I went to the ABS Bladesmithing School in Old Washington Arkansas with James Rodebaugh and Jason Knight. Both are now ABS master smiths and both would make you an excellent knife. Our instructor was another ABS master smith, Jay Hendrickson. He also would make you an excellent knife. You would not go wrong having any of these gentlemen make you a knife.
I attended ceremonies in 1988 when that school opened, invited by a friend who is the last living member of the small group who founded the American Bladesmith Society, B. R . Hughes.
The late Bill Moran was among the instructors. Jerry Fisk and Jim Crowell were also present. Jerry has been proclaimed a national treasure, like some Japanese swordsmiths are honored in Japan.
It seemed a fine school, and I think any member of that guild who has Journeyman or higher status can make a fine knife. But unless one knows what he wants and can select the right man to render it right, proceed with caution.
Bam Bam is confused by Puma having different lines, made in Germany, Spain, and in China. No need. The German (Solingen) line is obvious to anyone familiar with their older models and are described as such. The Spanish line has different styles, inc. some like you want, I think, and prices are low enough to risk a trial buy, if the knife looks like what you want. I don't know anything about the Chinese line, but they aren't copies of the basic Puma line. You won't buy one thinking that it's German.
Don't buy a stag Puma knife without handling it. Stag thickness and grain varies WIDELY and a lot of their stag handles have been entirely too thick. The ones they get right feel and look very good. The same can be said of Randall's stag handles.
Bear in mind that stag and ivory shrink, and will leave the tangs of full tang knives above the handle material.
Not all Fallkniven knives look "tacticool." You missed a lot of buttons on their site. You can have handles of Micarta, abalone shell, and others if you don't like the Thermorun handles on some basic models. Did you even find their Northern Lights line, with leather handles that look a lot like Randall handles? I have a NL-2 Odin. It is a fine knife, balanced very well for one with a blade about 8 inches long.
I think you'd be pleased with Model F-1 with a conventional guard and Micarta scales. It resembles a Loveless dropped point design, but the blade is thicker and has a Moran edge, much stronger than thinner conventional grinds. My overall favorite is Model S-1. The Thermorun handle endures all temperatures and won't slip in a wet or bloody hand. Model A-1 is much the same, on a larger basis. I think most not needing a knife that can handle extensive emergency chopping will prefer the five inch blade of the S-1. It looks a lot like Randall's Model 5 blade.
I like S-1 over F-1 partly because I want my basic knife tp be a good emergency weapon.
Knives are like guns. You need to read a lot about them to understand them. And no one example will do all things equally well.
Oh: Lone Star has imported Italian repros of Loveless designs that look good, although I've never used the two I have. They're VERY well made and came in quite nice zipper pouched. I'd be leery of chopping wood with them, as the grind is pretty thin. Loveless himself said of his primary hunting knives that they were meant for cutting hide and meat. For heavy duty use, have an axe.
Someone above sniped at knife writers, saying that like most gun writers, they never met a knife they didn't like. I can say honestly that I never lied about any knife I endorsed in over 30 years of writing for cutlery titles. In fact, I'm no longer on the masthead of a title where I wrote for decades, because the publisher asked me to give good reviews to two knife brands that I'd never used. I'd have reviewed them, but the PR man for one brand never returned my calls asking for an example and the other maker sent a stock knife so tightly fitted that I can barely force the blades open! I won't lie so a publisher can get ad revenue. As in gun writing, it pays to know the bylines of the various writers and see who provides consistently honest reviews. Of course, you'll never see a really bad review, as magazines won't risk losing ad money! I think Ken Warner's old, Gunfacts ran the most honest copy in any gun rag, and many industry sources didn't like the result. That title lasted only a couple or three years...but you could learn a lot from it while it did.
