Mike "Whiskers" Allen - Scale Release Automatic Knives

[Daniel Koster]

I had the pleasure of visiting with Whiskers at the Blade Show in Atlanta. I have admired his knives for a long time now and got to own one that was the snappiest folder I'd ever had.

I talked with him about his scale-release automatics. He is certainly one of the unsung heroes of knifemaking. Amisdt many knifemakers strutting their stuff and a certain DVD blaring in the corner, Mike sat calmly at his table willing to talk to anybody that was interested.

No hype.

No high-pressure sales pitch.

Not even the "if you touch it, you buy it" glare that some makers give.

Instead we talked about how he'd been cheated all these years because he literally invented the technology to make scale release automatics and no-one is giving him the credit for it. Apparently he missed his shot at obtaining a patent and the rest is history.

If anybody has anything they can add to this story, I would really appreciate it. Mike has earned my trust and loyalty and my business. All points of view are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Dan

 

[RARanney]

I've had one of his knives for years, very nice, and he is one of the good guys.

 

[GigOne]

I talked to Whiskers for 40 - 45 minutes at Blade. I too have always admired his work and it was such a pleasure to finally meet him. And his wife is also a down-to-earth person.

We talked about everything. . .hell. . .he's so easy to talk to !

I was very interested in his use of coils Vs. spring. He said that her could tweek the coils so that the knife opens with authority but remains extremely smooth and without the typical "THWACK" sound that a spring/blade striking the stop pin makes.

His keen eye for detail and his fit/finish makes him one of the best ! His knives are truly AWESOME !

Oh. . .and he doesn't believe in clips ! Highly suggests the use of a pouch or sheath. Something to do with auto's - lint - dirt. . .