Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
- Messages
- 12,554
Hello all,
The Evening of the Cutlery Arts event was held in the Huntington Beach Hilton on Friday October 8.
I took a half day off from my work as a graphic artist, and got on the I-5 freeway around 2:00 pm. I recently got a nice bonus, otherwise this show would have been a financial burden. It is supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour trip from San Diego to HB, but people in SoCal drive like maniacs, and Friday is a busy day, and there were 2 accidents, so I wound up getting to the venue at 4:40 pm. I parked my truck in the self park, and went up to the showroom, which is a ballroom at the hotel which is quite nice. The showroom opened at 5:00 pm.
I decided to wear a custom made black silk suit, with a french cuff shirt, and a good watch. I call this my "weddings and funerals" suit, but I have been to neither lately, and it seemed like a good excuse. I usually wear club shirts and jeans to shows, and people couldn't recognize me, and were referring to me as "pretty", which NO ONE has ever called me, and if you know me, it's not an accurate description.
First people that I saw were Jack "From Way Back" Alvarez, and Ed Wormser. Ed is putting a Custom Tactical show together in Las Vegas, January 28, 2005. It costs $150.00 to attend. The Evening of the Cutlery Arts cost $75.00 to get in, or $85.00 if you did not pay in advance.
When I got to the registration table, I was given a packet that had a name badge and a thick booklet with slips of paper, easily torn out. On these slips was the name of the maker, a number, and my name. When the show room opened, each knife was to have had a box in front of it, corresponding to the information in the booklet, and a sheet explaining about the knife. There was no other information in the booklet itself. This is the first time that I have attended a show set up like this. Each maker supplied 4-8 knives for the evening.
Once the room opened, I made my way to the patio adjacent to the show room, where they were serving a buffet dinner. There were very few chairs, and tables, so most people were eating on the flat railings surrounding the patio. The event took place on the second floor of the hotel, and offered a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean and a glorious sunset. Many attendees took a moment to watch the sunset, and for a little bit, the patio was very quiet. Dinner was Roast Beef or Turkey, carved to order, rolls, fruit and cheese plates, pasta with sauces, and cake for dessert. The food was considerably better than expected. The bar service was very expensive. $14 for a double scotch and soda and $6.00 for a beer. This is so outrageous to me that next time, I will be bringing my own scotch.
On the patio, I spoke with Al Dippold, Warren Osborne, John Lewis Jenson, and the Vallotton family, as well as my good friend Thomas. After we ate, we went into the showroom.
In the room, I saw/met Phil Lobred, Dave Harvey, Bob Neal, Neil Ostroff, Don Guild, Mitch Lum(who is usually at all the shows I go to), Ed Wormser.......just to give those of you who understand these names and idea of who was in attendance from the purchasing side of things. A very experienced, and well funded group, to say the least.
The knives for the most part are beyond description. I think the entire list of makers has been posted before, but I'll do it anyway:
Bill Ankrom, Bailey Bradshaw, Clint Brashears, Joel Chamblin, Terry Davis, Harvey Dean, Al Dippold, Rick Eaton, Allen Elishewitz, Ernie Emerson, John Fitch, Dennis Friedly, Stan Fujisaka, Howard Hitchmough, Jess Horn, Joe Kious, John Jenson, Bob Jones, Greg Lightfoot, Dusty Moulton, Ron Newton, Mel Nishiuchi, Ken Onion, Warren Osborne, W.D. Pease, Steve Rapp, Chris Reeve, Bertie Rietveld, Richard Rogers, Eugene Shadley, Scott Slobodian, Ken Steigerwalt, Robert Terzuola, Brian Tighe, Butch/Rainey Vallotton and Owen Wood. Absent were Gill Hibben, Al Pendray and Jim Sornberger for personal reasons.
As we re-entered the room, comedian Shelley Berman was opening the festivities. He is very funny, and getting older. I think it agrees with him, and hope that I can do so as gracefully (I am 38, he is 78).
I had fairly specific wish list knives, so to be honest, I can give you all impressions of makers, and thier work, when applicable, but cannot report everything that I saw, there's not enough space:
Harvey Dean-I placed an intent to buy slip on a small (6") damascus bowie from Harvey, for $1250. I did not get it. One of the dealers had their slips drawn first. This bowie had stag scales, mortised, nickel silver fittings, and a fantastically well done kind of "spirit steel" damascus blade. I wanted it very much, but if the knife had stainless steel fittings, I would have been heartbroken if I had not gotten it. Harvey had about 4 knives on the table, and they were all beautiful, but the bowie captured my eyes for sure.
Rick Eaton-Amazing knives, very expensive(start at $4,000), I saw him only fleetingly, he was older than I thought that he would be.
Ernie Emerson-Saw him, he had a very attractive tablemate, be it girlfriend, wife or daughter. I did not get close enough to him to see his knives. What I have handled in my lifetime, has not impressed me. Personally, I think that he kind of squandered his talent. Probably got rich doing it, though, which is more than I can say about most of us.
John Fitch- John had 3 or 4 knives on the table. The craftsmanship was top notch, I have just never been a fan of John's designs overall, although some of his bowies are breathtakingly nice. We had a really good chat, and I very much enjoyed the conversation. He said that his wife is doing some forging, which I think is very cool.
Dennis Friedly-Really nice knives, about 8 or so, all styles. Moved well, beautiful Elmer Kieth piece with Gary Williams scrimshaw, totally gorgeous, top quality. Bill is a sincerely nice guy.
Jess Horn-I have known Jess for 10 years, at one point having a table next to him at an OKCA show. I am fairly certain that every time he sees me, he does not recognize me. His knives sold out very early.
John Jenson-Met him for the first time. I truly think that his stuff is more art, than knife, and he may like that term, I do not know. He had about 5 knives, starting at $6,000, I think, I might be very wrong. Chatted for a while, I do not care for the knives themselves, but respect the intent behind them very much. He has a lovely wife, and was quite genial and well-mannered.
Bob Jones-Crusty looking dude. Well-crafted, and attractive knives. I think that his stuff was a very reasonable purchase, and I was very tempted, just very short on cash.
Dusty Moulton-I wanted some of Dusty's knives. He has gotten a lot better over the years. I saw him at the OKCA show in Eugene for 4 years, every show, starting in 1994. At that time, I thought that Dusty was doing the same work at Ron Gaston, just not as well. Man, has his work evolved into something unique and special. I purchased a Predator and a Silverado at the show, engraved, Box Elder scales, and gorgeous sheaths. Dusty's price is $775 for the Silverado, and either $850 or $950 for the Predator, depending on what part of his website you click on. His work, in my opinion, is a current must have, for a number of sensible reasons, including the fact that he makes perhaps 50 knives a year. He had maybe 5 knives, and I think that he moved most of them. I purchased my knives 1st thing on Saturday morning.
Mel Nishiuchi-Great knives, really good dude, spent quite some time talking to him 2 years ago. I had absolutely no time this time, but his stuff is top quality. Check him out!
Ken Onion-is a whole story in and of his own. He currently travels with his own cheerleading squad, and street team. He had about 5 knives for the Evening, and they all sold at fair prices. The open bid auction knife, a SpeedSafe with damascus blade, frame and pearl inlays, went for over $7,000. If customer response is a gauge, Ken was the hottest maker at the show. I will simply say that Ken and I agree that the market is overly exhuberant right know, and there will probably be a correction. Ken is charging very fair prices for his knives. The after market is paying a whole lot more. Remember what happened right here on these Forums with the TNT's from Tom Mayo.
Warren Osborne-I called Warren a week ago to see if he had anything for me. He said everything that he had made was going to the show, and good luck. I have been on his waiting list since April. I placed my intent to buy on his Mod 25 Swedish Trailing point knife with mother of pearl scales at $1500.00. I got the knife. All I can say is that it is perfection, and anyone that I showed it to agreed. If you are well heeled, it would be the perfect EDC, but I am not, so it will be a safe queen. He had 4 or 5 knives there, and they mostly sold out.
W.D Pease-I am on his waiting list. I think that most if not all of his knives sold as well. Again 4-5 pieces. He was really cool, and spent a lot of time talking with Thomas about religion. Thomas says that W.D. knows a lot about that. I did not spend a lot of time with that conversation. I look forward to getting my order from him.
Steve Rapp-had about 4 knives. I think the most expensive one was $21,000. He was with a lovely lady who baked the most delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I chatted with them for a while, and drooled over the knives. There was a "California Knife" with silver that I particularly fancied, but at over $4,000 was out of my price range. Top quality workmanship.
Chris Reeve-He had a couple of true customs, and a few fine one-of-a kinds from the factory. I wanted one of the customs and I did not get it, and I still want one. Chris is always entertaining, and this show was no exception. His table was generally mobbed.
Butch and Rainy Vallotton These guys are like family to me. I have known them for over 10 years, and they were invited to my wedding in 1997. Butch delivered me a double ground liner lock in Devin Thomas damascus, and Stag that is out of this world. I am really happy with this knife, and Butch had some beautiful knives with Mastadon molar or something like that that was truly one of a kind, and a big Jerry Rados Turkish twist piece with scales and blade. Amazing. Rainy's son Kyle was there making 3 generations of Vallottons in attendance. Rainy had some beautiful knives, and they did very well.
After the slips were drawn at 8:00 pm, the intended buyers were all active in checking with the makers to see who got what. This was not a slow process, everything happening at once, and the showroom floor was pretty clear of people by 9:15 pm. At 9:30 pm there was a roast of Josh Lee by his fellow USN members, as he was getting married on Saturday. Congrats Josh.
Thomas graciously allowed me to stay at his house, and I had to go to the ATM to get more $$ for Saturday. I am an absolute idiot for not bringing my checkbook, but I honestly thought that I would not need it. Please do not make that mistake. There were actually some good deals there.
So we bid all goodnight, left the premises, and stayed up until 2:00 am drinking rum. Thanks again, Thomas (to be continued).
Regards,
STeven Garsson
The Evening of the Cutlery Arts event was held in the Huntington Beach Hilton on Friday October 8.
I took a half day off from my work as a graphic artist, and got on the I-5 freeway around 2:00 pm. I recently got a nice bonus, otherwise this show would have been a financial burden. It is supposed to be a 1 1/2 hour trip from San Diego to HB, but people in SoCal drive like maniacs, and Friday is a busy day, and there were 2 accidents, so I wound up getting to the venue at 4:40 pm. I parked my truck in the self park, and went up to the showroom, which is a ballroom at the hotel which is quite nice. The showroom opened at 5:00 pm.
I decided to wear a custom made black silk suit, with a french cuff shirt, and a good watch. I call this my "weddings and funerals" suit, but I have been to neither lately, and it seemed like a good excuse. I usually wear club shirts and jeans to shows, and people couldn't recognize me, and were referring to me as "pretty", which NO ONE has ever called me, and if you know me, it's not an accurate description.
First people that I saw were Jack "From Way Back" Alvarez, and Ed Wormser. Ed is putting a Custom Tactical show together in Las Vegas, January 28, 2005. It costs $150.00 to attend. The Evening of the Cutlery Arts cost $75.00 to get in, or $85.00 if you did not pay in advance.
When I got to the registration table, I was given a packet that had a name badge and a thick booklet with slips of paper, easily torn out. On these slips was the name of the maker, a number, and my name. When the show room opened, each knife was to have had a box in front of it, corresponding to the information in the booklet, and a sheet explaining about the knife. There was no other information in the booklet itself. This is the first time that I have attended a show set up like this. Each maker supplied 4-8 knives for the evening.
Once the room opened, I made my way to the patio adjacent to the show room, where they were serving a buffet dinner. There were very few chairs, and tables, so most people were eating on the flat railings surrounding the patio. The event took place on the second floor of the hotel, and offered a magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean and a glorious sunset. Many attendees took a moment to watch the sunset, and for a little bit, the patio was very quiet. Dinner was Roast Beef or Turkey, carved to order, rolls, fruit and cheese plates, pasta with sauces, and cake for dessert. The food was considerably better than expected. The bar service was very expensive. $14 for a double scotch and soda and $6.00 for a beer. This is so outrageous to me that next time, I will be bringing my own scotch.
On the patio, I spoke with Al Dippold, Warren Osborne, John Lewis Jenson, and the Vallotton family, as well as my good friend Thomas. After we ate, we went into the showroom.
In the room, I saw/met Phil Lobred, Dave Harvey, Bob Neal, Neil Ostroff, Don Guild, Mitch Lum(who is usually at all the shows I go to), Ed Wormser.......just to give those of you who understand these names and idea of who was in attendance from the purchasing side of things. A very experienced, and well funded group, to say the least.
The knives for the most part are beyond description. I think the entire list of makers has been posted before, but I'll do it anyway:
Bill Ankrom, Bailey Bradshaw, Clint Brashears, Joel Chamblin, Terry Davis, Harvey Dean, Al Dippold, Rick Eaton, Allen Elishewitz, Ernie Emerson, John Fitch, Dennis Friedly, Stan Fujisaka, Howard Hitchmough, Jess Horn, Joe Kious, John Jenson, Bob Jones, Greg Lightfoot, Dusty Moulton, Ron Newton, Mel Nishiuchi, Ken Onion, Warren Osborne, W.D. Pease, Steve Rapp, Chris Reeve, Bertie Rietveld, Richard Rogers, Eugene Shadley, Scott Slobodian, Ken Steigerwalt, Robert Terzuola, Brian Tighe, Butch/Rainey Vallotton and Owen Wood. Absent were Gill Hibben, Al Pendray and Jim Sornberger for personal reasons.
As we re-entered the room, comedian Shelley Berman was opening the festivities. He is very funny, and getting older. I think it agrees with him, and hope that I can do so as gracefully (I am 38, he is 78).
I had fairly specific wish list knives, so to be honest, I can give you all impressions of makers, and thier work, when applicable, but cannot report everything that I saw, there's not enough space:
Harvey Dean-I placed an intent to buy slip on a small (6") damascus bowie from Harvey, for $1250. I did not get it. One of the dealers had their slips drawn first. This bowie had stag scales, mortised, nickel silver fittings, and a fantastically well done kind of "spirit steel" damascus blade. I wanted it very much, but if the knife had stainless steel fittings, I would have been heartbroken if I had not gotten it. Harvey had about 4 knives on the table, and they were all beautiful, but the bowie captured my eyes for sure.
Rick Eaton-Amazing knives, very expensive(start at $4,000), I saw him only fleetingly, he was older than I thought that he would be.
Ernie Emerson-Saw him, he had a very attractive tablemate, be it girlfriend, wife or daughter. I did not get close enough to him to see his knives. What I have handled in my lifetime, has not impressed me. Personally, I think that he kind of squandered his talent. Probably got rich doing it, though, which is more than I can say about most of us.
John Fitch- John had 3 or 4 knives on the table. The craftsmanship was top notch, I have just never been a fan of John's designs overall, although some of his bowies are breathtakingly nice. We had a really good chat, and I very much enjoyed the conversation. He said that his wife is doing some forging, which I think is very cool.
Dennis Friedly-Really nice knives, about 8 or so, all styles. Moved well, beautiful Elmer Kieth piece with Gary Williams scrimshaw, totally gorgeous, top quality. Bill is a sincerely nice guy.
Jess Horn-I have known Jess for 10 years, at one point having a table next to him at an OKCA show. I am fairly certain that every time he sees me, he does not recognize me. His knives sold out very early.
John Jenson-Met him for the first time. I truly think that his stuff is more art, than knife, and he may like that term, I do not know. He had about 5 knives, starting at $6,000, I think, I might be very wrong. Chatted for a while, I do not care for the knives themselves, but respect the intent behind them very much. He has a lovely wife, and was quite genial and well-mannered.
Bob Jones-Crusty looking dude. Well-crafted, and attractive knives. I think that his stuff was a very reasonable purchase, and I was very tempted, just very short on cash.
Dusty Moulton-I wanted some of Dusty's knives. He has gotten a lot better over the years. I saw him at the OKCA show in Eugene for 4 years, every show, starting in 1994. At that time, I thought that Dusty was doing the same work at Ron Gaston, just not as well. Man, has his work evolved into something unique and special. I purchased a Predator and a Silverado at the show, engraved, Box Elder scales, and gorgeous sheaths. Dusty's price is $775 for the Silverado, and either $850 or $950 for the Predator, depending on what part of his website you click on. His work, in my opinion, is a current must have, for a number of sensible reasons, including the fact that he makes perhaps 50 knives a year. He had maybe 5 knives, and I think that he moved most of them. I purchased my knives 1st thing on Saturday morning.
Mel Nishiuchi-Great knives, really good dude, spent quite some time talking to him 2 years ago. I had absolutely no time this time, but his stuff is top quality. Check him out!
Ken Onion-is a whole story in and of his own. He currently travels with his own cheerleading squad, and street team. He had about 5 knives for the Evening, and they all sold at fair prices. The open bid auction knife, a SpeedSafe with damascus blade, frame and pearl inlays, went for over $7,000. If customer response is a gauge, Ken was the hottest maker at the show. I will simply say that Ken and I agree that the market is overly exhuberant right know, and there will probably be a correction. Ken is charging very fair prices for his knives. The after market is paying a whole lot more. Remember what happened right here on these Forums with the TNT's from Tom Mayo.
Warren Osborne-I called Warren a week ago to see if he had anything for me. He said everything that he had made was going to the show, and good luck. I have been on his waiting list since April. I placed my intent to buy on his Mod 25 Swedish Trailing point knife with mother of pearl scales at $1500.00. I got the knife. All I can say is that it is perfection, and anyone that I showed it to agreed. If you are well heeled, it would be the perfect EDC, but I am not, so it will be a safe queen. He had 4 or 5 knives there, and they mostly sold out.
W.D Pease-I am on his waiting list. I think that most if not all of his knives sold as well. Again 4-5 pieces. He was really cool, and spent a lot of time talking with Thomas about religion. Thomas says that W.D. knows a lot about that. I did not spend a lot of time with that conversation. I look forward to getting my order from him.
Steve Rapp-had about 4 knives. I think the most expensive one was $21,000. He was with a lovely lady who baked the most delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I chatted with them for a while, and drooled over the knives. There was a "California Knife" with silver that I particularly fancied, but at over $4,000 was out of my price range. Top quality workmanship.
Chris Reeve-He had a couple of true customs, and a few fine one-of-a kinds from the factory. I wanted one of the customs and I did not get it, and I still want one. Chris is always entertaining, and this show was no exception. His table was generally mobbed.
Butch and Rainy Vallotton These guys are like family to me. I have known them for over 10 years, and they were invited to my wedding in 1997. Butch delivered me a double ground liner lock in Devin Thomas damascus, and Stag that is out of this world. I am really happy with this knife, and Butch had some beautiful knives with Mastadon molar or something like that that was truly one of a kind, and a big Jerry Rados Turkish twist piece with scales and blade. Amazing. Rainy's son Kyle was there making 3 generations of Vallottons in attendance. Rainy had some beautiful knives, and they did very well.
After the slips were drawn at 8:00 pm, the intended buyers were all active in checking with the makers to see who got what. This was not a slow process, everything happening at once, and the showroom floor was pretty clear of people by 9:15 pm. At 9:30 pm there was a roast of Josh Lee by his fellow USN members, as he was getting married on Saturday. Congrats Josh.
Thomas graciously allowed me to stay at his house, and I had to go to the ATM to get more $$ for Saturday. I am an absolute idiot for not bringing my checkbook, but I honestly thought that I would not need it. Please do not make that mistake. There were actually some good deals there.
So we bid all goodnight, left the premises, and stayed up until 2:00 am drinking rum. Thanks again, Thomas (to be continued).
Regards,
STeven Garsson
Wished I was there, too.
