Looking for a good Bowie

Mikael W said:
My feel about the NL 1, well there's a reason it has become the centerpiece of my collection.
It has classic proportions and the stacked leather is awesome to look at.
It works very well in use too!
In the beguinning it can feel slippery, but this changes after a few workpasses.

It's not my best chopper, but it bites very, very deep anyway.
With some practise it's also possible to do fine work with it.

As my NL 1 has got a Stag handle, it feels differrent from the original.
The handle is longer and the balance is at the guard, making finer work even easier.
Everyone of my knifefriends who has had the knife in their hand, has got a broad smile on their face.

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I don't take this big knife out camping and when it is used, it's around the house - for the fun of it.

BTW, I second the advice to history buff's: Get Norm Flayderman's The Bowie Knife book!
For Randall fans there's Sheldon Wickersham's Randall Knives - A Reference Book.
Great info and pic's in both!

Regards
Mikael
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Good looking group Mikael, what knife is next to the NL2 the smaller one? Thanks,
 
There have been a lot of great suggestions so far. Here's my contribution, it's been used a lot since this pic but still cleans up well. I say if there's a particular one that you really want don't settle for something else. The 14 haunted me for many years before I dropped the money down. At the time was a big chunk of my paycheck but I have never regretted buying it.
 
fishiker said:
There have been a lot of great suggestions so far. Here's my contribution, it's been used a lot since this pic but still cleans up well. I say if there's a particular one that you really want don't settle for something else. The 14 haunted me for many years before I dropped the money down. At the time was a big chunk of my paycheck but I have never regretted buying it.
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Love it, I'm going to add a Randall to my collection here eventually. Being military I get to jump the line and wait only 4 months, probably hold off until near next deployment.

I am back and forth between getting something new age the model 14 as you have here with the micarta and finger grips or traditionalist in the model 1-7 and leather. The classicist in me says go with the model 1, but those fingers grips do look as if they would be useful in grip and the micarta would last forever versus the leather...

Thoughts?? Also how sharp did it show up? Heard Randall's are notorious for showing up dull..
 
Just saw this at a local shop.... MT-096. I may pick it up for the lols, I'm a sucker for cheap bowies. Not gone on the black, but it's cheap, and is lighter than the trailblazer mtech clone. It's not in the size class of a trailblazer as the video shows, but....

 
Jack88 said:
Love it, I'm going to add a Randall to my collection here eventually. Being military I get to jump the line and wait only 4 months, probably hold off until near next deployment.

I am back and forth between getting something new age the model 14 as you have here with the micarta and finger grips or traditionalist in the model 1-7 and leather. The classicist in me says go with the model 1, but those fingers grips do look as if they would be useful in grip and the micarta would last forever versus the leather...

Thoughts?? Also how sharp did it show up? Heard Randall's are notorious for showing up dull..
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I bought the 14 from the original buyer who said he had never used it. I was impressed with the edge it had. I spent a little time with a leather strop and it was hair popping sharp. My first Randall was a 1 that I still have but I have found the 14 "fits" me better. In my opinion you couldn't go wrong with either one. Thank you for your service to our country and may God watch over you.
 
If you get a Randall, I strongly recommend the Border Patrol handle. It is much more useful for me than the finger grips. And in the Model 14, consider the forward curved hilt. This is my Model 14 with finger grips and model 16 with border patrol handle.

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Harvey Dean does a super fighter in his El Diablo, 9" of thick, well balanced, light, fast, steel.

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Those Harvey Dean knives are sweet. The so called "fighter" styles are really peaking my interests.
Jack and Marcinek has me all hot for the Randall 1-8 now. I am still leaning towards a 9+" blade though.
 
I would like to breed the Searles Bowie style
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To a Randall #1-8
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And see what the kids look like
 
Mikael W said:
That's the NL4 Frey!

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5 1/4" bladelenght on the same theme as the larger NL's.
Great sheathknife and fullheight grind with convex edge.

Regards
Mikael
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Thanks Mikael the Frey is a beauty and a nice size also, and that darkened leather handle is quite nice looking as well, Congrats you have some nice Fallknivens.
 
For a less expensive bowie, I like the TOPS Prather War bowie. Its actually a very functional knife and has a less obtuse grind compared to many of TOPS big knives. I would post a picture but photobucket has changed its terms pfservice and wont allow third party hosting without paying for a subscription
 
I switched to imgur to past pics, works great
Riz! said:
For a less expensive bowie, I like the TOPS Prather War bowie. Its actually a very functional knife and has a less obtuse grind compared to many of TOPS big knives. I would post a picture but photobucket has changed its terms pfservice and wont allow third party hosting without paying for a subscription
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Jack88 said:
Love it, I'm going to add a Randall to my collection here eventually. Being military I get to jump the line and wait only 4 months, probably hold off until near next deployment.

I am back and forth between getting something new age the model 14 as you have here with the micarta and finger grips or traditionalist in the model 1-7 and leather. The classicist in me says go with the model 1, but those fingers grips do look as if they would be useful in grip and the micarta would last forever versus the leather...

Thoughts?? Also how sharp did it show up? Heard Randall's are notorious for showing up dull..
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I'd say avoid the 18 style spear point Model 14s, as I've found them loosely ground and especially dull pointed (mine needed two regrinds , one by Randall and another by REK, for the point to be anywhere near the sharpness it should have). Mine was literally like the prow of a container ship from the box...

The finger groove handle is very good for the grip retention in a fighter, but is terrible for any chopping: It hurts the fingers on hard impact on wood... The 14 is a poor chopper anyway, so if you like finger grooves, go for them... The 14 is a fighter first: for a much better utility knife overall I'd say use the upsized version: the Model 12 with a 14 clip grind (avoid the grossly oversized/poorly designed "commando handle" version, which I had to have reshaped). For 1.4" of extra blade length (and 6 ounces of weight) the 12 chops FOUR times the amount of the 14...

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The dullness as received matters little because the edge is so thin at 0.020" that it is easy to put the edge you want on them. I'd rather have no edge than the temper ruined by power tools, so Randall only puts a very quick hand applied blunt bevel with stones, and that's exactly how it should be.

Gaston
 
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I'm not buying the blunt bevel being a good idea. o_O I want a VERY sharp knife at that price point (or most others); I'm not purchasing an axe here. :rolleyes:
 
katanas said:
I'm not buying the blunt bevel being a good idea. o_O I want a VERY sharp knife at that price point (or most others); I'm not purchasing an axe here. :rolleyes:
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True, no one wants a blunt edge but I prefer an underdone edge to one that's been over sharpened. Of course we would all prefer perfect edges but in my experience it rarely happens.
 
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