Got a Favorite Knife Maker?

[22hipower]

Over the years I've accumulated a few knives but only actively sought those of one maker; Clay Gault (Texas, 1935-2007, voting member Knife Makers' Guild, Texas Knife Makers and Collectors Association). He worked extensively with Sheep Horn and other exotic materials, and used Vasco Wear primarily for his steel. Vasco Wear is extremely difficult to grind and finish. Clay did it by a lot of draw filing, and hand sanding. The sheaths were of elephant ear, cape buffalo, ostrich and other leathers.

Use to see him at gun shows with his head bent over working on a knife. If interrupted he would chat a bit and if pressed, would get out his notebook of knife orders and add one more to the list. You might get it a year or two later. . . .if you were lucky.

I'm sure others here have favorite makers and I'd love to see some of their work.

The last picture of the single knife, is the only one of Clay's that I actually use, VascoWear, Oosic, and Ostrich.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

[alwslate]

When it comes to knives that are to be used rather than displayed it’s pretty hard to beat Buck for the money.

[Cal44]

Favorite: Benchmade

For low cost: Kershaw

[Johnny Diamond]

Older CASE XX, Schrade, Uncle Henry, Old Timer.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[tlawler]

Randall Made (when I can afford one)

And

Benchmade

ETA: picture of my triathlete EDC

[brucev]

My favorite is Benchmade. Also very much like Camillus Boy Scout whittling knife (ca. 1970's). Also ... Buck and Case and Remington. Nothing exotic ... just basic plebian user grade. Sincerely. bruce.

[Richard Simmons]

Buck, Benchmade, ZT and Spyderco.

[jaguargolf]

Puma, Buck

[psquarejr]

Buck, Case and Western

[30-30remchester]

Like trying to pick your favorite girlfriend. But having to pick just a few in order of the drool factor.
Vintage 1920's Remington's
Vintage New York knife co circa early 1900's
Honk Falls from the same era
Miller Brothers from the turn of the 20th century

Oh, so many. For the first 3 decades of collecting antique folders, I was all about bone scales. Those old Remington's had stunning bone scales. While collecting I invariably got celluloid handled folders in the mix. Never gave them much notice. As a person ages many things change including taste and desires. Through my early decades I was all about blonde women. Now to me there is nothing more attractive than a natural redhead. So has my change in taste of knife scales. Now I am dragging out from under the bed my vintage knives that have weird and exotic celluloid scales. From goldstone, waterfall, Christmas tree, candy stripe to what I refer to as linoleum scales. So many varieties and colors. Just today I showed to another collector a vintage arched Utica from the 1920's, large Coke bottle single blade folder with wild looking celluloid scales and tomorrows show and tell with be a LF&C Universal split back whittler with stunning green swirl scales.

[browningcollector]

I like Case and Kershaw for EDC. Jim Downs is from Powell Ohio and makes custom knives. He has a website and often sets up at the OGCA show

Kelly

Below is a small fixed blade I bought from him and I have a back pocket leather sheath

[Goldstar225]

Benchmade and older USA made Shrade-Waldens

[garddogg56]

Slipjoints=Buck,Schrade and Case
Modern= Benchmade,Kershaw and Spyderco
Fixed =Marbles,Buck and Anza
Dream=Randall

[flagaman1950]

I live about 20 miles from an excellent knife/sword maker named Kyle Royer. His work is excellent and his fathers is pretty nice as well. But unfortunately, I have not been able to turn loose the money needed to have one made so I will just stick with Buck and occasional Benchmade.

[pistolpete10]

I guess it's Case for me. Unless it's a hunting knife I just carry a regular pocket knife like a Mini Trapper or Canoe or Teardrop.

[Chukar60]

My daily grunt and sweat knives are Benchmade.
But I do own a Arno Bernard and will have another soon.

[John in Bismarck]

Buck, my first good quality hunting knife was a 112 Ranger, which I still own
Case, I have a small collection, all but one from a favorite shop in Mackinaw City, Michigan
Bark River, beautiful fixed blade knives, made in Escanaba, Michigan
Then there’s Swiss Army and Leatherman, and I’ve carried one or the other almost every day for over 50 years

[THE PILGRIM]

Going with NM Good Ole Boy, Cody Westcott. RIP.
Cowboy, Blacksmith, Farrier, Member of the Knifemakers Guild.
Here’s a couple of his Folders.

[Rudi]

There are a lot of good knife makers. Always been a fan of Gerber.

[rbrbrb6]

Kim Ralston out of Mississippi is my maker of choice I should say for my fixed blade knives. I have carried Benchmade EDC knives for years and I think the Osborne model I have now is one of the best of their knives.
These are a couple of Kims knives with snakewood scales.

Ivory

Musk ox
Dall sheep

Bighorn

Musk ox, buffalo an ivory

[Onomea]

22highpower, those are lovely knives. I really like Clay Gault's work. In the third picture, what is the four-piece set?

I don't know the name of my favorite knife maker. He didn't mark the knife of his that I have. Some forum friends have speculated that it could be a Bob Loveless, but who knows?



Here's an earlier thread about it: http://smith-wessonforum.com/firearm...ht=Abercrombie

[nate-dogg]

I've owned lots of great knives from various makers over the years but Buck, Behring, and Randall are the only knives I buy anymore.

[STCM(SW)]

As far as I'm concerned nothing beats a Buck for the money.

[Kitgun]

Fixed Randall, folding Benchmade.

[pharman]

Scagel..****ana...Remington sheath knives 1925-1940...

[Valmet]

Some very nice knife porn in this thread. I can’t say I have a favorite but from a collecting standpoint I’m partial to Larry Page and Randall knives. For general use, Benchmade and even good old Camillus.

[22hipower]

Originally Posted by Onomea

22highpower, those are lovely knives. I really like Clay Gault's work. In the third picture, what is the four-piece set?

That is a caping set; meant for the close work around the eyes etc. when caping a trophy. The scales on that set are 5000 year old (supposedly) walrus (said mammoth before but walrus is what they are) ivory and the case is elephant.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

[Mr. Tettnanger]

I am all in with Scott Gossman and Gossman knives!

These are hard use knives that I would bet my life on.

[Old_Cop]

22hipower that is a great collection.

[Lonegle57]

Went to college from 75-79. While there met a dorm room mate who was making knives, at the time stock removal. We became friends and the friendship continues today. He is now a very talented gunsmith and rarely makes a knife. He turned his knife making to the forge and became one of the first to become a Mastersmith in the ABS in the state of Georgia. I now have a number of his knives from college days to present and am always looking for another. His name, Keith Kilby, my latest aquisition from him is a custom 30-30 Ruger number 1.

[CajunBass]

I've got a half dozen or so SAK's I suppose. I carry a couple of them daily. One "regular" pocket knife and a little one on my keychain.

I've also got a couple of Buck folders. One is a 110, and I think the other one is called a "Bucklite." I see it's got 422 on the blade, so I guess that's the model number.

And I've got one really nice belt knife I got many years ago from a local fellow, Ben Shelor, who made them. He called it his "Alaskan Hunter" I think. I didn't really know what I wanted, but I knew I didn't want some big Bowie type knife. I almost fainted when he gave me a price ($200.00) but I was in too far to just back out.



It has served me well over the last 45-50 years or so I guess I got my money's worth.

[mauser9]

For me Buck, Sog, and Puma. Was down to just my old Puma Skinner 6 years back when I discovered EDC pocket knives and how great much of the build quality is these days with different steels. Recently added a Buck Alpha folder and a Sog Trident AT-XR with spring assist for EDC. Recall the $.79 knives from the corner store when I was a kid. Those cheap folders that would close on your fingers.

[squidsix]

Daniel Winkler
Not many people make a great knife AND a great sheath. This is leather stitched to kydex, and a beautiful maple handle on an 80CrV2 blade.

[panther]

For EDC I go with Buck or Kershaw. Buck is a family company, a local church had a member of the Buck family speak at a meeting a number of years ago. I like buying American, though Buck has added imports to it's line.
I've picked up a couple really nice fixed blades at gun shows but with no record of who made them.
We have a nice local knife maker here, a young guy who shows up at some shows. He does good work. I haven't seen him in awhile. He's hard to miss, he's the only guy around here you'll see wearing a kilt.

[stu1ritter]

By length of time owned, I've had the Pukka since the mid 60's. It's my general purpose shop knife. The sheath knife is Kuzan Oda's from the time he was in Colorado and the folder is the only one he ever made. Other than these three, it's Benchmade automatics for me.

Stu

[THE PILGRIM]

And then there’s Hank Kubaiko.
Another NM maker with extreme talent and abilities.
But when I knew him he couldn’t seem to get it together.
Here his Brand was Omega.
He moved to Palmer, Alaska I think, and made Alaskan Maids knives.
Then moved to Ohio, maybe.
A Super guy, Hank if your out there I hope things are going well.
And I hope you have learned how to consolidate your waste material!
I have several of his knives.
On the bottom is his Omega Dixon Fighter Pattern with Double Edged Blade.
Above, Bark River Smoke Jumper, top Custom Randall No.1.

[zwartepiet]

My working knives have been Buck 112’s, and my hunting knives Bucks and Westerns....here’s a pic of my well used 112 and many times repaired sheath.

My “favorites” are knives with Michigan history.....Marbles, Bark River, Hess, White River, Olsen, Scagel.

Couple pics of a few of my Olsen fixed blades and throwing knives.

[ruger 22]

I have carried some version of Swiss Army in my right pocket for over 70 years. They have a lot of handy features without being overly bulky. Every one of my suits/sport coats has a small SA knife in the pockets hanging in the closet. My hunting knives were always Buck---They stay sharp exceedingly well under heavy use.

[sceva]

Yes; I have a favorite maker. Geno Denning (Caveman Engineering). I have three if hit drop points in three different sizes. The smallest is the first if this size/model Geno made.

Geno was trained by George Herron and the Herron style influenced his work; unfortunately, Geno is no longer making knives.




As for folding knives, I like Great Eastern Cutlery.

[Richard Simmons]

GEC is for sure a benchmark in the slip joint arena. Though they don’t produce it often I have several of their patterns in “blood red jigged bone”. It’s beautiful! Also Queen Cutlery though it’s been years and I’m not sure if they still make their own knives or are still in business.

While the vast majority of my slip joints are Buck 300 and 700 models I’m a sucker for the sodbuster pattern by just about any maker.

[woodsltc]

I like many different knives, but my favorites have changed over the years.

My current favorite EDC is a Benchmade Mini-Griptilian. My current favorite hunting knives are Doziers...made by Bob Dozier out of Springdale, AR.

Don

[The Mighty S&W]

For everyday carry, I go with the low priced modern Smith & Wesson knives. They work well and don’t break the bank, so it doesn’t hurt my feelings to put some wear and tear on them.

For general utility/outdoor use, I primarily go with an LMFII Infantry knife from Gerber.

For collecting, I have a soft spot for balisong (butterfly) style knives, and Benchmade is where it’s at for those. Here is one of my favorites. It is one of only 100 pieces made, and is serial numbered in the first ten.

[Retired W4]

Chris Reeve and Al Mar, although both have devolved over the years, for different reasons. I have posted pictures of some that I have over the years.

[mattallamerican]

bark river is tuff to beat

[Golddollar]

Does anybody else like Ka-Bar knives? I carried one of the big Ka-Bar knives for deer hunting, and there is a neat story about it.

One day back in northeast Ohio where I grew up, my late father was in the nearby hardware store. The proprietor came up to Pop and showed Pop a number of the big Ka-Bar knives that came into the store. The proprietor told Pop that the knives got wet and the finishes on them got spotted up, so they couldn't be sold as new. So the proprietor offered these knives to Pop for the princely sum of $5.00 each. Pop figured he had carried knives in the past that looked worse than those Ka-Bars, so he bought a number of them. Pop gave my brother and I a knife each.

I really learned about the quality of the steel in that knife. I had a Buck sharpening kit and it took me 3 hours to sharpen that knife up, but it would go through the rib cage of a deer like a chain saw.

[Retired W4]

My EDC, an OLD Al Mar Falcon. Pre thumb stud, blah, blah. Probably made when Al was still alive. The ivory micarta has turned yellow with age.

[BW460]

Giant Mouse. I have the Grand model and it is the finest knife I have ever owned.

[series guy]

L. T. Wright Handcrafted Knives. Located in Steubenville Ohio. Made in the good old USA with USA materials. Really hard to beat their quality for the price. And if you call there is a good chance you will talk to LT. Not many businesses like that left.

[BubbaBlades]

My favorite knifemaker is me (at least for fixed blade knives). If I need a folder I have used Buck knives for 59 years and I am still using them.

This Randall Kit knife was made by Don Zaccagnino Sr. (Zack Knives). I am lucky to have known "Zack" and have several of his works of art.



Another deceased knifemaker that I have great respect for is John L. Kemp. John worked for Randall Made Knives during the '50s and '60 and after retiring he made some knives that looked very much like a Randall but were true custom knives made completely by him.

[Sistema1927]

I buy Case CV knives when I find them, prefer to SS.

These two, Bark River and Benchmade, are my favorite knives.