WoW

[ghostpoo]

As a guy who doesn't get the idea of safe queens, and who knows who Loveless was.... That's ridiculous. You could never justify using a $28k knife, so why own it in the first place? Have an exact replica made for 1/30th of the price, and use that.

That quility and workmanship just won't be the same ,man.

 

[Lycosa]

I think Bob would say; Give me a #$*@#%$ break!

 

[Robert Carter]

If I had stupid piles of money laying around, sure I would buy a loveless. It's just like the stock market you invest and wait.

 

[chiral.grolim]

I was thinking that it was more like a piece of historical art. Museums and private collections are full of finely crafted tools & containers - swords, wine-casks, etc. - that are highly valued (by some) for their historical significance and the mastery of the maker, but for which there exist less expensive and higher-performing alternatives. Indeed, many of us have knives & tools for which there are cheaper alternatives. But the cheaper alternatives are also more disposable, easily replaced. There will never be another knife made by RW Loveless, just as there will never be another knife made by Walter Randall or William Scagel (to trace back the history, and the products of whom can fetch similar prices). Given the influence that these individuals had on the cutlery industry and knife-designs the world over, to own one of their hand-made knives is to own a piece of history. It is like owning a work of art from a famous painter or sculptor. Not everyone will place the same value on the products of these individuals, indeed the makers themselves might be appalled at the prices they fetch, but some might consider them to be priceless.

Would I pay ~$30K for a genuine Loveless knife? No. But that doesn't mean that i don't recognize why someone else might place that sort of value on it. If I had that kind of money to dispose of in such manner, you can bet that I would do it. Heck, people daily pay >$1.50 for a quickly disposed of cup of soda-pop with almost no nutritional value that cost <$0.10 to produce. *shrug* To each their own?

 

[eomeo]

No HDMI.


There's a market for everything. I'm not the customer for this, but it is a cool piece of history.

 

[Grease]

That quility and workmanship just won't be the same ,man.

Not the same, but there's plenty of knife makers in the world. I guarantee for enough money you could commision a knife that the average knife loving joe couldn't discern from the real thing. And it would still leave enough money for a new car afterwards.

...And you could use it.

 

[brownshoe]

Lycosa's right. The funny thing is that Bob Loveless would think it's about 27K too high himself. From what I've read, he had a pretty low opinion of people who pay big money for knives that sit in a safe. But that didn't stop him from taking their money He did collaborations with a variety of factories to bring his knives "to the people" at a price we could afford. IIRC, the last ones were with the now defunct Lone Wolf.

 

[chiral.grolim]

Not the same, but there's plenty of knife makers in the world. I guarantee for enough money you could commision a knife that the average knife loving joe couldn't discern from the real thing. And it would still leave enough money for a new car afterwards.

...And you could use it.

Yeah, I think there have been a few threads on here about the Chinese copies of Striders, Hinderers, Busse's, etc. for a fraction of the price! How wonderful is that!


But that's not what you meant, right?

I love the standard Loveless drop-point hunter design, but I could not afford the genuine article, so I checked out the loveless-inspired offerings of some other makers and finally placed an order with Bill Davis. Less expensive than the genuine article, more expensive than factory-made, but worth (to me) the money I sent the man and the wait for it to arrive. :thumbup:

To brownshoe, I thought that Lonewolf was simply bought by Benchmade? Did they sink it?

 

[ron mathews]

I was thinking that it was more like a piece of historical art. Museums and private collections are full of finely crafted tools & containers - swords, wine-casks, etc. - that are highly valued (by some) for their historical significance and the mastery of the maker, but for which there exist less expensive and higher-performing alternatives. Indeed, many of us have knives & tools for which there are cheaper alternatives. But the cheaper alternatives are also more disposable, easily replaced. There will never be another knife made by RW Loveless, just as there will never be another knife made by Walter Randall or William Scagel (to trace back the history, and the products of whom can fetch similar prices). Given the influence that these individuals had on the cutlery industry and knife-designs the world over, to own one of their hand-made knives is to own a piece of history. It is like owning a work of art from a famous painter or sculptor. Not everyone will place the same value on the products of these individuals, indeed the makers themselves might be appalled at the prices they fetch, but some might consider them to be priceless. QUOTE]

I couldn't agree with you more. I got hooked on old Randalls after my Dad bought a 3-6 from Bo in late 1945. I've bought and sold knives for over 10 years to be in a position to buy a knife that Bo (Walter) made himself. There just aren't many of these that become available.

Examples:

I picked this c 1956 Loveless Delaware Maid (S/N 089) up at an antique co-op for 40 bucks and sold it.

I picked this Scagel up from e-bay that went cheap (for a Scagel) because it was one big hunk of rust. I cleaned it up and sold it.

I bought this C1940 Hunter that Bo made himself and put it in to my collection.

If you want something bad enough and you're willing to work for it, you can make it happen.

Best,

 

[LX_Emergency]

Lycosa's right. The funny thing is that Bob Loveless would think it's about 27K too high himself. From what I've read, he had a pretty low opinion of people who pay big money for knives that sit in a safe. But that didn't stop him from taking their money He did collaborations with a variety of factories to bring his knives "to the people" at a price we could afford. IIRC, the last ones were with the now defunct Lone Wolf.

Bob Loveless had no problem in making a buck or two. He figured that if the market would charge an excessive amount for one of his knives second hand why not get in on the action and get 10+k himself?

Loveless was a great knifemaker. But from what I understand (from people that actually knew and had to deal with him) he wasn't all that high and mighty as some people make him out to be.

 

[dark impaler]

Insane, but to each his own. Must be nice to have that kind of scratch to throw into a hobby.

 

[brownshoe]

Benchmade "bought out" Lone Wolf but only to get the name and the rights to produce a Paul lock. They have put the name on imports of a "traditional" nature and stopped making Paul locks after a year or so.

The infamous quote from a 1980 SI ( http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1123591/1/index.htm )article "Our lives are mired in detritus. Objects own us; they keep us from our creativity. The kind of American who acquires a lot of expensive things so that he can show them off to his peer group and thereby acquire more status is the kind of American that makes me puke. Why would anyone pay $3,000 for a hunting knife? They say, because my name is on it. I'm carrying an awfully big rep. If I were a gunfighter, I'd be hiding in a cave somewhere. But I wouldn't spend that much money for a knife if it were autographed by Jesus Christ himself! To underscore his point, Loveless brandishes his steak knife. It's one of those serrated-blade jobs with a plastic handle, the kind they advertise on late-night television. "This does the job," he growls."

More from the same article:

"Loveless separates handmade knives into two groups: "using" knives and "wall-hangers." He proudly makes the former variety; while many of the finest craftsmen turn out absurd-sized Bowies, scrimshawed push-daggers and elaborately engraved commemoratives for the outrageous prices that collectors are willing to pay, Loveless refuses to cater to that market.

"The test that separates a working knife from a toy is the pelvic joint of a buck mule deer," Loveless says. "You use one of those big, pretty Bowies that's been made for a museum, and the damn blade will snap off or get so dull that it won't cut the other hip. What's the point of a new knife in a museum or a cabinet? That's for history to decide, not the knifemaker."



"

 

[LX_Emergency]

I know the article. Believe you me that he didn't mind upping the price a decade or 2 later though.

 

[Lycosa]

Hey! ^ The cost of living went up. The man had to eat.
Bob Loveless evolved as a human being. He came to respect all life in his latter years.