Who are the Best Bladesmiths?

KW,

I know your very active in custom knives, so I would expect you to know the makers TAH was referring to.

Gus, the 45 I was refering to was just a guestimate as to how many knowledgeable custom knife people who consistently post here.

Those who are not as knowledgeable gain knowledge everytime they come here.

Bill R,

My criteria is based on the totality of the makers work. Not meerly their skill at making a knife. Based on that my #1 bladesmith is Jerry Fisk.

When I look at makers for long term potential (I know I am the only one who views custom knives as possibly being a type of investment).

Jerry is not only a world class bladesmith and knifemaker (Some ABS Mastersmiths cannot make this claim).

He is a very astute businessman, possbily the best businessman among the knife makers. You makers who doubt this...read his book.

Additionally, he has a total and unwavering commitment to his art as well as the ABS.

He consistently does whatever it takes to get the job done. He goes above and beyond for the ABS.

In addition to being a world class maker, he is a Leader, Teacher, Mentor, Inspiration and Watchdog of those who would forge blades.

Before you start trying to flame me. This is not to say that there are not others who may be better at forging a blade, doing a particular styling on a handle, etc.

I am talking totality of the man and his work.

Others who have been mentioned are exceptional bladesmiths and world class knife makers who also have given of themseleves above and beyond are Harvey Dean, Tim Hancock, Steve Schwarzer, Don Fogg, Al Pendray, Joe Flourny,Jim Crowell and another one of my favorites Keith Kilby.

Two guys who get overlooked are Jerry Rados and Tim Zowada.

Lets not forget Daryl Meier.

I always appreciate talking with these makers as they represent men who have given large portions of their lives to something they belive in.

Because of these bladesmiths, the ABS and it's school. The custom knife making community is in for quite a treat over the next decades as these makers keep pushing the limit.

All of the aforementioned makers, as well as previous makers and the next generation are all links in the chain.

Their ability to conceptualize ideas and concepts both past and present leads bladesmithing into the future. These Bladesmiths now seem to amaze us on a daily basis.

In fact they have spoiled us. As we know belive that they are capable of anything when it comes to the forged blade.

I can still remember when people were in awe of Ladder and Twist pattern Damascus.

Man I love custom knives!
 
The question was in the world. I can't keep up with just the ones in the United States. I would not be as foolish though to think they would have to be from the US. We should say the best we are aware of or the best I'm aware of. I will tell you, I DON'T KNOW MUCH!

With that said;
Les, you are not the only one who looks at custom knives as investments. I ONLY aquire what I believe to be good investments, and ONLY after "knowing" the maker. I have the "human sickness" of wanting the best.

Living 30 miles from Old Washington, AR, and 30 miles from Locksburg I have the privilege of meeting many makers. The names I will list are makers whom I believe to be the best. I have come to know several, I own or have orders with most, and the ones of the latter I call friends. I have talked about these friends on previous post and will do so until I add other "best" to my friends.(Mother always told me,"To have friends, you have to be a friend.") I do this because I know what kind of people they are, and am in the hopes of you knowing them too.

Best "Japanese" Sword Maker: Michael Bell.

Best European, Scottish, Persian, Sword or Anything He Wants Maker: Vince Evans; nothing he can't do, WELL almost. I have not seen a more talented or humble maker. He is truly GIFTED!

Best Bowie Maker: Jerry. I mean PERIOD!

Other Favorite Bowie Makers: Henry, I mean Massey, I keep getting them confused. "Flatgrind" Fitch, will one day be in the list of Dean, Crowell, Handcock, Fuegen, Bagwell, Fogg, etc.

Best Folder: (I don't own any from these makers, yet.) Dunkerly, Newton

Remember, above all else, I don't know much.

Thank you,
Darby
 
Les, well said.....I do think we are fortunate indead to live in a time when such great knife makers are practicing their craft. I have long admired Jerry Fisk's work and consider him to be #1 among bladesmiths. Dean, Hancock, Flournoy, and Massey are close seconds.

Darby, also well said. I like the way you broke it into categories. All great smith's to be sure.
 
Since Crowell, Fisk, Dean, Fogg etc... have already been mentioned, I will add-

Micheal Connor, Winters TX.

Yep, most of you have likley never heard of him. And if you ask most of the other 'smiths listed, they will agree with me on Micheal.

All of the above guys can make a blade do exactly what they want to under the hammer, but ive never seen any as clean as Micheals work. Its simply amazing,uncomplicated,clean and as perfect as i have ever seen.
 
You're a class act, Matt.

Your big knives are some of the most evocative I've seen. The Sunrise Fighter, especially, for me captures the very soul of quickness and balance.

-Will
 
Like so many people have mentioned already, this would be very hard to narrow down to just a few bladesmiths. So, I am not even going to try to name the best. I will, however, bring up a Mastersmith that does work as clean as any out there. Not too many people have thought of this man. Tim Potier. Check out his work sometime(at the Blade show), you will be amazed. Not cheap, but none of the great ones are.
 
I don't get all the smiley and winky posts. Is everyone trying to be a Mayo or is there some big secret I don't know about?

:confused:

;) :cool: :p ;)

:confused:
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As far as the best makers go, I like innovators... Lots of folks can make clean grinds and nice finishes if they try hard enough. Does that make them the best makers? Nope. People who try new things and advance the craft or carry it in a new direction - these are the best makers. Michael Walker is one name that comes to mind. Jerry Busse is another. Hey - don't hate me for mentioning a factory-guy's name in here, he did, after all, invent a new steel and an intensive heat-treating process that makes a heck of a knife. Then of course there's Buster Warenski, who constantly pushes the envelope of beauty, art, and unparalelled detail in a functional knife. Or Larry Fuegen who can forge, shape, grind and carve blades with perhaps the highest mix of beauty and function that a guy could ask for. Then there's Ed Fowler, who's continuous lifelong exploration of the high performance knife has indeed created a high performance knife, not to mention a wealth of published knowledge on everything that went into it.

And there are plenty of others as well, many of whom I've forgotten to mention.

No, this thread is not a popularity contest or an attempt to determine which maker is better than any other maker. That would accomplish nothing. The discussion we're having, however, is an interesting pursuit nonetheless. Hopefully we're all learning from one another's observations.

Well, except for these guys that just post smiley faces and add nothing to the discussion... :rolleyes: ;) :rolleyes:
 
ALOT of the names mentioned so far arent even BLADESMITHS which is the topic at hand.

Wulf, when i mention a "clean" knife it goes well beyond grinding and finish. One could also argue that "alot" of peaple can be innovative. This doesnt make them a good knifemaker, or especially a good bladesmith.

a
 
Originally posted by RMLamey
ALOT of the names mentioned so far arent even BLADESMITHS which is the topic at hand.
Click to expand...

Oops... my bad. After reading all the responses I guess I forgot the specifics of the actual topic heading.

I guess if you really want to know who the best bladesmith is, then you have to have a competition that measures every single conceivable aspect in an objective, scientific manner, and weigh each aspect according to a relative value scale. :rolleyes: Cutting ability, durability, ease of sharpening, toughness, "feel", beauty, cleanliness, and a number of other attributes, both objective and subjective.

Anyway, I hope you see the point I was trying to make, the spirit of which remains even if I missed the technical aspects of the question asked.
 
I know he's been mentioned times and again, but if I had to own 1 and only 1 handforged knife, I would go for a Don Fogg piece without any hesitation. From a purely output point of view, I think his technical skills are with the best, and his artistic vision is even better. Each of his knives are artistic, unique, and then clearly marked by his touch.

Others I like are Fuegen and Pierre Reverdy (although he's a bit *too* fancy.)

JD
 
If we get to the purest sence of defining bladesmith as "one who makes knives using the hammer, anvil and forge" I must add Jimmy Fikes. Although his style is quite different than most, he can do amazing things under the hammer. His knives were cutting as good as any of todays knives, but they were doing it 15 years ago. To date the sharpest knives ive ever handled were from Tim Zowada, Jim Crowell, and Jimmy Fikes.

The only problem is dealing with Jimmy, which is very closely akin to dealing with Marlon Brandos character in "Apocolypse Now" Actually, Brandos character was easier to get in touch with and talk to.
 
No wonder Fikes and Fred Perrin are good friends. ;)
 
Gotta throw in another name here...Hugh Bartrug. His career ended way before it should have. Anyone who can make damascus without any kind of flux has my attention! His work went beyond his craftsmanship, into his realm as an artist...just take a look at the Michael's Sword piece that he did, and your breath would be taken away.

And, I gotta agree with Matt on Jimmy's work. Jimmy was one of the original "ABS guys" back in the seventies and was doing damascus for quite awhile before the practice became so widespread. Two of my worst scars are from his knives. His edges are unbelievable, and if you ever saw him sharpen a knife, you would never believe how he does it...his method pretty much goes against the grain of every bit of sharpening "lore" out there. Come to think of it, Jimmy goes against the grain of everything knife related!;) If you know or know of him, you'll get the pun.

Oh, let's not forget Don Hastings. Another one that had his career ended early, but his knives lives on after his passing...and that's one of the cool things about knifemakers, is that their work will outlive the person who made it. When other mastersmiths look up at anothers work and hold that person in esteem, you know their good.

Others on my "short list": Fogg, Hudson, Fowler, Pendray, Dunkerly, Zowada, and Dan Maragni, Al Barton,...I know the list isn't too short, and there's a half dozen or more that could be in there, but heck, there's alot of amazing smiths out there. It's almost a shame to say "who's best"...every maker has a different approach to his work, and in the final product, it can be very, very difficult to pick the "best" one. One maker's knife may cut rope better then the maker who can bend his blade ninety degrees back and forth for five times before it cracks, one may hold an edge for a couple of cuts longer then the guy who can cut a soda can in half repeatedly...I guess it boils down to the fact that there is no one perfect knife (I'd say as collectors and users and makers, we're all searching for that "perfect" blade)...but it sure is fun watching the bar for performance get pushed higher and higher, and that quest for beauty and performance together being translated by knifemaker's hands from simple steel and other materials. We've all got a pretty fascinating passion in knives, and it'll be fun watching what comes down the pike years from now.

Take care,
John Johnson
 
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