No real point to this post- I just want to share.
Some of you may have seen me post before, but I don't post on this particular forum very much. But that is going to change as I am now going to be getting into custom knives, especially modern folders.
When I first got into knives I bought swap-meet junk. Then I moved up to inexpensive quality knives like the Native, Leek, and 110. Then I started buying higher-end production knives like Emerson, the Manix, the 710, etc... and eventually got my first Sebenza, Strider SMF, and William Henry Titan. I love all of my knives (even my junk), but I enjoy moving up and up, and customs are the next step.
I am lucky enough to live near Dave Ellis. ABS Mastersmith and custom knife dealer. I met him at his office for lunch and he brought along some of his collection. All of the knives he brought were fantastic, but two of them blew me away. One was a Tom Mayo TNT, and the other a John W. Smith framelock. I am really into titanium framelocks, so it is no surprise that these two were my favorites, but I had never really looked at Smith's work. I knew I wanted a Mayo TNT already, but looking at pics of Smith's knives never made me add them to my "to buy" list. After handling one, though, I fell in love.
I told Dave how much I loved the Smith folder and TNT and he said they were both for sale and that he had several more TNTs. So after Dave gets back from Blade I am going to look at the Smith folder again and the rest of his TNTs and buy one.
I think I will be a little short to buy a TNT this time, so I might get the Smith just because it is all I can afford, but I will hardly be disappointed.
I have been reading about John W. Smith and he is supposed to be a great guy, and do fantastic work. While I am buying from a dealer instead of Smith himself, the fact that he is a good guy and that his work is highly reguarded makes me feel good.
After handling the knife, I knew I loved it. But I didn't know how his customer service was, or how real custom knife collectors and makers thought of his work. I was glad to find out that his customer service is top notch and that he is seen as one of the best tactical knife makers by other custom tactical knife makers, even though his name isn't as well-known as some others. I hope this means I have good taste!
The Smith folder is a titanium framelock with a G-10 (or maybe it was carbon fiber?) onlay on the bottom of the knife. The onlay is an oval with some holes in it. I haven't seen another one of Smith's folders that looks like it. I will post pics as soon as I get the knife. I couldn't find any pics of it on Dave's site.
Some of you may have seen me post before, but I don't post on this particular forum very much. But that is going to change as I am now going to be getting into custom knives, especially modern folders.
When I first got into knives I bought swap-meet junk. Then I moved up to inexpensive quality knives like the Native, Leek, and 110. Then I started buying higher-end production knives like Emerson, the Manix, the 710, etc... and eventually got my first Sebenza, Strider SMF, and William Henry Titan. I love all of my knives (even my junk), but I enjoy moving up and up, and customs are the next step.
I am lucky enough to live near Dave Ellis. ABS Mastersmith and custom knife dealer. I met him at his office for lunch and he brought along some of his collection. All of the knives he brought were fantastic, but two of them blew me away. One was a Tom Mayo TNT, and the other a John W. Smith framelock. I am really into titanium framelocks, so it is no surprise that these two were my favorites, but I had never really looked at Smith's work. I knew I wanted a Mayo TNT already, but looking at pics of Smith's knives never made me add them to my "to buy" list. After handling one, though, I fell in love.
I told Dave how much I loved the Smith folder and TNT and he said they were both for sale and that he had several more TNTs. So after Dave gets back from Blade I am going to look at the Smith folder again and the rest of his TNTs and buy one.
I think I will be a little short to buy a TNT this time, so I might get the Smith just because it is all I can afford, but I will hardly be disappointed.
I have been reading about John W. Smith and he is supposed to be a great guy, and do fantastic work. While I am buying from a dealer instead of Smith himself, the fact that he is a good guy and that his work is highly reguarded makes me feel good.
After handling the knife, I knew I loved it. But I didn't know how his customer service was, or how real custom knife collectors and makers thought of his work. I was glad to find out that his customer service is top notch and that he is seen as one of the best tactical knife makers by other custom tactical knife makers, even though his name isn't as well-known as some others. I hope this means I have good taste!
The Smith folder is a titanium framelock with a G-10 (or maybe it was carbon fiber?) onlay on the bottom of the knife. The onlay is an oval with some holes in it. I haven't seen another one of Smith's folders that looks like it. I will post pics as soon as I get the knife. I couldn't find any pics of it on Dave's site.
