The Perfect Knife - What is it?

Stephen F

Stephen F

Joined
Sep 28, 2003
Messages
1,235
Ok, here's what I want to know: If you could have the perfect FIXED BLADE knife - one that you would be proud to carry, is practical, will have ago at most of the tasks you throw at it, but looks good enough to put in the display cabinet at the end of the day, what would you go for?

I'll be fairly specific in the areas to be defined as follows:

1) Forged or Stock Removal?
2) Grind? Flat, Convex, Hollow, Sabre
3) Plain or Patternweld/Damascus?
4) Steel(s) used for Blade?
5) Blade length?
6) Blade profile? (eg. Spearpoint, Top clip,drop point, bellied, recurve...., swedge)
7) Handle material
8) Hidden tang or full/mortise?
9) Guard - Double, single or asymmetrical?
10) Finish: Field Grade (plain and simple), Collector (some work/tooling on fittings) Invesment ( worked, engraved, precious embellishments)
11) Overall Length?
12 & 13) Open - to add one or two specific design points not covered, or most important to you.
14) What would you class your primary interest in knives as being: User, Collector, Maker - or combination.

Over to you guys - in the meantime, I'll put my spec together and post later.

Cheers,

Stephen
 
  1. Forged
  2. Flat
  3. Plain Steel with visible hamon
  4. W2 or 5160 (need advice here)
  5. 6 inches, up to 1/5 th inch thickness
  6. Slight drop point with swedge (unsharpened)
  7. Stag
  8. Visible Frame handle with scales
  9. Asymmetrical (curved top side into collar)
  10. Investment
  11. c. 11 inches
  12. Finger grooves on handle
  13. Deep, curved choil to choke up

Primarily a collector, with a few users.

I love my big bowies, but if I wanted an knife to carry, use, and admire all at the same time, it would be something like this ........ now who should I call. :confused: ;)
 
1) Forged
2) Flat with convex edge or full convex
3) I like carbon, pattern welded or wootz
4) 1080, 1095, L6, W1, W2, CPM 3V (When Bailey forges it), O1, wootz and anyone of many combinations of pattern welded steel.
5) 3 1/2" - 4" for user and 9 1/2" and up for knives I collect
6) Clip point
7) Nice wood, stag or anyone of the ivories
8) I like both full and hidden tang. With full tang I like a taper
9) Depending on the knife I like all three mentioned guard styles
10) I don't like knives that are too fancy, but a little embellishment is ok
11) User - 8" to 9". For the bowies I collect - 14" and up.
12) I want my knives to have good balance and fit my hand comfortably
13) The knife must have a sheath that is equal to it in quality
14) User/collector.
 
The perfect knife?

That has to be the easiest question posted on the forum.
The answer?


the next one

of course
;)
:D
 
The perfect knife is a forged integral, 9 inches in length, blade width of 1 1/8"
at it's widest point, thickness approx. 3/16 inch. Semi- drop point blade with a "Scagel - Persian - Fogg" type design to it, unique to this knife. This is the only design that I believe to be both the perfect skinner, and the perfect fighter. Flat ground and "distal tapered in both directions from the non-existant hilt area. There's no "hilt" so the blade and handle flow so seamless that it's hard to define exactly where the blade and handle really begin. The taper flowing in both directions forms a perfect diamond when viewed from the top vertical and the bottom vertical. With a slight depression for the thumb on the blade flats - on both sides for a slashing stroke & fine blade control in lateral movements. Thus is ambidextrous. Scales are Ivory Micarta that are "inset" into the steel so they are protected. The butt of the tang area is oval and "flared" so that hammer blows to the hilt cannot fracture the scales and if the need arises the knife can be "driven" in. The knife is lighter, tougher, faster, and more usefull than any other knife I've seen. And I've seen thousands. The knife was forged in 1991 by James Porter for acceptance into the American Blade Smith Society and labeled "Whitetail Skinner" but just as easily could have been called a "fighter". The knife is pictured/featured in the April 1990 Knife World Magazine. To my knowlege he only made this one, using these elements, prior to his death. I cannot imagine
why every knife maker alive hasn't copied this knife. I guess this is "subjective" and my "opinion" but everyone that has seen, handled and looked closely at this knife is very much impressed and seems to agree the knife is the "perfect" design. Not artsy, not flashy, just really functionally, and usefully, perfect.
 
I am computer illiterate and do not have a digital camera. Recently I have been purchasing table space at Gun Shows selling some Herbal products that I've been making for the last 25 years or so (normally sold through health professionals ie Naturpaths, Chiropractors etc.). To fit into this enviroment I take some of my personal items related to hunting/sporting goods and fill up approx. half the table. This James Porter knife is one of the items I take, along with 30 or so knives of my personal collection. Practically every person that walks by can be counted on to pick up the Porter knife. All I've chatted with agree the knife is wonderfully designed. I've had several Custom Knife makers impressed enough to sketch and diagram the knife so they could attempt to build the design. Hopefully they will capture the dynamics. But all have said that they could not build the knife as it is. James Porters skill set was pretty unique he was a Master at Forging, a trained Master Machinest and a trained Master Tool & Die Maker and worked at the University of Indiana where he studied knives going back thousands of years (exchanged with Museums around the world). I will be at the Chantilly Virginia Gun Show
July 31 & Aug 1st. Stop by and chat I'd love to show you the knife.
 
Hi Stephen,

Cool question. Since you are asking for a knife that works for both practical carry / use and display, I’m going to eliminate my favourite type of knife (the large to extra-large bowie) simply because it cannot easily be carried in a variety of situations. I’m going to look at it from the standpoint of having ONE knife only (the stuff of nightmares, surely) that best meets the needs of show and blow. Here is what I have come up with:

1) Forged – it’s what I like best and the type of knife I know best.
2) Grind – flat with convex edge.
3) Steel – Damascus – probably in a tight ladder pattern. I figure why not have something with as much visual appeal as possible without compromising function. Damascus is the one element of a knife that you can show a “non-knife” person and they immediately appreciate that this is something very different from their $5 kitchen knife.
4) Steels – I’d leave it up to the maker. The tried and true combo of 1084 and 15N20 would be fine – but there are many others.
5) Blade length – in the neighbourhood of 5 to 6 inches. It won’t be up to the task of heavy chopping, but I figure that it’s not often that heavy chopping figures into my plans, and when it does, a hatchet or small axe will tag along.
6) Blade profile – tough choice here – aesthetically, my choice is a clip point, but for all-‘round utility I’d select a spear point for its superior strength. Something like on this one by Rik Palm (pic from bladegallery.com):

orig.jpg


… except with perhaps a touch more belly to the blade – kind of the way Fitch builds them. I’ve also seen some nice stout blade profiles in recent offerings from Brett Gatlin and Reggie Barker.

7) There is but one perfect handle material and that is stag – real nice stag – beautifully coloured and textured stag – palm-filling, perfectly contoured, wonderfully ergonomic sure-grip stag, better known by it’s technical term: “bloody hard to find anymore” stag. Like on this Russ Andrews fighter bowie:

orig.jpg


8) Full hidden tang threaded into the butt cap.
9) Double asymmetrical guard (slightly longer on the cutting edge side) again, like on the Andrews above. The fittings themselves could be either stainless steel or damascus.
10) Finish – I’d like a little bit of eye-candy, so I’ll go with some gold inlay for the fittings – nothing nearly so elaborate as on my avatar knife, but rather something along the lines of Bailey Bradshaw’s more understated inlay accent, like on the guard of this bowie (pic from knifeart.com):

orig.jpg


11) I’m definitely more squarely in the collector camp. I have one knife that is my primary user and it has none of the above criteria, other than being very well-made :

orig.jpg


For heavy use I beat up on this big curved-blade Buck fixed blade knife with fake wood and brass fittings (too ugly to let my camera anywhere near it). ;)

Cheers,

Roger
 
mes228 - Im really intrigued by the desription of your James Porter knife. Does the handle look anything at all like that of this full integral by Canadian bladesmith Christoph Deringer (bladegallery.com pic)?

orig.jpg


Cheers,

Roger
 
If you'd have a digital pic, I would love it if you could e-mail it to me. I am not going to be in Veriginia any time soon...
 
RogerP, Yes! The scales are set into the tang area like that. The front being set on a "radius" into the steel with the butt end of the scales being "square".
into the steel. That is a beautifull knife you pictured. The Porter knife is not an art knife - it is a working knife and has inperfections in it's execution. The blade tho smooth is not highly polished and you can see some imperfections also the oval hilt was left with hammer marks to show the knife was forged. There are much, much nicer and more beautifull knives out there. But the functionality, balance, feel of the Porter design is quite unique. Thank you for sharing the beautifull pictures. I wish I could do the same, someday I'll learn how and purchase a digital camera.
 
These are my personal preferences... one is more practical, one is what I prefer to use...

The practical:
Forged integral
Flat ground
Plain (single steel)
O1 tool steel
5" blade
Clip point recurve blade
micarta
integral tang/guard
Field grade satin finish
10"
Pommel should be able to be used for light hammering.
This is similar to Ron "Little Hen Knives" Leuschen's Cadet and Survivor. Both excellent, beautiful knives. I have a Cadet.
I am a collector who uses 90% of his knives. The Cadet most recently filleted a 20" walleye :)

The "perfect" less practical...
Forged blade
convex ground
O1/L6 Damascus
10" blade
Clip point recurve
Fiddleback maple
Full tang
S or C guard
Light etch and polish - no need for the damascus to jump out, just be visible in the light. Collector finish, but not too pretty to use.
15" OAL
Sharp clip
(I am currently on Kevin Cashen's list for a similar knife).

I know they are impractical, but I really like big Bowies. And big belly or recurve blades seem to slice and chop so much better. But a nice solid hunter like the Cadet handles most jobs- when it can't chop, you can always baton the blade through. Ideally I'd carry both. :)
 
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