 
r connally said:
Damn, this was tough...and fun! All fantastic in different ways. I cast my vote for the Fisk.

Enjoyed Roger's approach of imagining ones self in a melee. Also thought about it from a "gentleman's knife" viewpoint as I hung out victorious at the local riverboat gambling establishment; whiskey, painted ladies, music, smoke, and all.

The Fisk is that total picture for me....
Click to expand...

I like your take on that. :thumbup: And it ties in with Stuart's comment about defining one's own criterion. That's the neat thing about this format - each voter gets to decide which single knife most appeals within the bowie context, and why. Some very thoughtful comments across the board guys.

Roger
 
From this outstanding line up I chose the Wheeler. Visually it jumped out at me from the pics in the first post. I'm a sucker for a whispy hamon and was taken by the clean look of this knife.

Congrats to all the makers. This was a lot of fun, thanks Roger.
 
I've been revisiting this thread over and over again, with two of these knives punishing me for my vote. Here's how I'm breaking it down, and how it's resting in my brain.

Bruce Bump's piece is a masterpiece. When I saw the thread on it I kept calling my bride to see it. I'm sure she was humoring me the last fifty times, but she kept saying wow under her breath every time we scrolled through it.

The Fisk bowie appeals to me in a variety of ways, but I find the damascus distracting, rather than an attribute. Color me fickle, I guess...:o

Dave Lisch's piece is fabulous, but I think it's outclassed by the Moghul fighter...

For me, Sfreddo's knife is unequivocally the most ornate, most incredible, most descriptive of talent and drive here by far. The attention to even the smallest consideration has been made, and so painstakingly that the work makes me revisit it again and again -only to find even MORE depth behind the detail I was focused on!
However (and I can't believe I'm typing this), when I close my eyes and think Bowie, this knife doesn't enter my mind.

Nick Wheeler's does.

The lines, the grace and flow of the handle to spine, that oh! so captivating hamon, the conventional bowie blade shape we've all been so conditioned to expect. THAT'S what I think of.

Maybe it's this morning's coffee, and I'll regret it when the effects wear off, but this year I'm voting with my heart instead of my head.

For a silly internet poll, this sure is a brutal emotional rollercoaster! :D
 
Wow, didn't think it'd be this hard to chose one. In my mind, I still have a separation between Bowie and Fighter and the Fisk just screams 'Bowie' to me. I'm not a fan of clam shell guards and not at all crazy about engraving, but I do love damascus and artifact ivory. Rob's view of a Bowie knife below, helped sway me towards the Fisk. :D

Originally Posted by r connally
Damn, this was tough...and fun! All fantastic in different ways. I cast my vote for the Fisk.

Enjoyed Roger's approach of imagining ones self in a melee. Also thought about it from a "gentleman's knife" viewpoint as I hung out victorious at the local riverboat gambling establishment; whiskey, painted ladies, music, smoke, and all.

The Fisk is that total picture for me....
Click to expand...

I could comment on each knife, because I like them all, but I'm not one to write very long posts :)
 
After a good nights rest, I finally broke down and voted for the Sfreddo.

I still don't view it as a Bowie, but it is a tour de force and the best knife in this poll.

My raw instincts almost forced me to vote for the Wheeler, but....
 
Close call between the offerings from Mr. Bump and Mr. Wheeler. All 5 of these are "dream" knives.

In the end, for me, the Wheeler just SCREAMS "Use me".
 
Wow, what a horse race between the "Justice Bowie" and the "Mogul Fighter". :thumbup:

I guess I'm a "knife geek" as I find myself as interested in the reasons we make our picks as which knife is leading. So I appreciate everyone's reasoning in this thread and I will share my own at risk of boring you with too much detail.

My first or "quick" impression of a knife whether viewing a photo, at a show or judging is usually significantly based on overall or more handle to blade proportions. In my opinion, that's where good knife design starts.

For the above reason, I'm really drawn to the Wheeler Fighter as I feel it has the best "overall proportions" in the bunch. I handled this knife and the "feel" is also outstanding. But sorry Nick, I have this crazy addiction to damascus.

For the same reason I'm moved by the Wheeler the Justice Bowie gives me pause as from the first time I saw it (and every time since) I feel (to my eye) the handle overpowers the rest, even though I really love the rest. Considering the overwhelming popularity for this knife I'm convinced that my "eye" isn't as good as I thought.

Complexity or the degree of difficulty to create a knife plays a big part in my selection so that obviously draws me to the Mogul Fighter. However though I like "artsy" knives it's the balance between "art" and the "high performance and the masculine this knife can cut anything look" that really does it for me. So to me, the Mogul looks a bit like too much "dessert" and not enough "meat & potatoes". This opinion could (and probably would) change if I held the knife.

I feel like we should have another award for Dave Lisch's Flying Dragon Bowie if he doesn't come out on top. Like perhaps 'most impressive progression in a year by an up and coming maker'. Dave really came loaded for Bear to compete with some of the most established and most talented knifemakers in the world. This is one I would really like to see in hand. Anyway, it's my second pick.

The Fisk Artifact Bowie is my first pick as to me it best represents my criteria for the ultimate custom knife which is the perfect balance of "ART", "Craftsmanship" and "Performance". As pretty as it is, if I had to trust my life to a knife, I would choose the Artifact Bowie in a second.
 
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Though I am a huge damascus fan, there is one here that stands alone without the lure of a damascus blade. It is all bowie and nothing but bowie, so my vote went for the Wheeler. (Very close as all are exceptionally fine work)
 
with the Fisk.....it is lovely, and Jerry is about as deserving a maker to get Bowie of the Year on BladeForums as anyone.

The Sfreddo is SO not a bowie that I simply cannot comment about the incusion of it in this poll without being insulting.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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