Randal knives

[almtiba]

Great Song !!!

 

[Moosez45]

What?

Its a video game, Expat. It will spark a new rise in the Model 8 sales, that will leave most wanting one. Most folks only know about Randall's from some form of media, I was fortunate enough to have a very knowledgable person teach me about them.

Duck's back, Expat, Duck's back.

Moose

 

[Expatriated]

Its a video game, Expat. It will spark a new rise in the Model 8 sales, that will leave most wanting one. Most folks only know about Randall's from some form of media, I was fortunate enough to have a very knowledgable person teach me about them.

Duck's back, Expat, Duck's back.

Moose

I don't know nuthin bout no video games. Didn't even like them as a kid--just went to the arcade to make out.

I do, however, have several Model 8's on order, though

 

[TAGannon]

There are days I feel nostalgic and want to carry something that feels old. Seeing as Randall Made Knives are a more traditional knife, I’ll reach for one of those. Then there are days, (actually most days) I want to carry a knife I know I can truly rely on to survive whatever I need it to do. That is when I reach for an ESEE.

I have a Model 3, 5-4, 5-5, 5-6, 8, 11-3, 11-4,15 and a 23 that are all users. O1 steel is superb. It holds a great edge and can take a pounding. Granted, the only Randall I’ve pounded on is the 15, and it is made of stainless. I’m constantly amazed at how well it holds an edge. It is probably my favorite Randall. Second is the 11-4.

Each knife is different, even those of the same model. Each has it’s own personality and idiosyncrasies.

 

[imaginefj]

They are good knives. There is alot of hype in the knife community. Custom knives cost more too. Do they perform 10 times better because they cost 10 times more? Not necessarily.

 

[riversidedep]

I may be going out on a limb here, as this is only my opinion and not based on any researched facts, but I think in order to understand the revered reputation Randalls have, one needs to look at the era in which they gained that reputation. Keep in mind I'm primarily talking about fixed bladed knives here.

From the 1930s until the mid 1980s, there were very few commercial knife companies making good, strong, quality knives. Sure, there were custom makers, but not the plethora of them that there are now. Also, there was no internet then, and finding quality makers required going to knife or gun shows, or if you were lucky, finding a knife shop that carried some custom maker's knives. Randall's reputation was spread predominantly through "word of mouth." The quality of their hand-made knives was almost unheard of during those decades. I can't think of a single knife manufacturor during that time frame that comes even close to the quality of a Randall. Ruana's and Eks, though hand hand made and from the same (roughly) era, were not comparable to Randalls in their designs, overall fit and finish, or even in function (my opinion). I think Morseths came close (also my opinion). You didn't see many full-tang knives like the model 14 and 15 Randalls. The Buck model 124 comes to mind, but I don't think it was around until the 1970s. I believe the Puma White Hunter was/is full tang also, but off the top of my head, I can't think of any others, though I'm sure there are some.

By the 1980s, we start to see knife companies coming along that were making much better quality knives. Al Mar, Gerber (gasp!...prior to Fiskars buying them that is), Buck, Blackjack, SOG, Cold Steel (double gasp!) all come to mind when I think about quality knives in the late 1970s through the 1980s. We start to see full-tang knives with micarta slab scales becoming common for both custom and comercial makers in the 1990s. We see the Becker and RAT designs appear on the market. Awareness of custom makers becomes more predominant through the internet. There were many improvements in metallurgy as well over the last few decades.

I guess my point is that during the first three to four decades of Randall knives' existence, there were almost no knives that could compare to them. Nowadays, however, there are many knives that can, but that doesn't lessen the quality and usefulness of Randall knives and the reputation they earned.

BTW, I' basing my opinions on almost four decades of knife collecting and use. I own close to 500 knives, and have numerous examples of all the brands I mentioned. Of all my knives, my Randalls are my favorites.

 

[mikieg]

my wife hates it when i take poetic license as well. never fails to make her laugh though.

 

[Blade814]

I bought my first Randall 30 years ago when I did not have two nickels to rub together. During hard times I sold it and still regret it. Today I own several and have even been to their shop a couple of times. Randall's have been there and proven themselves. They have a history. It is hard to explain, but Randall's are one of the few knives that have a soul.

 

[drillsgt71]

The only reason I don't have a Randall is the price. I know people that have them and I want my own, but funds and availability never seem to match. Riversidedep makes good points about the quality of manufacturing back in the days of Randall's beginning and of todays quality in the new breed of manufacturers. I feel about Loveless knives the same way, does anyone think his knives are not quality? Of course Loveless knives are so expensive now that he has pasted on. Those are the knives I regret not buying back in the 70's.

 

[223fmj]

Who do we have to bribe at NASA to get them to make ESEE knives part of the kit taken to space by astronauts? Another of the many bits of trivia making up the Randall legend.

 

[Melvin-Purvis]

A response to the OP - 'Because they're cool'

 

[Expatriated]

I was wondering when Melvin would show up in this thread

 

[TAGannon]

I bought my first Randall 30 years ago when I did not have two nickels to rub together. During hard times I sold it and still regret it. Today I own several and have even been to their shop a couple of times. Randall's have been there and proven themselves. They have a history. It is hard to explain, but Randall's are one of the few knives that have a soul.

Well put. "They have a soul". Yep, that sums it up for me.

 

[Melvin-Purvis]

I was wondering when Melvin would show up in this thread

LOL! I got these in the mail on Monday - that makes twelve in the last two months - I'm slowing down in my old age...

 

[Expatriated]

Now, seriously, you don't want that 24 do you? That's not good for anything. I'll send you my address and you can get rid of it. I won't charge a dime

 

[drillsgt71]

Who do we have to bribe at NASA to get them to make ESEE knives part of the kit taken to space by astronauts? Another of the many bits of trivia making up the Randall legend.

They are issued Emerson knives currently.