Bladeforums BEST BOWIE 2014 - Voting CLOSED - Finalists Selected!
- Thread starter RogerP
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Hi guys! I'm half disappeared because we just moved to the new workshop.
Here are very nice bowies this year !!
I'm here to nominate some of mine.
1- Persian Bowie
2- Sub Hilt Ring
3- Shotting Sub Hilt (If this piece is not for the contest, you let me know and erase.)
Best regards and happy new year to everyone!
Claudio
Here are very nice bowies this year !!
I'm here to nominate some of mine.
1- Persian Bowie
2- Sub Hilt Ring
3- Shotting Sub Hilt (If this piece is not for the contest, you let me know and erase.)
Best regards and happy new year to everyone!
Claudio
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2003
- Messages
- 2,369
I think I will have to try a different approach this year.
If the Tembo & Tsavo don't make the final five, I will be shocked. They need my vote like a hole in the head.
One knife that deserves special recognition is# Post 3 #2 John White Bowie, an amazing piece from a great maker.
I am still wrestling over my actual votes. I tend to favor simplicity and elegant lines and I am happy to see some GREAT knives from Journeyman Smiths!
This is quite a year!
If the Tembo & Tsavo don't make the final five, I will be shocked. They need my vote like a hole in the head.
One knife that deserves special recognition is# Post 3 #2 John White Bowie, an amazing piece from a great maker.
I am still wrestling over my actual votes. I tend to favor simplicity and elegant lines and I am happy to see some GREAT knives from Journeyman Smiths!
This is quite a year!
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- Feb 28, 2002
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- 13,348
Of course, if everyone thought that way, neither would make the finals.
Last call gents!
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Okay gang, we are now closed to additional entries - let the selection of finalists begin!
Once again, a BIG THANK YOU for all the nominations. And a special thanks to those makers who posted up their work it's great to see so many participating. You should all be proud of your work. Without you, we'd have nothing to talk about here.
This is a spectacular assembly of knives by any measure and no doubt the decisions will be tough. Each year, this thread is what you make it - and once again, you all have made it pretty great.
The fun continues with what I think will be the hardest and most interesting part - narrowing it down to five finalists. The procedure will be the same as before:
1) Each member may submit up to 7 suggested finalists. You don't have to submit as many as 7, but don't submit any more than 7. Please take your time to carefully review all the knives.
2) Please include the post number where your selected knife can be found, and the number of the knife within that post if more than one knife is presented therein - this will help clear up any uncertainty in the case where there are multiple knives by a given maker among the initial entries. For example - a say post number 30 has 4 knives. You want the third. Put "Post 30, #3". AND DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE NAME OF THE MAKER!
3) Your order or selection doesn't matter - one vote per knife up to seven, each vote counts.
4) Please feel free to include a few words about what appeals to you about any given selection. THIS is what makes the selection process most interesting.
5) When all votes are in, we add up the numbers (each time a knife is put forward by someone as a finalist, that effectively counts as one vote for that knife) and the top 5 will be voted on by polll in a new thread.
Roger
PS - If anything is unclear, please ask early.
My initial votes (I'll add in a couple more later)
Post 1, Knife 1 - Sam Lurquin Tsavo - There aren't many knives in a given year that knock my socks off, but the Tsavo series certainly did. Any single one exemplifies nothing less than a tour-de-force fighting bowie. If you had to stand barring the gates of hades with nothing but a knife in you hands, you'd want the Tsavo.
Post 3, Knife 3 - Lin Rhea Southland Bowie. This knife deserves to be there based on the fittings alone. That's a sentence I don't think I have ever typed. Just look at the brilliant execution of the guard and butt cap - unique and fantastic. Which wouldn't matter much if the rest of the knife were not up to snuff, but it most certainly is.
Post 11, Knife 1 - Mike Quesenberry Bog Oak Fighter. Crisp lines, wonderfully tight ladder damscus and spectacularly beautiful bog oak push a lot of buttons for me. All of them good.
Post 15, Knife 1- Andrews / Lisch / Quesenberry et. al, Tembo Bowie. STeven calls it one of the finest collaborations he has seen and I could not be in more complete agreement. So many artists combined here to create such a cohesive whole. Impressive accomplishment and a center-piece knife for any collection.
I'll add a few more, but please follow this format to help make the work of tabulating the votes easy.
HAVE AT IT GENTS!!!
Once again, a BIG THANK YOU for all the nominations. And a special thanks to those makers who posted up their work it's great to see so many participating. You should all be proud of your work. Without you, we'd have nothing to talk about here.
This is a spectacular assembly of knives by any measure and no doubt the decisions will be tough. Each year, this thread is what you make it - and once again, you all have made it pretty great.
The fun continues with what I think will be the hardest and most interesting part - narrowing it down to five finalists. The procedure will be the same as before:
1) Each member may submit up to 7 suggested finalists. You don't have to submit as many as 7, but don't submit any more than 7. Please take your time to carefully review all the knives.
2) Please include the post number where your selected knife can be found, and the number of the knife within that post if more than one knife is presented therein - this will help clear up any uncertainty in the case where there are multiple knives by a given maker among the initial entries. For example - a say post number 30 has 4 knives. You want the third. Put "Post 30, #3". AND DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE THE NAME OF THE MAKER!
3) Your order or selection doesn't matter - one vote per knife up to seven, each vote counts.
4) Please feel free to include a few words about what appeals to you about any given selection. THIS is what makes the selection process most interesting.
5) When all votes are in, we add up the numbers (each time a knife is put forward by someone as a finalist, that effectively counts as one vote for that knife) and the top 5 will be voted on by polll in a new thread.
Roger
PS - If anything is unclear, please ask early.
My initial votes (I'll add in a couple more later)
Post 1, Knife 1 - Sam Lurquin Tsavo - There aren't many knives in a given year that knock my socks off, but the Tsavo series certainly did. Any single one exemplifies nothing less than a tour-de-force fighting bowie. If you had to stand barring the gates of hades with nothing but a knife in you hands, you'd want the Tsavo.
Post 3, Knife 3 - Lin Rhea Southland Bowie. This knife deserves to be there based on the fittings alone. That's a sentence I don't think I have ever typed. Just look at the brilliant execution of the guard and butt cap - unique and fantastic. Which wouldn't matter much if the rest of the knife were not up to snuff, but it most certainly is.
Post 11, Knife 1 - Mike Quesenberry Bog Oak Fighter. Crisp lines, wonderfully tight ladder damscus and spectacularly beautiful bog oak push a lot of buttons for me. All of them good.
Post 15, Knife 1- Andrews / Lisch / Quesenberry et. al, Tembo Bowie. STeven calls it one of the finest collaborations he has seen and I could not be in more complete agreement. So many artists combined here to create such a cohesive whole. Impressive accomplishment and a center-piece knife for any collection.
I'll add a few more, but please follow this format to help make the work of tabulating the votes easy.
HAVE AT IT GENTS!!!
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I handled and examined the beautiful John White Bowie (3/#2) at Blade Show. I went by John's table Thursday afternoon and he was very proud to pull it out and show it to me. He was so excited about it. He said it was perhaps his best work to date. I know it's my all-time favorite of his. It's between that piece and one other for my pick of 2014.
I can't see the Tsavo not making the final five either. How could it not, as it's got 12 potential built in votes from the 12 owners right out of the gate.
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- 8,888
I agree with this 100%, and with the certainty of so many other knives here getting multiple votes, I'm going to submit my vote for that knife as well. Edited to add three more per Roger's instruction below, and this will be my final submission:
I vote for:
Post 3, Knife 2, John White ivory/damascus Bowie
Post 26, Knife 5, Lynch damascus/carbon fiber
Post 31, Knife 4, Seward checkered handle
Post 35, Knife 2, Lurquin Raptor XL
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Will, it's an option to add in later - but not one I encourage as we tend to tabulate as we go and votes added after the fact might get missed. I am doing it because I wanted to get the voting started and have to be out for the rest of the day. I would really encourage all to vote when you are ready and not add or change the votes after the fact if it can be helped. Which it mostly can, I expect.
I know Lorien will be back later today and I expect to start tabulating votes this evening so try to get 'em in by then. I'm sure there is more than one knife here that you consider worthy of a nod. :thumbup:
Voting will likely remain open for two full days.
Cheers gents!
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dcv69
Gold Member
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- Dec 7, 2000
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- 132
Thanks as always for you guys taking the time time to organise this annual event, my nominations are:
Page 1 post 1 picture 1 Tvaso
Page 1 post 3 picture 2 John White .... What a loss��
Page 2 post 26 picture 3 Sorbal
Page 3 post 49 picture 1 Weiland Walrus fighter
Page 3 post 56 picture 1 Seward carbon fighter
Page 6 post 111 picture 1 Desrosiers
Page 7 post 122 picture 2 Sorbal sub-hilt
Page 1 post 1 picture 1 Tvaso
Page 1 post 3 picture 2 John White .... What a loss��
Page 2 post 26 picture 3 Sorbal
Page 3 post 49 picture 1 Weiland Walrus fighter
Page 3 post 56 picture 1 Seward carbon fighter
Page 6 post 111 picture 1 Desrosiers
Page 7 post 122 picture 2 Sorbal sub-hilt
Kohai999
Second Degree Cutter
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2003
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- 12,554
My votes and why:
1. 1-1 Lurquin Bowie, first pic w/micarta handle-it is everything a bowie should be, his control over the steel is masterful and I wanted one, but only in damascus.
2. 11-1-Bog Oak Quesenberry Fighter- everything a fighter should be, the bog oak is shaped to perfection, the ladder pattern shimmers like the night sky, and it's mine, lol.
3. 15-1 Tembo Bowie -Seriously the best collaboration that I have seen this side of Kemal and Kelso-Mills, wonderful balance, SHARP, and flow is exceptional, can't say enough
4. 31-4 Ben Seward Bowie w/Checkered handle-checkering is an outstanding feature, the hamon is beautiful and controlled, and Ben makes as fine a Bowie for USE as anyone. Great work!
5. 37-1 Lisch Dragon Bowie w/Stag-the curvature of the stag and working of it is exceptional, and did you see that dragon damascus? Sheesh, that's a winner right there!
6. 44-1-Bill Burke Bowie-More impressive in the hand than photo, the damascus is unparalleled, handling is top notch, the working of the musk ox horn is next level skillz.
7. 83-1 Mike Quesenberry integral fighter-There is so much to like about this piece, the attention to detail is incredible, as are the lines and flow. I want one!!
Great job as always Roger and Lorien. Roger...you owe me a phone call.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
1. 1-1 Lurquin Bowie, first pic w/micarta handle-it is everything a bowie should be, his control over the steel is masterful and I wanted one, but only in damascus.
2. 11-1-Bog Oak Quesenberry Fighter- everything a fighter should be, the bog oak is shaped to perfection, the ladder pattern shimmers like the night sky, and it's mine, lol.
3. 15-1 Tembo Bowie -Seriously the best collaboration that I have seen this side of Kemal and Kelso-Mills, wonderful balance, SHARP, and flow is exceptional, can't say enough
4. 31-4 Ben Seward Bowie w/Checkered handle-checkering is an outstanding feature, the hamon is beautiful and controlled, and Ben makes as fine a Bowie for USE as anyone. Great work!
5. 37-1 Lisch Dragon Bowie w/Stag-the curvature of the stag and working of it is exceptional, and did you see that dragon damascus? Sheesh, that's a winner right there!
6. 44-1-Bill Burke Bowie-More impressive in the hand than photo, the damascus is unparalleled, handling is top notch, the working of the musk ox horn is next level skillz.
7. 83-1 Mike Quesenberry integral fighter-There is so much to like about this piece, the attention to detail is incredible, as are the lines and flow. I want one!!
Great job as always Roger and Lorien. Roger...you owe me a phone call.
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Jon Brand
Gold Member
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1 - 2 Kyle Royer
3 - 2 John White
4 - 1 Kyle Royer
8 - 1 Mike Quesenberry
8 - 2 Terry Vandeventer
49-1 Gerhard Wieland
57-1 Don Hanson
I wanted to vote for a Tsavo but I like a few particular combinations more then others and would have preferred to vote for the bowie rather then the series. They are winners to me no matter what.
3 - 2 John White
4 - 1 Kyle Royer
8 - 1 Mike Quesenberry
8 - 2 Terry Vandeventer
49-1 Gerhard Wieland
57-1 Don Hanson
I wanted to vote for a Tsavo but I like a few particular combinations more then others and would have preferred to vote for the bowie rather then the series. They are winners to me no matter what.
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2012
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- 1,355
Feel guilty leaving many beautiful knives out of my final selection, but these are the ones that I selected as finalists:
Post #1 - Knife # 2 - Kyle Royer
Post #1 - Knife # 4 - Mike Ruth
Post #3 - Knife #2 - John White
Post#3 - Knife#4 - Terry Vandeventer
Post#4 - Knife#1 - Kyle Royer Shell Guard
Post#15 - Knife#1 - Tembo Bowie Collaboration
Post # 86 - Knife #8 - Jerry Fisk
Post #1 - Knife # 2 - Kyle Royer
Post #1 - Knife # 4 - Mike Ruth
Post #3 - Knife #2 - John White
Post#3 - Knife#4 - Terry Vandeventer
Post#4 - Knife#1 - Kyle Royer Shell Guard
Post#15 - Knife#1 - Tembo Bowie Collaboration
Post # 86 - Knife #8 - Jerry Fisk
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Post 49, knife #1 - Wieland
This is my top pick of all the bowies. This knife flows so well from the handle material and carving, to the sculpted guard, to the beautifully etched blade. It almost looks like the entire knife was molded from a single piece.
Post 111, knife #2 - Lynch
This knife is raw and refined at the same time. The handle material is subtle, while the blade shape is not at all. I love the recurve and the exaggerated curve of the spine.
Post 56, knife #1 - Seward
The lines on this knife look perfect to me. The handle sculpting looks superb, and the carbon fiber really makes the whole thing pop.
Post 86, knife #1 - Lisch
This one has a great blade shape, and the ring guard looks absolutely superb.
Post 117, knife #1 - Branson
This is a great fusion of different styles in one knife. I really like the wavy hamon, and the complimentary sheath.
Post 1, knife #3 - Andrews
The damascus on this knife is mesmerizing. It looks like it is 3 dimensional.
Post 4, knife #1 - Royer
The attention to detail on this knife is very evident. The engraving looks flawless and is not overbearing. Beautiful piece of stag as well.
This is my top pick of all the bowies. This knife flows so well from the handle material and carving, to the sculpted guard, to the beautifully etched blade. It almost looks like the entire knife was molded from a single piece.
Post 111, knife #2 - Lynch
This knife is raw and refined at the same time. The handle material is subtle, while the blade shape is not at all. I love the recurve and the exaggerated curve of the spine.
Post 56, knife #1 - Seward
The lines on this knife look perfect to me. The handle sculpting looks superb, and the carbon fiber really makes the whole thing pop.
Post 86, knife #1 - Lisch
This one has a great blade shape, and the ring guard looks absolutely superb.
Post 117, knife #1 - Branson
This is a great fusion of different styles in one knife. I really like the wavy hamon, and the complimentary sheath.
Post 1, knife #3 - Andrews
The damascus on this knife is mesmerizing. It looks like it is 3 dimensional.
Post 4, knife #1 - Royer
The attention to detail on this knife is very evident. The engraving looks flawless and is not overbearing. Beautiful piece of stag as well.
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1) Post #6, Knife #2 - Killer Instinct ("Tsavo the lesser") by Sam L. . Being pared down really made it for me on this one. Great all the way around.
2) Post #31, Knife #4 - Ben Seward with black checkered handle. This is the most Bowie-ish of my selections (most people know I don't have any affection for Bowies), but the maker hit a homerun that made me include it in my selections.
3) Post # 46, Knife #5 - Curt Erickson - Gotta love it, I was it's first owner.
4) Post # 49, Knife #1 - Big Fighter with Walrus by Wieland. He's got a true artist's eye and everything I see from him is wonderful.
These do not appear in order of preference, but rather in order by post.
2) Post #31, Knife #4 - Ben Seward with black checkered handle. This is the most Bowie-ish of my selections (most people know I don't have any affection for Bowies), but the maker hit a homerun that made me include it in my selections.
3) Post # 46, Knife #5 - Curt Erickson - Gotta love it, I was it's first owner.
4) Post # 49, Knife #1 - Big Fighter with Walrus by Wieland. He's got a true artist's eye and everything I see from him is wonderful.
These do not appear in order of preference, but rather in order by post.
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sheathmaker
Custom Leather Sheaths
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Even with my PERSONAL compressed criteria it was very difficult and I left many superb offerings by the wayside.
Post 3 #2 John White
Post 3 #3 Lin Rhea
Post 4 #1 Kyle Royer
Post 8 #1 Mike Quesenberry
Post 11 #1 Mike Quesenberry
Post 15 #1 Tembo collaboration
Post 86 #7 John White (the black handle of the set)
Each of these knives have the characteristics of what I believe a traditional Bowie should have, but as I said it was hard settling on just seven.
Paul
Post 3 #2 John White
Post 3 #3 Lin Rhea
Post 4 #1 Kyle Royer
Post 8 #1 Mike Quesenberry
Post 11 #1 Mike Quesenberry
Post 15 #1 Tembo collaboration
Post 86 #7 John White (the black handle of the set)
Each of these knives have the characteristics of what I believe a traditional Bowie should have, but as I said it was hard settling on just seven.
Paul
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I know nominations are closed and I'm not sure if this would quality but this was one of the collect large fixed blade I saw this year:
http://instagram.com/p/sJHtgNHPQP/
http://instagram.com/p/sIDBgonPQC/
http://instagram.com/p/sGbrIlHPdd/
http://instagram.com/p/sJHtgNHPQP/
http://instagram.com/p/sIDBgonPQC/
http://instagram.com/p/sGbrIlHPdd/