Blade – March 2020
English | 85 pages | pdf | 34.6 MB
WHAT DOYOU LOOKFOR IN A KNIFEMAKER?
BLADE® field editor Mike Haskew’s story on the question of what to look for in a knifemaker in part one of the series “How To Buy Custom Knives” (page 76) got me to thinking.
While determining the kind of maker that is best for your knife needs requires knowing a number of knife-related factors about the maker—many of which Haskew outlines in his story—part of that determination also depends on certain intangibles that pertain to you. In other words, what is it about a knifemaker that appeals to you?
Take me, for instance. Aside from the obvious question of the quality of their knives and the usual business-related factors, there are certain traits I look for in makers. Some of the traits may be ones you look for, some may not.
For instance, makers who smile a lot usually make me feel at ease. Examples include BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of- Fame® member Gil Hibben, Joe Keeslar, Jim Crowell, Ernest Emerson and Dellana. Th ink about it. When you approach a maker’s table and they look like they need to take a few swigs of Pepto-Bismol—if not down the whole bottle—you tend to look elsewhere.
Similarly, another trait that appeals to me is those who like to laugh and joke. Th e late Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Frank Centofante was a fountain of one-liners, and Steve Schwarzer, Bill Ruple, Shane Taylor, Wade Colter, Jerry Fisk and Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Ken Onion are cut-ups as well. When you’re at a three-day knife show especially, things can get monotonous at times, and a good joke or belly laugh makes things much more tolerable.
Those who share my interests is another thing I like. An interest I shared with Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bob Loveless was a love of old movies, including John Wayne fl icks. I’ll never forget Loveless discussing perhaps his favorite movie, Shane, and the time he met Jack Palance, the actor who played cold-blooded killer Jack Wilson in the movie. (Shane: “You’re a low-down Yankee liar.” Wilson: “Prove it.”)
Makers who are well grounded and keep me from going off the deep end on certain issues make my list. Cutlery Hall- Of-Famer Wayne Goddard was great at that, as is Schwarzer. Goddard smiled and joked more than you might think, too. Th ose who are personable and show sincere interest in your thoughts and ideas are my kind of maker, too. Perhaps no one did it as well as Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bill Moran.
A willingness to discuss all things knife and to do so in depth, along with a readiness to question conventional knife wisdom, is another desirable trait. Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Jim Batson, BLADE fi eld editor Ed Fowler and the late Al Pendray are three that come to mind in that regard.
All of the above, plus the fact that the makers earn their living doing what they want and love to do, appeals to me. Of course, as you no doubt have gathered by now, many of the outlined traits are those I look for in people in general. What about you? What do you look for in a knifemaker? Add those things to the information in Mike Haskew’s story and the bet here is the result(s) will be to your liking.
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