Smith & Wesson Hold 'Em Bowie?

R

roderic41

Joined
Oct 4, 2002
Messages
76
Hi everybody..I've had quite good experiences lately with the HRTDR in 440c and noticed this one:

http://www.djknives.com/prod04.htm

The Smith & Wesson Hold 'Em limited edition bowie, which is close to the bottom of the page. The name and etching are a little cheesy I know but it's the knife that counts. The blade is 10 inches long, 440c and it seems cheap enough or too cheap, I guess. I have the impression a lot of people are'nt keen on S&W knives but the HRTDR is quite good and thought this one might be worth looking at too. Anybody tried these or know anything about them?

Thanks, Rod.
 
I dislike the grinds on the bowie. Doesn't look like it would excel at anything. Also, S&W's quality controll is pretty poor. I've seen some of their knives just not hold any edge after 4 or 5 sharpenings. Their folders are worse, with screws routinely missing.
In short, I don' think there is a knife on that page that is worth its weight in rice.
-KC
 
I own two Taylor Cutlery ("Smith & Wesson") knives and the quality on both is just fine. The quality is just as good as that of knives that cost three times as much, and I've never seen any Taylor Cutlery knives missing any screws. Also, if a line of knives were routinely missing screws, retailers would probably not stock it as most knife retailers take a knife out of its box before a customer purchases it for the customer to inspect.
 
"Buy quality and only cry once."​

The HRTDR is the Hostage Rescue Team (designed by) Darrel Ralph. S&W regularly ripped off his designs until he got them to agree to make a few knives authorized by him and stop stealing the others. These knives show some quality. The others are luck-of-the-draw.

That bowie is a cheap souvenir knife. If you like big knives, check out Becker, Ontario, Ranger Knives, even Cold Steel. For extremely reasonable prices, you can get blades that will hold up under heavy real world use.

Long term, you cannot trust Taylor products. Too many people's experience is against it.
 
Oh well that's it, if it's a cheap souvenir knife forget it. I liked the style that's more or less what I like but I'll look for similar and better things. I just thought plenty of cheap knives can be good but that's obviously not one of them.

Thanks, Rod.
 
Well, if Esav has actually tested one and knows it's a junk knife.....that's different.

The guys that amaze me are the ones who say a knife is junk without even holding it in their hand.

I have only had two S&W HRT3s (the satan-finish fixed-blade boot knife) and I find them to be excellent......but they are very simple knives and it takes a lot more talent to do a really nice Bowie.

I have never liked knives covered with decorations and slogans anyhow.....I prefer a classic style with no frills.
 
The funny thing is, I had bought a S&W folder a while ago myself, a framelock that worked out pretty well. I gave it to my brother-in-law, who has been carrying it on duty since -- until he just lost it somewhere. So I have another one on its way for him right now. It is one of the D.Ralph designs, an FL2.

The problem with S&W is, you have to know specifically which model is good. Saying "I got a good one," and leading people into trying any other S&W at random, will be leading them astray.

Anyway, "bowies" are popular. They are everywhere, and at every level of price and quality. Take a look at Ontariio's Bagwell bowies. Not too expensive, and much better value. Here's a real varied selection of bowies.
 
My understanding is that, approximately five years ago the S&W quality was fairly poor. However, around the time D. Ralph gave Taylor Cutlery his authorization, the quality in S&W knives rose dramatically. Some have stated that a change in quality was influenced by D. Ralph. Whatever the case, the newer S&W knives are of much better quality than the ones from 4 or 5 years ago.

I have a large SWAT and a Cuttin Horse Karambit, and I'm happy with their quality. I don't know what the consistency is, but I think S&W knives are worth at least considering. Yeah, they're made overseas, but what isn't these days...

http://www.taylorbrandsllc.com/
 
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