Who are the future makers of Loveless and Moran stature?

Bladeandbarrel

Bladeandbarrel

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Oct 5, 1998
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Or are there any?

In stock removal I think Ken Onion or Emerson can achieve the iconic status, in the forged world maybe Fisk or Fogg.

Any thoughts?

To put this into perspective-

Who are the makers that we will be writing books about in 20 years?
 
I agree with your selections and add. . . . .

Kit Carson

Walter Brend

Eugene Shadley

Tony Bose

Tim Herman
 
I will have to ponder this one for awhile, but the question makes me wonder if Bob Loveless and Bill Moran had not started when they did would they have become the icons they are now? When they began there was a very small number of makers. They started to build there reputations when there was much less competition than there is today. Makers will have to be really exceptional to attain anywhere near the status that those two gentlemen have.

I am not trying to take anything away from Loveless and Moran. The accolades that they have received are deserved. It is hard to know now just what the world of custom knives would be like today if they had not been a part of it. To reach a level equal to these two, the makers of today are going to have to do more than make great knives. They will have to do as much to further the developement of the industry as Loveless and Moran have done.

Loveless and Moran, each in their own way, moved the bar higher. For some of today's makers to attain the recognition and acclaim that they have these makers will have to have to move the bar higher still.
 
I do think that Ken Onion has a shot at that "Legend". Especially if the "Onion Fund" gets rolling.

The original question was pertaining to books, sort of "legend". Let's see, besides Moran and Loveless, off the top of my head, there is also Lile, John Nelson Cooper, Scagel, Ruana, Randall, Spyderco(Sal Glesser), and Buck.

Gil Hibben comes to mind.
S.R. Johnson.
If the truth were ever told, Bob Lum. What he did predates Emerson by oh, about 20 years. Still going with factory collaborations.
Kit Carson, maybe.
D.E. Henry
Buster Warenski

Tony Bose, very possibly.

Grant and Gavin Hawk have a real good shot. 4 original mechanisms and counting. Factory collaborations with CRKT and Kershaw.

The forge guys:

Don Fogg, for sure
Very possibly, Jerry Fisk
Larry Fuegen
Jim Schmidt
Jimmy Fikes?
Tai Goo?

William McHenry?

What about Virgil England?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Highly tallented each and every one. AS good as Loveless and Moran. Probably some better. (now). Reach their status. None. They stand alone, and always will. Mike Lovett Maker of "The Loveless Connection" http://www.lovettknives.com/
 
R.W. Loveless is arguably the most famous knifemaker in the world. Three books, and counting I believe.

......but, Moran, I truly believe, legend-wise will be overshadowed by Fisk and Fogg, in the long run, and I will tell you why. The internet. Don Fogg has a state-of-the art website, and he enjoys tweaking it. It has a gallery and its' own forum. He is influencing from the ground up, with grass roots, and his drum beaters will be loud and long-lived.

What Jerry Fisk has done with the ABS is turn a Model T into a Ferrari. That is already legend.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
In the end, history will decide who gets the glory.

Of the aforementioned, I think Onion is a frontrunner because of the massive amount of factory knives out there with his name and shape attached to them. He popularized the assisted opener and brought tactical folders to the next level. His designs and shapes are like NO ONE elses-pure originality with practical mass appeal.

On the forged side, Fisk is certainly in the lead. He has several successful factory collaborations, his own "production" knife company and has written books and magazine articles.

Who are makers with the ability to create groundswell, promote it and in turn develop and move the markets with trends and advancements? Those are the makers that our kids and grandkids will be reading about 20-40 years from now. Moran and Lovless will never be forgotten, but who will join the club?
 
I'm going to put Corbet Sigmans name into the legendary makers mix.He 's 74 years old and still producing outstanding stock removal knives.
 
I'm going to put Corbet Sigmans name into the legendary makers mix.He 's 74 years old and still producing outstanding stock removal knives.
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But other than making good knives for a long time, what has he done or developed that is outside the box, trend setting or market moving?
A great make, but certainly not "legend" material, IMO.
 
Well when you mention Mr. Loveless and Mr. Moran you think of consistancy and longevety. The knives they made are wonderfull. Haveing had one of Mr. Loveless's "Delaware Maid" knives and seen many knives by many makers the young talented makers all have a shot at being immortals in the knife world. They are just so talented and dedicated to the art. With that said and if I were to chose one name I need look no further than our own J. Neilson. His talent, dedication, eye, and work ethic will put him high on anyones list of must haves. Along with all of that he has the love and support of Tess (his wife) who is an artisian in her own right.
 
Jerry Fisk is definitely one that could reach a similar status. With all the teaching he does, both in knifemaking and in the business end of knifemaking.
 
Fisk & Fogg could, given their long term impact on the maker community.

Jimmy Fikes actually has huge potential, because he combines skills, a personality larger than life, and a unique but pleasing look (Onion has a unique look, but I find 2 out of 3 knives fugly personally).

With this said, I'd tend to believe that if anyone was to become a Moran or a Loveless, it would already be completely obvious by now - and I don't see it. I think Jerry Fisk has achieved the most noteriety with regard to his age, and his work has a timeless elegance.
 
Buster Warenski has as good a chance as any. Ken Onion is another I agree with. The thing with Loveless and Moran is they defined a now accepted style with several inovations that they at the least made main stream. I think Buster's sheer quality and orginality, and Ken's obvious mechanical contribution as well as his original design element.

Jerry Fisk on the other hand has promoted himself and Bladesmithing as well as any maker ever has, and his work is certainly recognizeable, but he hasn't defined a style single handedly as soem of the other makers have. I think Jerry will absolutely go down in history in a BIG way,...as big as Loveless or Moran, but for different reasons.

Fogg, Hancock, Fuegen, and a few others will become icons much as Schmidt has.
 
Bailey Bradshaw said:
Fogg, Hancock, Fuegen, and a few others will become icons much as Schmidt has.
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That's an interesting turn of phrase, because Schmidt is basically forgotten (but for those who were involved in the hobby when he was active).
 
What you guys are forgetting is that the item has to have MASS APPEAL.

Like the resurgence of Damascus and Forging (Moran)

Artistically designed knives with high end steel (Loveless)

and perpetuating a particular style or persona of knife

Onion is mentioned because his customs are unobtanium and sell for 3-5X the makers price when found. Kershaw sells scads of Onion design knives putting his name in the pockets of everyday, normal people.
Popularizing assisted opening. This is a biggie. It created an entire new genre of knife.

I find his work incredibly well-designed and artistically and aesthetically appealing. I think, stylistically, he is the finest overall tactical knife maker on the planet and have said that several times in print, but again that is just my opinion.
 
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