[Dimis]

Who makes good Bowie knives these days?

Im sure theres at least one knife maker on here that makes em so fess up who is it? lol

Any commercial products that live up to being a good big knife?

[Valkman]

Not me! :)

http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo80/DLKnives/_MG_8673_websize.jpg

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

Oh good lord that thing is classy!

[Max C.]

Randall, Cas-Hanwei, and a few others. Cold Steel's bowies are decent but not worth the money. For $600 (the current retail of the Laredo Bowie), you're most of the way to a Mad Dog knife and all the way (and then some) to a Randall, either of which will outperform the Cold Steel offering.

http://www.randallknives.com/catalog.php?action=viewcategory&catalogcategories_id=6

[messerist]

Ditto on Randall, only your wait will be long unless you can find one on e-bay or through retailers who carry Randalls in stock(Nordic Knives is one). There are many fine makers who have web sites so a search should turn up some prospects. Valkman and Black Toe do some fine work and they visit these pages often. A custom knife will probably require a waiting period and in some cases a down payment. Factory knives tend to be less expensive and are normally ready to be shipped when you order. A good source for makers is Knives 2009 or a web search. Good luck with your quest and I know that someone on this site will provide you with the answer your looking for.:)

[hso]

Depending upon what you want to use the knife for there are several "bowie" knives made by reputable manufacturers out there. It also depends on what you think a "bowie" is (http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_keywords.html?srch=bowie&SUBMIT2.x=0&SUBMIT2.y=0&SUBMIT2=Search) and what you're willing to spend.

http://www.agrussell.com/images/small/SOG-S2B.jpghttp://www.agrussell.com/images/small/csc-rb39co.jpghttp://www.agrussell.com/images/small/WRN-0200.jpg

The bowies from Randall (http://www.randallknives.com/catalog.php?action=viewcategory&catalogcategories_id=6) are very good, but the wait is even longer than the five years for any of their standard models.

There have been a handful of professional knifemakers that make "classic" bowies that I'm personally familiar with and who we've seen their work here. They include Fowler, Acawi, Breed, Wheeler, Harley and Bagwell as well as Don and Jesse Davis.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=381225

[Dimis]

thanks for all the responces guys

to answer HSO im looking for a traditional bowie something in the style that Case XX makes but of better quality

[Yo Mama]

Not traditional, but I'm quite fond of my Kbar bowie. It's got a different handle, and the blade is 1085 Carbon Steel, and is coated in a black powder coat. The blade is a heavy 14 1/4 inch long beast!

I would encourage you to youtube the torture test on these, as I was impressed. It's more of a modern traditional look to it! :)

[owen]

i've held hso's Breed bowie, and it was like holding a lighting bolt with power steering.

It's a really sweet knife, incredibly well balanced, and it feels very fast.

[dairycreek]

http://www.knifeworks.com/images/products/detail/286.jpg

I've had this bowie by Case (not sure Case makes it) for about ten years. Mine has a wooden grip and I have used it heavily. Keeps a decent edge and has stood up to my abuse quite well. For the price I find it hard to beat.

[HoosierQ]

Depending on your motivation for purchasing a Bowie knife, there may be another route to go.

The traditional Finnish Leuku is a big sharp knife made for heavy service. All of these have 8-10" blades (give or take an inch) and are roughly $100.

The Leuku is sort of the "Scandinavian Bowie Knife". So if you are doing an Alamo re-enactment, the Leuku may not work (although I am sure mountain men and frontiersmen would have appreciated the Leuku) but if you are looking for a big, rough service working knife, these are an option.

http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/narmer_3100/hobby_2/wolf_leuku_knife.jpg

http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/narmer_3100/hobby_2/leuku.jpg

http://i643.photobucket.com/albums/uu153/narmer_3100/hobby_2/big_leuku.jpg

[theotherwaldo]

I don't, but I keep trying.

Someday... .

[hso]

Nothing wrong with the Case bowie.

If that's the style you want you'd have to pay a lot more to get much better. Say, $400 more.

[PA Freedom]

I have a CS Trailmaster Carbon V, but that's not a true Bowie. IMO, the new CS Trailmaster, Laredo, and Natchez are good, but slightly overpriced. I really like Bill Bagwells knives, but their a custom item. Ontario used to make several Bagwell designs. The Hell's Belle is my favorite. These make the Cold Steel offerings look like junk.

[Dimis]

thanks guys i think ill stick with getting the case if 400 dollars is the difference in getting better ill save the 400 and get a few more knives

hoosier thats a cool looking knife where can you get those?

[HoosierQ]

Dimis

Google Leuku.

And try www.kellamknives.com and www.cloudberrymarket.com. Both places have a number of Leukus and their smaller cousins, the puukos. There are a lot of other sites as well.

In Finland, they use Leukos for all backwoods heavy cutting chores...from butchering game to light chopping and splitting kindling wood. However, unlike an American Bowie, I don't think you'd consider one of these a "fighting" knife.

QB

[Valkman]

How much is the Case? My 7" Super Camp is $250 with "regular" handle materials or $350 as shown in the pic. If your going to spend a couple hundred bucks you might as well get one that you can hand down from generation to generation.

[hso]

Don,

Those big bellied Case bowies can be found commonly from $100 to $150.

[Valkman]

That's cool. I'd add a bit and get a handmade if it were me. :)

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Yo Mama..sir are you sure the KBar Bowie is not 1095 high carbon? The 'Bowie' may be a different knife but your mentioning the blade being coated lead's me to believe you may be referring to the USMC KBar, which is most certainly 1095 carbon steel. Not trying to pick a fight here, just trying to find out if KBar make's a Bowie that I wasn't aware of..
Dairy Creek has a good looking Bowie there in the picture. Case XX has a good selection of Bowie's to choose from and they are damn good knives..I'm not saying they're a Randall. Just a real good dependable knife..Great White Hunter..

[arcticap]

The non-traditional epoxy powder coated Kbar heavy Bowies are the 14th item down from the top on this page:

http://www.agrussell.com/search.asp?ss=bowie&x=14&y=2

Ka-Bar® Extra Large Heavy Bowie
The 9" epoxy powder coated Bowie blade is made from tough 1085 carbon steel at 55-57 Rc. The oval shaped Kraton G handle insure a secure non-slip grip in extreme conditions. It measures 14-1/2" overall...

http://www.agrussell.com/ka-bar-short-heavy-bowie/p/KA1276/

[Mp7]

i´ve been wanting one of those
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/yhst-7333098713883_2019_2886816
for a while.
From Himalayan Imports.

http://yhst-7333098713883.stores.yahoo.net/akbowie.html

Love those finnish knives, too!
Their ergonomics are just awesome.

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Okay..That's not the KBar that I know and love and own a few of. I will have to check out this heavy Bowie. I certainly don't need another knife but I'm checking it out anyway..Great White Hunter..

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Articap, thanks for the link. Just went to it and checked them out. Damn! I was just on Russel's the other night. Don't know how I missed them unless it was because I failed to type in the word 'Bowie'. Damned good looking knives..Great White Hunter..

[Yo Mama]

Okay..That's not the KBar that I know and love and own a few of. I will have to check out this heavy Bowie.

For the price I'm in love! Check one out in person if you can.

[oldways]

check out Bark River bowies.

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

No, don't reckon I need any more knives. If you need a good one then go for it. Great White Hunter...

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Well, after all that talk I made I set here and figured out my budget again and ordered both of those KBar Bowies. The short one and the heavy one. Sometimes I hate myself. I needed those knives like I need another hole in my head. I'vd got knives stuck around all over my home...Well, I do have a lot of loyalty to KBar. But I know these are the last knives I will ever buy and I probably won't ever get around to cutting so much as a piece of string with these. I mostly just use one of my Old Hickory kitchen knives nowadays, maybe sometimes my Leatherman Super Tool. These sure are some pretty Bowies. I went to the link Articap furnished for me. I like those dark blades. I don't really like anything that shines and reflect's light. (that's the old Marine still coming out in me I guess) Anyway I got them. I guess my grand neice will get the short one. She's starting to get off into squirrel and rabbit hunting. She's about 12 years old I think. I'vd already given her 2 or 3 good knives. Started her out with the Air Force survival knife, then moved her up to the new version called an 'ASEK' or something like that. Then she talked me out of a short KBar with the plain edge and brown leather ringed grip. She take's good care of them with no problems except for that time about 6 months ago when she cut her finger sharpening the KBar. Well anyway, I broke down and bought the Bowies., but no cigars next month though.Great White Hunter.

[hso]

But I know these are the last knives I will ever buy

You just keep telling yourself that. :evil:

I used to.:banghead:

;)

[GENTLEMAN OF THE CHARCOAL]

Yeah, I guess some of us are just plain damn crazy!!..Great White Hunter..

[Deltaboy]

You can never have too many knives.

[HoosierQ]

Oh yeah...everybody needs more knives...nobody has enough.

I just added a really good representative sample of Swedish knives to my collection...onward now to the Finnish Puukos and Leukos!!!

Then I will work my way around the globe...kukris, tantos...the world is a very big place and everybody everywhere is cutting stuff. :)

[theotherwaldo]

I just consider it to be a form of interior decorating. I find that fine steel, bronze, wood, bone, and ivory are at least as decorative as painted canvas or tapestry.

-And the resale value is usually higher. (Although I don't sell... .)

[T.R.]

Boker Safari-Mate is a very good knife. Yet they're often found for under $40. on eBay.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/bokersafari.jpg

Chipaway builds good knives. Their handles tend to be highly detailed and blades are mirror polished. I bought one for 99 cents plus shipping on eBay many months ago; no one else bid on it. It's a genuine keeper!
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/knifechipaway.jpg


KaBar has building them RIGHT for many decades. Quality and durability are famous! Plan to spend over $50.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/knifekabar.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c146/rushmoreman/coldsteel.jpg
COLD STEEL was originally made in California. Then they moved their operations to Japan. But now they're built in Taiwan. This company is trying hard to remain competitive with the Chinese imports.

TR