Geno Denning Chute Knife

Kohai999

Kohai999

Second Degree Cutter
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
12,554
Hey all,

A while ago, had posted about stag/amber dyed stag that was being considering for a project, and asking for opinions.

Well here it is, and am extraordinarily pleased with it. It has grinding, fit and finish that are on par with the acknowledged masters. The grind lines are straight and crisp, the tang tapers wonderfully, mirror polish rendered artfully, and it is ideally balanced.

Geno is an awesome person, and he does not charge enough for his work. SERIOUSLY tried 2x to give him more money than he quoted, because I felt that the work was underpriced, and told him so, and he would not take it.

5 5/8" ATS-34 blade, 3/16" stock thickness, 303 guard, bolts and thong hole, 10 3/8" OAL. Came with a really nice molded russet brown leather sheath.

Now, you can see that the non-signature side has a lot of bark and figure, but the signature side has good color. I would trade for color over texture any day of the week, but this is a personal thing. Would very much value your comments, even from the peanut gallery.;)




Sorry for the quality of the scans, but this must be better than nothing, right?:)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
This is perhaps my favorite pattern for a mid-sized fixed blade. Geno does fantastic work, as is evidenced. VERY nice score STeven!
If you want my nit-picking opinion... I am not a fan of the mirror polish, but would of course hold my opinion of this knife until I could see it in person. I like the stag well enough, but prefer the sides to be symmetrical as possible regardless if it's color or texture. Having said that, I do like this knife and hope to one day see it in person. Is the top edge sharpened?
 
IMO that would be a far more attractive knife with a different finish- especially with that handle material. I don't know why, but mirror polishes combined with mirror guards just scream "$19.99 per month in six easy payments".
 
As a hunting knife it looks great. As a chute knife the polish is a bit bright but chances are you probably don't jump out of planes frequently enough to worry.
Otherwise congrats, I plan to pickup something from Geno eventually.
 
Mongo said:
If you want my nit-picking opinion... I am not a fan of the mirror polish, but would of course hold my opinion of this knife until I could see it in person. I like the stag well enough, but prefer the sides to be symmetrical as possible regardless if it's color or texture. Having said that, I do like this knife and hope to one day see it in person. Is the top edge sharpened?
Click to expand...

Mongo, et al,

Of course I want all opinions, otherwise, wouldn't have requested them.;)

1. This style of knife(Loveless/Archer chute) is practically mandatory in mirror polished everything. Maybe a bit old school, but it loses something in satin or bead blast finish, just as a forged bowie is best with a hand rubbed finish. Geno's orders are for about 95% mirror finish, if I remember his figure correctly.

2. The top edge is sharpened.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Congrats STeven
it is a really nice piece..and Geno is easily one of the Best Bang for the Buck makers out there..tremendous quality to price
I love a mirror finish on the"Loveless" style blades and am happy to see a resurgence in their popularity
I'd prefer more evenly matched stag scales..but appreciate color for bark reasoning..
Aesthetically I also prefer taking that top grind/plunge a tad further down the width of the blade so it lines up with the hollow..
Its a wonderful knife from a maker who should be presesnted more on the forum..enjoy it in good health!
 
I'm certain it's a beauty. I love chute knives because they are compact deadly and purposeful.

I've rarely seen a Denning knife that didn't appeal, and never saw one that wasn't clean and well-made. Yup, good call.

Now, you aren't going to escape my ire by allowing a scan--this crappy scan--to desecrate a fine knife by a well-respected maker. The nerve of you. :grumpy:

Hey buddy, can you spare $75.00..... ;)

Coop
 
I like the non-matching scales (in terms of texture), and I think their placement is well-thought-out if you're right handed.

The texture is on the side closest to your palm, where it should be.

Looks fantastic.
 
STeven, you have a beautiful knife there. About two years ago I bought a Big Boy from Geno. When I received it I could not beleive how fine a knife it was I could not find a flaw on the knife. I showed the knife to my good friend Herman Schneider who is a top maker in his own right, I asked Herman what he thought of the knife, after looking it over for several minutes he looked at me and said. " this is a top quality knife, I can see two tiny flaws but you would never see them". I have always said you get more then your money's worth with a Geno knife.
 
I Like It Steven, G. Dennings prices are pretty reasonable and the quality of his work is great.I especially like the guard size to blade width ratio,it's Just Right.:cool:
 
I love the mirror polish--kind of an old-fashioned look. In fact, the "nonmatching" stag does as well, and this kind of enhances the effect.

Geno makes one hell of a knife, and this is a fine example of his work.:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
STeven,
One more from the peanut gallery. :)
Excellent example of a Chute Knife.Very nice! :thumbup:
Seems everything I've heard about Geno's work is true,in spades.
The dyed stag is also very nice,did maker do that or did you have it done?

Doug
 
leatherbird said:
STeven,
One more from the peanut gallery. :)
The dyed stag is also very nice,did maker do that or did you have it done?

Doug
Click to expand...

Doug, you are certainly not the peanut gallery!

The dyed amber stag is from Culpepper/Mother of Pearl Company. Good stag in fighter sized scales is still hard to come by, so this is why there is good figure on one side, and not so good figure on the other. I am right handed, and do think that Geno made the right choice for the stag usage.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I love GenO's work - have several of his knives and his work is top notch. Super nice guy too.

With stag handles, I prefer the texture, bark, whatever you want to call it. I never like seeing any pith anywhere on a knife handle.
 
Great score- Geno has been on my shortlist for a LONG time- Excellent maker.
The Archer/Loveless Chute pattern is certainly in my top 3 patterns (depending on mood...) Enjoy the knife- that's an heirloom.
 
That's a terrific knife - nothing about it I don't like. I'm not going to give you grief over the scan... biting tongue.... save to say that this piece is most worthy of a professional touch in the photography department. ;) Maybe Geno wouldn't take extra money, but I bet he wouldn't refuse a nice pic for his portfolio.

Thanks for the look and congrats on the new blade!

Roger
 
Kohai999 said:
1. This style of knife(Loveless/Archer chute) is practically mandatory in mirror polished everything. Maybe a bit old school, but it loses something in satin or bead blast finish, just as a forged bowie is best with a hand rubbed finish. Geno's orders are for about 95% mirror finish, if I remember his figure correctly.
Click to expand...

I whole-heartedly agree with this statement... this style seems to REQUIRE the mirror polishing. I should have been a little more clear. I still do not prefer mirror polishing, and would not buy something like a hunter or bowie with a mirror polish. Just doesn't look right.
 
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