Impeccable Knifemakers, who are they?

I'll try not to add any duplicates

Eugene Shadley
Edmund Davidson (some of the finest integrals around)
Bob Ogg (made one hell of a folder in his day)
Dietmar Kressler
Steve Filicietti (really liked his stuff, too bad he started cheating people)

Several others too but I think if I spend too much more time on the net right now I might get fired.
 
Mr. Mauser: Glad to see its not just the two of us who appreciate beautiful blades. John at infobound1
 
John, Yeah I guess we don't have too bad of taste after all.

Luciano Dorneless is one of my new favorites by the way. If you guys
(or girls) aren't familiar with his work you should do a quick search on the net. He makes some amazing bowies.
 
Brad Duncan. I just picked up his "Ultimate Fighter" which is a Knife Art exclusive that they helped design. This knife is SOLID. Very smooth opening, strong lockup and what an edge! Brad is definately one of the best makers of tactical folders in my opinion
 
Steven,

Thanks for keeping track of my posts. Was there a point to yours other than to show us all you can count to 2. If there was a legitimate point to your post, I sincerely apologize for my sarcasm.
 
Scott Green said:
Steven,

Thanks for keeping track of my posts. Was there a point to yours other than to show us all you can count to 2. If there was a legitimate point to your post, I sincerely apologize for my sarcasm.
Click to expand...

I posted a hyperlink for you to review, to maybe inspect your knife very carefully for flaws, based upon previous comments from other collectors.

I don't know what your level of collecting is, so I thought to try to assist you.

STeven Garsson
 
My apologies then. I have reviewed the posts about Brad Duncan. It seems that there are mixed feelings about him on this board. I wonder though how many of his critics have seen any of his work lately. I know that when one spends the money for a custom knife certain expectations must be met, but I think people tend to go a bit overboard sometimes. In my dealings with Brad I have found him to be nothing but professional and more than willing to answer all my questions. Why are we so quick to label someone as a bad knifemaker because of a few rare instances. Is Brad Duncan not capable of making a good knife? How about Darrel Ralph. I guess his years of experience don't ammount to a hill of beans either. I think we all should put things in perspective before we label, these guys both have made some wonderful knives. Just my 2cents
 
Scott, you completely miss the point. That so-and-so has made high quality knives is irrelevant. What matters is whether they do so consistently, day in and day out. I have only had one Brad Duncan, and it was great, but I cannot dismiss other people's experience like that.
 
Joss,

I understand your point, consistancy is important. Don't you think these guys are putting out quality knives? If not how do they remain in business. The only point I was trying to make is that we should'nt lablel these guys as bad knife makers unless they are CONSISTANTLY putting out bad knives. It was never my intenion to discredit anyones experiences. Ultimately, we all have free will to buy or not buy from whoever we choose. I must admit that if I had repeated bad luck with a particular knifemaker I would probably be put off. However, if it was somthing minor that could be easily remedied...no big deal. Do you trade in your car because the door squeaks? No...fix it and move on. Just like Mr. Ralph said were all human and there are NO perfect knives.
 
From what I understand, Brad had some personal problems and that he is now back looking after his customer like he did in the days before the problems arose. All makers will have problems, and it is how those problems are taken care of that gives a good, bad or so-so reputation.
 
Raymond Cover Sr. makes the best slipjoint I have ever seen and I own several Morrows who is a great too.
 
That was the point of this thread to begin with, to judge the maker not by just the product, but how the transaction goes, irrespective of personal issues. One of the reasons I specifically listed Ken Steigerwalt was he won Best Folder at Blade the year his mom died. Enough said.
 
The question is whether they produce high quality stuff 99.99% of the time, or 95%. In this world, a 95% consistency isn't enough.
 
Joss,

I do agree with you on consistency. Something EVERY maker I know has struggled with from time to time. My business partner when I was trying to get my Whitewing line off the ground warned me to plan for 20% of the knives to not make the standards. No matter how hard I tried, I could never improve on that over a long period of averaging. I still have a hard time going lower than 20%, and you just can't let those out of the shop. I still have several of the whitewings that didn't pass inspection. LOTS of lessons learned with that project :rolleyes:
 
for me an "impeccable" knifemaker not only produces a fine product but is also an enjoyable person to deal with and stands behind their work.

in the interests of full disclosure, my current interest in custom knives has greatly tilted towards the "user" end of the spectrum vs. the "collectible/art" knife end...so functional elements will generally take precedence over the aesthetic

1. tom mayo.

to me he makes the penultimate "knife for use". all my knives from him have functioned perfectly, even after years of use and misuse. his knives have a thinner profile and "melted" edges that make the knife more comfortable to use and to carry. the only maker i have seen who produces an equivalent carry knife is kit carson. the bead blast he uses on the Ti scales is also quite durable and still looks good even after being banged on keys, my garage floor etc

he is also a really nice guy and is the only person from the forums i have ever invited to my house :eek: :eek: :eek: . my children call him "daddy's knife guy".

2. bailey bradshaw

he is a great craftsman and makes very interesting knives

i once bought a knife from him off the forums and the ivory scales had warped a bit. i sent him an email and he called me that night to try to make things right. i had worked overnight the night before and was totally out of it when he called. i was very impressed by his level of dedication to his craft and the fact he cared enought to call. the knife returned perfect.
 
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