BladeForums BEST BOWIE - 2011 Edition - Voting CLOSED, Finalists Selected

WOW I look forward to this thread all year I could look at Bowies all day but I need to go work on bowies thank you Gary and Bill for adding me in this cant wait to get home tonight to see what other fine knives make the cut.Thank you to all that but work into this thread.
 
Well, I only made 3 or 4 knives this year that I would call a bowie, and this is the best one by far, so...


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This one might not compete with some of those but it is one I would call a Bowie. The Commodore Bowie.

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This has been a very slow bowie year for me. Exactly one acquisition!

1. Joe Mandt cowboy bowie in random damascus.

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I have no delusions that this photo can even hold a candle to those professionally taken above, but it is without a doubt the best photo I've taken of this knife to date. :D
 
This is my favorite thread of the year :)

Thank you Roger for hosting it

I would also like to thank you for nominating the Knight and Wheeler projects

To have knives that where purely designed as performance pieces entered into the cream of the crop when it comes to Bowies is a great honor

I know I can speak for Jason and Nick in saying thank you all for even considering them :)

They truly where designed for performance and that is where there beauty lies

If any of you have ever tried to wear a 2 inch wide blade or better sash style ( the best way to carry a Bowie ) then you will know that with the welt in the sheath that could be a 3 inch wide sheath. That's like sticking a plank thru your belt hence the narrow profile of both of the project knives and the two knives I am putting up for consideration

They get there power thru massive distel taper

Well to get on with things

These 2 knives where made this year for a friend of mine Patrick

they are by two of my favorite makers

I have handled both these knives and IMHO like the Knight and Wheeler they are all out performance Bowies with rugged good looks

1 st

Bill Bagwell

11 inch HB

Since I kinda pushed these and had one of the firsts I will always love there wicked outline

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2 nd

Matt Lamey

11 inch Stag Fighting Bowie

This knife is fantastic

One of the best I have seen from Matt

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Great submissions guys - and particular thanks to the makers who have posted up. Looking forward to more from both sides of the table.

Lin, had you not posted that one, I would have. Aaron - you did a fine job with the pic of the Mandt bowie - and Joe did an even better job with the knife.

Good stuff!

Roger
 
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Her are a couple that I really enjoyed seeing this year, and one of my "best of the year" bowies.

#1 - Lin Rhea, Ivory Micarta Bowie

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#2 - Lin Rhea, Blackwood subhilt

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#3 - Karl Anderson, Gunflint Bowie

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#4 - Ben Tendick, Dead mountain chopper

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I'm absorbing the GREAT vibes this thread delivers.

I'll see who posts what and will probably add in a few from my library in a day or so.

I'd also wish to see the makers post, even if they aren't the big contenders OR 'pro' photographers.

It's a chance to walk the red carpet. Consider this exposure like being included in a magazine article. (Eye-opening suggestion!)

Coop
 
Here's one from a maker who puts Art and Knife on equal footing, in my opinion.

#1 by Gerhard Wieland

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And here's another Bowie I did in a year of daggers.

#2 by John White

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What types of knives are included?


This is NOT an attempt to define the bowie knife in either historic or contemporary terms. While I appreciate that people have strong feelings on the subject, no-one is in possession of a conclusive, exhaustive and universally-accepted definition. As with all past years, bowies, fighters, camp knives and generally any fixed blade that meets the size requirements are welcome to be included amongst the nominees. Both stock removal and forged blades are equally welcome.
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I wouldn't exactly call this a Bowie Knife, it certainly is a fighter, this Persian is my favorite knife of 2011. I think John White did a super job.

Jim Treacy

1.

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I am going to go ahead and include the only two knives I acquired this year which qualify under the rules as I understand them.

1. Karl Andersen - Liberty Bowie

The fact that this is a take-down Bowie adds a little something extra to this piece.

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2. Steve Janik / Bruce Bump Collaboration - Bumpnik 2

Ok, it is not really what most folks consider to be a Bowie but it is a fighter and I read the rules, it qualifies. I understand that sheathes don't count, but there does not appear to be a Best Sheath of 2011 contest, so just for the record I am going to point out Paul Long's fine companion-piece for this knife.

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^^^ Stunning blades indeed and I would count myself fortunate to have either one. But both have already been nominated, and reposting knives more than once can make things a bit confusing at voting time. Votes are cast by post and knife number, and having the same knife shown in more than one post can mean that some votes aren't properly counted.

Roger
 
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