Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
Was introduced to Brian Nadeau's work on Thursday night in the Pit Smoking Section by retired New York City firefighter Keith Kaiser this year at the Blade Show. We have been buddies since attending at an Ashokan event around 2000. He is missing the thumb on his left hand.....he crushed/amputated it doing a restoration on a barber's chair....you know that lever that drops the back....gives me the willy's just thinking about it.....Mace Vitale made him a teeny hook that slips on....those New England guys are WHACKY!!!
Anyway, Keith tells me about Brian, and says he is a new guy, and making a smoking knife, and I saw some examples, and was impressed, but the light was crap and I got called away to smoke a cigar with another buddy, and have kind of a whiskey induced buzz on.....so...
I was on the judging panel for the Blade Show knife competition and Brian's work was entered, and in the good(enough) lighting, and having the ability to play with all of these knives without a time restraint and no distractions, I was blown away, and short story is.....he won BOTH Best New Maker and Best Tactical knife.....and frankly, he deserved both awards hands down....Notice the spot on blade-to-handle ratio and the fact that these are blades meant for cutting and slicing(they are sharp like razors), not pointless folding sharpened(barely) prybars.
Had the opportunity to speak with him on Saturday night and request some knives, and he assured me that he would get to it when he could, and these are inbound. I know how they feel already because I handled very similar models at Blade and also at The Gathering in Las Vegas this year.
A lot of times, makers get hyped up because of the personality aspect, and people don't really pay attention to their ergonomics, function, edge geometry or creativity/originality....Brian has all of this down, frighteningly solid for such a new maker.
HE does a screwless clip with a milled pocket on the inside of the knife that is completely creative out-of-the box execution.
The Torx screws are as big as practical, which brings a unique visual and helps cut down on the possibility of slot strippage.
I love the stripes in the blade on the "grey turd" as I have never seen this before. The swedge on the back is understated and adds visual appeal and contributes to flow.... and
LOVE the clip point with the texturing of the handle on the other one as it has a truly sculpted and three dimensional depth to it..it's hard to tell from the photo, but there is some very fine texturing in the blue portion....lotta thought and skills working in his mind. He is a machinist, a craftsman and a very talented artist.
The price he is charging is extremely reasonable and he is thusly backed up, as demand far outweighs his production ability. He is a splendidly humble, soft-spoken and straightforward person. He was a joy to speak with and these knives will hold a place in my permanent collection alongside new makers(at the time) Chuck Gedraitis, Mike Quesenberry, Mike Ruth, Nick Wheeler and John Young.
Thanks again, Brian....there is nothing but the best coming your way in the world of knives.....and for those of you that care, I would put these up against ANY folder maker, art knife or otherwise, and these will hold their own.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Anyway, Keith tells me about Brian, and says he is a new guy, and making a smoking knife, and I saw some examples, and was impressed, but the light was crap and I got called away to smoke a cigar with another buddy, and have kind of a whiskey induced buzz on.....so...
I was on the judging panel for the Blade Show knife competition and Brian's work was entered, and in the good(enough) lighting, and having the ability to play with all of these knives without a time restraint and no distractions, I was blown away, and short story is.....he won BOTH Best New Maker and Best Tactical knife.....and frankly, he deserved both awards hands down....Notice the spot on blade-to-handle ratio and the fact that these are blades meant for cutting and slicing(they are sharp like razors), not pointless folding sharpened(barely) prybars.
Had the opportunity to speak with him on Saturday night and request some knives, and he assured me that he would get to it when he could, and these are inbound. I know how they feel already because I handled very similar models at Blade and also at The Gathering in Las Vegas this year.
A lot of times, makers get hyped up because of the personality aspect, and people don't really pay attention to their ergonomics, function, edge geometry or creativity/originality....Brian has all of this down, frighteningly solid for such a new maker.
HE does a screwless clip with a milled pocket on the inside of the knife that is completely creative out-of-the box execution.
The Torx screws are as big as practical, which brings a unique visual and helps cut down on the possibility of slot strippage.
I love the stripes in the blade on the "grey turd" as I have never seen this before. The swedge on the back is understated and adds visual appeal and contributes to flow.... and
LOVE the clip point with the texturing of the handle on the other one as it has a truly sculpted and three dimensional depth to it..it's hard to tell from the photo, but there is some very fine texturing in the blue portion....lotta thought and skills working in his mind. He is a machinist, a craftsman and a very talented artist.
The price he is charging is extremely reasonable and he is thusly backed up, as demand far outweighs his production ability. He is a splendidly humble, soft-spoken and straightforward person. He was a joy to speak with and these knives will hold a place in my permanent collection alongside new makers(at the time) Chuck Gedraitis, Mike Quesenberry, Mike Ruth, Nick Wheeler and John Young.
Thanks again, Brian....there is nothing but the best coming your way in the world of knives.....and for those of you that care, I would put these up against ANY folder maker, art knife or otherwise, and these will hold their own.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
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