Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
Hey all,
It seems we frequently get newer knife collectors requesting recommendations for a knife, so I thought that I would mention a few, that I can say would be a good initial purchase, and why. This list is by no means comprehensive, and I am VERY interested in feedback from others. I am limiting my list to makers that are in the affordable by the "average joe", concentrating on makers that knives can READILY be had from, for around the $500.00 mark, or under. I have no horse in this race, these are simply opinions culled from 20 years of active collecting.
(In alphabetical order)
Pat (and Wes) Crawford-They make knives to suit most tastes. Pat has been doing it for a long, long time, and his knives are well thought out, highly useable, and generally hold their value.
http://www.crawfordknives.com/
Robert Crowder-His designs are unique, and very well executed. He concentrates on stock removal fixed blades, and the sheaths that wife Pat provides, are exceptional in their own right. He is easy to communicate with, and encourages customer input.
Barry Dawson-Barry makes a lot of knives, and gives customers a fair amount of input. He has developed an excellent heat-treat for 440C, and his knives are EXTREMELY affordable. It is unlikely to realize a large profit on his work, with the exception of a few designs, but these are knives to be collected AND used. http://www.dawsonknives.com/
Geno Denning-If you are interested in a top quality fixed blade stock removal knife, Geno is hard to beat. He is easy to talk with, honest about delivery times, and his knives have a good chance of increasing in value over time. I would recommend his fighters, mostly, because they are elegantly crafted, and he makes less of these than the other styles.
http://www.cavemanengineering.com/
Burt Foster-Burt is an ABS Mastersmith who makes a range of knives called "Blue Collar Specials", these are mostly drop point hunters and camp knives. His fit, finish and design are all top quality. A collector looking to step into forged blades with an eye towards value and quality could not do much better than a Foster knife. http://www.burtfoster.com/index.htm
Mike Lovett-Mike is getting back into the game after a long hiatus, and makes superb stock removal knives in the Loveless style. Some of his basic offerings can be had in the $500.00 range, and this represents an excellent value in today's market. http://home.earthlink.net/~michaellovett/
David Mosier-David crafts both fixed blades and folding knives. He focuses on tactical users, but I recommend his belt satin finish, as it is quite well done. His work is very good at this point, and I believe that he will be a long-term maker, and that his prices will increase with time. He is very easy to communicate with. http://www.dmknives.com/
Mike Obenauf-I don't own any of Mike's knives, but have handled quite a few, and the influence of his father-in-law, Kit Carson is evident. Mike's work is very affordable, and like other makers that I have mentioned, is extremely well designed, functional and will likely go up in value over the long term.
John W. Smith-John's work is top quality, and he offers many knives in the over $1,000 range. He also offers some folders in the tactical arena that are right around $500.00, and I believe that these represent some of the best values to be had for an unbelieveably high quality folder in the current market. He is easy to communicate with, has realistic delivery times, and has an unmatched work ethic.
http://www.jwsmithknives.com/workingknives.htm
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
It seems we frequently get newer knife collectors requesting recommendations for a knife, so I thought that I would mention a few, that I can say would be a good initial purchase, and why. This list is by no means comprehensive, and I am VERY interested in feedback from others. I am limiting my list to makers that are in the affordable by the "average joe", concentrating on makers that knives can READILY be had from, for around the $500.00 mark, or under. I have no horse in this race, these are simply opinions culled from 20 years of active collecting.
(In alphabetical order)
Pat (and Wes) Crawford-They make knives to suit most tastes. Pat has been doing it for a long, long time, and his knives are well thought out, highly useable, and generally hold their value.
http://www.crawfordknives.com/
Robert Crowder-His designs are unique, and very well executed. He concentrates on stock removal fixed blades, and the sheaths that wife Pat provides, are exceptional in their own right. He is easy to communicate with, and encourages customer input.
Barry Dawson-Barry makes a lot of knives, and gives customers a fair amount of input. He has developed an excellent heat-treat for 440C, and his knives are EXTREMELY affordable. It is unlikely to realize a large profit on his work, with the exception of a few designs, but these are knives to be collected AND used. http://www.dawsonknives.com/
Geno Denning-If you are interested in a top quality fixed blade stock removal knife, Geno is hard to beat. He is easy to talk with, honest about delivery times, and his knives have a good chance of increasing in value over time. I would recommend his fighters, mostly, because they are elegantly crafted, and he makes less of these than the other styles.
http://www.cavemanengineering.com/
Burt Foster-Burt is an ABS Mastersmith who makes a range of knives called "Blue Collar Specials", these are mostly drop point hunters and camp knives. His fit, finish and design are all top quality. A collector looking to step into forged blades with an eye towards value and quality could not do much better than a Foster knife. http://www.burtfoster.com/index.htm
Mike Lovett-Mike is getting back into the game after a long hiatus, and makes superb stock removal knives in the Loveless style. Some of his basic offerings can be had in the $500.00 range, and this represents an excellent value in today's market. http://home.earthlink.net/~michaellovett/
David Mosier-David crafts both fixed blades and folding knives. He focuses on tactical users, but I recommend his belt satin finish, as it is quite well done. His work is very good at this point, and I believe that he will be a long-term maker, and that his prices will increase with time. He is very easy to communicate with. http://www.dmknives.com/
Mike Obenauf-I don't own any of Mike's knives, but have handled quite a few, and the influence of his father-in-law, Kit Carson is evident. Mike's work is very affordable, and like other makers that I have mentioned, is extremely well designed, functional and will likely go up in value over the long term.
John W. Smith-John's work is top quality, and he offers many knives in the over $1,000 range. He also offers some folders in the tactical arena that are right around $500.00, and I believe that these represent some of the best values to be had for an unbelieveably high quality folder in the current market. He is easy to communicate with, has realistic delivery times, and has an unmatched work ethic.
http://www.jwsmithknives.com/workingknives.htm
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
