Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet and visit with one of the worlds premier knifemakers: Tom Mayo.
I have to say, that he is one of the most down-to-earth, accommodating, and pleasurable persons to be around. I initially mentioned to him that I wanted to drop by to see his work and talk knifemaking but was not interested in buying anything. Knowing that he is a busy guy, I was pleasantly surprised that he made some time and invited me over. Two hours flew by as we talked knives, guns, and knifemaking. I enjoyed his insight, straight forward manner, and of course, his wit. I hope that I can swing by again to watch Tom in action and talk knives
The features of his TNT line of folders are already well documented by numerous members, but for those of you who have never held one of his pieces, I wanted to give this summary. I was privileged enough to handle 4 TNTs (2 XLG, one medium, and one small) and watch him assemble an XLG with a recurve blade.
The most striking thing about his knives is the QUALITY.
On all 4 models I handled the blade was always centered and there was NO bladeplay, a flawless execution of the integral lock. The ti slabs and pocket clip were finished to a beautiful satin like finish, all sharp edges were chamfered, and everything fit together with such precision that they SNAPPED together. Action was SMOOTH and lockup perfect.
After being blown away by the QUALITY, I noticed the thoughtful DESIGN.
The handle shape has a slightly curving back with contoured edges. It just fits your hand. It felt very good in my hand in the saber, reverse, and what I call the steak-knife grip. The handles were drilled for weight reduction and to give the knife an excellent balance. The small model was handle biased, the XLG models were slightly blade biased, and the medium was somewhere in between. Toms design allows for a lot of blade to be stuffed into the handle when closed. The oval opening cutout was left with a SLIGHT edge to it to let it grab onto the thumb when opening.
At the end of my visit, I was so impressed with not only the knives, but with the man himself that I ordered a large TNT with a recurve blade. For all of you who are thinking about getting a custom, you cannot go wrong with Toms work.
I have to say, that he is one of the most down-to-earth, accommodating, and pleasurable persons to be around. I initially mentioned to him that I wanted to drop by to see his work and talk knifemaking but was not interested in buying anything. Knowing that he is a busy guy, I was pleasantly surprised that he made some time and invited me over. Two hours flew by as we talked knives, guns, and knifemaking. I enjoyed his insight, straight forward manner, and of course, his wit. I hope that I can swing by again to watch Tom in action and talk knives
The features of his TNT line of folders are already well documented by numerous members, but for those of you who have never held one of his pieces, I wanted to give this summary. I was privileged enough to handle 4 TNTs (2 XLG, one medium, and one small) and watch him assemble an XLG with a recurve blade.
The most striking thing about his knives is the QUALITY.
On all 4 models I handled the blade was always centered and there was NO bladeplay, a flawless execution of the integral lock. The ti slabs and pocket clip were finished to a beautiful satin like finish, all sharp edges were chamfered, and everything fit together with such precision that they SNAPPED together. Action was SMOOTH and lockup perfect.
After being blown away by the QUALITY, I noticed the thoughtful DESIGN.
The handle shape has a slightly curving back with contoured edges. It just fits your hand. It felt very good in my hand in the saber, reverse, and what I call the steak-knife grip. The handles were drilled for weight reduction and to give the knife an excellent balance. The small model was handle biased, the XLG models were slightly blade biased, and the medium was somewhere in between. Toms design allows for a lot of blade to be stuffed into the handle when closed. The oval opening cutout was left with a SLIGHT edge to it to let it grab onto the thumb when opening.
At the end of my visit, I was so impressed with not only the knives, but with the man himself that I ordered a large TNT with a recurve blade. For all of you who are thinking about getting a custom, you cannot go wrong with Toms work.
