Various Makers Fit & Finish - Opinions Needed

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Exeter354

Joined
Jun 13, 2012
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Editing my original post to pose my question differently:

I know this is a tough question to answer, but I'm about to invest a fair amount on a custom slip joint in my favorite pattern. I am looking at existing knives from these makers:

Chamblin
Rogers
Ruple
Shadley

They are ALL incredibly talented, no doubt. But I have little experience with them and I'm not sure if this is fair to ask, but from those who have experience with them...what are your thoughts on fit, finish, and attention to detail? I'm sure they are all considered great, but what I'm looking for is a critical assessment from those who are familiar with them.

Thanks guys!
 
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Exeter354 said:
....But I have little experience with them and I'm not sure if this is fair to ask, but how would you rank them in terms of fit, finish, attention to detail and quality of workmanship?....
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I'm not sure if it's "fair to ask" either. It seems in poor taste to rank people. I have 1st hand experience with some of their knives and not others. Others will likely have experience with some but not all of them as well. And people will have different opinions based on their experiences.

I'm not going to rank these folks but I suggest that you look over the photos of their knives and maybe attend a show so that you can see their work first hand.

A couple of other names that aren't on your list are Ken Erickson, Ryuichi Kawamura, and Reese Bose.
 
I agree with Jake.
It's possible to collect comments from folks who have knives made by the various custom makers.
I don't think it's possible to rank them.
 
I don't think you'll have anything to worry about in the fit and finish department with those makers you listed. The best way to rank them will probably be in terms of style, and that's a personal preference that only you can determine.
 
supratentorial said:
I'm not sure if it's "fair to ask" either. It seems in poor taste to rank people. I have 1st hand experience with some of their knives and not others. Others will likely have experience with some but not all of them as well. And people will have different opinions based on their experiences.

I'm not going to rank these folks but I suggest that you look over the photos of their knives and maybe attend a show so that you can see their work first hand.

A couple of other names that aren't on your list are Ken Erickson, Ryuichi Kawamura, and Reese Bose.
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Thanks and I don't disagree with you - maybe it is in poor taste to ask. I don't want to put anyone in an awkward position. It's just that I'm about to make a purchase now and I only have pictures to go on (which is so often the case, let's face it). So it's difficult because I don't have much or any experience with these makers. My thinking was that if anyone does have experience with all, some or most of them, what is that experience? I am asking for a critical assessment and maybe that isn't politically correct on a forum such as this.

I am only looking at knives from the aforementioned makers right now. But you mention two of my favorite makers...Reese and Ryuichi and I own several from each. I can speak with authority on them having owned many from them and I personally rank them as top notch in their field, number one and two in my book (and I consider Reese and Tony on par, just btw). If someone asked me for a critical assessment, I would tell them that each and every piece I have owned from them were flawless. I'm a perfectionist and even I have trouble finding any flaws in what I have received from these makers. I can't say that about everyone though.
 
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Exeter354 said:
It's a multi-blade traditional pattern.
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I meant specifically the pattern and any specifications. Is it a pattern that these makers have made before? Do you have any particular requirements? Do you want something reproduced exactly or do you want to allow some artistic license? Do you prefer the style of one maker over another? Have you met and/or talked with any of these folks?
 
supratentorial said:
I meant specifically the pattern and any specifications. Is it a pattern that these makers have made before? Do you have any particular requirements? Do you want something reproduced exactly or do you want to allow some artistic license? Do you prefer the style of one maker over another? Have you met and/or talked with any of these folks?
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I'm looking at 3 or 5 blade sowbellies. Yes, they have all made them before. In terms of requirements...fit and finish is very important to me. I don't like it when blades rub, which is not uncommon on knives like these. I don't like strong pulls (nail breakers). I LOVE attention to detail. I love it when the back springs look like one solid piece of metal. The knives I'm looking at all fit the bill pretty much from what I can tell visually, I just have not held them and I do not know much about the makers. This is why I always tend to go with makers I'm familiar with. But I'd like to branch out a little...life is short. :)

Thank you for indulging me and venturing into these questions.
 
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I happen to be a fan of the sowbelly pattern. The ones that I've seen from these makers have excellent fit and finish. I've owned a couple and seen others first hand or in photos.

I think Richard has used Tony's pattern at least on some knives. I'm not familiar with Shadley's knives except from photos. Joel and Ruple have distinct styles in their sowbelly patterns. Joel's pattern is 3.5"... I haven't seen a larger version from him but I've seen one smaller. Ryu makes a beautiful sowbelly whittler. It's a very small knife though. I'd love for him to make a full size sowbelly.
 
supratentorial said:
I happen to be a fan of the sowbelly pattern. The ones that I've seen from these makers have excellent fit and finish. I've owned a couple and seen others first hand or in photos.

I think Richard has used Tony's pattern at least on some knives. I'm not familiar with Shadley's knives except from photos. Joel and Ruple have distinct styles in their sowbelly patterns. Joel's pattern is 3.5"... I haven't seen a larger version from him but I've seen one smaller. Ryu makes a beautiful sowbelly whittler. It's a very small knife though. I'd love for him to make a full size sowbelly.
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Thank you - very insightful. I don't mind compact, but I'm not looking for small in this case. Also, if anyone has any photos of their favorite custom sowbelly, I'd love to see them.
 
Here are examples from Joel and Ryu...

supratentorial said:
sowbelly_w_stag_007.jpg


Sowbelly Whittler
3 blade slip joint folder
Blade material : ATS-34
Handle material : Stainless steel / stag
Blade length : main blade 2 3/8" (60mm), sub blade 1 1/2" (38mm) each
Closed length : 3 3/8" (86mm)

Ryuichi-Kawamura-Sowbelly-Whittler-1.jpg

Ryuichi-Kawamura-Sowbelly-Whittler-2.jpg
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supratentorial said:
Here are some photos of the sowbelly that I just recently received from Joel. It was a real pleasure "working" with him. He is a true gentleman.

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Highly polished inside and out.

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3.5" closed.

img113.jpg


All the joints are sunk. The spine of the sheepfoot is parallel and even with the spine of the clip blade.

img123.jpg

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img133-1.jpg


The obligatory well shot.

img129.jpg

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Those are terrific! How long have you had the one from Joel? Any issues with blades rubbing? Is it a user? What does it mean that "all the joints are sunk"? I'm not familiar with that expression. Thanks!
 
I sent you a private message.

I'm going to borrow GEC's definition...

Joint
The portion of a folding knife where the blade is connected to the handle with a pivot pin. Types of joints refer to how much of the tang remains exposed when the blade is closed. A knife with narrow side scales that expose the sharp corner of the blade tang has a “common” joint. A “half-sunk” joint has wider side scales, but still leaves some blade tang exposed. A “flush” or “full-sunk” joint is more comfortable to handle and causes less wear in a pocket.
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You should not have any issues with blade rub. I no longer have these knives unfortunately. I sold my customs and a lot of nice antiques when I was in poor health. These were collected although I had originally intended for the knives to be users. I'm sure that they could handle it but I'm not really comfortable using an expensive knife for regular use... maybe some day. As you said, life is short! My knives from Ryu gave me goose bumps whenever I'd take them out of the slip cases and admire them. For now that is enough.

My ideal pattern is a two blade single spring "premium double end jack" that uses the sowbelly handle. It would have clip and sheepfoot blades. I'd like to have Ken Erickson make one based on an old Remington (it had a spey instead of a sheepfoot but was otherwise exactly what I wanted).

sowbelly-ovb_zpsey7cjq3z.jpg
 
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supratentorial said:
I sent you a private message.

I'm going to borrow GEC's definition...



You should not have any issues with blade rub. I no longer have these knives unfortunately. I sold my customs and a lot of nice antiques when I was in poor health. These were collected although I had originally intended for the knives to be users. I'm sure that they could handle it but I'm not really comfortable using an expensive knife for regular use... maybe some day. As you said, life is short! My knives from Ryu gave me goose bumps whenever I'd take them out of the slip cases and admire them. For now that is enough.

My ideal pattern is a two blade single spring "premium double end jack" that uses the sowbelly handle. It would have clip and sheepfoot blades. I'd like to have Ken Erickson make one based on an old Remington (it had a spey instead of a sheepfoot but was otherwise exactly what I wanted).

sowbelly-ovb_zpsey7cjq3z.jpg
Click to expand...

GREAT Looking knife!! :thumbup::thumbup:
I sure would Love to see this pattern come up for a vote in the Forum knife voting....... maybe next year?? :D


Dave
 
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