Which is THE Bose knife?

Which is THE Bose knife?

  • BackPocket

    Votes: 8 7.2%

  • Lanny's Clip

    Votes: 38 34.2%

  • Panama Trapper

    Votes: 2 1.8%

  • Saddlehorn

    Votes: 5 4.5%

  • Swayback

    Votes: 6 5.4%

  • Wharncliffe Trapper

    Votes: 37 33.3%

  • Zulu

    Votes: 5 4.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 10 9.0%
  • Total voters
    111
mb> said:
This thread needs pictures!
Click to expand...

Here's the knife that inspired this thread, a 2013 wharncliffe trapper with chestnut bone covers.

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Chestnut...hahaha. Pumpkin spice maybe.
 
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What a great thread!! Thank you Christian, kamagong kamagong .

Tony told me it was the Saddlehorn that really got him going. He loved that pattern and used it on his logo. Of course, that was the two blade version not a single like mine. The bottom photo shows Tony working on it. Having said that, I agree that the Wharncliff Trapper was his favorite for every day carry, but I am sure he liked his other patterns just as much in different ways.

huntnfishin huntnfishin , isn’t the Bose/Case collaboration Muskrat based on the Remington version? Although Tony had such a close relationship with Case, it seemed like the old Remingtons were his favorites. Whenever he would send photographs from his personal vintage knife collection to make a point about something or the other, a lot of them would be Remingtons. I don’t remember him talking about old Case knives very much. Of course, I do not know the extent of his collection and what he had in it. I am sure it was large and contained lots of brands.

I never asked him about GEC. Does anyone know how he felt about them? I am sure he liked many of their patterns, but I bet he didn’t have much use for their kitschy designs such as banana shields and beard combs, etc. Everything Tony did was completely traditional and pure class, no novelties or kitsch.

I try to channel Tony whenever I add a knife to my collection. I ask myself, “would you be embarrassed to show this knife to Tony.” If the answer is “yes,” I pass on the knife. (Full confession, I do have a couple GEC knives that I just cannot give up based on this analysis. The coke bottle shield cap lifters being a prime example!)

I hope that Kerry Hampton KnifeHead KnifeHead joins in here. He can set straight any misconceptions we might have.
 
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I voted Lanny's Clip, because I think that a knife Tony designed and made for a friend named Lanny, and then named it for him, is really cool. I had Brent Cramer make me one, based on Tony's design.
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That said, I think my favorite is the WT, as Christian stated. This one has been carried more than any other of my Case/Bose collabs.
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Great point about the Lanny Peregrin Peregrin ! It is a wonderful story, and the pattern has become iconic. I like the most recent Bose/Case collaboration the best. It seems to be a tiny bit smaller and lighter, although that could just be my imagination. My only problem with Lanny’s in general is that they tend to be a bit heavy in the pocket, but no one could dispute the beauty of the design. I also appreciate the fact that the most recent version is a lock back.
 
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From an article I wrote on Tony a while back:
As an avid hunter, Bose wore down many a Case trapper skinning squirrels and rabbits since he likes to keep the blades “hair-splitting sharp.” Bose said he didn’t have much use for the spey blade, so he would grind it down into a muskrat blade.

In the mid-1980s, Bose came up with one of his most popular patterns, the two-blade wharncliffe trapper, with the wharncliffe blade taking place of the spey blade.

Over the years, Bose also carried a Case folding hunter in his back pocket next to his wallet because he didn’t like the way belt sheaths hung up on things. Bose modified a Remington 1123 pattern for his back pocket knife, which comes in 4-inch and 4-1/2 inch sizes, the latter with a flush joint.

“I do more wharncliffe trappers and back pocket knives than anything else, and the reason I do is because they just work,” said Bose, who is also known as the Old Dog. “They’re useful knives. I wish every knife I made was in somebody’s pocket going to work.”
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How about the sowbelly? It is a favorite pattern of mine and the examples I have seen from Mr. Bose look stellar! I wish I could post a photo, but I don't have one and likely never will.
 
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This is a not a custom knife but a factory made Case Sowbelly of Tony’s design. It was a SFO for someone. I have been trying to find out who and how many, but I have had no luck. I have not seen any others, but I am sure they are out there. Maybe one of you know more about it?

I had hoped to ask Tony to make me a custom Sowbelly but never had the chance. A aji1 , His Sowbelly pattern is a work of art, perfect ergonomics, sunken joints, and a gorgeous blade. Even the regular production Sows are amazing. I read somewhere that he might have been ahead on his collaboration knives a year or two. Wouldn’t it be thrilling if one was a Sowbelly?

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Here are my two collaboration Wharncliff Trappers. Nothing more can be said about this pattern. It is simply perfection.
 
An incredible amount of beautiful knives being posted . I voted for the Saddlehorn but never posted a photo . I had fallen for the Saddlehorn pattern and bought a few before I found out that the earlier Saddlehorns were much larger and it took a few years to find one of the Larger ones for a reasonable price . Do not much care for the shield on this one , but sometimes you just can not be choosey .



I really like the Jigging , sunken joints , size , and the single blade .

Harry
 
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Leslie Tomville said:
I never asked him about GEC. Does anyone know how he felt about them?
Click to expand...
Tony said Bill's knives were the best production knives in the USA!! He and Bill shared a love of Remington's patterns and workmanship!!
Tony had a complete set of my Harness Jacks, both from Queen (the first three), and the rest (the next seven) from GEC!!
My (now philllll philllll 's) Wharncliffe Trapper!! :rolleyes: TBoseWharcliffeTrapperClosed.jpgTBoseWharnTrap.jpg
 
I associate the wharncliffe trapper most with Tony Bose. That could be skewed by that fact that I had heard that it is his favorite. I have a Case model and it’s a great knife that I like much better than a standard trapper. I wish I had a Case/Bose colab. version, but don’t yet. Maybe someday. Here’s my Case version.

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Voted other ... Bose lockback whittler is a technological marvel ... look inside one and you'll see the secondary springs tensioned against the main locking spring. Never scored a Bose custom lockback but have a couple of the Case collabs (damascus one had to go back to Case for sticky lock). Honorable mention goes to the swayback, perfect little knife for the pocket and thousands and thousands produced. WT further down my list, not pinchable, wharncliffe nick should be moved slightly away from the pivot to make it more accessible, see a Zscherny WT to see what is a better nick location IMO. LC is a great all-around knife with a wonderful back story, nice blade and pinchable. Wish Tony had stuck to his list instead of throwing it in the trash. Prefer a slim knife that hides in the pocket making the 3 5/8" single blade stag trapper (4th from right) my favorite Bose custom.

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I voted for the Wharncliffe Trapper based on his love of that pattern.
I was going to vote for the Swayback based solely on how many are riding in pockets.
But of course my favorite is The Norfolk Whittler, it's such a beautiful pattern and well-made knife.

 
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