- Joined
- Mar 15, 1999
- Messages
- 567
First of all, lesser-known makers is probably not a fair characterization
I suppose I really should say makers that were relatively unknown to me 
.
Ive only been collecting handmade knives for about five years (even though Ive been accumulating knives of one sort or the other all my life), and I certainly cant lay any claim to the scope or depth of expertise of a lot of the members here. Like a lot of the folks here, I made the progression from factory knives to small shop/benchmade pieces like Randalls and eventually on to single-maker handmade knives (see how hard I tried to avoid the dreaded c word?). After dabbling in several different styles, Ive found that I have a definite affinity for traditionally-styled forged fixed blades. Over the last few years Ive managed to assemble a modest collection of a few mid-range blades that I enjoy quite a bit. None of these knives are high-end pieces, but theres a nice variety of working grade knives from some well-respected and popular makers (P.J. Tomes, Ed Caffrey, John Fitch, etc.). I also have some pretty nice pieces from some of the better-known stock removal guys.
Since Im not independently wealthy, Ive been trying to look for some quasi-affordable ways to scratch this particular itch. As much as Id love to own knives from all of the ABS Master Smiths, these pieces tend to cost a little bit more than I can generally afford to spend. Costs aside, many of the more popular makers have waiting lists that are years long (and several have stopped accepting new order altogether). I havent been able to get to any of the major custom knife shows, so my exposure to other makers is pretty much limited to on-line dealers, forums such as this and the various knife mags. Fortunately for folks like me, these forums have proven to be an invaluable resource for discovering craftsmen that I would never learn about otherwise.
Through my participation in these forums, I have been introduced to a number of makers that I never would have encountered through more conventional means. Ive referred to these gentlemen as lesser-known makers, but I certainly dont mean that in any pejorative sense. Some of these guys are relatively new makers, but in many cases they folks with years of experience who simply havent achieved (or sought) the level of recognition enjoyed by some of their fellow artists. Some are only part-time makers; some may produce only a couple of knives a year. A lot of these guys are well known and respected in their regional markets, but for one reason or another they have not developed a widespread following. I may have been unusually lucky, but every time that I have dealt with this category of maker I have been extremely pleased with both the quality and value of the knives that I received. I may be a bit of a dilettante in the world of custom knives; I buy what I like, and am not overly concerned with the future value of my purchases (Les would probably accuse me of not doing my homework
). That being said, I often feel like I get more bang for my buck from some of these less-well-known makers than I do from some of the big names. Dont get me wrong
I am in no way suggesting that knives from the big guys are not a great value
I would buy lots more of them if I could afford to do so. I guess what Im (awkwardly) trying to say is that some of the lesser-known makers offer a great opportunity for the impoverished cutlery enthusiast to pick up some really nice knives at very reasonable costs. Theyre usually pretty cool guys, too .
To illustrate my point, Id like to share a picture of my latest acquisition (thanks to Dennis Riley for the image). This is a hand-forged Bowie knife from Arkansas maker Dennis Riley. Dennis started posting some of his work on the Knife Makers Corner of BFC a few months ago; I was not familiar with his work prior to that time. Since the knives he featured were the very types that I prefer to collect (and appeared to be quite reasonably priced), I decided to contact him to get some more information about his work. We exchanged several e-mails, he politely answered all of my questions, and I decided go ahead and place an order. The knife pictured below is the result. It is Dennis Arkansas Governors Bowie model; it has a 9-¾ blade and a 15 overall length. The blade is zone-hardened, triple tempered 5160 steel with a visible temper line; the handle is crown stag. The Bowie has an S guard and spacer of stainless steel. Balance point is mid-way along the ricasso, approximately ½ in front of the hilt. The grinds on the Bowie are excellent, as is the overall fit-and-finish. The knife is frighteningly sharp along its entire cutting edge
.
Ill admit that I was a little hesitant when I first contacted Dennis Riley about this knife I hadnt heard anything but good things about his work, but it was still an unknown quantity to me. As it turned out, I had no need to be concerned; this knife is the equal of any blade in my collection. The knife was delivered well ahead of schedule and is by far the best value that I have found in this type of blade. Im not trying to turn this into a sales pitch for Dennis work (I dont think he needs any help from me), but I did want to encourage yall to take a look at some of the lesser-known players in the knife-making world there are some really nice surprises out there.
.Ive only been collecting handmade knives for about five years (even though Ive been accumulating knives of one sort or the other all my life), and I certainly cant lay any claim to the scope or depth of expertise of a lot of the members here. Like a lot of the folks here, I made the progression from factory knives to small shop/benchmade pieces like Randalls and eventually on to single-maker handmade knives (see how hard I tried to avoid the dreaded c word?
). After dabbling in several different styles, Ive found that I have a definite affinity for traditionally-styled forged fixed blades. Over the last few years Ive managed to assemble a modest collection of a few mid-range blades that I enjoy quite a bit. None of these knives are high-end pieces, but theres a nice variety of working grade knives from some well-respected and popular makers (P.J. Tomes, Ed Caffrey, John Fitch, etc.). I also have some pretty nice pieces from some of the better-known stock removal guys. Since Im not independently wealthy, Ive been trying to look for some quasi-affordable ways to scratch this particular itch. As much as Id love to own knives from all of the ABS Master Smiths, these pieces tend to cost a little bit more than I can generally afford to spend. Costs aside, many of the more popular makers have waiting lists that are years long (and several have stopped accepting new order altogether). I havent been able to get to any of the major custom knife shows, so my exposure to other makers is pretty much limited to on-line dealers, forums such as this and the various knife mags. Fortunately for folks like me, these forums have proven to be an invaluable resource for discovering craftsmen that I would never learn about otherwise.
Through my participation in these forums, I have been introduced to a number of makers that I never would have encountered through more conventional means. Ive referred to these gentlemen as lesser-known makers, but I certainly dont mean that in any pejorative sense. Some of these guys are relatively new makers, but in many cases they folks with years of experience who simply havent achieved (or sought) the level of recognition enjoyed by some of their fellow artists. Some are only part-time makers; some may produce only a couple of knives a year. A lot of these guys are well known and respected in their regional markets, but for one reason or another they have not developed a widespread following. I may have been unusually lucky, but every time that I have dealt with this category of maker I have been extremely pleased with both the quality and value of the knives that I received. I may be a bit of a dilettante in the world of custom knives; I buy what I like, and am not overly concerned with the future value of my purchases (Les would probably accuse me of not doing my homework
). That being said, I often feel like I get more bang for my buck from some of these less-well-known makers than I do from some of the big names. Dont get me wrong
I am in no way suggesting that knives from the big guys are not a great value
I would buy lots more of them if I could afford to do so. I guess what Im (awkwardly) trying to say is that some of the lesser-known makers offer a great opportunity for the impoverished cutlery enthusiast to pick up some really nice knives at very reasonable costs. Theyre usually pretty cool guys, too .To illustrate my point, Id like to share a picture of my latest acquisition (thanks to Dennis Riley for the image). This is a hand-forged Bowie knife from Arkansas maker Dennis Riley. Dennis started posting some of his work on the Knife Makers Corner of BFC a few months ago; I was not familiar with his work prior to that time. Since the knives he featured were the very types that I prefer to collect (and appeared to be quite reasonably priced), I decided to contact him to get some more information about his work. We exchanged several e-mails, he politely answered all of my questions, and I decided go ahead and place an order. The knife pictured below is the result. It is Dennis Arkansas Governors Bowie model; it has a 9-¾ blade and a 15 overall length. The blade is zone-hardened, triple tempered 5160 steel with a visible temper line; the handle is crown stag. The Bowie has an S guard and spacer of stainless steel. Balance point is mid-way along the ricasso, approximately ½ in front of the hilt. The grinds on the Bowie are excellent, as is the overall fit-and-finish. The knife is frighteningly sharp along its entire cutting edge
.Ill admit that I was a little hesitant when I first contacted Dennis Riley about this knife I hadnt heard anything but good things about his work, but it was still an unknown quantity to me. As it turned out, I had no need to be concerned; this knife is the equal of any blade in my collection. The knife was delivered well ahead of schedule and is by far the best value that I have found in this type of blade. Im not trying to turn this into a sales pitch for Dennis work (I dont think he needs any help from me), but I did want to encourage yall to take a look at some of the lesser-known players in the knife-making world there are some really nice surprises out there
.
