feed back on a few makers

R

razorsdescent

Joined
Jan 16, 2005
Messages
2,938
Im looking into gettinga few knives in the not too distant future and i havent heard much about the makers even with search.

First off im looking at newt livesay knives. The guys website is disorganized and he comes off as abrasive but if his woo is actually a good knife it would about perfectly fit my needs.

Second we have bud nealy yet another guy i dont hear mentioned much. :confused: i saw an advertisement for his knives in blade years ago but i havent really found any decent reviews other than one youtube video which i didnt think was really that hot n/o to the guy that made it.

lastly daniel winkler. I assume that being an abs mastersmith alone makes him credible, but im looking at his winkler knives 2 line and i havent found much on them. i know a certain forum member here is quite fond of them and i greatly respect his opinion but id like to hear from a few people that have owned or held them rather than base all my speculation on one owners feedback.

Im not the kind of guy that believes that knives should only cost 50 dollars, i just believe in getting what i pay for. There doesnt seem to be much left for me in the world of production knives outside of crk and william henry. I have enough knives to last me a life time for the most part and im starting to think that in order for me to really enjoy a knife anymore they have to be soemthing speacial. Thats not to say that i am a snob that believes inexpensive knives are inferior outright, its just that most of the knives that appeal to me anymore are above and beyond what most people would be willing to pay, and this forces me to very carefully consider my purchases as after i got out of the army i reverted to being a broke college student. in the army i could spend my whole (modest) paycheck on dating alcohol and whatever knife or bag i wanted, but now that kind of behavior is no longer tenable.

Thanks for any review or feedback. :)
 
Last edited:
Avoid Livesay, like the plague. A quick search on any of the forums will fill you in on the details.

Bud Nealy and Daniel Winkler both make great stuff and are good to go, as far as I know. Their knives, however, are pretty much at different ends of the spectrum. Nealy makes tactical stuff and Winkler makes forged blades, with emphasis on primitive/period stuff.
 
Dan Winkler is a first class maker in every respect. I haven't owned any of the Winkler 2 knives, but I have handled several of them at a couple shows and feel they are both well made and offer very good value for the money.

Roger
 
Winkler and Nealy both make great knives, but have you considered some of the other makers on this forum? I mean there is a lot of talent here, for instance look at Don's website (above). It's AMAZING! I'm not trying to influence your decision in any way because ultimately it is up to you, but I was just wondering if you have thought about some of the makers on here.


Good luck on your quest,
-Adam
 
I picked up a Winkler Knives II Field Knife last year, and I am very impressed with it. Dan has forged blades from 5160 steel for many years as a master smith, and his WKII line is designed to be highly functional, durable, ergonomic and affordable. To accomplish these goals, he has taken well-proven designs from his years as a master smith and produced some great "field grade" pieces out of 5160 using stock-removal (not forged).

My field knife is very compact (10 1/4" OAL) for its considerable blade length (5 3/4") with a dropped edge for security rather than a guard, and my particular one has fibrous rubber handle slabs on a tapered tang for a very comfortable and virtually indestructible grip. The knife balances perfectly on the first handle pin behind the dropped edge. All metal surfaces have a durable smooth, non-glare Caswell finish, which with use and wear will complement the natural patina 5160 takes on as it ages.

I happened to pick mine up at a show and splurged for a Karen Shook rawhide sheath rather than the kydex-lined leather sheaths that come standard with this model. Karen has collaborated with Dan for years making beautiful traditional native-American-style beaded rawhide sheaths for his "Rendezvous" style forged blades. I asked her if she would make a "user" model for my WKII. IMO, she hit a home run (see below).

My only problem is I have so many knives in this size range I haven't used it yet--ouch! The knife begs to be used, and would make a truly great large hunter/camp knife. I should probably pass it along to someone who will do it justice in the field. Here's the package:

attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php
 
Thanks fro the responses and to will york in particualr for the gorgeous pics.

I stayed up late last night and scoured livesay in the good the bad and the ugly and at least up until a few months ago it seemed that his ability to actually get the knife to your door was in question, shame as a livesay woo would go perfect in my homebrew mercharness. its a shame still @ 35 dollars it might be a risk im willing to take.

@ danbo thanks for the warning on livesay. I have a particular taste in knives, i buy what i like so i dont really care what they speacialize in ;) The bud nealy would be the first knife i get in the future a 3 inch blad emodel to carry around when i work, as i work in d.c and their draconian gun and knife laws carry speacial consideration :(

@2703adam i have actually considered it,the thing is that the designs of other makers currently fulfil my needs/desires. People like mr Hanson make wonderful knives, hes an abs mastersmith so i dont think he needs to prove his worth to anyone, he simply doesnt make quite what im looking for. I do have my own design im formulating in my head and when i try and get it transfered into steel one of the younger makers on this site will probably be chosen to try and translate it into steel.
 
razor..

I haven't followed Livesay now for a long time, but Its been years now this guy hasn't come through for many, and if you're willing to gamble $35 on a knife from him I'll bet you a day old donut you'll never see it again..

take care,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top