How do you feel about Hunters?

[Bladeandbarrel]

I will admit a bias towards larger knives in my "collection". They are harder to make than hunters and as a result far more time consuming. Overall design is much more important on a large knife that can be used for slicing and chopping as opposed to just slicing/skinning tasks.

I find highly embellished hunters to be somewhat of an oxymoron. Kind of like a tractor with pinstripes. But thats just me.

In my experience, most forgers make 5-6 hunters for every bowie wich is why they are an entry point for many collectors. Also, a hunter is good way for a collector to experience a newer makers work without breaking the bank, especially the work of a maker they have never handled in the flesh. If you buy a $350 sight unseen hunter and hate it, its not quite as bad as buying a $750 bowie sight unseen and hating it.

I just bought Roger's Farr Vanguard hunter off the forums even though I typically only buy a few special hunters a year. Dan Farr is a desireable maker and makes very few knives overall. I find that knife to be very visually appealing and a "good example" of Farr's work. A bowie would have easily been 2X as much, if I could find one. At the price I paid, if I actually used it (which is the goal) it wouldn't break the bank.

 

[Murray White]

I love to "look" at knives and hopefully other readers do to so here are a few more hunters that I find to be quite collectible as I feel are the others posted earlier but all not to an equal extent for sure but depending more upon the style of the collector, in this case me.

Andrew Jordan

Brian Lyttle

Bob Crowder

RJ Martin

Harald Moeller

Brian Lyttle -- which actually does get used but I have not been hunting for over 30 years.

 

[Bladeandbarrel]

I know I'm the newbie here. I also know, a handful of you guys have been instrumental in building this custom forum over many years and protect it. So if my threads threaten you in any way, all I can say is SORRY

Kevin, keep asking all the questions you want, but don't act surprised when you get answers other than what you were expecting/hoping for!

I don't think your posts are threatening, but I do think sometimes you are trying too hard to actively "make a market". I also consider you the resident expert on Fisk knives. Thats a good thing to be as I am one of Mr. Jerry's biggest fans. If I have a question about a Fisk knife, I will be sure to ask you first!

 

[Bladeandbarrel]

Murray, that RJ Martin Tri-Grind hunter is one of my favorites. I remember the first time I met RJ at a show he had a table with some of the coolest hunters and subhilts built in this fashion with some pretty good stainless tool steels, IIRC.

 

[RogerP]

But this is about more than this particular thread, so all I ask is that if there's a problem with something I've said or supposed to have said, the BFB Bowie, or just me personally let's address it privately and resolve it or not. But I don't want to drag it across this forum. That's what I'm referring to in regard to our recent non-productive exchanges.

In addition, I know I'm the newbie here. I also know, a handful of you guys have been instrumental in building this custom forum over many years and protect it. So if my threads threaten you in any way, all I can say is SORRY.

Well, I am not a newbie and have been around these forums for a while and have yet to be threatened by a thread - yours or anyone else's. I lay no claim to having built this forum - I am a participant who has acquired vastly more information here than I have provided. You have nothing to apologize for that I can see. Maybe you can help me with what it is you are seeing that I am missing.

I can say that I honestly don't know what you are on about here with this "recent non-productive exchanges" thing. I would say that far more often than not we take a similar view of things. When we don't, I'm not shy to say so and neither are you. That is how it should be, no? I'm sure I've disagreed with just about everybody here at some point or other about some issue or other. We say our peace and move on. Things do get heated and testy on occasion here, but you won't find me in the middle of the vast majority of those frays and I can't think of a single one where we featured in the main bout of the evening.

I respect your opinion, admire your taste in knives and value your contributions to the forums. That doesn't mean I am going to agree with you on everything. I don't expect that you will agree with me on everything. I am totally okay with that and hope you are, too.

I agree that it would be best to pursue any further discussion off-forum, but I didn't want to leave the perception hanging that I thought you had done me wrong in any way shape or form.

I'll drop you a line later this evening.

Roger

 

[Les Robertson]

Hi Bright Red,

I agree with your assessment of Pete Crowl's work. He makes a very nice clean knife and an exceptional sheath.

I think he just needs some "Flow" in his knives and he will do very well.

Oh and who is this "well known" Les Robertson???

WWG

 

[Les Robertson]

Roger and Kevin,

Thank you. It is nice to see someone besides me in an argument on BF.

Fortunately, Peter Gill is a lover not a fighter or he would be in this up to his neck as well! LOL

But where is Stephen Foster??? No doubt recovering from the Karl Marx Debacle in another thread!

Seriously, Kevin and Roger I really enjoy your insights into the forged blade side of the house. Both of you are very knowledgeable in the area. Both of you have very different collecting styles and what you look for in a knife that you want in your collection.

You two along with a half of dozen others are the reason I come here so often.

With regards to your collections...both of you are right.

WWG
Purveyor of Marx Commodities!

 

[Patapsco Mike]

As a user, not a collector, of custom knives, if I could own one knife from every custom maker it would be a hunter. It is the most practical fixed blade for most of what a person might normally do. I wish more great makers would make a user grade like Burt Foster's Blue Collar Hunter. Something simple, practical, and inexpensive enough that a person might actually carry and cut with it.

 

[Bladeandbarrel]

Kumbaya and Group hug LOL

 

[jdm61]

Hi Bright Red,

I agree with your assessment of Pete Crowl's work. He makes a very nice clean knife and an exceptional sheath.

I think he just needs some "Flow" in his knives and he will do very well.

Oh and who is this "well known" Les Robertson???

WWG

Les Robertson, famous/infamous international steel pimp and purveyor of fine kustom kutlery to the nobility My family rented a house from one of your more blue blood clients a few weeks ago Les. See if you can guess who.

 

[ptgdvc]

I have re-read this this thread twice and don't have a clue what all der sturm und drang is about.

All things being equal, bigger blades require more skill and work. They command higher prices and are in shorter supply than small ones. I don't think there can be any serious dispute on this point. The question/dispute seems to revolve around how an embelished hunter stacks up against a simple Bowie. I have say that nine times out of ten, I would opt for the Bowie. I try to obtain the best examples by the best makers and that usually requires a large blade.

Kumbaya

P

 

[Stephen F]

But where is Stephen F??? No doubt recovering from the Karl Marx Debacle in another thread!


WWG
Purveyor of Marx Commodities!

... I've been busy preparing your file for the HUAC!

 

[RogerP]

All things being equal, bigger blades require more skill and work. They command higher prices and are in shorter supply than small ones. I don't think there can be any serious dispute on this point.

I wish I had put it that clearly in the first place. I wouldn't have thought there could be meaningful dispute on this point, either.

Roger

 

[Kevin Jones]

I wish I had put it that clearly in the first place. I wouldn't have thought there could be meaningful dispute on this point, either.

Roger

Guys, no reason for dispute here in this thread nor any other single post or thread for that matter.

I allowed myself to get in a twit over some "he said that he said" regarding my interaction on this forum and unfortunately Roger became a convenient candidate for me to vent my frustration.

I have apologized to Roger personally and would like to do so here as well.

 

[RogerP]

Kevin - no need for apologies my friend.

And the rest of you - don't get any ideas about that Rojo of Peter's - I have dibs!

Roger

 

[Kevin Jones]

Kevin, keep asking all the questions you want, but don't act surprised when you get answers other than what you were expecting/hoping for!

I don't think your posts are threatening, but I do think sometimes you are trying too hard to actively "make a market". I also consider you the resident expert on Fisk knives. Thats a good thing to be as I am one of Mr. Jerry's biggest fans. If I have a question about a Fisk knife, I will be sure to ask you first!

I don't know about being an expert. Jerry just helped me get into something that I really enjoy and we became friends, so I try to keep up with and support his work and inform others of what I learn.

I guess I do promote the investment/marketing side of knife collecting, maybe too much.
I just think it's so cool that here's something that can give you so much pleasure while costing you very little if anything and perhaps even make a little.

Anyway, thanks for the kind words Anthony.