Question on Lile Knives

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Articwolf

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Good morning i got a question for you all.

did jimmy liles shop close up and if so does any of his helpers he trained still make the knives?

a knife maker said someone took over the name and i was curious as to who as im looking thru the net as i got about 24 hours total deep searching into buying a couple of lile knives.

any info would be much appreciative on the subject

All the best

Articwolf
 
if they dont make knives anymore did somone buy them out or something and is still making knives?

or is lile gone and no one is making in the name of lile?

Articwolf
 
"Lile, Jimmy (1934-1991) (Craftsman)
Lile was the Russellville craftsman best known as "The Arkansas Knifemaker." His patented "Lile Lock" folding knife is displayed in the Smithstonian. He also created the original knives used in the first two Rambo movies starring Slyvester Stallone. His wife continues his work and world reknowned masterpieces."

This was true at one point, but Marilyn Lile closed up shop, and did not license anyone else to use Jim's name. To do so, would be a lie. There was only one Jimmy Lile.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thanks for clearing it up. a custom knife maker i spoke to via email stated someone else is making em and he read it in a magazine from 2003,2004 or 2005 but cant remeber who is making them

Articwolf
 
There was a period of time where Greco and the remaining employees were making Lile knives. These are identified by a dot over the Lile name on the blade. Regardless the shop closed a few years ago.
 
greco has a shop himself do you think he is making them?

i mean someone told me in a email that he said that someone he didnt have the name is still making them.

so would that be greco as of today or as of this year 2005?
 
Lile knives are not made anymore.

If Marilyn is doing this on the downlow, then, that is news to us.

Greco does his own thing, it ain't marked Lile.

If you come across concrete evidence that I do not have my information correct, please come back and let me know.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
will let you know if i get more info on this matter from the other custom knife maker that told me this story.

Articwolf
 
Kohai999 is correct.

At least 5 years ago at knife shows in the midwest you'd see Lyle knives (with the "dot") being sold by those "keeping the tradition alive." They would say the makers behind the knives were his wife and "Jimmy's shop workers". You still see some Lyle (with the "dot") knives floating around, but hardly ever the real deal.
 
there getting harder and harder to find. im looking to buy from a private sale soon. or find out if his workers own a shop and can make me a couple.

Articwolf
 
Arcticwolf-

There was a professional knifemaker that was recreating the First Blood bowie, but without the LILE name/stamp. I can't think of his name right off hand. :confused: He tried his hand at it I guess maybe 6-8 months ago. He was a well know knifemaker, and his knives had been featured in Blade magazine a few times. Somehow he came into possesion of the blueprints for the knife, and was trying to recreate it. He made only a few, and gave up due to lack of outside funding and selling price. I think he sold one or two of them on E-Bay. Jim Buffaloe of Buffaloe Leather might have a little more info, as Jim was the original maker of Lile sheaths for the First Blood/Rambo series knives. I believe that Jim sold him the correct sheaths for the knives. It was a damn nice re-creation, but his selling price was too close to what a real LILE was going for. Plus resale was all but non-exsistant.
 
1 GTA said:
Arcticwolf-

There was a professional knifemaker that was recreating the First Blood bowie, but without the LILE name/stamp. I can't think of his name right off hand. :confused: He tried his hand at it I guess maybe 6-8 months ago. He was a well know knifemaker, and his knives had been featured in Blade magazine a few times. Somehow he came into possesion of the blueprints for the knife, and was trying to recreate it. He made only a few, and gave up due to lack of outside funding and selling price. I think he sold one or two of them on E-Bay. Jim Buffaloe of Buffaloe Leather might have a little more info, as Jim was the original maker of Lile sheaths for the First Blood/Rambo series knives. I believe that Jim sold him the correct sheaths for the knives. It was a damn nice re-creation, but his selling price was too close to what a real LILE was going for. Plus resale was all but non-exsistant.
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how much did they guy want for it?

plus what is a good price to buy a lile knive at? not on ebay i mean like thru a personal seller?

Articwolf

P.S.let me know if you remeber the name of that maker as i want to contact him and ask him if he can make me the knife.
 
I can verify first hand that Jimmy Lile made a superior knife. I've been carrying a small Lile folder as an edc for over 28 years. I bought it from Mr. Lile at a Dallas gun show back in the seventies-the stag is starting to wear a little thin but it opens and shuts smooth as butter and still locks up like a bank vault...

It has disappeared three or four times over the years and a couple times I thought it was gone for good. If that little knife could talk, God only knows the stories it could tell... :)
 
Jimmy has been dead for many years now. For a while after his death, his wife Marilyn as noted above kept his shop going with the aid of key people, most importantly Lynn Griffith who supposedly was Jimmy Lile's shop foreman. The knives made in his patterns after his death were marked with a dot over the I to differentiate whether they were original Liles, or post death pieces.

I bought a Lile Combat (7" D2 with fully tapered tang and black Micarta handle slabs with red spacers) at the Solvang show in 2002 from Lynn and Marilyn. At the time, I was waffling between the Combat and the Grey Ghost. I bought the Combat thinking I could buy the Grey Ghost at the next show. Unfortunately, Marilyn decided to shut the company down a few months after the 2002 Solvang show.

I recently was lucky enough to score a Lile Grey Ghost (with dot) on the secondary market. It's an awesome piece and nearly indestructible. Over .250 of bead blasted D2 with black Micarta handles. One tough knife:)

I don't know anything about John Greco's involvement in the Lile shop.

While thes knives are marked as post Jimmy Lile and might not be original, they are both awesome knives that I am proud to own and I believe that they are as represented.
 
My favorite Lile was the Deathwind and I owned a no dot at one point. I've still got a small stag boot knife, no dot, which came from the NY Show in 1991.

Good luck in your quest for Liles, I see some showing up on Ebay, don't discount that as a source!

Win
 
I remembered the gentleman's name yesterday on the way home from work-Lamont Combs. I never got a firm price, as I was reluctant based upon the $1000-$1500 figures that were being tossed around. I think the ones on E-Bay went for around $800-$900. Personally, if I was already spending that kind of cash, then I would move ahead and get a real LILE. Now I don't know the particulars or legalities when it comes to repoducing any of Jimmy's works. I do not know if Marilyn knew of this venture. All I know was that he had an original set of blue-prints, and was going to make run of 100 (just like the original), and were sort of a modern tribute to the real thing. Now this was only for the First Blood model-not Sly II's or Mission bowies. I seroiusly doubt he would make you a one-off or replica without a substantial price. I think $750 was a break even price for him.

Like others that have previously posted, NOTHING compares to a real LILE. I own a few; and fit, finish, and balance for such a large bowie are second to none. I own both dot and no-dot versions. If you are serious about purchasing, PM me and I can give you some more particulars.
 
Win Heger said:
My favorite Lile was the Deathwind and I owned a no dot at one point. I've still got a small stag boot knife, no dot, which came from the NY Show in 1991.

Good luck in your quest for Liles, I see some showing up on Ebay, don't discount that as a source!

Win
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as for ebay i will go thru it as a last resort and try my hand at finding them thru other means.

Articwolf
 
1 GTA said:
I remembered the gentleman's name yesterday on the way home from work-Lamont Combs. I never got a firm price, as I was reluctant based upon the $1000-$1500 figures that were being tossed around. I think the ones on E-Bay went for around $800-$900. Personally, if I was already spending that kind of cash, then I would move ahead and get a real LILE. Now I don't know the particulars or legalities when it comes to repoducing any of Jimmy's works. I do not know if Marilyn knew of this venture. All I know was that he had an original set of blue-prints, and was going to make run of 100 (just like the original), and were sort of a modern tribute to the real thing. Now this was only for the First Blood model-not Sly II's or Mission bowies. I seroiusly doubt he would make you a one-off or replica without a substantial price. I think $750 was a break even price for him.

Like others that have previously posted, NOTHING compares to a real LILE. I own a few; and fit, finish, and balance for such a large bowie are second to none. I own both dot and no-dot versions. If you are serious about purchasing, PM me and I can give you some more particulars.
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thanks i will look into him.

as for greco i think he was one of jimmy liles knife makers there as he sapposedly had 8 makers work with him after jimmy died.

thats the story i got from a custom knife maker that i was workin with on some other knifes im intrested in having made.

Articwolf
 
This morning, I talked with John Greco at a local show, as I do several times a year. He had a folder and several small fb knives with 'Liles' on their blades. He said he had purchased just the blades - and completed them 'in the style'. They looked great, as some of his (John's) work really does - and they were affordable ($200/$300 fbs, $500 folder - all fairly polished D2. All were 'keepers'. I may go back in the AM with some more money... they were that nice. I have never seen an original - in person - so I cannot compare/contrast.

My only fault with John Greco's work has been their finished edge - I did not ask him to 'try' one, but that would be my only reservation. A $34 Buck 119 from Wally World is delivered sharper than his knives, although they honed to a great edge. In his defense, I did buy his 'bargains'! I always enjoy talking with him.

Stainz
 
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