What is your grail knife and do you own it?

This

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Putting aside grail art knives that I covet but would probably never realistically purchase (Ron Lake, Michael Walker, Ron Appleton, Juegen Steinau, et al.), a grail of mine for quite a while has been a custom Lucas Burnley Squid. He hasn’t made one in several years and they almost never resurface for sale. I had a chance at one about four years ago but didn’t buy it in time. Haven’t seen one in the wild since then.
 
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Kragnut said:
This knife, and I mean this knife exactly....either Damascus or made from an old saw blade or maybe file with some original texture on the sides in either case. Can't find anybody to do this project in a reasonable time frame.

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So I was able to convince a maker here to take my CAD drawing and make me my own. I did change the tip design a little to look more colonial / Hudson Bay like.

I wanted a working knife, not a purely display piece of art per the original and I could not have asked it to turn out better in that regard. I did use a mild acid solution to grey the polished portions of the metal a little and add a little surface protection, but it actually ended up preserving the matte polished finish which looks to have been done around 400 grit or so. Took a while to find some elk antler big enough for that handle. Overall it's about the size and heft of a Becker BK9.
 

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Been thinking about this since I saw this thread, and right now I have no idea what my grail knife is. At one time I was drooling for a Macassar ebony Mnandi, but I’m kinda over that. Not that I’d pass it up if one were to fall into my lap, but it’s no longer on my active watch list as a gotta-have before I kick the bucket. My hands-down favorite knife now is my Buck Sprint Pro with marbled CF handles and S45VN blade. Common, yes - but I love everything about it. And I haven’t seen anything really that would knock it off that pedestal, so in that sense, I guess I have my grail.

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Grail, as in unobtainable and perhaps non-existent?

Not "Grail" or unobtainable, but there are a few knives that are out of my Legue that I'd use regularly if given one.

CRK folders, I'd prefer a large Sebanza 21 or 31 for EDC in the pocket.

I've been looking for a Schrade extreme Survival, but I specifically want their SCHF2SM model. They are out there, but at a premium I just can't (won't) pay.

Don't care much for Randall-Made (ask me why).
 
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I love the concept of the "grail". Those knives you lust after for years believing they are unobtainium. Then when you finally get one in hand it's a magical moment, but the moment is fleeting because grail obtained no longer has the same hold over you. But if it's the knife you thought it was it becomes a transition from burning desire to deep and abiding appreciation for the level of combined utility and the craftsmanship it took to create.

My grail for years was the Rassenti Nirvana. The Spyderco caught my attention, but it was the one made by the hands of the master that I really wanted. Finally was able to acquire a V4, and I think I'll be checking out before this one leaves me.

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I buy purely for function so don't have a "grail" knife to speak of, but if we're talking about pretty knifes with some history etc... There would be certain knives I'd purchase if I was so inclined to just look at and admire, but I wouldn't pay the currently 10k+ these knives are selling for.
 
CyberRacer said:
I love the concept of the "grail". Those knives you lust after for years believing they are unobtainium. Then when you finally get one in hand it's a magical moment, but the moment is fleeting because grail obtained no longer has the same hold over you. But if it's the knife you thought it was it becomes a transition from burning desire to deep and abiding appreciation for the level of combined utility and the craftsmanship it took to create.

My grail for years was the Rassenti Nirvana. The Spyderco caught my attention, but it was the one made by the hands of the master that I really wanted. Finally was able to acquire a V4, and I think I'll be checking out before this one leaves me.

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Well said.

Grail knife is not necessary the most expensive, nor the most premium steel. I have a Benchmade North Fork, S30V blade, that I got for cheap, though the MSRP is double my grail above. I purchased my grail as functional hunting knife and not just look, as it is cheaper than an ESEE-4 440C while having the "custom" on top, but the craftsmanship is turned out to be very impressive. So polished that it reflex the cloud in my pictures. Its maker, Maxim Safronov, has the blade made in Russia, in 95x18 steel (Russian 440C), he carries the business to Canada and has the handle made with Canadian maple wood, more comfortable than many production knives. Quite a symbol for me.
 
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Yes. Did a review a few years ago and still own and enjoy it.

Des Horn Imvubu. My grail

Introduction and specifications. I met Des Horn (http://www.deshorn.com/) back in 2010 and his design and philosophy of knives always appealed to me A knife is first and foremost a working tool, and a custom knife, whether practical, collectable or artistic in its nature should support this...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
Kragnut said:
So I was able to convince a maker here to take my CAD drawing and make me my own. I did change the tip design a little to look more colonial / Hudson Bay like.

I wanted a working knife, not a purely display piece of art per the original and I could not have asked it to turn out better in that regard. I did use a mild acid solution to grey the polished portions of the metal a little and add a little surface protection, but it actually ended up preserving the matte polished finish which looks to have been done around 400 grit or so. Took a while to find some elk antler big enough for that handle. Overall it's about the size and heft of a Becker BK9.
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Nice, I like the patina finish you did on that, and glad to see you were able to get those bolsters chamfered out nicely. Hope you get some good work out of it!
 
Matt Behnke said:
Nice, I like the patina finish you did on that, and glad to see you were able to get those bolsters chamfered out nicely. Hope you get some good work out of it!
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It's Caswells Steel Grey. Like gun blue only it's grey and not blue after you hit it with 0000 steel wool. It's actually fairly even, my photography just sucks, and the brushed finish is still quite apparent. It takes multiple applications but much more durable than cold blue.
 
Right now it's a Sacha Thiel Birdy in green micarta. I can't find one, even though I'd wreck the curve on the second-hand market to get one.
In a month, who knows what it'll be. I know now, even before I get one, that I'll love it for a month, and then chase something else.

For me the grail knife is the one knife that causes me to sell all the rest, which is arguably more unobtainable than some high-end sought-after custom.
 
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