E. Esposito - Firmo Fracassi & Antonio Fogarizzu - M. Torcoli

[Lorien]

are you for real?
look at the precision!
design wise- I say interesting!
if they are sharp, there's your functionality.
where is the red cape Steven?

 

[Kohai999]

are you for real?
look at the precision!
design wise- I say interesting!
if they are sharp, there's your functionality.
where is the red cape Steven?

Lorien, if you want to talk about this, you have my number(s), you can call me tomorrow, I'll be in the office all day. Your "are you for real" comment will be ignored.

If you want a serious answer on this subject here, it will take more sentences than I have time to write.

Those that know what I am talking about are already nodding their heads in agreement, and those that disagree are free to do so.

Bulino engraving renders a knife no longer fit for regular carry or use for starters, and it just goes downhill from there. Some engravers who would know have told me that bulino goes down to 2 thousandths of an inch in many cases...which means if you rub hard enough, it can be obscured simply by finger pressure.

your quote "design wise- I say interesting!"....and I say...not interesting, the opposite...very unnattractive...that is what makes a horserace.

Are you planning on purchasing one? The price will run you in the neighborhood of $50,000, or so has been indicated by a few pm's/e-mails.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[The Amazing Virginian]

I am not sure I understand what the price has to do with the merit (or lack thereof) of the knife itself. If one could acquire it for $5K, would that make the knife itself any better or worse? A Porsche 911 GTS runs $130K so I am not likely to buy one of those either, but I still think it kicks ass.

However . . . a quick search of AlGore's Interwebs reveals a Torcoli engraved Fogarizzu knife which appears to be quite similar to the one displayed here is available for sale for slightly under $25K.

DSFDF, but personally I would be happy to own either of these knives even without the engraving, although I would probably want some kind of stone or pearl inlay in the handle of the Esposito if it was not engraved.

 

[betzner]

I've got to agree with STeven completely. Awhile back, I posted an Antonio Fogarizzu Persian folder without engraving, along with the very same Fogarizzu large folding dagger model shown at the beginning of this thread, but without engraving. IMHO, both of the Fogarizzu folders were best without engraving. The Persian folder was the one I personally preferred of the two (by far, actually), and STeven agreed, so he is consistent in his view from that thread to this one.

I happen not to care for bulino engraving either, but I always figure, each to his own. I think most people find the realism of it to be lovely, though I don't.

Bob

 

[Kohai999]

I am not sure I understand what the price has to do with the merit (or lack thereof) of the knife itself. If one could acquire it for $5K, would that make the knife itself any better or worse? A Porsche 911 GTS runs $130K so I am not likely to buy one of those either, but I still think it kicks ass.

However . . . a quick search of AlGore's Interwebs reveals a Torcoli engraved Fogarizzu knife which appears to be quite similar to the one displayed here is available for sale for slightly under $25K.

If the knife was more like $5,000 Ken, it would be significantly more sensible and appealing to PURCHASE.

Remember, that is the mindset that I look at the vast majority of knives is "would I buy it".

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Lorien]

Your "are you for real" comment will be ignored.

thanks, I wasn't trying to insult you

Personal conversations are always welcome, Steven, but I think it would be best for everyone here to become privy to the details within the thoughts which compelled your comments, and I mean that sincerely. Your conviction is obvious but I for one would appreciate more insight for the purpose of learning something I might not otherwise learn.

This is not the kind of knife that I covet, therefore my knowledge of this type of thing is limited. But I still want to know about it and how people perceive it honestly. Maybe all the more, considering the sheer unattainableness of a it.

 

[The Amazing Virginian]

Well that explanation helps me understand better where you are coming from. We definitely look at it from different perspectives.

I do not look at knives posted here, or in books, or on websites, that way. I have seen a lot of knives posted here, and in many knife books that I have, that are not being offered for sale. And even if they were offered for sale, they would not fit in my budget. Some of them I like the looks of; some of them I don't (and sometimes when I actually get to handle and see up close a knife that I thought looked great, it turns out that I don't like the knife as much as I liked the picture).

The knives posted here do not have prices attached, so I am not even trying to figure that out anyway.

I just decide whether I like it or not, and how much one way or the other. If i like it, I often make a post to that effect. Like here.

I guess if my perspective when I looked at knives here was "would I buy it" then I would need someone to post the price they want for it. Also, I would have to determine whether I was asking myself if I would purchase it if I had to keep it for life, or if I was asking myself whether I would purchase it if I was looking to flip it - which would depend on whether I thought someone else would pay more at some point . . .

too much like work for me. It's an avocation for me, not a business.

I like both knives. Engraved or unengraved. I am not a fan of the way that the base or butt of the blade of the Esposito knife sticks out a bit too much from the handle for my taste, but overalll I still like the appearance of the knife. I have seen and held more than one of his knives and the fit and finish were always outstanding. Thet same goes for Fogarizzu.

Personally, I have very few engraved knives. But given a choice, I would much prefer to see photo-realistic engraving of a cool scene rather than a bunch of scrolls and floral patterns and dipsidos or what have you that has kind of been done to death over the decades by about a zillion engravers.

I guess that's why it takes all kinds.

 

[Kohai999]

We would no doubt look at it from different perspectives, Ken. Since I got my new job, I probably think about knives for 10 hours a day, just about every day....maybe not on Sunday.

1. I don't like art knives. That is not to say that I don't like artistic knives, just prefer knives that are knives first, and certainly not canvases for engraving. My tastes lean towards knives that start out patterned as working knives, and become something else by the way they are designed and crafted and how the materials change. A Scott Sawby Toothpick is a great example. They start out as a classic working pattern, but by the time Scott uses top quality materials, thins the whole package down an amazing slimness, and then puts on the perfect finish....well, to me, it would be a little bit of a crime to whale on it like it was an EDC....but it is still a working knife at the core, and someone will use one hard and be pleased with the performance.

2. In the daggers, that tip is unattractive to my aesthetic. It's like a spatha tip, and in daggers, I prefer the main guache/court sword sort of shaped tip, long and tapering. It is something that Steve Hoel and Joe Kious both do very well on their coke bottle folding daggers.

3. The curvy folder has terrible blade-to-handle ratio. It is my steadfast belief that a folding knife should have the maximum possible blade in the handle, that it should look good and be well presented.

4. For me, engraving is embellishment. Like you, I have very few engraved knives, but I do have a few, and prefer maker-engraved work. Mine are by Harvey Dean, Dewey Harris, Dusty Moulton, and Harvey McBurnette. The non-maker engraved pieces are a Warren Osborne(work by Julie Warenski-Erickson) and Jack Busfield(work by Jerry Whitmore). These pieces are mostly scroll work, which is deep and durable. The knives are all knives first, and the engraving takes nothing away from the fact that the knives can be used and used hard if need be.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[aberastains]

3. The curvy folder has terrible blade-to-handle ratio. It is my steadfast belief that a folding knife should have the maximum possible blade in the handle, that it should look good and be well presented.

4. For me, engraving is embellishment. Like you, I have very few engraved knives, but I do have a few, and prefer maker-engraved work. Mine are by Harvey Dean, Dewey Harris, Dusty Moulton, and Harvey McBurnette. The non-maker engraved pieces are a Warren Osborne(work by Julie Warenski-Erickson) and Jack Busfield(work by Jerry Whitmore). These pieces are mostly scroll work, which is deep and durable. The knives are all knives first, and the engraving takes nothing away from the fact that the knives can be used and used hard if need be.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

also, in the curvy one, the grind bevel is poorly defined, very rounded for a blade that´s not even polished...