Dowell, Menefee, Tomes, Cover, Flaherty, Dalton, Choctaw!

[Chiro75]

I've had a great year of buying knives. I really got away from productions and into affordable custom/handmade folders. Here is what I've picked up this year so far (man, I need to slow down... they aren't that affordable when you add them all up!)! I especially found myself loving slipjoints, as I'll actuallyc arry one of those everyday whereas my "tactical" folders get almost no carry time at all. When my production tacticals do get carried, 90% of the time it's my old beat up Military and the rest of the time it's a UKPK (slipjoint)! Sorry about the pics... no lightbox and my good camera is battery-less.

So, here they are, over the next few posts so I can fit them all in:

This first one is made by Ron Flaherty. He sent me a picture of 3-4 knives I could choose from and this is the one I picked. Not perfect, but it was like $125 or or $150 and it has a 3.5" S30V blade heat treated by Paul Bos, black G-10 scales with SS bolsters and .063" thick Ti dual liners! OAL is about 8.5". Big, and heavy, but gets blown away in size by a later knife!

Jeff Cover slipjoint, in basically a sodbuster pattern. Bought this secondhand for a good price. It's about 3.75" closed and 2.5" edge and 6.5" open length. This knife has dual stainless liners and nice, thick black linen Micarta scales. The knife is about 1/2" thick at the butt end, it's thickest area. I'm unsure of what the steel is, but I'm guessing ATS-34 or 440C. It's a little thickly ground and has a pretty steep bevel on the edge, and it's not perfect, but a nice knife to carry and use. The liners are not relieved, so there is significant wear on the tang from opening and closing.

A trio of knives from Bret Dowell, one of our local BFC makers who resides in Oklahoma. I started with the one all the way over on the left. It was a custom, in this 2 3/4" Dogleg pattern. I selected stainless steel fluted bolsters and green canvas Micarta scales and it also has SS liners and an ATS-34 blade. It is sweet. Perfect pull, and it's small so I carry it everyday in dress pants. I LOVE this knife and it was a gift to myself for meeting a particular professional goal. I use it quite a bit and it's always there when I need it!

The middle one is a Dowell Swayback I bought in July. No carry time yet. ATS-34 blade and spring, fluted bolster and it's also Rick's first knife with a shield! 3.6" closed and 6.4" open. Scales are green linen Micarta and I almost don't want to carry it it's so nice!

The third one in this group is my latest acquisition, just received from the secondary market a couple days ago. It is a Dowell Shadow Trapper in nicely polished tan G-10. Just a little under 3.5" long closed and about 6 1/8" open. Hasn't been carried. Perfect grinds! Slim and has nice heft from the SS liners.

All three Dowell knives have relieved tangs so opening and closing them doesn't mark up the tang.

 

[Chiro75]

Alright, now one of my favorites of the lot... a big, nasty folder from Choctaw Plantation Forge that I bought for a song. I couldn't believe the price and this thing is well-built and solid as a tank. This thing makes my Flaherty folder feel petite!

5 1/18" closed, almost 9.25" open. 3.75" edge. Blade is 5/32" O1 with a sort of desert tan/brown camo Durakote (or whatever) baked on finish. The "liners" are solid 1/8" thick titanium, so it's basically a framelock with scales. The scales are G-10 in a weird green/desert tan color that I've never seen before. The clip looks custom, thickly machined out of titanium. The knife has perfect lockup and fills your whole hand up, offering a ton of grips. Just a monster! I think paid $100 for it, which was a STEAL! It doesn't carry well in the pocket due to the clip placement, but it is really great clipped IWB, which I only do with this knife.

 

[Chiro75]

Another favorite, a Rick Menefee dogleg shadow trapper pattern. Rick and Bret are good friends and both make knives in Oklahoma. 3.75" closed, 6.5" open. No liners, ATS-34 blade and spring and relieved tang so no scuff marks from opening. This is a nail-breaker, but the spine of the blade offers plenty of space to grip with a pinch to open it. The nail nick is real rustic on this one. Blade is sort of a modified spearpoint. I really fell in love with the "crooked" handle. It just seemed rustic and kind of old-fashioned to me and I loved it. Handles are nicely polished natural canvas Micarta.

This next one is a great deal I got on a PJ Tomes lockback! I emailed PJ about it and he said, "I remember that knife. It's about 15 years old, and, yes, you got a good deal on it" but he didn't tell me anything more than that! Like I said, this is a lockback with ultra-thin titanium scales. The entire knife is only about 7/32" thick overall! 4.5" closed and 7.75" open, so it maximizes how much cutting edge is in the package! The blade is almost zero-ground with just a tiny hint of a secondary edge. I've carried it and used it a couple times and it cuts like a laser. I'm almost afraid to carry it because it is so light I wouldn't know if I lost it out of my pocket! I'm not sure what the steel is on this one, but it's stainless.

 

[Chiro75]

And last, but not least, a montage of my new handmade folders as well as a pair of sweet, green Dalton "Knuck-o-the-Irish." These knucks (paperweights, of course" are machined out of 1/2" thick aluminum and this is pair # 6 of 13! Sweet machining and the anodization is awesome! Paired up with my XD-9 Subcompact it makes quite an impression!

 

[kamagong]

That's a veritable treasure trove you've got there! I like the Bret Dowell Swayback, I just got one of those myself.

I've had a great year of buying knives. I really got away from productions and into affordable custom/handmade folders. Here is what I've picked up this year so far (man, I need to slow down... they aren't that affordable when you add them all up!)

I sympathize with your predicament. I love affordable customs from new and new-ish makers. The only problem is that they have a way of multiplying. And you're right, even if they are affordable they still cost quite a bit when you are buying a bunch of them.

 

[puukkoman]

That Tomes lockback is really somethin'!
Thanks for posting!