Ed Fowler fixed blade

I feel in love with how a Pronghorn looked from the first Blade magazine I saw.
I was overcome by the joy of handling a Pronghorn and meeting Ed Fowler at the first knife show I went to. Both of those things happened in 1998. I got to buy my first Pronghorn at Blade show 2001, but Ed and I were good friends by then. It is with great pride and pleasure that I bought that knife from Ed.

Was the knife worth it? I can only answer for me, but the answer is beyond a doubt YES! Maybe if you don't get a true feeling of the true value of one of Ed's knives from handling one or reading his books or articles about knife making than you need to see his video on what goes into each and every blade. The conclusion I came to was that they're a bargain.

You can't listen to Ed for more than a minute without getting caught up in the passion that he feels for what he does. The man is driven and focused on making his perfect knife. Ed will be the first to tell you there is no perfect knife. Not for him and not for you. I know he doesn't expect or need for eveyone to share his vision. That some do, I'm sure makes him happy.

Back to the original question...I'd get me a knife from Bill Burke. ;)
 
I was viewing a recent Blade magazine and noticed that Ed Fowler had an ad related to Xmas with his knife and a rattler in it. Well, after my son took another display that I had with LOR figures and knives etc I had to create something else. Here is the display and the snake had been laid on the Bill Burke Pronghorn before I saw the ad.

standard


Other items in the display besides knives is a nice piece of pertrified wood that the Pronghorn is placed. The piece of sculpture is from S. Africa and the Redwood Totem is from Euclulet, BC.

The front knife is a damascus piece by John Etzler. At the tip of the Pronhorn is a heat colored crucible damascus by James Lumens.

To the rear is a damascus and Oosic hunter by Herbert Derr at the large hunter to the rear is by Rob Hudson.

The display stand has knives from top to bottom by Dusty Moulton, Brett Bennett, Andrew Jordan, Bud Weston, Billy Mace Imel and Gunnar Momcilovic.

These all rest on a display stand that has a number of glass topped containers which have displays of other knives. Just one of many display methods I use.
 
This thread found me only recently. My name got mentioned and I felt obligated to post.

There's not any need to talk about steel or metallurgy here. There is no need to muck about with arguments about honest brass. Sheep horn is what it is...you love it or hate it.

The post really didn't even start as a question about knives...at least that is how I see it. If it was a question about knives, it would have metioned materials or techniques. Instead this is a question about a person.
Is an Ed Fowler Pronghorn worth the money?
Some say yes, some say no.

There was also talk about the Hall Of Fame. And that really got me...
There's a quote in the Bible somewhere...something like...
"Judge not the master by his metal, but by his deeds."

OK, let's do that and maybe we can answer the first question second.

How many of us have called Ed for advice? How many of us have read his articles in blade? How many people from around the world have relied on Ed's posts here to get them going?

The answer is a boatload!

Ed has got more people interested in bladesmithing than any other single person on the planet. Period.

Ed has spent untold hours on the phone trying to coach idiots like me. A lot of us wouldn't still be making knives if it weren't for Ed.

Ed has spent untold hours doing the homework behind his articles. More than that he has spent years helping us to see another side of the knife as a tool.
Ed has dreammed a little bit for all of us. And by letting us in on his dream we all were inspired enough to keep going.

And as a humorous note...does anybody have the vaguest idea how many of Ed's detractors spend hours in their shop trying to prove Ed wrong?

Did anybody notice how many smiths are now preaching the gospel of multi-quench/multi-thermal cycles?

Did anybody notice how many factory and custom knives are now offering palm swells?

Ok so I am preaching a bit. My bad.

Now, the question was...

Is it worth it? You guys have to decide if it is really about brass and sheep horn and 52100. Would you tell Bill Scagel you would rather have mokume and mammoth ivory or would you just say "Thank you" and sign the check?

As far as a the Hall of Fame deal goes...those kind of things are political.
Who knows what will happen. Does Ed deserve to be there? You damn betcha!

As a side bar...
I am humbled to be mentioned in the same sentence with names like Ed Fowler,Bill Burke, and Eldon Perkins. These guys are not only outstanding smiths, but they are damn fine men.

I will get down off my soap box now.
Shane
 
"Would you tell Bill Scagel you would rather have mokume and mammoth ivory or would you just say "Thank you" and sign the check?"

Frankly, I would not own a Scagel for my personal collection, but I would buy it and turn it so fast it would leave a tornado :D It IS about the materials, just as much as it is about the man. As Ed said "You gotta fall in love with the knife, those are my daughters."

"As far as a the Hall of Fame deal goes...those kind of things are political.
Who knows what will happen. Does Ed deserve to be there? You damn betcha!"

No doubt Ed deserves a lot more accolades than he has, but we don't get to decide that, just like we don't get to have a World Record Holding Rope Cuttin' Competition open to all who would try. But we may, someday soon, with things brewing, at least get to see who is the best cutter, if not the best knife.

Ed always has had time for me, and patience like I said before. Any of those of us who have asked Ed for some time, have gotten it. No doubt about that. The question that you seem to be asking ; Is the man more important than the knife?

Yes, and no. In terms of what he has given the world, ABS, friends, students and neighbors, readers and most importantly, bladesmiths, yes, Ed Fowler is more important than his knives.

No; in that when you are in that bad situation with the only knife you have with you for the situation at hand, that knife, and your survival of the bad situation, corpus intact, is the ONLY thing that matters.

I appreciate your taking the time to step up and speak Shane, hope to meet you someday too.

Best Regards,

Steven Garsson
 
I don't think there being better values out there means someone is charging too much. A fair price is what someone will pay for something.
 
Shane,

That's about as concise an overview as I have ever seen. Good sermon for a Sunday afternoon as well. I felt good after reading it. :D

Steve,

Ever the counterpoint, you make me think in ways I would not normally allow myself. :)

Thank you both.

Coop
 
Could someone PM me the approximate ballpark price of a full size Fowler bowie (say, 9" blade and up)? I know he doesn't make them often (at least, I can only recall ever seeing a mere handful) but I'd like to get an idea of what they run to give me some insight into the whole value assessment issue.

Roger
 
RogerP said:
Could someone PM me the approximate ballpark price of a full size Fowler bowie (say, 9" blade and up)? I know he doesn't make them often (at least, I can only recall ever seeing a mere handful) but I'd like to get an idea of what they run to give me some insight into the whole value assessment issue.
Click to expand...

I saw a mid-size bowie (blade around 8" IIRC) at Reno 3 years ago for $7,000.
 
shane justice said:
Ed has got more people interested in bladesmithing than any other single person on the planet. Period.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? More than Moran and the other ABS founders? I think that's a pretty ambitious statement.
 
Moran who?


Just kidding, The thing is that with the writeing in BLADE , Ed Fowler is getting more and more people interested in the world of knives.

How many people have read his last work in BLADE this month? Lots right? Perhaps 100,000 people?....perhaps more?
I dont have a clue, all I do know for sure is that Ed is reaching the next generation .
 
Well said Shane, and Steven... I guess we can only speak for ourselves, as there are those who would rather compare than honor. No question, there are legions of people who have benefited from Ed Fowler, the man...

Personally, he is the sole reason that I became interested in anything other than old pocketknives. So, for myself I owe him the debt of creating a new passion in my life. When someone does that for you, it's not the kind of thing you forget easily. The most I can do is pay homage...

Where many of Blade's articles are informative Ed's always show a passion for what he does, and they are always entertaining to read. It's refreshing that Ed has always brought "Life" to what he writes. And in a lyrical and poetic way. He's like the "cowboy poet" of knives. There are many fine people who make knives and many who write about knives. Whether or not, he's everyone's favorite.. it's not important. But decide for yourselves.

I remember the first time I ever saw one of Ed's knives. The exact year I can't, but it must have been around 1996, or 1997. It was a very small knife, no more than 2" blade. The handle had a great fit. At $700 it was no bargain for me at the time, and I couldn't buy it. I wondered to myself how such a small knife could be so expensive. However, I looked it over and decided I liked it. Couldn't afford it, but liked it. Thinking about it now, it must have been that early experience that set me on the course... Then, later I met Ed. And somehow I remember buying his book, read it and read it again. It became infectious. I absorbed some of his ideas about the more practical aspects, and ideas. The "using knife" became not only a name but a philosophy that became the measure to me of everything I value in knives.

To me, Ed's knives are not pretentious, or over done with effects the way many are. Where many choose to decorate, like a fancy Harley Davidson bike, or like a woman with too much makeup, the beauty in Ed's knives is more natural and more understated. They do not draw attention to themselves with glamour to say "Hey, look at me.." But instead, to do the job in front of them, more like a good hunting dog, or a dependable horse. Ed is a cowboy, and he makes them for himself.
David
 
Roger,
There are a couple of larger knives available at Nordicknives and Arizonacustomknives, right now. For the very large knives 9"+ they are very rare. Ed made three of these very large camp knives in 2002, since these I'm not aware of any others. He proclaimed them "mankillers". One of them went to a friend of mine, Jose. He was later offered $12,000 for it, which he turned down. Another of the 3 showed up for sale on this website last year, which I bought. :)
David
 
I enjoy reading this thread. Much has been said about Ed Fowler and his knives. I have read both his books. Even though I have not met the man, I like him already.

When a guy puts so much work and his entire life into his knives, you can't help but admire his commitment and passion.

If I had the money, I would probably have owned at least two of Ed's knives.

Keep up the good work, Ed. :) :) And how about a third book? ;)
 
Thanks to all for the kind words, I find it very rewarding to read that my thoughts about knives and the world of knives world is of value. There is a lot that has never been said about the relationshim betweeen man and knife and needs to explored.

There are more books in the mill, some from the 70's. Most are in my computer and just maybe someone will take an interest and work them up in the future.
Take Care Friends
 
Keith Montgomery said:
A lot of this thread has gotten off track. The original post had mentioned that the Fowler was too rich for the poster's blood and he was asking who made a similar knife for less money.

I would contact Bill Burke. I would also get in touch with Ed Fowler and ask who he would recommend. He is working very closely with a gentleman by the name of Eldon Perkins these days.



I myself would vote for Audra, MUCH better looking than either Ed or Bill !!!!!!


Pete
Click to expand...
 
but Audra has gotten away from her roots, and is doing a lot of folding damascus knives lately. Much different style and function than what she was originally taught.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top