Debating on a Bose knife

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bigfoot1127

Joined
Dec 4, 2013
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I have been collecting for a while and have a ton of case knives, schrade, S&m, etc and have recently fell upon great eastern cutlery and their amazing fit and finish. I picked up a few GEC and northwoods knives and love them, but for some reason the Bose like of knives just appeals to me. The slabs, the steel, the fit and finish and attention to the smallest of details has me hankering for a Bose custom (not collab)

Before dropping what is basically a car payment on a knife, I want to know what you all think of the Bose knives and if they're as good as everyone says they are and if they truly are worth the price they command.
I honestly might be looking on the secondary market to get into Bose to run my own tests before delving into a pocketbook draining venture into Bose customs.

Thanks all!
 
I have met Mr. Bose on a couple of occasions and had the opportunity to converse with him, he makes a wonderful knife and you will not regret his attention to detail!
 
Are where it's at :thumbup:

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Gary is very right . . . if you can find a Bose custom for a car payment, don't hesitate, GRAB IT FOR YOUR OWN!
 
black mamba said:
Gary is very right . . . if you can find a Bose custom for a car payment, don't hesitate, GRAB IT FOR YOUR OWN!
Click to expand...

I guess my choice of words didn't quite equate lol. I do have a nice car but not one that runs 2k+ lol.

I guess my question is : are Bose customs with the premium over the case collaborations?

Any other custom knives I should consider that may be better in quality ?
 
More like three or four car payments.

And IMO worth every penny. There is no - zero - comparison between the fit and finish of any factory knife that I have ever seen, and what Tony Bose produces. You will probably not even realize some of the small imperfections in your factory knives until you have time to handle and carefully consider one of his handmade knives.

However, there are many other makers of handmade traditional knives who also do an excellent job and whose knives greatly exceed what I see coming from even the best factories, and whose prices are less and availability is greater than a Bose handmade. And I own some of their knives, too. You might want to check out some of these, too . . . you might be able to get one for a single car payment. :D

Good luck!
 
bigfoot1127 said:
I guess my choice of words didn't quite equate lol. I do have a nice car but not one that runs 2k+ lol.

I guess my question is : are Bose customs with the premium over the case collaborations?

Any other custom knives I should consider that may be better in quality ?
Click to expand...

The case collaborations fit in exactly where they're priced. They're leagues better than the production knives made today, better fit and finish, better materials, better everything. They're going to fall short of a custom, even one by one of the not-bose folks, but they're still a helluva knife for a great price.
 
Bose knives are worth it. But whether they're the best knife in that price range for you depends on if you like the style he offers. I think he excels at utilitarian styles with traditional rugged materials, unique blade shapes, and multi-blade knives.

There are other makers out there with equal quality and similar prices, but shine in different areas. I'm thinking of Jess Horn, Don Hanson III, Ryuichi Kawamura, Mike Zscherny, Ken Steigerwalt, Ken Erickson.

If I wanted a large lock-back I'd go Jess Horn. If I wanted a two-blade trapper with stag I'd go Ryuichi. If I wanted a unique, scultural handle style I'd go Steigerwalt. If I wanted cool damascus and crazy mammoth handles, DHIII all the way. Ken makes my most coveted pocket knife of all time, his tortoise shell SAK-style knife.

If I was to buy a Bose, it would be a 5 blade sowbelly stockman with jigged bone. I'm not sure I'd ever buy a single-blade Bose at the price they command as I feel there are options just as good for less. However If I wanted more than 3 blades it would be impossible to match Tony.
 
Right now there's a Tony Bose single blade doctor's knife on a well-known custom knife reseller's site priced at $2595. Right next to it is a two blade Kawamura English Jack with very similar styling for $1095, a Joel Chamblin half-congress with black lip and a 24K gold bar shield for $1095, etc.

I'd much rather have the Kawamura or the Chamblin and for the price I could get both!

But would I spend $6,000 on a 5-blade congress or stockman from Bose over the 5-blade Richard Rogers congress they have for $2,995. You bet I would!
 
Tony & Reese knives cut better than most,though. Their grinds are a big reason I consider them the top ,in their style of knives. As a matter of fact,they cut so good it's borderline magic. :)
 
You may be able to find a good talented maker to offset grind & crink blades to get them in a thin pocketable package like this Congress

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But I doubt the blades will be ground as good. Also,perfect,dramatic swedges,perfect spring tension. You're gonna be hard pressed to top all the features Tony & Reese's knives have combined in one knife. That,is what you're paying for
 
Also,the collectors who want the Bose knives know this. They have compared & that is how the pricing on secondary market is realized.The buyers pretty much set the prices.
 
All factors considered,that Case Bose Collab. Cattle knife ,looks better & better by the minute :thumbup:
 
My first was a used acid etched A2 Tony Bose Shadow Micarta Wharncliffe Trapper which had been used, carried and sharpened. I bought it second hand from John Hanlon directly. Tony put it back into first class shape for a few bucks. It is still one of my favorites because it holds an edge, is easy to sharpen, and you don't have to baby it.

TBoseW/TinA2 by sc-sld, on Flickr

And it is easy to carry and has an elegance in the hand that you don't see with other makers. This is the best way to buy a Bose knife: A user that you will use. Whether you can get one for a car payment depends more on the car than on the knife.
 
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i agree, the custom made knives by this very forum's stars (Bose's, Dowell, Oeser, Erickson and many others....) are on a different planet than the production, collaborations etc...
Specifically Tony's knives are not just clean and well executed, they are also extremely well engeniared to be hyper effective in real use and last a lifetime or more.
You don't even have to be an expert to tell the differences, just handle one if you can, and buy it if you can afford it!! :)
 
I think it's one of those times that if you have to ask then maybe you don't really appreciate it and aren't really ready for it. When you are ready for it, it may take some time for your name to get to the front of Reeses list. But it will be worth the wait. My opinion and $5 will get you a salted caramel mocha frappuccino with whip at Starbucks. So take it with a grain of salted caramel.
 
The price of a custom knife is based on popularity of maker(i.e. how many people want to buy his knives), not on the quality of the workmanship. A current example is Joel Chamblin. For reasons no one seems to understand Joel's work is not that popular at present and thus the price for a Chamblin knife is rather low, about 1/5th the price of a similar pattern by Tony Bose, yet the quality of workmanship is similar, but Mr. Bose has a much larger following.
Knifemaker popularity varies over time and has a 'snowball-like' progression. Buyers get on the band wagon because they see so many others wanting a certain maker's knife, and this also happens in reverse.
I have owned many Traditional styled knives from many of today's top makers including Tony Bose. It took me many years to realize that increasing price does not always get you a better made knife.
Hence, buy the custom knife that speaks most loudly to you. As long it is made by one of today's top knife makers you will get a great knife, all of a similar quality even though the price you pay might vary by 3-4 times, or more.
The other factor to know is that not every knife made by a maker comes out as perfectly or as pleasing as others. Although all will still be excellent knives, certain ones just seem particularly 'special'.
That said, i think Tony Bose's multiblade folders, especial those with 4 blades, are matched by only 1 or 2 other knife makers. For 1 or 2 blade folders this difference is not there.
For Traditional style fixed blades, Randall knives is an example with huge popularity (5 year wait list). But are they better than all other knife makers of the same price ? No. There are a great many makers of fixed blades whose knives are their equal or better, but whose prices are lower.
So, buy what you like, whether it is from the most popular knife maker or not, you will get a great knife that will serve you perfectly for the rest of your life.
kj
 
IMHO if Tony or Reese Bose make a pattern, you can be assured that nobody will make that pattern better. Someone else may make it different or just as good...but not really better.

There are also design elements in Bose knives that no other makers can match, that's why there are so many of his knives being made by others. Tony and Reese gives away their patterns and all it has done is to help business. Others makers don't and some bicker about copies of their designs.

Finally, few, if not none, makers have created NEW "traditional" knife designs (e.g. Lanny's clip) made of nontraditional materials (micarta, 440V) that are so inspiring other custom makers and a major traditional knife company (Case) produce them as well and collectors line up to buy.

One of my pleasures at the ICCE was to spend some time talking to Tony, and I'd gladly pay more for his knife just 'cause he's a nice guy and a genuinely warm person :)
 
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