Keith you really bowled one right down my alley. Forged bowies are my favorite type of knife by far and I do have some definite favorites when it comes to makers. But Ill try to answer your second question first because for me, it is the more difficult: whats my favorite
style of bowie? Initially, I found the wide variation of styles within the category to be a source of consternation it seemed you could hang the name bowie on just about any large knife (and some really quite small ones as well) to the point where the term had become so generic as to almost lose meaning.
But then again this variety has its very source in the uncertainty surrounding the knife (knives) carried by the man who gave his life at the Alamo and gave his name to the knife. Whatever the specifics of the knife wielded by the famous Jim Bowie it spawned a significant number of variations, some of which have formed defined sub-categories within the bowie umbrella and many of which I find very appealing.
But, when I hear the term bowie there is one type of knife that springs first to my mind and is, for me, the definitive bowie as well as my favorite style something in a 10 clip-point blade, 15 overall length and double-guard. Simple, clean and serious. Examples follow from
Harvey Dean: (pic from NordicKnives.com)
and Roger Massey
Having said that, I have a strong fondness for the slender and elegant Samuel Bell-style knives, as shown here by Bailey Bradshaw:
And Ron Newton (Point Seven pic):
And I must give a nod to the category of big-bellied broad-bladed behemoth bowie, well-represented here by maker John Fitch (pic from knifeart.com):
Have you ever seen a knife that more closely-resembled its maker?
Other favorite styles include the Scheffield bowie (dont have one, but I want one) and the Searles bowie (have one on order from Craig Camerer really looking forward to it) and the traditional spear-point bowie.
Moving on to my favorite forged Bowie makers, Ill preface my comments by saying that there are some terrific makers out there whose work I have never seen in person, and while I dont doubt the excellence of their work, I simply have no basis for comment (eg J.D. Smith, Vince Evans, Michael Connor, Ed Caffrey and others.)
Okay, favorite forged bowie makers in the category of what I described above as my idea of the definitive bowie:
CROWELL
DEAN
FISK
MASSEY
Id love to have one of this
type of bowie from each of these makers. (Two down, two to go.)
Other favorite forged bowie makers, whose knives embrace this and many other styles:
ANDREWS (Russ) - hard to articulate just how supremely clean his work is.
BRADSHAW - what diversity he can make everything from folders to swords and every type of knife in between. And more importantly, make them
very, very well. Any type of bowie you can conceive, he can create. I have something really special on order with Bailey
.
FITCH - his knives sell out in the blink of an eye for a reason.
FOGG - doesnt make a
lot of bowies, but if you ever have a chance at one,
do not hesistate! A true artist with hot metal.
HANCOCK - one of the very best by any measure.
HUDSON - one of the all-time greats. His knives are also very hard to come by. Joss has a damascus bowie of his that makes me drool every time. Hopefully hell post it.
NEWTON what talent amazing what he can do with steel. Another maker with unbelievable diversity. Some of the most stunning damascus youll ever see.
In the category of talented, dedicated and highly-skilled bladesmiths producing knives that offer exceptional value that youd be wise to get now because their prices are only going to go on up:
CAMERER
FARR
PRIMOS
WHEELER
Finally, just a note to observe that none of the above makers are listed in ANY order, other than alphabetical. They represent my favorites among makers with whose work bowies specifically - I have more than a passing familiarity. Im sure Ive missed someone and will probably kick myself in the butt later. But its early Saturday morning and Im still crying about not being at Blade
Cheers,
Roger
