Question: is there a "The" Traditional Grail knife

InTheSticks said:
Hi old lurker here that finally decided to start posting ;). I assume he is refering to the grails as those issues that most people will never own or maybe even see but know existed and go wow I never expected to see one of those, not a favorite or issue that is special to them.

The one that comes to mind in the knife world is a folding original scagel. Give me a little while and I may be able to think of others.
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Sounds like exactly the kind for thing he meant, thanks for the suggestion, glad you decided to start posting :)

wagglebee said:
I would probably have to say one of the pre-1940 Remington R1123 Bullet knives in mint condition or the Kabar Dog's Head of the same style from the same period.
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I'll enjoy looking that one up, sounds about right but, again, I'm still a traditional novice, thanks!

CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
I was thinking of Lincoln's Congress when I first read the question, but maybe the 1880 bladed folder made for the 1880 convention (not sure of the actual number of blades/date), but something like that would be the closest thing to a grail that I can think of. Good question though.

(Apparently my grail isn't something that makers are willin to try, so my grail waits until I am a slipjoint maker!
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thanks! (and I know what you mean :))
 
Interesting post and responses. Now what comes to my mind when you say "Grail" knife isn't "the rarest, most valuable" item in the knife world. To my thinking it's "what's the most ideal knife you can think of that has all the attributes you could ask for and would happily suit you the rest of your life". That's how I interpreted this OP's post, so my answer of 92 Eureka Jack fits that philosophy.

Now if it's interpreted as most rare, special, valuable knife no doubt it would be something like Abe Lincoln's congess knife or something George Washington owned, etc.
 
I think the one knife to rule them all would be mainly if historical value...original jim bowie or george washingtons straight razor something to that effect...
 
my friend said one of the comics that "they" are always looking for is one where a character shows up for the first time, thinking of it that way I think there is a issue because comics are relatively recent, could we name the first knife to use a lockback or a slipjoint? would that be equatable?
 
My own personal Grail knife? Maybe an Ohta Remington 1306 interpretation, I had the chance to get one a couple years ago and didn't. Couldn't take that $ plunge. The other personal grail would be a real Remington 1306 from the 1930s. A Pena, or maybe a Davison.

Looking at the Grail as being that hardest to attain of knives, for the average user, I would suspect anything from the glory days of Remington, maybe really old Case. Very early Sheffield offerings (1700s or earlier). A Tony Bose or William Scagel. A 19th century bowie definitely.

I used to be into comics, but only for reading, not for collecting. There were the hot issues of the day, maybe a movie came out and older comics were hot again. I made some quick bucks but never played the game. The real ones that stuck around were the first issues of Action Comics, Detective Comics and Amazing Fantasy (?) that debuted Superman, Batman and Spiderman. Tattered copies are commanding tens of thousands of dollars, a sealed confirmed condition copy can be worth millions. However, these owners are putting their comics in a display cabinet, and will never read the comic. They don't get any enjoyment out of reading a good comic. I've been one to go for the collections of old comics, new comics etc. I have an Oeser, and a few Case Bose annuals. Until they get scratched etc, I am worried about scuffing or losing them. With those old comics, would you be able to enjoy an old knife or comic? You find that Loveless, do you get to enjoy it or put it in a display case under lock and key?

I know some here carry the big bucks knives, some really nice customs. If you already have a Bose, what is your Grail past that?
 
[QUOTEI think the one knife to rule them all would be mainly if historical value...original jim bowie or george washingtons straight razor something to that effect... ][/QUOTE]

Yep these would qualify but the hard part is not only finding a knife that could have been or someone told you it was So and So's knife. The hard part being able to document the story. I wonder how many knives are out there that someone has claimed were "THE sandbar bowie". So I guess in many cases finding the grail would not only include finding the knife but also documentation.
 
I too am not yet a collector of traditional knives. So for me it would be a theme. Should I find this thing somewhere, I WILL buy it.

A fairly large knife. Large stockman size.
One of many traditional patterns. Stockman, Jack, Trapper, Sailor (the one with the marlin spike), Scout, Pruner, Doctor.
Stag handles or perhaps very nice jigged bone.
Great patina but no rust extant.
Some sharpening wear but not excessive.
No apparent swapping out. Frankly, if some swapping had been done, done well, and done with genuine care, I'd be ok with it.
 
Yeah, I agree that the next knife is always the "grail". Knives are like a hard drug addiction. You are just constantly looking for your next fix. That smack just keeps increasing in quality and you need a little more each time. I started with roughly made cheap stuff. Then got a few well constructed knives. Then decided to go for some better steel. Then I met spyderco. Sal's a seedy drug dealer standin on the corner like..."hey man, you want to make something sharp?" "No, I have a lot of knives already mister." "Naw, my shit's better than that crap, here, try a delica, on me...you know where I am when you want more." I haven't O.D.'d yet!
 
In the unobtainium category, for me it would be a Ken Erickson multiblade custom.

In the regular category, the next one.
 
Tc barlow. Single clip blade is my grail knife.


Have 10 of them just in case i lose my carry one. Have 9 more to go.

These are in yellow sawcut bone . red saw cut bone . red kigged bone and ebony wood
 
Mine is a 1964 Buck 110 1st version. And to me, the hunt is a big part of it. I'm sure I could google it and pay a small fortune and have one at my door within a week, but I want to just run into one at a great price. The closest I have come is I found a 1969 110 in a flea market for $20 that was in great condition, then at a gun and knife show, I came across a 1967 110 that was basically new, minus a box and sheath , for around the price of what a new one would cost. Oh, and maybe not a grail, but a few weeks ago, I bought an early first version buck 112 in a flea market for $16.50. It was so nasty in what looked like petrified fish guts, I couldn't put it in my pocket, but it was almost new looking after a cleanup and looked like the factory edge. But the price as well as the find are a big part of it to me. I probably wouldn't mind running into an old cross Swiss army knife either!
 
toppygray82 said:
Tc barlow. Single clip blade is my grail knife.


Have 10 of them just in case i lose my carry one. Have 9 more to go.

These are in yellow sawcut bone . red saw cut bone . red kigged bone and ebony wood
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Can't be a grail if you have 10 of them. :)

I'd say it can't be a Bose knife since he's still alive, working and the only thing that stops most of us from owning one is money. They are not difficult to buy.

In USA, I'd say a Grail to a traditional collector would be a knife made by Scagel (folder would be the most rare) or Price.
 
brownshoe said:
Can't be a grail if you have 10 of them. :)

I'd say it can't be a Bose knife since he's still alive, working and the only thing that stops most of us from owning one is money. They are not difficult to buy.

In USA, I'd say a Grail to a traditional collector would be a knife made by Scagel (folder would be the most rare) or Price.
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I get what you're saying, and I largely agree with you. But what if your grail is a specific knife? Not pattern, but knife? My grail was made by Mike Ruth Jr. Not only is he still alive, he's still young. But a few years back he made a bowie that is as close to perfection as I've seen. Exhibition stag handle, with a damascus blade and fittings. Even brought out the hamon for good measure. The first time I saw it my jaw dropped. Still does, it's my screen saver. I could always ask him to make another, but even if he made a knife that was technically flawless I doubt he could make another where everything comes together so beautifully.
 
Right now my Grail Knife would be a Taylor's Eye Witness Barlow with Stag Covers !!!! After I get that , it will probably be a single blade traditional to be made by one of the many custom makers out there !!!!


Harry
 
brownshoe said:
Can't be a grail if you have 10 of them. :)

I'd say it can't be a Bose knife since he's still alive, working and the only thing that stops most of us from owning one is money. They are not difficult to buy.

In USA, I'd say a Grail to a traditional collector would be a knife made by Scagel (folder would be the most rare) or Price.
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I've thought the same thing aboue Bose, figured an original scagel would ahve bbeen mentioned more actualy, good choices :thumbup:
 
kamagong said:
I get what you're saying, and I largely agree with you. But what if your grail is a specific knife? Not pattern, but knife? My grail was made by Mike Ruth Jr. Not only is he still alive, he's still young. But a few years back he made a bowie that is as close to perfection as I've seen. Exhibition stag handle, with a damascus blade and fittings. Even brought out the hamon for good measure. The first time I saw it my jaw dropped. Still does, it's my screen saver. I could always ask him to make another, but even if he made a knife that was technically flawless I doubt he could make another where everything comes together so beautifully.
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Sounds like a great personal grail. I was thinking more along the lines of a "universal" grail. My personal grail would be any Bose :) preferably the custom Remington he made for this year's collaboration with Case...in ebony.
 
There can't be a "universal grail". Everyone's tastes are different, as is evidenced by every "grail" thread that gets started. Those tastes normally change also, so a knife that you really really want one day, might be different next month or a year from now.

My grail would be a stockman collaboration, each piece made by about 5-6 different makers (I'll hold out on names), who allowed me to hang out in the shop and watch how it's done. Then after completion, we'd all sit in the shop, drink beer, tell stories about women, hunting and fighting, grill some steaks and shrimp and then call it a night.

(I'd probably wake up the next day and wonder if the stockman pattern was the right choice, at which point I'd have to slap myself)
 
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