Bret Dowell Knives

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I would love to hear some recent discussion of Bret’s knives. It seems to me that he has risen in the eyes of collectors quite a bit over the past little while. This is my first of his. It really could not be better made. I am in search of a shadow pattern with an etched A2 blade if anyone knows of one for sale.

traumkommode traumkommode , after reading your post, I feel fortunate to have this one! If Tony Bose is at the top, which I believe he is, then Bret is certainly not far below.
 
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@MCar has a spot or two on his books that got fulfilled this year after a 3+ year wait list. I'm surprised to not see more of his knives shown on the forum either. I'll imagine their exclusivity on that wait list Is the reason we don't see more for sale simply because people have to wait so long to get them at that point their commitment is total. 3 or 4 years ago it seemed like they were trending...
 
Bret makes a great knife. I really like mine, which is reassuringly solid for such a slim design.

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I’ve been talking with Bret for a bit about a 4.25” trapper with the clip and semi-skinner blade combo and he did a stellar job on making a knockout. The action is great and the fit is as tight and right as it gets. No gaps, no issues, sharp as hell, and I’m really happy with the size of it.

The blades and springs are acid etched A2, fittings and liners are stainless, and the scales are from a block of natural Claro walnut that I’ve been hanging onto for a handful of years. I love the contrast this created between the materials! Bret left the scales with a buffed finish and I gave them a couple coats of tung oil finish to seal them up and to pop the color and grain up a few notches.

The last couple of knives that Bret has made for me contained some special detail that would make it just a little bit more unique from all the others and at the last minute I suggested, and he agreed, that a double shield (one for each side) would really set it apart, yet do it subtly. He hadn’t done it prior to this and it turned out so well that most people don’t even notice until they’re told to look for it, so there’s your heads up!

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Jsega51 said:
I’ve been talking with Bret for a bit about a 4.25” trapper with the clip and semi-skinner blade combo and he did a stellar job on making a knockout. The action is great and the fit is as tight and right as it gets. No gaps, no issues, sharp as hell, and I’m really happy with the size of it.

The blades and springs are acid etched A2, fittings and liners are stainless, and the scales are from a block of natural Claro walnut that I’ve been hanging onto for a handful of years. I love the contrast this created between the materials! Bret left the scales with a buffed finish and I gave them a couple coats of tung oil finish to seal them up and to pop the color and grain up a few notches.

The last couple of knives that Bret has made for me contained some special detail that would make it just a little bit more unique from all the others and at the last minute I suggested, and he agreed, that a double shield (one for each side) would really set it apart, yet do it subtly. He hadn’t done it prior to this and it turned out so well that most people don’t even notice until they’re told to look for it, so there’s your heads up!

qu1GKgJ.jpg

otKPdBi.jpg

VOZgLeI.jpg

JiX5sgn.jpg

nOCJdWX.jpg

So9aM3z.jpg

sILCYeo.jpg
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Gorgeous knife right there. :cool:
 
Latest from Bret - Amber Stag 'Saddlehorn'. A very finely made folder, once again.

This is full size, what I mean is, full 3" cutting edge length re legal to carry laws here in lill ol' UK



With a smaller size Native too:



That shape makes for a good palm swell, very snug in my paw...




 
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