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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
John White MS Memorial BEST BOWIE 2015 - FINALISTS SELECTED!
- Thread starter RogerP
- Start date
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
- Messages
- 13,363
Another year of exceptional Bowies here on the BF.
Post 1 #1 - Jerry Fisk WTC George Washington Bowie- Typical Fisk Beauty. Unique materials, precision design, and great execution.
Post 1 #6 - Steve Nuckles ST-24 Rendition - I got a chance to inspect this beauty at Blade Show and it's one of the best renditions I have seen.
Post 2 #1 - Karl Andersen Take-down Bowie - Perhaps Karl's best to date, outstanding and he does "take-down" so well.
Post 5 #1 - Dave Lisch Fisk Show Bowie - My favorite Lisch Bowie, great blade steel and would love to have it in my collection.
Post 28 #1 - Sam Lurquin Bowie - Not a typical Lurquin style/design yet he did it so well.
Post 41 #2 - Steve Johnson / Barry Lee Hands Big Bear - A beautiful work of "functional art". They are perhaps the best "team" in knife making.
Post 94 #1 - Bruce Bump "Wild Bill" Bowie - Everything came together perfectly on this piece IMO. I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks Bruce, Jere and Caleb.
Post 1 #1 - Jerry Fisk WTC George Washington Bowie- Typical Fisk Beauty. Unique materials, precision design, and great execution.
Post 1 #6 - Steve Nuckles ST-24 Rendition - I got a chance to inspect this beauty at Blade Show and it's one of the best renditions I have seen.
Post 2 #1 - Karl Andersen Take-down Bowie - Perhaps Karl's best to date, outstanding and he does "take-down" so well.
Post 5 #1 - Dave Lisch Fisk Show Bowie - My favorite Lisch Bowie, great blade steel and would love to have it in my collection.
Post 28 #1 - Sam Lurquin Bowie - Not a typical Lurquin style/design yet he did it so well.
Post 41 #2 - Steve Johnson / Barry Lee Hands Big Bear - A beautiful work of "functional art". They are perhaps the best "team" in knife making.
Post 94 #1 - Bruce Bump "Wild Bill" Bowie - Everything came together perfectly on this piece IMO. I wouldn't change a thing. Thanks Bruce, Jere and Caleb.
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- Joined
- Dec 30, 2015
- Messages
- 1
Post #94, Bruce Bump "Wild Bill"
Post #1, Kyle Royer MS Black Beauty Fighter
Post #30, Bruce Bump - Doc Holliday
Post #12, John Cohea Scrim Linda Karst Stone
Post #2, John Horrigan - Pearl Bowie
Post #31, Kevin Casey "Cattleman's Bowie"
Post #1, Kyle Royer MS Black Beauty Fighter
Post #30, Bruce Bump - Doc Holliday
Post #12, John Cohea Scrim Linda Karst Stone
Post #2, John Horrigan - Pearl Bowie
Post #31, Kevin Casey "Cattleman's Bowie"
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
Most excellent gents. I`ll be out until later this evening and will see how the voting is going when I get back. If it has slowed way down I`ll look toward closing off and moving to the next round. So if you haven`t voted and want to (and you KNOW you want to!) then don`t sit on your hands - get voting!
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2008
- Messages
- 132
post #57 Lynch #3
post #47 Hanson #1
post #57 Lynch #2
post #67 Breda #1
post #47 Hanson #1
post #57 Lynch #2
post #67 Breda #1
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2007
- Messages
- 1,352
1-2 Lurquin
2-5 Wheeler
11-1 Rhea
28-1 Lurquin
42-8 JL Regel
43-4 McGhee
57-1 Lynch.
2-5 Wheeler
11-1 Rhea
28-1 Lurquin
42-8 JL Regel
43-4 McGhee
57-1 Lynch.
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2011
- Messages
- 2,183
I will add my thoughts as soon as I can. I am spending a little time with my daughters first.
2-1 Anderson
2-3 Seward
29-1 Ellis
41-1 Andrews
43-7 Bouchonville
85-1 Rhea
66-2 Seward
Chris
2-1 Anderson
2-3 Seward
29-1 Ellis
41-1 Andrews
43-7 Bouchonville
85-1 Rhea
66-2 Seward
Chris
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2006
- Messages
- 501
These are my votes, it was hard to chose this year but I went with gut instinct:
#1 - 2 Sam Lurquin Musso Bowie - I always wondered if some would take the Musso Bowie and do an interpretation that would just blow it out of the water; Sam did it. Just a monster, with that on your belt you would certainly demand some attention.
#2 - 3 Ben Seward - Ben's innovation and pushing outside the box always gets me. He's great to chat to and hopefully we can have a collaboration work out in the future sometime. I loved the flow of this one with the carving in the extended guard. Great job.
#2 - 5 Nick Wheeler Paranee Bowie - what do you get when you pair up a great knife maker and a man who knows how Bowies work and what makes them work: you get this collaboration. It's the lines on this bowie - pictures don't tell you everything but you know that if you had this in your hands you'd be well kitted out.
#22 - 1 Lin Rhea Stag and Stacked Wood - Lin's work is always top notch but I loved his take on the stacked leather look using wood and his little features like the flower on the butt cap are the little touches that set his knives apart.
#44 - 3 David Mirable - David's combinations of materials and styles sold this one to me, plus I'm a sucker for long clips.
#57 - 3 Tad Lynch Ard Rí (High King) Fighter - I've a soft spot for this one mostly because it's in my cabinet buy also because Tad and I worked on the design and came up with a cracker. Tad's choice of materials, especially the superb piece of walnut, and Paul's sheath, with Tad's wrought iron stud, completed the package.
#67 - 2 Tad Lynch Stag - great stag, great blade, great bowie.
#1 - 2 Sam Lurquin Musso Bowie - I always wondered if some would take the Musso Bowie and do an interpretation that would just blow it out of the water; Sam did it. Just a monster, with that on your belt you would certainly demand some attention.
#2 - 3 Ben Seward - Ben's innovation and pushing outside the box always gets me. He's great to chat to and hopefully we can have a collaboration work out in the future sometime. I loved the flow of this one with the carving in the extended guard. Great job.
#2 - 5 Nick Wheeler Paranee Bowie - what do you get when you pair up a great knife maker and a man who knows how Bowies work and what makes them work: you get this collaboration. It's the lines on this bowie - pictures don't tell you everything but you know that if you had this in your hands you'd be well kitted out.
#22 - 1 Lin Rhea Stag and Stacked Wood - Lin's work is always top notch but I loved his take on the stacked leather look using wood and his little features like the flower on the butt cap are the little touches that set his knives apart.
#44 - 3 David Mirable - David's combinations of materials and styles sold this one to me, plus I'm a sucker for long clips.
#57 - 3 Tad Lynch Ard Rí (High King) Fighter - I've a soft spot for this one mostly because it's in my cabinet buy also because Tad and I worked on the design and came up with a cracker. Tad's choice of materials, especially the superb piece of walnut, and Paul's sheath, with Tad's wrought iron stud, completed the package.
#67 - 2 Tad Lynch Stag - great stag, great blade, great bowie.
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2001
- Messages
- 12,336
(With forgiveness asked of my clients, I partake in a personal selection, trying to wear my subjective afficianado hat, not my business face.)
My criteria after seeing all of these, which then projected my top-level choices, was that they had to be innovative or excessively striking in some manner.
I would not settle on just 'clean' because there are pages here filled with insanely stellar finished pieces.
Post #1 /#2 - Sam Lurguin Musso Bowie. I'm partial, but still can't escape the power this knife exudes. It takes command of the stage.
Post #1 /#3 - Dave Lisch Stag ring guard. The proportions are Fibonacci perfect, and the refinements exemplary. Bravo on this one!
Post #28 /#1 - Sam Lurquin 'Cerberus'. A gargantuan profile with a great handle, and the guard keeps you coming back to say "What is going on in there?" It's captivating in every regard.
#42 / #8 - Jean-Louis Regel - Wootz ivory bowie. No other Bowie in the entire thread has historical 'wootz' steel for it's blade. Great lines. Truly a standaway piece.
#44 / #3 - Mark Knapp Abalone, mokume and damascus fighter. I am certain there are equally as complicated builds, But NONE more complicated (or shown to us at least). This one's WIP was jaw dropping. I just can't say no.
#44 / #3 - David Mirabile Japanese/traditional fusion. This piece is bowing on the stage in it's own color spotlight. So very innovative and appealing.
#76 / #2 - Ben Breda - Carbon & copper medium sized Bowie. Another one which defies traditional materials for hi-tech carbon fiber, and then dares to include oldest-school copper as an accent. Just....brilliant! (That and his uber-crisp handle swells.)
Great thread!
Coop
My criteria after seeing all of these, which then projected my top-level choices, was that they had to be innovative or excessively striking in some manner.
I would not settle on just 'clean' because there are pages here filled with insanely stellar finished pieces.
Post #1 /#2 - Sam Lurguin Musso Bowie. I'm partial, but still can't escape the power this knife exudes. It takes command of the stage.
Post #1 /#3 - Dave Lisch Stag ring guard. The proportions are Fibonacci perfect, and the refinements exemplary. Bravo on this one!
Post #28 /#1 - Sam Lurquin 'Cerberus'. A gargantuan profile with a great handle, and the guard keeps you coming back to say "What is going on in there?" It's captivating in every regard.
#42 / #8 - Jean-Louis Regel - Wootz ivory bowie. No other Bowie in the entire thread has historical 'wootz' steel for it's blade. Great lines. Truly a standaway piece.
#44 / #3 - Mark Knapp Abalone, mokume and damascus fighter. I am certain there are equally as complicated builds, But NONE more complicated (or shown to us at least). This one's WIP was jaw dropping. I just can't say no.
#44 / #3 - David Mirabile Japanese/traditional fusion. This piece is bowing on the stage in it's own color spotlight. So very innovative and appealing.
#76 / #2 - Ben Breda - Carbon & copper medium sized Bowie. Another one which defies traditional materials for hi-tech carbon fiber, and then dares to include oldest-school copper as an accent. Just....brilliant! (That and his uber-crisp handle swells.)
Great thread!
Coop
Wow, this is hard. My first list of "favorites" was 28, my second sorted out to 19, my third 13. Based more on gut reaction than any kind of structured analysis, here are my votes;
Post 1 - 2 Lurquin Musso
1 - 4 Royer Black Beauty
2 - 1 Andersen take-down
2 - 5 Wheeler-Paranee
22 - 1 Rhea stag/cherry
41 - 1 Andrews walrus
42 - 6 Lisch "river" damascus
47 - 3 Doyle clamshell
Doesn't feel right to leave it like this. There are other, fancier knives I'd rather have than some of these, and others where my choice was a coin flip at best, but there it is. This process works OK as it is, but another category or 2 or additional criteria as to what is a "Bowie" would make it more objective. For example, if asked what is my favorite knife over 6", my list would have been different. Then again, maybe that's not the point. I just love the opportunity to ogle so many wonderful knives and focus on the fine points of all. Great exercise, and thank you Roger, for coordinating this.
P.S. Wish I had seen Coop's guidelines before I'd done this. Makes sense to me and would have had some sway on my considerations. Oh, well.
Post 1 - 2 Lurquin Musso
1 - 4 Royer Black Beauty
2 - 1 Andersen take-down
2 - 5 Wheeler-Paranee
22 - 1 Rhea stag/cherry
41 - 1 Andrews walrus
42 - 6 Lisch "river" damascus
47 - 3 Doyle clamshell
Doesn't feel right to leave it like this. There are other, fancier knives I'd rather have than some of these, and others where my choice was a coin flip at best, but there it is. This process works OK as it is, but another category or 2 or additional criteria as to what is a "Bowie" would make it more objective. For example, if asked what is my favorite knife over 6", my list would have been different. Then again, maybe that's not the point. I just love the opportunity to ogle so many wonderful knives and focus on the fine points of all. Great exercise, and thank you Roger, for coordinating this.
P.S. Wish I had seen Coop's guidelines before I'd done this. Makes sense to me and would have had some sway on my considerations. Oh, well.
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I need more votes...I got it down to 19. Thankfully, I'm not at a show where these are all available.
#2-3: Seward. Innovation, Design, Aggressiveness, Beauty, Craftsmanship
#5-1: Lisch. Saw this at the Fisk Micro Show. My favorite of that show. Repeat the above.
#22-1 Rhea Stacked Wood & Stag. Every time Lin does a stacked handle, it catches my eye. The mix of materials for this handle and the blade style are gorgeous.
#27-1 Dean AKI Dog Bone Bowie: I had once told Harvey (and Don Hanson and Bruce Bump and probably others) I don't really like dog bone bowies. Then Harvey made this knife and changed my mind. I take this knife out at least once a month to look at it. The feather pattern Damascus, the shape of the blade, the sheath, the domed pins - I love it all. [So Bruce and Don, we may have to revisit the dog bone thing...)
#31-1 Bruce Bump: it's so hard to pick "A" Bruce Bump Bowie. But this knife is gorgeous and the use of materials fantastic. I'm pretty sure this was at ICCE and allowed me to start up a great conversation with Bruce.
#41-1: Russ Andrews: For anyone who hasn't seen this knife in person, there is no way to describe the beauty of the handle and the chatoyance of the ladder Damascus. Also saw it at ICCE. What a great show to view incredible knives.
#67-1: Ben Breda. This last spot was a tough one but since Ben had 2 of the 3 knives that were fighting for this slot, he gets my last vote. I am big fan of Ben's. His Design of handle and blade catch my eye every time. Hope your feeling better soon Ben.
Roger - a big thanks to you for this thread and then calculating all of the votes. What a job!
#2-3: Seward. Innovation, Design, Aggressiveness, Beauty, Craftsmanship
#5-1: Lisch. Saw this at the Fisk Micro Show. My favorite of that show. Repeat the above.
#22-1 Rhea Stacked Wood & Stag. Every time Lin does a stacked handle, it catches my eye. The mix of materials for this handle and the blade style are gorgeous.
#27-1 Dean AKI Dog Bone Bowie: I had once told Harvey (and Don Hanson and Bruce Bump and probably others) I don't really like dog bone bowies. Then Harvey made this knife and changed my mind. I take this knife out at least once a month to look at it. The feather pattern Damascus, the shape of the blade, the sheath, the domed pins - I love it all. [So Bruce and Don, we may have to revisit the dog bone thing...)
#31-1 Bruce Bump: it's so hard to pick "A" Bruce Bump Bowie. But this knife is gorgeous and the use of materials fantastic. I'm pretty sure this was at ICCE and allowed me to start up a great conversation with Bruce.
#41-1: Russ Andrews: For anyone who hasn't seen this knife in person, there is no way to describe the beauty of the handle and the chatoyance of the ladder Damascus. Also saw it at ICCE. What a great show to view incredible knives.
#67-1: Ben Breda. This last spot was a tough one but since Ben had 2 of the 3 knives that were fighting for this slot, he gets my last vote. I am big fan of Ben's. His Design of handle and blade catch my eye every time. Hope your feeling better soon Ben.
Roger - a big thanks to you for this thread and then calculating all of the votes. What a job!
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2013
- Messages
- 2,614
1 - 1 Fisk - The historical artifacts contained in this piece make it kind of an American talisman. The Damascus is wonderful as well.
2-3 Seward - I voted for this Bowie's counterpart in the hunter thread. I love the innovation for the handle, and how it flows right into the hamon.
16-1 Burns - I love the textured and sculptes handle. It has great contrast. The guard is also very fitting for this knife and the colours are very complementary.
31-1 Bump- I love the leather inlayed handle. The guard is perfect in my opinion and has great flow.
43-3 Knapp - I remember watching this wip, and the handle construction was incredible.
94-1 Bump - the construction of this knife is flawless, and I love the stag handle.
2-3 Seward - I voted for this Bowie's counterpart in the hunter thread. I love the innovation for the handle, and how it flows right into the hamon.
16-1 Burns - I love the textured and sculptes handle. It has great contrast. The guard is also very fitting for this knife and the colours are very complementary.
31-1 Bump- I love the leather inlayed handle. The guard is perfect in my opinion and has great flow.
43-3 Knapp - I remember watching this wip, and the handle construction was incredible.
94-1 Bump - the construction of this knife is flawless, and I love the stag handle.
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2011
- Messages
- 2,183
That's how I would do it. Thank you for your hard work to make this annual thread such a great and anticipated event Roger.
Chris
Chris
Ben Seward
Full-time Bladesmith/Part-time Idiot
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2012
- Messages
- 1,092
#1-1. Jerry Fisk...as bowie as it gets! I'm really partial to Fisk's southwest bowie.
#1-3 David Lisch...love Dave's work, innovative, compelling, stunning damascus.
#6-2 CAS... the lines, the detail, the aggression. What's not to like?
#43-7 Claude Bouchonville...Aggressive but with such tasteful flow.
#85-1 Lin Rhea...just a sweet knife.
#86-1 Mike Quesenberry...gotta be about the coolest full tang goin'
#2-3 Ben Seward...yeah I made it, but I still think it was kind of a cool idea
#1-3 David Lisch...love Dave's work, innovative, compelling, stunning damascus.
#6-2 CAS... the lines, the detail, the aggression. What's not to like?
#43-7 Claude Bouchonville...Aggressive but with such tasteful flow.
#85-1 Lin Rhea...just a sweet knife.
#86-1 Mike Quesenberry...gotta be about the coolest full tang goin'
#2-3 Ben Seward...yeah I made it, but I still think it was kind of a cool idea