Page 23 - Blade (January 2019)

you had to respect. It was not a toy. Of-
ten the knife was a well-worn factory
slip joint or multi-blade.

It is often said of collectors that they
buy their youth, that is, they buy the
things they desired but could not ob-
tain when they were children. While
many well-known factories still build
slip joints and multi-blades, it was Tony
Bose who changed the landscape for the
collectors of custom iterations of such
knives. He, along with his son Reese
and makers such as Eugene Shadley, Jess
Horn and others, re-introduced the cus-
tom iterations. These knives have seen a

PATH 2: Due to England’s changing knife laws, UK purveyor Andy
Collins-Williams says slip joints are gaining in popularity there, renewed interest over the past two years.
including those made by Bill Kennedy Jr., Phil Jacob and English England’s premier knife dealer, Andy
maker Paul Mason. Kennedy’s saddle-horn trapper features CPM 154 Collins-Williams, told me he agrees
stainless blade steel and gold-lip mother-of-pearl. Closed length: 3.75 with my assessment. Due to the chang-
inches. His list price for a similar piece: $625. (Caleb Royer image)
ing knife laws in England, slip joints
are gaining in popularity. He cites in-
creased demand in the folders made by
1: The INSIDIOUS ONE ity of the knife that will lead a user to Bill Kennedy Jr., Phil Jacob (see BLADE

Perhaps the most insidious path is become a collector. This is partly due Show West recap this issue) and English
theallureofatop-rateusingknife. to the huge number of utility hunting maker Paul Mason.
Thefuturecollectorbuysaknifeto knives—hunters and skinners make up
meethis/herneeds.Heorsheappreci- the largest sector of using knives found 3: EDC
ates its balance and ergonomics. The in custom knife collections—and their In the late 1990s, some factory knife
new knife is up to the test. I refer to relatively low cost. companiesmadeabrilliantstrategic
this path as insidious,aswhile some move. They partnered with some of the
mayhavethewillpowertobuyonly 2: NOT your GRANDPA’S KNIFE premier tactical folder makers of the
oneknife,Ididnothavesuchresolve Generations of collectors fondly re- time—Pat Crawford, Mel Pardue, Bob
when I first started. member receiving a knife from a grand- Terzuola and BLADE Magazine Cutlery
It is the appreciation for the qual- father or father. The knife was more Hall-Of-Fame® members Kit Carson
thanjustaknife,itwasasignalthatyou and Ken Onion, to name a few—to re-
were on the path to becoming an adult. produce the makers’ knives in factory
Youwerebeingtrustedwithsomething form. The knives introduced the factory

PATH 3: Everyday carry (EDC) knives evolved from 1990s factory
Among the top makers of custom tactical repros of top designs by the leading tactical folder makers of the time.
folders whose designs factories reproduced A contemporary example of the genre is the PDK-2 by Joel Chamblin
in the 1990s was BLADE Magazine Cutlery (inset) in CPM S35VN, titanium, zirconium and lightning-strike carbon
Hall-Of-Fame member Kit Carson, here fi ber. Closed length: 5 inches. Chamblin’s list price for a similar
®
holding the repro of his M-16 from CRKT. model: $775. (Chuck Ward image)

JANUARY 2019 blademag.com 23