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I've always been fascinated with knives. Fixed blades, folders - you name it. In fact, for a while there, I owned an internet-based buisness (ADaM Sharps) selling them. I used to collect factory-made knives but once I had a custom made knife comissioned, my love for the off-the-shelf models all but disappeared. Lately though, I have started enjoying the specialty-made production knives again as more and more are becoming available with choices other than just black handled G10. | Note that most of these photos are clickable for a larger version.
This is a one-of-a-kind, custom made for me by Brian Tighe. The blade is Darrell Ralph's carbon damascus and the handle is mastodon ivory.
This little warnecliffe-style folder is also a one-of-a-kind custom made by Darrell Ralph for my wife. It has his own carbon damascus blade, a solid titanium handle and an abalone onlay.
Although this knife began life as a limited production Emerson Commander, it was then fully customized by Frank Recupero. It now has ironwood scales, ironwood backspacer with ivory inlays and extensive filework.
Another customized factory knife, this Spyderco Khalsa now has stabilized charoite scales (stone) and a buffalo horn backspacer both inlaid with mother-of-pearl and a lot of file work. Again by Frank Recupero.
The last of the Recupero customized knives, this little Spyderco Wegner Jr has red stag scales and filework.
This is A.T. Barr's Cape Fear as a presentation grade. It has an S30V satin-finished stainless blade and sambar stag scales. The blade and stainless back spacer are fully fileworked. Once I'd received the knife, I sent it to Adone Pozzobon to have it engraved.
These kitchen knives are made by "Shun" and feature a laminated blade steel: VG10 core with 32 layers of SUS410 stainless.
This Benchmade Mini Rukus caught my eye one day and I decided to order it. Boy, am I glad it did! Turned out to be a real work horse and is now one of my most carried knives! (#2 after the Tighe)
Another handmade by Mr. A.T. Barr, this is his EDC with a CPM154 blade and jigged bone handle:
After temporarily losing my Spyderco Police, I realized it was the only fully serrated knife I owned. So, when ordering a pair of floral snips to more easily trim foliage in my photographs, I decided to add this serrated Endura to the collection.
This nice little handmade hunter from Russell Easler has sheephorn slabs and ATS-34 blade:
A hand forged tanto by Peter Martin. The blade is differentially tempered W2 and the handle is cord wrapped over rayskin. A very cool little knife with a beautiful natural hamon.
Not wanting to carry anything in my pockets while riding, I put this Cold Steel Extra Large Gunsite Voyager in the glovebox of the 950 Adventure (this is actually the only zytel handled folder I own). With a 5" VG-1 stainless blade and an overall length of 11" it is truely a folding combat knife.
This is A.T. Barr's "One-Eyed Jack" with ATS-34 blade and ivory scales:
Here is a matching katana and wakizashi pair by Cheness Cutlery. (text abridged from Cheness website) The blade body of the Kaze is a hand clayed and differentially heat treated 9260 silicon carbon spring steel. The tsuba (guard) on the Kaze is a cast steel construction with a design based on an antique tsuba. The tsuka (grip) is wood covered with same skin (ray skin) then wrapped in brown cotton cord with a double wooden mekugi (retaining pin).
Randall's Adventure Training calls this their Junglas Machete. Made by Rowen Manufacturing, this huge camp knife has a 10" 1095 carbon steel blade and a canvas micarta handle. It also came with a pretty slick kydex sheath.
When I saw this orange handled Kershaw Blur, it screamed "KTM" at me and I had to have it:
I love the old-school style of micarta and bolsters in this Persian-inspired Spyderco lockback:
Here is another of A.T. Barr's Cape Fear model. This time with Devin Thomas' stainless damascus and a titanium framelock handle.
This nice little Spyderco is a Bob Lum Chinese design.
Another Spyderco collaboration, this more utilitarian design is by Jens Anso.
A rare original Spyderco Civilian with hollow-ground plain edge, a modern one with a hollow-ground serrated edge and a zytel-handled, flat-grind serrated Matriarch:
A real workhorse, this Gayle Bradley design has a carbon steel CPM-M4 blade and carbon fibre scales:
A Benchmade "Black Box" model: the Bedlam. This is a real brute of a folder, built like the proverbial brick house. Although you can't quite make it out in this photo, the butt of the handle has a skull-crusher built in. Cool feature for a folder! This is number 729 from the first production run.
Here is a Benchmade "Gold Class" model: the Ares. The blade is M390 (a supersteel) and the handle is coloured titanium. Very impressive fit and finish!
Another orange handled Kershaw, this is a PackRat with G10 scales. I brought it to a trophy shop and had "GPSAT" engraved on it (GPS Adventure Touring is the name of the motorcycle club I am a member of - the background is an embroidered jacket).
Now this is one impressive little workhorse! DPx Gear calls this their H.E.S.T. 2.0. It is handmade in Italy by Lion Steel. The 3" D2 steel blade is an impressive 3/16" thick. The front scale is a thick piece of green G10 and the reverse scale is an equally thick slab of titanium that forms the integral lock. It also features a little screw mechanism that wedges the lock in place and essentially turns the little knife into a fixed blade - neat concept!
This assisted-opening, Axis lock, American tanto from Warn is made by Benchmade. The 3.7" blade is D2 tool steel and the handle is shaped G10.
This is an Emerson Specwar "Gentleman Jim". It has green micarta scales with titanium liners and bolsters. I suspect the blade is 154CM since that seems to be Ernest's preffered steel. The fit is flawless - very impressive!
I believe Allen Elishewitz called this model the "Spectre". Awesome blade profile and a titanium handle.
This is Randy Doucette's "Riot" with Mike Norris's stainless damascus and red canvas micarta scales. You can't really tell by the pic but it is one big folder! What a beauty!
Man, I am such a sucker when it comes to colour! Although I already have a Kershaw Blur (orange one above), when they released it again with a bright purple handle and a black blade I had to have another!
A cool cleaver shape to this S30V neck knive by WRKT:
Pat Crawford's "Casper" as a presentation model. The blade and bolsters are stainless damascus and the handle scales are mammoth tooth:
Alan Elishwitz's Jeckyll has Chad Nichols' African Savannah Damascus and Lightning Strike carbon fibre:
The handle of this "TiSpine" from LionSteel is milled from a solid piece of titanium and the blade is Elmax super steel. Impressive!
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