Help with retirement present !!

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wbanks

Joined
Aug 22, 2005
Messages
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Hi there .. My father retires within the next few months .. And im looking at purchasing a gents folder what names should i be looking for .. I know Nothing about knives and have a budget of $5000
Many Thanks jason..
 
ta davison(big al2me)-take a look in the makers for sale area

some of his work ive seen here is unreal-
 
Is your budget $5000 or $500 because that will make a world of difference. Than there are questions like style, materials, inlays, engravings and so on. There are a bunch of talented makers and a bunch of knowledgeable people on this forum (not included me if you're talking about folders). So you have to give much more info to get a good advice.

Marcel
 
Sorry Macel54 .. One of his favourite makers is frank centofante he likes the old fashion style nothing to fancy.. engraving yes but tasteful..
hope this helps
 
I agree with Joss. That is enough for a great handmade knife, and a few months is not a lot of time. A good purveyor with a large selection would be a great help.
 
Take a look at Joe Kious, Kerrville, Texas. High end presentation grade folders with ALL the bells and whistles. Engraving, precious metals, the whole works, and it will fit into your $5000 bidget. You'll see some fabulous stuff.

Paul
 
If one of his favorite makers is Frank Centofante, then why not get him what he likes. Frank's knives start around $750.00 and they are excellent.
 
If your range is $5000.00, take a look at Henry H. Frank. His less elaborate knives start around that price.
 
Spending $4,000 to $5,000 on one knife and not getting it right could be a problem. I would pick a maker of gents (my choice would be Don Hanson III at www.sunfishforge.com) and choose TWO knives in the $1,500 to $2,500 range. Two that you think he would like, and make sure you would be happy with either one. Give him the one you think he would like the most. If he is not elated, let him know there is a second choice available. You keep seconds.
That seems practical (and, of course, not selfish :) ) to me. It might get you interested in knives! :thumbup:
 
I would recomend Shane Taylor he has won best damascus at blade for two years in a row and i believe this years winner is on bladegallery.com for sale for i think 4800 but don't quote me on that that is strictly from memory......
 
At that budget level you have a very large list to choose from, however time is not on your side, so will need to either pick a complete piece from one of the good high end dealers, or, pick up an unengraved interframe and then have an engraver embellish it to your tastes/subject - expect to pay $1200 to $3000 and upwards for engraving depending on complexity.

If it was me I would take the second option, I am not a folder expert, but I like the look of the interframes from Sawby, Kious, Hoel, Osborne etc. Dan Hanson makes some beautiful knife to. You then need to choose an engraver who can fit you in and whose work you like ..... some dealers can help you here also.

Sites for ideas:

http://www.levineknives.com/m.pl/catalog.htm

http://elitecustomknives.com/1mainframe.html

http://www.knifelegends.com/homepage.htm

http://www.legendaryknifemakers.com/

http://www.greatlakescustomknives.com/New_Knives.html

Many other good sites too, but these tend to have a lot of the type of work you are looking at.


Stephen
 
I think knifeart.com has particularly good photos from a variety of makers, with a lot of them being in the high-end gents folder category. There's a really nice engraved interframe by Andre Thorburn on sale there now. I can't speak about how they are as dealers, but I think their photography really showcases the details of a maker's work.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
If one of his favorite makers is Frank Centofante, then why not get him what he likes. Frank's knives start around $750.00 and they are excellent.
Click to expand...

I would have to agree. There are currently a number of Centofante knives available from reputable purveyors, including some of the ones already mentioned.
 
Here's another option, just for consideration. With that kind of budget, you have some flexibility as others mentioned.

Retirement may be a time for him to enjoy hobbies, or in some cases even relive a second childhood. (look at the prices folks pay to get toys from their childhood.) Why not use some of it to get him a nice folder to carry- and I believe you can still get a hell of a nice folder for a couple grand. And then take the rest to get him something like a nice bowie, so he can play cowboy again. Or even a presentation pipe tomohawk if he played indian. Or a sword if he fancied himself a knight in shining armor. You'll have to know his personality whether he'd appreciate something like that, but maybe ya hadn't thought of it.

My dad has been going on a similar phase, buying up old western guns. He just got a lever action 1873 Winchester, and would really love to get a Sharps or other buffalo rifle...
 
You might want to give S.R. Johnson's knives a look - he makes some of the nicest knives in the business. (pic below) http://www.srjknives.com/

Makers aside, I personally wouldn't consider spending that kind of money on a knife without knowing what makers your dad likes and what styles, handle materials, and steel he was interested in. Spending $5,000 on one piece is a major investment in the knife world and I would want to make sure the person I was buying it for was getting what he wanted. Good luck on your purchase.

mellinium01.jpg
 
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