Most popular personalities in the knife industry today

Gavin Hawk! Nicest knife maker I've met yet! Also Dave Wattenberg (spelling?) from Pro-tech. Another super nice guy.
 
Jerry Fisk
Ken Onion
Emerson
Mick Strider
Michael Walker
Bob Terzuola
Busse
 
It sounds like a few people are naming a bunch of people they like rather than well known names.

Based on just simple sheer name recognition
due to having their name out in the public's ear

Ken Onion
Murray Carter
Jason Knight
Burt Foster

If you're talking about names known by a bunch of knife nuts then

Sal Glesser
Ken Onion
Murray Carter
Busse
Strider
Hinderer
Reeve
Randall
Emerson
Pardue
Winkler

and the list goes on and on


If you're talking about names of guys who have produced knives that are currently widely desired then

Sal Glesser
Marcin Slyscz (sp?)
Busse
Reeve
Southard
Deng
Shirogorov brothers
Bradley
RJ Martin
The in house designer at ZT

And the list goes on and on


If you're talking about names indisputably known throughout forums then

Cliff Stamp
Jim Ankerson
Vasilli something or other
 
whitty said:
With in the industry I think it would be hard not to mention Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge and LT Wright. Every year at Blade Show these guys have more new makers coming up and talking to them about their knives and how they do what they do and they have helped bring a lot of new makers in to the industry!

Lots of great names mentioned so far and can not argue with any of them!
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I agree more regarding Andy Roy. Just a super guy and a hellova talent. 30 years from now when his name is synonymous with Reeve or Loveless, I'm going to go full-on hipster. "Yeah, I liked Andy's stuff before it was cool!":D

In my own little circle of the knife world, anyone in the US who has ever desired a "real-deal" Nepali Khukuri that wasn't a bring-back or tourist junk/antique owes a raised glass (or Heneken bottle) to the late, great Bill Martino. He basically introduced the modern west to what a true Khuk can be and provided for some of the poorest of the poor people in the world in the process.

I think everyone on this list is deserving of the accolades given.
 
I'll mention two who have already been mentioned. LT Wright and Tom Mayo.

Mayo made me a knife before he became well known. Quality, quality, quality.

LT's stuff is just excellent quality and bombproof.
 
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bodog said:
It sounds like a few people are naming a bunch of people they like rather than well known names.

Based on just simple sheer name recognition
due to having their name out in the public's ear

Ken Onion
Murray Carter
Jason Knight
Burt Foster

If you're talking about names known by a bunch of knife nuts then

Sal Glesser
Ken Onion
Murray Carter
Busse
Strider
Hinderer
Reeve
Randall
Emerson
Pardue
Winkler

and the list goes on and on


If you're talking about names of guys who have produced knives that are currently widely desired then

Sal Glesser
Marcin Slyscz (sp?)
Busse
Reeve
Southard
Deng
Shirogorov brothers
Bradley
RJ Martin
The in house designer at ZT

And the list goes on and on


If you're talking about names indisputably known throughout forums then

Cliff Stamp
Jim Ankerson
Vasilli something or other
Click to expand...

This is interesting. I have been in the knife world for a while but more on the 'user' than 'collector' front.

From the first list I recognise one name.

From the second list I recognise 8, mostly because they are company names.

From the third list I recognise 6 names, mainly due to those names being used as actual knife names or company names.

Of the fourth list I've never heard of any of them.

Don't know if I'm a good example of the knife public but I'd assume that most people buying knives today have never heard designers names, of mid tech manufacturers or IG celebrities.
 
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Pomsbz said:
This is interesting. I have been in the knife world for a while but more on the 'user' than 'collector' front.

From the first list I recognise one name.

From the second list I recognise 8, mostly because they are company names.

From the third list I recognise 6 names, mainly due to those names being used as actual knife names or company names.

Of the fourth list I've never heard of any of them.

Don't know if I'm a good example of the knife public but I'd assume that most people buying knives today have never heard designers names, of mid tech manufacturers or IG celebrities.
Click to expand...

Their OP just asked for popular names. The last three aren't knife makers, they're just people whose names get thrown around a lot on the forums.

Truth be told most people haven't heard of any of them. They might know the name "Swiss Army", Buck, KA-Bar or Gerber as company names or knife types. Maybe benchmade or spyderco, but outside of that probably no names because you kind of have to be a knife nut to know any of them.
 
Great guys who I know and have had great interactions with.
Andy Roy
Ernie Emerson
Mick Strider
Daniel Winkler
Pat Crawford
Bob Harsey
Jerry Hossum
All great knifemakers and just good all around people, always willing to listen and help.
 
Jim Hammond and Fredrik Haakensen both stand out as lovely makers to deal with. As do Bill Luckett, Ryan Weeks and Ben Breda.

Les Robertson and George Levinson are fantastic dealers to do business with.
 
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