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
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Let’s not forget about Tony’s most excellent Zulu pattern. It might be his next most copied pattern after the Lanny’s Clip. In addition, this pattern lead to the Tribal Lock which could very well be Case’s finest regular production knife. It certainly ranks in the top five at least. I cannot believe I do not have one currently in my collection, but that will change as soon as Case comes out with a few new cover options!

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I have to give his Cattle Knife collaboration some kudos as well. There is something about the shape and size of this knife that makes it a dream to use and carry, and I am usually not a fan of multiple blade knives.

I am still searching for a Muskrat collaboration. That is the final pattern that I wish to add to my collection.

There are many other great Bose patterns, but the ones I have posted and discussed are my personal favorites. Mostly because the others are either too big, i.e. the Backpocket or too small, i.e. the Swayback, for my liking. However, they are all great patterns!

Once again Christian, kamagong kamagong , thanks for helping us to celebrate the great Tony Bose. Any serious knife lover must have at least a few of his regular production Case patterns in their collection. They represent an amazing value and opportunity to own a bit of Bose.

S Sidehill Gouger
I am sure it hurts to not have that Saddlehorn, but what a great treat it must have been to know Tony for so long. I only knew him for the last few years, and I was looking forward to many conversations in the future. Believe it or not, I actually hoped he would not offer me another knife, because I knew I could not say no but, at the same time, I knew that I didn’t need to spend the money. I appreciated his friendship more than the knives.
 
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Duper said:
No love for the CAse/Bose Eureka Jack? Never saw it in the poll or the conversation? I own a the GEC Eureka and it is very 'k'nice.

,,,Mike in Canada
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That is my grail right now. I handled one at the Case Store in Bradford, and it's everything I like in a pocket knife. I should have bought it then.
 
Leslie Tomville said:
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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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When I first met Tony back in the mid 1980's he was specializing in saddlehorns so that is the pattern I always associate with him. True story, I sent him a letter asking about the saddlehorn and he just sent me one to look at with a price slip if I wanted to keep it. At the time it was a lot of money for me to spend on a pocket knife so I had to send it back. Certainly kick myself for that now.
 
Chief Chief

John, you have an eclectic collection. Still not surpassed in my book. I never took to mulitblades but like the utility of them. My favorite slim pattern from Tony was a serpentine trapper I saw some years back, capped and hafted with some of the nicest material I've seen.

Give me a 3 1/2" single blade trapper and I see no reason to carry anything else.
 
Chief said:
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.

bosebakersdozen-4.jpg
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That jack on the right end! WOW
 
Tough call! First time I saw a picture of a swayback gent I think I literally swooned. I now have three gents and one jack. (I had a second jack but traded it for a nice muskrat.) I thought the teardrop was a weird design until I saw one in person and had to have it. I ordered a single blade sowbelly when I heard they were being discontinued from production. I have two tribal locks, my favorite being the one I bought during a Tony Bose "meet and greet" and got Tony to autograph the box. I have a nice Case Select Wharncliffe mini trapper which, although not an official "TB" model, I can see why he was fond of that pattern. I actually got to see and hold a eureka jack once; very nice but out of my league!
 
I think that the typical Bose model that people think of when they hear the name Bose is the Lanny’s Clip and the Zulu. My favorite model is the Premium Stockman. I have chestnut bone, ebony and this sexy lady…

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Leslie Tomville said:
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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 am unsure but I bet it’s based on the remmy…
 
Riz! said:
Chief Chief can you, PRETTY PLEASE, post some close ups of the Texas Jack on the far right! That thing is BEAUTIFUL.
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Sure thing my friend. Have been off the grid over Thanksgiving and just saw your request today. Was a Blade lotto win, my first!

bose2.jpg


bose4.jpg


Spring for the main is wider than the secondary and has a pretty strong pull. Remington bone is so classic.

bose3.jpg


bosetrilogy.jpg
 
Leslie Tomville said:
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All excellent, but for me this is All About The Bose, All About The Pocket Knife: supreme Stag Barehead and a blade that sets it all off. Kind of like a boy's Christmas fantasy of getting an amazing pocket-knife, writ huge and true. This knife gives a sense of wonderment, a legacy Tony B would've been wryly amused by. Thanks for letting us steal a look.

Regards, Will
 
I went with the Lanny’s Clip, but I also think the Zulu is up ther!
 
I'm saying the WT mostly because it was Tony's baby and what he always had in his pocket. He told me that the trapper pattern was his favorite. Side story...I named one of my dogs "Trapper" because of that. There's another story associated with the Wharncliffe Trapper that kind of stuck in Tony's craw for a long time, which I won't go into here, but everybody should know where the idea for this pattern came from. It is the quintessential Tony Bose pattern. It was designed with a W blade because he said that it was better for gutting squirrels.

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Kerry!!!

Thanks for popping in and sharing your thoughts bud.

The WT is an awesome pattern, but it's no KHnutbuster. ;) Speaking of which, I need you to build me a companion to the KHnutbuster and desk knife that I have. It's been too long since I've had a new KnifeHead knife.
 
Riz! said:
I think that the typical Bose model that people think of when they hear the name Bose is the Lanny’s Clip and the Zulu. My favorite model is the Premium Stockman. I have chestnut bone, ebony and this sexy lady…

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I agree with Riz! 100%

Lanny’s clip & Zulu are ubiquitous and synonymous with Tony Bose.

My personal favorite is also the Premium stockman. I own it in 6.5 Stag, ebony and abalone (for Sunday church)!

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Another fantastic Bose pattern that you don’t see often is a pattern Tony created called a “Tennessee Trapper”. It’s a full size trapper with a Lanny’s clip on the show side with a Wharncliffe.

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