Modern Bowie design, flow and beauty

Vote for your favorite design

  • Foster

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Knight

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Hanson III,

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Andrews

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Wheeler

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
ptgdvc

ptgdvc

Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
2,369
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but is it entirely subjective?

I have always admired Coop's "FAN" images and thought it might be interesting to pick out five Bowies that particularly please my eyes for a group shot. Below is the result. I would like to hear, your unvarnished opinions about the design and flow of these knives.

Which elements do you like, and which you don't? I have a hide worthy of a rhino, so you are of course welcome to say any or all of them stink, if that is your honest opinion. Just please be polite for the maker's sake.

Hopefully, this discussion will prove useful to makers as they decide on which elements to use in their designs.

orig.jpg
 
I don't know any of these guys from each other, and am not a maker, so my opinion shouldn't count much. I voted the middle one, but there are none I don't like. Just overall that was my favorite of this bunch, it could have easily gone another way. The first one I actually like best Except I'm not a fan of big S guards. that aside it's my favorite handle and I think that the blade is beautiful, my second favorite blade.

the second one is also great, and has a big beefy blade. The third one I went with I only have one complaint with, the ivory handle is lovely, but not having anything at the end (not sure what they're called) just looks unfinished to me. But the blade is so beautiful and wicked looking I could gladly get over that.

Fourth and fifth are both excellent as well but the blades weren't as visually striking to me. the 4th one shows a lot of attention to detail in the handle, just as the 1st one does.

I'll take any one you send me though :D

Red
 
where's your Lisch?
 
The Wheeler does it for me. Not to take anything away from the others, but out of that set, the Wheeler ticks all the boxes for what I consider to be an ideal fighting bowie.
 
ptgdvc said:
I did not want to upset the vets. ;)
Click to expand...

if it were here, I'd vote for that Lisch, it's sick!
as it stands, Don's knife trips my trigger followed closely by Nick's.
 
My favorite is the Knight. Can't explain it, but his work has long struck a chord with me.

As to design elements, I like the blued guard on the Knight, along with the damascus guards on Foster and Hanson. I know that stainless guards are widely used and accepted, but I've always thought them incongruous on knives with carbon or damascus steel blades and natural handle materials. If the blade and handle will patina in time, I want the guard to change in appearance right along with them, not stay pristine and shiny.
 
All are fantastic knives, although I appear to be in the minority with Andrews as my choice. I prefer the more simple blade shape with the top grind. The stag particularly compliments it well. However Knight's is a very close, if not neck-and-neck, second.
 
What a great group of Bowies... this is how I rated them:
  1. Wheeler: Nick's knife just has a nice flow to it that I appreciate.
  2. Andrews: Again... another knife with a nice flow to the profile.
  3. Hanson: Don's knife would have been tops for me if it weren't for the abrupt termination of the clip grind. I just wish he had carried it back for a smoother transition to the spine. Just personal preference here. I absolutely love the handle.
  4. Knight: I really like the guard on this knife -- beautifully shaped -- and the handle is nice too... but, while I usually really like recurves, this one feels slightly fat (visually) toward the plunge.
  5. Foster: I am a huge fan of Burt's work (he's been one of my favorite makers of awhile)... but this one doesn't quite do it for me. I am just not very fond of that guard and can't seem to see past it.
Again... these are all awesome knives from incredible makers... but that's my order of preference for these specific knives (based on this specific photo).

Erin
 
great set of knives of course as to be expected from your collection. However, as a group, I think they should have all been carbon steel as the one damascus looks out of place. Of all the knives there, my eye goes first to the Don Hanson but all are very nice.
 
My fav is the Knight
My reasoning in that lineup is primarily the blade shape for me that does it. In my humble, unworthy opinion longer clip, thin style bowies look like kitchen knives to me(flame on!!). So anything to take away or draw my attention from that begins to look better to me.

The knives one and all are very nice to look at and appear to be beautifully finished just not my thing.
 
The Hanson did it for me considering the pics in YOUR collection.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
From looking at a picture, I would also say the Knight. The combination of the clip, the curve on the cutting edge, the guard shape and patina, add a sweet piece of stag and nice looking damascus get my vote.

Close behind is the Andrews but I like the guard better on the Knight. The Hanson blade is KILLER, but the abrupt end of the clip, the plain look of the guard, spacer and mammoth handle make the others appeal to me more.

The Wheeler blade is AWESOME, as is the handle, but the lack of clip, make the Wheeler look lacking in that feature comparatively.

The one feature I don't like so much on the Foster is the guard.

That being said, I would like to own any of them!

Peter
 
Murray White said:
I think they should have all been carbon steel as the one damascus looks out of place. Of all the knives there, my eye goes first to the Don Hanson but all are very nice.
Click to expand...

Murray, you eyes are fading, the Hanson is also Damascus. I'll grant you it is subtle.
 
I think you should cut the foster guard off right after it starts the curve, symmetrical with the top, then reshoot the picture and redo the poll. it will end up with a lot more votes it seems. The more I look at all of them the more I like it. The handle on it is definitely my favorite.

handling them would probably make it easier to decide. You could ship them all to me (I'll pay postage) I'll fondle each appropriately and return them :D

Red
 
I agree with Steven. My vote could go to any of those guys on any given day, but of this particular group of knives, I had to go with my old buddy DH3. Close call though.
 
I viewed this more from the standpoint of designing a sheath for each of the knives so Russ Andrews got my first choice of this group. Blade shape, blade to handle ratio, Guard all went together to produce the least head scratching when thinking of a design. Also the over all flow is very pleasing.

But as with others, there really is no first and second etc. They are all great!

Peter, you need a John White in there to be complete (just my opinion , of course.)

Paul
 
Peter

First off congrats on a fantastic group of knives

Out of this group the Wheeler's shape appeals to me the most, but since you are talking about design I don't think another maker in the game has influenced so many as Jason has

So Knight it is
 
I happen to like the sharp edged clip on Don's fighter. It matches perfectly the angle of the choil. If it was smooth and rounded, then THAT would look out-of-place.

All of them have something special to rave about. I will not incriminate myself with a perceived favorite.

Kumbaya!

BTW: Here we are again in the SBC studio with my boss telling me he wants the shot 'square'. Square? I shoot landscape or portrait rectangles and he wants it square. Peter's daughter, who is also a professional photographer, suggested square....

...Man, did it work nicely. ;)

Coop
 
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