It's been a busy few days and I'm just catching up on this thread. My! Y'all have been busy.
Great stuff, everyone! A sincere thank you to everyone who contributes to this thread and to Jack for keeping us on track; as I've said before, it's one of my favorites. If I were to try to comment on everything that caught my eye, I'd be typing all night, and you ladies and gentlemen would have quite a long-winded piece of prose to wade through.
Instead, please permit me a few quick observations and my apologies to anyone I've left out.
waynorth
your Joseph Rodgers & Sons Lamb(s)foot is spectacular! I like its [strike]cheekiness[/strike] confidence is declaring with its blade stamp that it's not just _a_ lambfoot knife, it's THE LAMBFOOT KNIFE.
Pàdruig
thank you for sharing your detailed observations on Rosie. My two A. Wright lambsfoot knives have some of the same minor cosmetic flaws you described. I feel a bit sheepish (pun intended) admitting this, but I initially was disappointed when I saw a few minor gaps when I opened the package when they arrived from the UK. At the time I didn't have realistic expectations for what a truly hand-made knife available at such a reasonable price point should be like. But, as you observed, they nailed it where it counts: a stout, reassuring pull and snap and not even a hint of wobble. You can use it with confidence.
I quickly came to appreciate them for the incredibly versatile workhorses that they are and now view them as an fantastic deal. I don't even notice those cosmetic issues now. I have several "nicer" knives but you'd be hard pressed to get me to hand over my Buffalo Horn A. Wright Lambsfoot. It was my 2016 knife of the year, after all.
I agree with those who have shared their opinion that the simpler, less flashy levels of finish are more to my liking for this unassuming working class of knives. I'd love to see GEC produce a variant and I'd hope that they'd honor the pattern's simplicity.
@Cambertree I always enjoy reading your thoughtful posts. I appreciate you modesty with respect to your Lambshank, but I think you deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the achievement, my friend. You did a fantastic job of, as you put it, condensing the old cutlers' design elements, not to mention lining up a skilled knife maker to aid you in your quest. I strongly suspect there are some unique insights from you mixed in to that design there as well. It was your vision, and it was wonderfully executed.
Finally,
Jack Black
, thank you for all of your work pulling this thread back from the PhotoBucket abyss. The results of your effort will be appreciated for a long time to come, I am sure. And congratulations
Jolipapa
for winning Jack's generous incentive prize! I like a guy who can beat the odds.
Great also to see that Arthur assisted in the drawing.
