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Bose Knives
- Thread starter VCM3
- Start date
KnifeHead
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2006
- Messages
- 5,575
The following was written by Juan Mendez, a friend of Tony's and huge fan of knives from Wilfred, Indiana:
During the first week of October (2012) I was very pleased to fulfill a promise made to an old friend; I say old friend because Ive been lucky enough to have known Tony Bose for over twenty years, and because both of us are a bit past out conscription age.
The promise was to test a fillet knife made by Tony. The knife has a 5 ¾ blade made of his legendary 440V steel, it has long and perfectly executed swedges along the spine of the blade that scream unparalleled craftsmanship, and the handle is made of two green Micarta scales adorned with a perfectly fitted escutcheon. There is a lanyard hole at the end of the handle, which for a knife of this nature is a must.
The occasion was a family fishing trip to San Jose Island on the Pacific coast of Panama. San Jose is the southernmost island on the Pearls Archipelago, a world renowned sport fishing site. My daughters boy friend, Stephen, had come to visit for a few days before deploying for Afghanistan. Stephen is a US Naval Academy graduate, now a 1st Lieutenant Marine. We spent four days on the island, and we fished for two full days. My daughter, Annie, and Captain Jairo completed the team. My lovely wife, Ivette, stayed at the resort taking care of her injured shoulder.
Stephen and Annie with gear ready for the trip
Although we were after sailfish and yellow fin tuna, the weather wasnt ideal. A brisk wind from the southwest was blowing which made the surface of the sea choppy and dark. But Stephen is a fishing nut like youll rarely find, and yours truly has been fishing these waters ever since they were invented or thereabouts, so we soldiered on. As a result, eventually we ran into some dolphin (mahi-mahi), sierra mackerel, and amber jack.
A marine trying to earn his keep
Lunch
Pretty sierra mackerel
Ill spare the audience the gory details of pulling those poor animals from the water and go straight to the knife test. I must mention at this point that above all I was after the opinion of Captain Jairo, who has filleted untold thousands of fish in over twenty five years at the helm of a fishing boat. Also, there was a very obliging and forthcoming cook at the islands resort and he wanted to try the knife. I was after unbiased opinions, and I asked for heartless and rude observations about the knifes qualities for filleting fish. However, I also tried the knife.
Captain Jairo removing the skin of a fillet Panama style.
It just keeps on cutting
The way we fillet fish such as the ones we caught is as follows: You remove the fillet by making three cuts: One behind the dorsal fin, on an angle in order to avoid the inner organs; the other two alongside the top and the belly of the fish. Then the fillet is removed by cutting alongside the bones of the spine. Once the fillet has been removed, you cut the skin away from the meat. I point this out because perhaps the most common way of removing the skin from the flesh is by pulling/ripping the skin off. We rather cut the skin off because whatever fibers there are between the skin and the flesh are removed and the texture of the fish when cooked will be tenderer.
Cutting through the skin at first is a pretty simple chore for any sharp knife. However, removing the fillet, and cutting the skin off is much trickier. Now, after cutting the hide of several mahi-mahi the weaker blades will show it. In the case of the Bose knife, it could cut a few miles of fish skin without the need of a strop.
An Indiana knife on a Pacific mahi-mahi
Tender fillet.
I was a bit apprehensive about the somewhat stiff 440V blade for removing the fillet. However, the slim blade and the long swedge made the job a breeze. The handle fits the hand comfortably and doesnt get in the way. The very sharp edge is always an advantage.
When it comes to removing the skin, the blade must rest close to the board, which is when a very flexible blade is most welcome. Nevertheless, the Bose knife in the opinion of Captain Jairo is simply the best knife he has ever used: Period. I kept prodding him to tell me something negative about the knife, I wanted to hear from him that the blade might be a little stiff: The man wouldnt budge.
The chef, nevertheless, said that he found it a little difficult to remove the skin with the Bose knife because he didnt have a proper cutting board. Indeed, they were working on top of a steel table with one inch edges on the sides. He pointed out, though, that an additional inch on the same blade would solve the problem as it would allow him to place the blade more flat on the table under such conditions. His overall opinion, though, was that hed love to have that knife in his kitchen.
Happy campers
Life in the tropics
My opinion of the knife really has little value. Im a pushover and I cant find fault on any knife made by Tony. Moreover, my filleting skills are rather rusty. But whatever I do, I always find it easier doing it with a Bose knife.
To summarize, the Tony Bose fillet knife passed its Pacific Trial with flying colors. Two very experienced and skilled sea men tried it and wanted to keep it. Of course, I wouldnt come back home without it. An altogether superior saltwater fishing knife from a man from Indiana; go figure.
By the way, I also used the knife to kill an ugly hairy spider the size of my hand which my dear wife brought to my attention with a very loud scream. Thank you, Old Dog.
Thanks to Juan for a great narrative and wonderful pix. :thumbup:
During the first week of October (2012) I was very pleased to fulfill a promise made to an old friend; I say old friend because Ive been lucky enough to have known Tony Bose for over twenty years, and because both of us are a bit past out conscription age.
The promise was to test a fillet knife made by Tony. The knife has a 5 ¾ blade made of his legendary 440V steel, it has long and perfectly executed swedges along the spine of the blade that scream unparalleled craftsmanship, and the handle is made of two green Micarta scales adorned with a perfectly fitted escutcheon. There is a lanyard hole at the end of the handle, which for a knife of this nature is a must.
The occasion was a family fishing trip to San Jose Island on the Pacific coast of Panama. San Jose is the southernmost island on the Pearls Archipelago, a world renowned sport fishing site. My daughters boy friend, Stephen, had come to visit for a few days before deploying for Afghanistan. Stephen is a US Naval Academy graduate, now a 1st Lieutenant Marine. We spent four days on the island, and we fished for two full days. My daughter, Annie, and Captain Jairo completed the team. My lovely wife, Ivette, stayed at the resort taking care of her injured shoulder.
Stephen and Annie with gear ready for the trip
Although we were after sailfish and yellow fin tuna, the weather wasnt ideal. A brisk wind from the southwest was blowing which made the surface of the sea choppy and dark. But Stephen is a fishing nut like youll rarely find, and yours truly has been fishing these waters ever since they were invented or thereabouts, so we soldiered on. As a result, eventually we ran into some dolphin (mahi-mahi), sierra mackerel, and amber jack.
A marine trying to earn his keep
Lunch
Pretty sierra mackerel
Ill spare the audience the gory details of pulling those poor animals from the water and go straight to the knife test. I must mention at this point that above all I was after the opinion of Captain Jairo, who has filleted untold thousands of fish in over twenty five years at the helm of a fishing boat. Also, there was a very obliging and forthcoming cook at the islands resort and he wanted to try the knife. I was after unbiased opinions, and I asked for heartless and rude observations about the knifes qualities for filleting fish. However, I also tried the knife.
Captain Jairo removing the skin of a fillet Panama style.
It just keeps on cutting
The way we fillet fish such as the ones we caught is as follows: You remove the fillet by making three cuts: One behind the dorsal fin, on an angle in order to avoid the inner organs; the other two alongside the top and the belly of the fish. Then the fillet is removed by cutting alongside the bones of the spine. Once the fillet has been removed, you cut the skin away from the meat. I point this out because perhaps the most common way of removing the skin from the flesh is by pulling/ripping the skin off. We rather cut the skin off because whatever fibers there are between the skin and the flesh are removed and the texture of the fish when cooked will be tenderer.
Cutting through the skin at first is a pretty simple chore for any sharp knife. However, removing the fillet, and cutting the skin off is much trickier. Now, after cutting the hide of several mahi-mahi the weaker blades will show it. In the case of the Bose knife, it could cut a few miles of fish skin without the need of a strop.
An Indiana knife on a Pacific mahi-mahi
Tender fillet.
I was a bit apprehensive about the somewhat stiff 440V blade for removing the fillet. However, the slim blade and the long swedge made the job a breeze. The handle fits the hand comfortably and doesnt get in the way. The very sharp edge is always an advantage.
When it comes to removing the skin, the blade must rest close to the board, which is when a very flexible blade is most welcome. Nevertheless, the Bose knife in the opinion of Captain Jairo is simply the best knife he has ever used: Period. I kept prodding him to tell me something negative about the knife, I wanted to hear from him that the blade might be a little stiff: The man wouldnt budge.
The chef, nevertheless, said that he found it a little difficult to remove the skin with the Bose knife because he didnt have a proper cutting board. Indeed, they were working on top of a steel table with one inch edges on the sides. He pointed out, though, that an additional inch on the same blade would solve the problem as it would allow him to place the blade more flat on the table under such conditions. His overall opinion, though, was that hed love to have that knife in his kitchen.
Happy campers
Life in the tropics
My opinion of the knife really has little value. Im a pushover and I cant find fault on any knife made by Tony. Moreover, my filleting skills are rather rusty. But whatever I do, I always find it easier doing it with a Bose knife.
To summarize, the Tony Bose fillet knife passed its Pacific Trial with flying colors. Two very experienced and skilled sea men tried it and wanted to keep it. Of course, I wouldnt come back home without it. An altogether superior saltwater fishing knife from a man from Indiana; go figure.
By the way, I also used the knife to kill an ugly hairy spider the size of my hand which my dear wife brought to my attention with a very loud scream. Thank you, Old Dog.
Thanks to Juan for a great narrative and wonderful pix. :thumbup:
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2005
- Messages
- 3,972
Wow! Double Wow! I just got off the phone with Don and noted that Kerry hasn't posted a T. Bose folder in quite awhile...and then out of thin air!!
Just superb. :thumbup: A cattle knife supreme. Love that last shot, and the ivory is over the top.
:thumbup:
Thanks for posting this one up Kerry!
And, Juan's fillet test is also a special treat this AM. These Bose pages just keep getting better and better...
- Joe
Just superb. :thumbup: A cattle knife supreme. Love that last shot, and the ivory is over the top.
:thumbup:Thanks for posting this one up Kerry!
And, Juan's fillet test is also a special treat this AM. These Bose pages just keep getting better and better...
- Joe
- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 47,449
That D.E. cattle knife is one of the ones on my long list of grail knives (though not in ivory).
Kerry, a question for you and Tony...can that pattern be built with a little less run up as shown in the first image or is that just a requirement for that particular pattern to come together properly?
Thanks in advance.
Kerry, a question for you and Tony...can that pattern be built with a little less run up as shown in the first image or is that just a requirement for that particular pattern to come together properly?
Thanks in advance.
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2002
- Messages
- 12,297
Yeah, Joe and I were just talking.
Great story and pics from Juan!
And that ivory Cattle is super.
Thanks Kerry!
Great story and pics from Juan!
And that ivory Cattle is super.
Thanks Kerry!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2009
- Messages
- 550
To the "Old Dog", at our advanced age this knife is almost better than sex!? Such sensuous shapes,
marvelous finish and wonderful ivory what more can I say expect, I want one!
Kerry, the Panama fishing story was very well done. Also, if I keep saying really nice things about you will you
make my next knife sooner? I know, I know fat chance!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, sweet photos of the Cattle Knife.
Take care, my friends at Wilfred...
Jeff
marvelous finish and wonderful ivory what more can I say expect, I want one!
Kerry, the Panama fishing story was very well done. Also, if I keep saying really nice things about you will you
make my next knife sooner? I know, I know fat chance!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seriously, sweet photos of the Cattle Knife.
Take care, my friends at Wilfred...
Jeff
- Joined
- Oct 21, 2006
- Messages
- 418
No, if they are sunk in there deeper it would be a problem getting to the pulls. Besides, this is the way the original was. It's a very early DE pattern. The blades would also rap the springs.
- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 47,449
Thanks, Tony, that's kind of what I figured but I didn't know if there was any wiggle room for cheating. Appreciate the info about this grand old pattern.
