Howie,
Here is some pics (sorry ones) of the DeLeon I have had since late 60's. My girlfriend gave it to me for my birthday. Wonder where she is now? Sure gave good presents she did. It has a ton of working miles on it and is residing in an old Randall sheath. I don't think it came with a sheath. Anyway, told you I would send pics today. Stay cool up there on the lake.
Thanks for posting that. It reminds me of Stone's Diana model a little, and more of some Loveless designs. Note the relatively crude, soft grind lines. The shaping of the handle is also slightly crude by professional knifemaker standards. Compare this to a Loveless, a Steve Johnson, or a knife by Dietmar Kressler and you'll see what I mean.
On the other hand, most men don't feel that they can afford to hunt, hike, or camp with a knife as valuable as what they've made.
BTW, Kressler told me that back when men actually did use his knives instead of putting them in a safe, several hunters told him that they preferred his 154CM blades, as they took and held uniform edges well. His Damascus blades, with many layers, sometimes had different hardness along the edge and were harder to keep uniformly honed. Non-stainless Damascus also rusts rather easily if not well maintained.
After German, "Playboy" ran a multi-page color feature on Dietmar and his knives, the value skyrocketed and if he's still in business (I think he is), his clientele is probably 95% collectors. Bob Loveless also profited from a very heavy amount of publicity, and despite his having what I'd term as a "difficult" personality, his knives became instant collector items. Johnson also caters primarily to collectors, as probably does Dwight Towell and other famous makers who've been around for years.
But many very good craftsmen do make fine knives for "using" prices...at least, if one loves fine knives and is willing to pay for something more than a Mora. Puma has also made many knives that are so well crafted that they'd almost qualify as custom grade and their tempering was better than with some custom makers. Moreover, because you could buy a Puma over the counter, there was no risk that some small maker would take your deposit and never deliver the knife.
Although your DeLeon isn't a work of art, it apparently performs quite well, and for many, that 's enough.
Look at the work on the other DeLeon, the one that somewhat resembles a Randall Model 14 on a lighter scale. And the one in the OP is also pretty well made. The grind lines are sharper and more consistent.
But the price was certainly right! I wish that I had had girlfriends who'd given me knives.
