There Can be Only One- Bladeforums Best Bowie 2014 Death Match :)

[Lorien]

[video=youtube;sqcLjcSloXs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqcLjcSloXs[/video]






In order of nomination;


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1. Sam Lurquin's Tsavo






2. John White's Brown Takedown






3. Lin Rhea's Southland






4. Kyle Royer's Shell Guard Hanger






5. Russ Andrews and Friends' Tembo Collaboration







6. Ben Seward's Checker





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Brownie Points to those who explain their process of elimination and a rationale behind their vote.

 

[skyline1]

Wow, those are exquisite!

 

[JParanee]

thank you

 

[Lorien]

Why are you only showing the wood handled version of the Tsavo project ?

It was started as a Synthetic handled bowie

I was told to have one photo of each knife. I chose what I thought was the most striking photo, (out of several photos of several different versions of the same knife) and posted it, Joe. Sorry to have offended you. The photo's been fixed.

 

[John M Cohea]

Congrats to each of you that made the finals, these knives are the best of the best!!I love each one of these knives but Lin's got my vote simply because from the first day I saw it come together I was in love with the knife and I think it is Lin's best work to date!Well done guys!!

 

[JParanee]

I was told to have one photo of each knife. I chose what I thought was the most striking photo, (out of several photos of several different versions of the same knife) and posted it, Joe. Sorry to have offended you. The photo's been fixed.

No offense

I just think that it's awesome to see a carbon and synthetic Bowie in a contest like this standing it's ground on design alone

Plus it's what the project was meant to be

 

[Patrice Lemée]

All incredible knives but like John, I was simply awestruck when I first saw Lin's bowie. Perfection achieved through "relative" simplicity.

 

[Scurvy092]

I voted for the Tsavo. The hamon, the harpoon are amazing. I prefer the wood handled ones personally.

The one that caught my eye initially was #2 the John White. The pattern on the damascus is very striking but after some research it appears to be mosaic damascus which is fine in it's own right, just takes away from it a little. I am also not an ivory fan.

#3 is gorgeous but it's a little too flashy for me. A different finish on the fitting and a different handle material may have done it for me though.

#4 shells and stag are just not me in any way shape or form

same with #5, just not my style.

#6 is really nice but I just like the Tsavo better. The hamon is cooler on the Tsavo and the checkering, while cool, is just a little to 'rifle-stocky' for me


I think #3 with #2's 'rust brown damascus' hardware and a darker handle would have taken it for me.

 

[Kohai999]

It was tied for me between the Tsavo(which will likely and deservedly win) and the Tembo(which many have not handled, but I have).

I chose Tembo because it was seamlessly and flawlessly one of the best collaborations that I have seen in many, many years and was birthed for a great cause.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[i4Marc]

With the nominees this year the decision, for me, was pretty tough. I chose Sam's Tsavo. This was my reason. Many of the knives are stunning masterpieces of artistry and skill and dazzled on many levels. And I sure would like to earn the skills some day to create at that level. But for me a bowie has always been a utilitarian tool. I would want to reach for that tool in a time of need and not worry about ruining the finish or the value. The value is in the using. The more embellished pieces are of course every bit as capable as a tool. But let's be honest, nobody in their right mind is going to use one of the fancier pieces to hack down trees to build a shelter. The Tsavo is just so handsome. Beautiful proportions, clean lines, fantastic fit and finish, attitude and built to brawl. It just ticks all the right boxes for me.

 

[Kevin Jones]

I thought I would share my thoughts on the six finalist Bowies and offer some reasoning on my pick:

Post 1, Knife 1 - Sam Lurquin Tsavo (Paranee Series) – There’s no questioning the amazing aesthetic and ergonomic attributes of this piece,
it just doesn’t “fit” “my” personal interpretation of the traditional Bowie Knife.

Post 3, Knife 2 - John White Ivory and Damascus Bowie – An example where all components and design elements came together perfectly,
creating a perfect Bowie. John shared this Bowie with me at Blade Show and I was VERY IMPRESSED with it. One of the most beautiful pieces of ivory
I have seen on a knife. I generally don’t care for browned fittings, but it certainly works with the brown ivory.

Post 3, Knife 3 - Lin Rhea Southland D-Guard Bowie – An Exceptional Bowie in every way. Lin is continuously to pushing himself to higher levels
as demonstrated here with this very complex and creative Bowie which he executed to the max. I love the guard and fittings treatment.

Post 4, Knife 1 - Kyle Royer Shell Guard Hanger Bowie – If I were a gentleman gambler on a Mississippi River Boat back in the late 1800’s this is
the Bowie and Sheath that I would want on my side. You couldn’t ask for more with it’s elegant and classic good looks and ability to “take care of business”
if a need was to arise.

In addition to being a beautiful example of a Custom Bowie, Kyle executed multiple complex tasks to the highest degree here.

It’s difficult enough to create a single shell component, however Kyle not only executed the pummel, shell guard, and shell hanger
with perfection, but made all 3 to conform and look great and proportionate to one another. Notice how all 4 sides of both stag scales
are slightly and uniformly proud of the guard, handle frame and pummel. This minimizes any future risk of scales shrinkage from notice
and it’s also nice as it keeps the hand from coming in direct contact with the engraving. We all know how difficult it is to apply a perfect
mirror polish, well the stainless here is blemish-free as can be seen in the enlarged images. And then there’s the engraving.

I’m absolutely crazy about both the John White Bowie and Lin’s Southland Bowie, however the Royer Bowie’s degree of complexity and
execution of such gives it a slight edge for me.

Post 15, Knife 1 - Tembo Collaboration Bowie – I’m quite familiar with this beauty, as I spent 3 days taking care of it while it was
displayed at the CKCA both at blade. Outstanding in every respect, however I feel it’s up against too strong competition here with the White,
Rhea and Royer Bowies. Everyone involved in this project should be very proud as it no small task executing a collaboration of this caliber.

Post 31, Knife 4 - Ben Seward Checkered Handle Bowie – I’m so glad Ben made the finals. It certainly proves that attention to detail,
eagerness to learn and a strong work ethic pays off. Though this is a great piece, I’m actually fonder of Ben’s sub-hilt Bowie which also received
quite a few votes. I feel Ben could quite possibly become a regular on this annual thread.

 

[Salem Straub]

The one that caught my eye initially was #2 the John White. The pattern on the damascus is very striking but after some research it appears to be mosaic damascus which is fine in it's own right, just takes away from it a little. I am also not an ivory fan.

It's actually not mosaic damascus, it's amazing multibar composite damascus. I.e., twisted bars of different patterns stacked edgewise and welded together.

 

[ptgdvc]

FWIW, The stunning control demonstrated by John White in the Damascus blade, combined with the fantastic ivory proved irresistible to me.

 

[The Amazing Virginian]

Like some others, and given that I have handled some of these pieces, I want to add my thoughts and how I rank this knives from sixth to first . . .

Sixth Place: Knife 6 - Ben Seward Checkered Handle Bowie. A gorgeous piece. I did not vote for it, but it was in my top ten. Ben has come so far so fast and I am sure will go so much further. I am sure he will be back in this contest in years to come, but I just preferred the other finalists this year.

Fifth Place: Knife 2 - Kyle Royer Hanger Bowie. I believe Kyle is making some of the best forged blade knives in the world at this time. But as nice as this knife is, this is not even one of my favorites from him – in fact I actually liked the somewhat similar pearl handled Bowie that was nominated better. Kyle is getting better at engraving, but to me it is still not there yet. I am thinking that if it had been engraved by a top class master engraver, maybe my opinion would be different. The other thing is that the handle appears too thin and the stag too short for my taste. As it is, IMO it is a very nice knife, but not there with the top ones for me.

Fourth Place: Knife 1 - Sam Lurquin’s Tsavo. FULL DISCLOSURE: I own one of the Tsavos. I ran into Joe at Blade and when he showed me the prototype I knew immediately I wanted in on this project. Fortunately, there were still two slots left and I was able to snag one. Pictures cannot convey how a knife feels, and this knife feels perfect. When you pick up this knife, you don’t ever want to put it down. And to me, it screams “modern Bowie.” An excellent candidate, and it would make a fine winner, but to my taste and standards there are three I like better.

Third Place: Knife 3 - Lin Rhea’s Southland Bowie. When I first saw it posted here, I was so impressed. And upon its representation, that has not changed. I would say it is my favorite of Lin’s knives that I have seen – and I like a lot of Lin’s knives (I own one myself). This was very close to second place for me, and it would make a fine winner, but the deciding factor to me was a personal one: I just do not care much for D-guards.

Second Place: Knife 5 - The Tembo Bowie. FULL DISCLOSURE: I own this knife. It is a remarkable knife and was very pleased to have won the bidding for it at Blade. The only things I really want to add are: (1) How terrific it feels in one’s hand (which again, cannot be told from a picture); and (2) to make sure all of the talented artists/artisans who contributed to this project get credit on this thread: Russ Andrews, Dave Lisch, Mike Quesenberry, Steve Rapp, Jim Small, Jane Tukarski, and photography credit to Eric Eggly. That is an unbelievable amount of talent right there.

But I know there is one that is more worthy.

First Place: Knife 2 - John White’s Brown Takedown Ivory Bowie. I saw and held this knife at Blade and fell into a deep lust. It is perfect. P-E-R-F-E-C-T. IMO, John was at the very top of the class of forged fixed blade makers at the time of his recent passing, and everything about this knife shows why. Yet the picture – as nice as it is – really does not do it justice. That ivory is even nicer “in person.” The browning of the guard and pommel is beautiful and not really captured by the picture. Little details like the stippling on the guard and the carving on the pommel are there, but become more prominent when you see it "in person." The fact that it is a takedown is also nice. But most of all, it is the blade. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, what separates this knife is the beautiful, flawless, complex, Damascus blade. I am proud to vote for this piece, and I only wish John could be here to see how much his work such as this is admired by so many.

 

[Cap’n Smudge]

I've stared at these a long while. Naturally, it's tough because they are all incredible. So many possible variables..... In the end I answered this question - "If these were on a table in front of me, and I was told I could have one, which one? I voted for the Tsavo.

 

[Pete_H]

Shoulda made it a 24hr voting window only - the suspense is gonna kill me!

 

[DEllis]

Even from the full slate of nominations, and among them are some truly incredible blades, there was only one that really made my jaw drop.
So glad to see it made the final cut..........John White's bowie is the one I chose..... I tried to think of something meaningful to conclude with but words have failed me.............

Darcy

 

[Scurvy092]

It's actually not mosaic damascus, it's amazing multibar composite damascus. I.e., twisted bars of different patterns stacked edgewise and welded together.

Might have to chalk that up to my ignorance then. I thought it was made similar to how Eggerling does his mosaic but using bars instead of squares. I still love the knife.

 

[LizaMari]

I had to vote for John White's Brown Takedown. The pattern on the blade and the ivory handle look amazing together and the color of the guard compliments the colors in the handle and contrasts nicely with the blade. The blade in itself is a work of art. I used the Odog27 strategy to make my choice. If these were all on the table in front of me and I could choose just one to take, which one would I grab? I'd grab the Brown Takedown.

 

[gthouse]

John Whites Bowie shows outstanding control of Damascus. He was truly a Master. A Damascus blade like that is much more difficult to achieve than Eggerling damascus. I ended up being most impressed with Johns Bowie.
Gary House
mastersmith