Bladeforums BEST BOWIE 2013 - Voting Closed - FINALISTS SELECTED!

Lorien said:
hey folks, here's a link to an album I assembled for 2013 Best Bowies.

There are over 420 different knives in it, and I know I missed several bangers.

http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/Bladeworks2011/library/Best%20Bowies%202013?sort=3&page=1
Click to expand...


What a fantastic collection of pics.

I wanted to nominate a few CAS bowies, and Ben Tendrick but it looks like others have entered them already!


Did some one already post this Dogbone by White (I believe). This is from Lorien's photobucket he linked.

 
I do not believe that we have seen any nominees from Jay Hendrickson yet, and I do not want to let such a travesty stand. So . . .

1) Jay Hendrickson

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2) Jay Hendrickson

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Okay gang, we are now closed to additional entries - let the selection of finalists begin!


A VERY BIG THANK YOU for all the nominations. Once again, this is a TRULY IMPRESSIVE assembly of knives – and no doubt the decisions will be tough. Each year, this thread is what the forum community makes of it - and you all have made it pretty great.

The fun continues with what I think will be the hardest and most interesting part - narrowing it down to five finalists. The procedure will be the same as before:

1) Each member may submit up to 7 suggested finalists. You don't have to submit as many as 7, but don't submit any more than 7. Please take your time to carefully review all the knives.

2) Please include the post number where your selected knife can be found, AND the number of the knife within that post if more than one knife is presented therein - this will help clear up any uncertainty in the case where there are multiple knives by a given maker among the initial entries. For example - a say post number 30 has 4 knives. You want the third. Put "Post 30, #3". AND DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE NAME OF THE MAKER!

3) Your order of selection doesn't matter - one vote per knife up to seven, each vote counts.

4) PLEASE feel free to include a few words about what appeals to you about any given selection. THIS is what makes the selection process most interesting.

5) When all votes are in, we add up the numbers (each time a knife is put forward by someone as a finalist, that effectively counts as one vote for that knife) and the top 5 will be voted on by polll in a new thread.

Give it some careful thought and cast your votes. We have had some VERY close calls in past years, particularly for the last couple spots - including ties - your vote for each knife matters!

Roger

PS - If anything is unclear, please ask early.

I'll add in my votes later - have at it gents - some tough choices lie ahead!

EXAMPLE:

Post 3, Knife 4, Joe Blow, Stag Bowie

Post 20, Knife 1, John Doe, Ivory / damascus fighter

Post 32, knife 7, Joe Doe, carbon steel bowie with crazy hamon

AND DON'T FORGET TO TELL US WHY YOU HAVE VOTED FOR THE KNIVES YOU SELECTED!
 
Okay

Really tough

In no order

These are the pieces that I would want if I were picking a Bowie for myself

post 2, #1 Wheeler - perfect Bowie

post 2, #3 Lurquin - speaks to me

post 8, #1 Ruth - well done tribute piece

post 22, #3 CAS - some of the best lines in the field

post 24, #1 Marchand - if I had to use a Bowie for what it was designed for this classic brut would get it done

post 36, #1 Lurquin - what's not to like

post 62, #1 Lurquin - great steel and materials

There are other knives that I like better but I would class them more as fighters such as the Casey in post 60, and this is the best Bowie thread :)

Thanks to all involved and happy New Year
 
My picks in no particular order:

post 9 #3 Seward - great lines from a new maker

post 22 #1 Lisch - love the lines and colors in the knife

post 36 #2 Cook - I commissioned it, so I gotta pick this one

post 37 #1 Buxton - Love the mosaic damascus

post 67 #2 Cook - Great damascus

post 81 #5 Keesler - Wonderful example of forge mastery

post 99 #1 Fisk - Some of Jerry's best work

Kerry
 
Hello!

My votes reflect my personal preferences when it comes to Bowie like knives. In these, I usually don't like engraving or inlays, which leaves me with those here that don't. Of these the following are the ones I feel have something "special" to them, be it the overall shape or some special trait. Not limiting myself to one per maker any more.

Here goes, in no particular order:

1: Post 21, No. 5 - CAS Stag Bowie/Fighter - I call it "The Firestarter" because of the "flamed" stag handle, which beautifully highlights the dark and ominous guard, rest of the handle and blade;

2: Post 34, No. 3 - CAS forged full integral sub-hilt hollow handle Commando - knifemaking tour de force (first of it's kind, at least to my knowledge)

3: Post 81, No 4 - Hogstrom / Hanson Colab. - beautiful guard/handle combination with a great "warm" glow to it;

4: Post 7, No. 1 - Hanson - beautiful handle and blade profile just to my liking;

5: Post 36, No. 1 - Lurquin - beautiful overall line that fit's the sub hilt design;

6: Post 64, No.3 - Wheeler W2 ironwood - most beautiful Wheeler Bowie I have seen so far;

7: Post 9, No. 3 - Seward Southwest Bowie - beautifully symetric design (handle/pommel)

Regards,
Alex
 
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I know that they meet the broader requirements of the contest, but I decided to eschew anything without a guard (these gorgeous Sfreddos) or anything that was purely a fighter (some of those Hansons) to my eye.


Post 1-4 Lisch Ring DGuard - Best Bowie at the densest Bowie show of the year.
Post 7-1 Hanson craggy walrus - Hansony goodness
Post 13-1 Bump Judge Roy Bean Bowie - one of the best from one of the best
Post 13-2 Christensen Carved Ironwood - one of the most creative and compelling pieces of the year for me
Post 37-2 Fuegen Cowboy Bowie - classic shape with great Fuegen embellishments and carving
Post 64-3 Wheeler Ironwood - my favorite Wheeler to date
Post 67-3 Royer Blue beauty - a beautiful knife from a talented maker, with such great close ups from Caleb. No where to hide with that scrutiny, and there's clearly nothing to hide.

Seth
 
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Post7-1 Don Hanson
Post 13-3 D Lisch
Post 21-5 Cladio CAS
Post 37-2 Larry Fuegan
Post 64-3 Nick Wheeler
Post 67-5 Rodrigo
Post 81-6 Scott MacCaughtry
All knives I would be proud to own. Gary
 
Outstanding entries across the board. Tough choices.

Post.1 #2. Rhea; Damascus with meteorite and blackwood. I love the lines and handle detail.

Post. 9 #2. Rhea; Damascus with forged split D fittings and stag. This knife in my mind is the epitome of Bowie.

Post. 7 #1.DHIII; Hamon and Ivory. What else is there to say.

Post. 15 #1. M. Ruth Jr.; Damascus and Stag. Perfection from stem to stern.

Post. 22 #1. Lisch; Damascus stag and Ring guard. What an innovative and beautiful guard configuration.

Post. 37 #2. Fuegen; Damascus with carved Damascus accent. Everything about this one screams top shelf artists.

Post. 67 #1. Fisk; Damascus and Ivory. This one is my favorite from Jerry ever.

Chris
 
This year for me the theme is ivory, ivory, ivory. It could well be the last year that we can enjoy this amazing material. There is one knife that doesn't have an ivory handle but I just couldn't pass that knife by. Here we go:

Post 1-1 Fisk
Post 9-1 Fuegen
Post 13-1 Bump
Post 36-2 Cook
Post 45-1 Newton
Post 67-3 Royer
Post 83-1 Cook

Marcel
 
Here are my picks. My picks were based on knives I would want to own. They have clean cassic lines with great materials. All of them have a guard except the Wheeler, it has some of the classiest curves I have ever seen on a blade.

Post #9 - #1 Lin Rhea - Stag open D gaurd - very unique and beautiful work on the D guard concept

Post #8 - #1 Mike Ruth Jr. - Moran style - That long curved clip is outstanding!

Post #22 - #2 Sam Lurquin - Peck Award J.S. Knife - This one begs to used, a beautifully sculpted handle and that big belly. It would be a force to reckoned with!

Post #24 - #1 Marchand - Musso Bowie - This is an awesome retake on a classic knife.

Post #36 - #1 Sam Lurquin - J.S. Subhilt - I am sucker for a beastly sub-hilt

Post #64 - #1 Nick Wheeler - W2 integral - Clasic curves in all the right places, and the hamon is out of sight!

Post #41 - #1 Weiland - Blond stag - Great lines and beautifully integrated guard.
 
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In order of posts:

Post 1 Knife 1 Fisk Way of St. James
Post 2 Knife 1 Wheeler Heart of Oak
Post 13 Knife 1 Bump Judge Roy Bean
Post 13 Knife 3 Lisch Ring Guard
Post 21 Knife 2 Royer #153
Post 41 Knife 1 Gerhard Weiand
Post 81 Knife 3 Mike Diebert
 
What a wonderful terrible time... =] I've got 23 knives I could look at a long, long time. All of the listed remind me of history.

Post 36, #1... J.R.Cook
Post 78, #1... J.R.Cook
Post 24, #1... Rick Marchand
Post 37, #2... Larry Fuegen
Post 48, #2... Rodrigo Sfreddo
Post 64, #3... Nick Wheeler
Post 50, #3... John White
 
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Every year the Bowie thread leaves me continually picking up my jaw from the floor. This year is no exception!

Post #12 - 2) Jason Knight - Desert ironwood, dense random damascus, classic lines. Perfect

Post #21 - 5) Claudio Sobral - Dark & ominous yet invitingly beautiful. The S-guard and long clip make my heart race.

Post #22 - 2) Samuel Lurquin - Perfect example of Lurquin's bold blade/distinctive handle concept. Confidence-inspring Bowie.

Post #22 - 5) Jason Knight - Yes, another Knight. But this one is ALL business. The beauty of its form is not lost on those who truly understand its function.

Post #36 - 1) Samuel Lurquin - Another Lurquin. The dark burl, subhilt, and wildly active hamon combine with the aforementioned distinctive Lurquin style to make for one helluva elegant Bowie.

Post #80 - 2) Cody Hofsommer - This one took me by surprise. It was the guard - ricasso - clip relationship that drew my eye in. The elegant recurved edge and exepertly shaped handle round it out to be a prominent contender.

Post #81 - 7) Scott MacCaughtry - The colorful S-guard and amazingly contrasty hamon grab your eye first. But then you notice the purposeful shape of the blade, the clip grind that is brought nearly all the way back to the guard, the striking blue bands of the collar, all tied together with a dark and beautifully contoured handle. Its beauty does NOT detract from its battle-worthiness.
 
Post 1, Knife 2. Rhea Gibeon
Post 9, Knife 1. Fuegen carved Ancient Ivory
Post 13, Knife 1. Bump Judge Roy Bean
Post 21, Knife 1. Bump Gold Rush
Post 21, Knife 2. Royer “#153”
Post 37, Knife 2. Fuegen Cowboy Bowie
Post 67, Knife 3. Royer “#147”

There are many incredible knives in this thread, and several I would love to own—not to mention those in Lorien’s exhaustive compilation; thank you for that as always, Lorien. These seven stand at the apex for me this year. I realize these are not all sole authorship, but there are no restrictions addressing that in the “rules”, so…

Thanks again to you, Roger, and to Lorien for your work in putting this exhibition together—truly something to look forward to all year.
 
Post 1-#4 Lisch D guard. one of the most innovative makers (IMHO). This guy thinks outside of the box!

Post 9-#2 Rhea. This one just came together.

Post 9-#3 Seward Love the guard.

Post 13-#1 Bump Judge Roy Bean All kinds of cool.

Post 13-#3 Lisch I love these guards

Post 22-#2 Lirquin Peck Award Nothing more then needed, but lacks nothing either. Simple in materials but fantastic in design.

Post 64-#2 Wheeler W2+ironwood Great bowie!
 
I always thoroughly enjoy this thread and the choices this year are better than ever. After reviewing the knives again, these two stand out from the pack:

Post #1--Knife #2 Lin Rhea This one has the best wooden handle that I have ever seen. Outstanding handle carving & inlet with the furniture to set it apart from the competition.

Post #21--Knife #4 Karl Andersen This one is the ultimate in clean lines with a superb design and great hamon.

There are so many quality knives that the choice was extremely difficult . Well done to all!

Gary
 
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