folding bowie experts needed

M

mykem

Joined
Feb 23, 2001
Messages
294
hey guys,

not too many people no a lot about folding bowies, yours truly among them.

i'd like to get a few opinions on this knife.
http://www.worldknives.com/product.asp?produid=217&manuid=7

i already committed to buy it with a 3 day inspection period should i find anything significantly wrong with it. they said it was a gift, that it is new and that there is nothing wrong with it. the price was $107.50 inc. shipping.

it lists for $179 on that link above and i think it's the same knife on this link for $256. http://www.skm.to/pages/skm/pager/a/hunt29.html

do you guys who would know think this is of decent quality? and what should i look for as far as imperfections go when it arrives?

thanks,

mike
 
Hi,
They go for about 120 euros here in Italy (where most knives are considered fancy stuff = overpriced). I've only seen the ones made by Fox, which is a very decent maker and they are well made knives. They are slicers, definitely not folding prybars! The long blade can produce a lot of leverage and damage the lock and handle if used as such. The same stands if you see it as a fighter, you have a very long blade held in place by an ordinary grade lock back. I would think they are made of 420 s/s or equivalent.
This pattern was popular many years ago (mainly among hunters), it was invented in France in the 1800's. By a naval officer (admiral D'Estaing, who was also anexplorer / avid hunter)
I personally will get one sooner or later because I collect traditional patterns but if you want to get one for practical purposes I agree with SIFU1A you can get a lot more for that kind of money.
Ciao
Fausto
 
Greg, he wouldn't be paying full price.
the price was $107.50 inc. shipping.
Click to expand...

I don't see much utility in a knife like that and Mercury isn't saying what steel they use for the blade, at any of the links.

Defects to look for would be mostly fit and finish, how tightly the parts fit together, how smooth the action, how crisp the grind lines on the blade, how positive the lockup in open and closed positions.

On the World Knives and Mercury websites, they seem to be big on real-life utility knives, except for this one model. I think it's just a showpiece, not something I would expect to use for any working purpose.
 
These show up commonly on ebay, along with the Pakistan made versions.
Generally sell for a lot less than the price mentioned. Might want to
check out that avenue if you're looking for one.

Rich
 
I just got one for 135 EUR here in Estonia. Interesting construction just for my small collection. Made by Foxcutlery - Italy, blade steel 440B HRC56-58, handle palissander wood. First experience - well made, tight working.
 
I have a cheap pakistan made folding bowie.I was a gift so I keep it around.it's huge.Around 15" overall.
 
When it comes to a folding bowie, you can't do too much better than a 6'' cold steel vaquero for $45 off Ebay. I have a user and a backup. I've been using the user for 4 years and have yet to have it fail or let me down in any way. Hell of a knife regardless of what people think of Cold Steel.
 
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