Grayman Knives.....

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Stolen Valor.....

I did some research on "Mike Grayman".
A few forum posts & remarks state Grayman's real/legal name is Mike Bottoms. :rolleyes:
Bottoms also used the name Mike Ajax. :uhoh:
He claims to be a "spec ops veteran" & served in the RSAS/Selious Scouts in Africa(what was Rhodesia).
These claims were disputed by real combat veterans & armed forces members who either took classes with Ajax/Grayman or heard of his background.

I don't think Id spend any $$$ on a fake poser or exposed liar. :mad:
 
Overpriced, check out www.bladehq.com
Price, selection, fast shipping!
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Blade HQ is one of many very good knife retailers. Which specific brands / models do you recommend that Rusty look at as alternatives to the Grayman choppers?
 
Ernie Emerson.....

I saw a left hand Commander blade(with serraded edge) on Ernest Emerson's knife website. It's a folder with the new Wave format & it costs about the same as the Grayman(aka; Michael E Bottoms) Ground Pounders.

Emerson is a trusted name in the edged weapon/blade industry. He's provided quality knives to special ops, NASA, law enforcement, etc.
He's not a poser & also teaches knife tactics. ;)

As for a field knife or something fixed blade I guess I still keep hunting. :D
 
We all know of Ernie Emerson, his knives are great as is his reputation. I met him when I went to Blade and bought 2 folders both of which had the wave. I like that feature a lot!
 
Winkler Knives.....

I also saw the website of a custom shop called Winkler Knives.
He does a lot of field knives, edged weapons, folders, etc.

Winkler blades were reportedly used by a few SEALs & specwar types involved in Trident Spear. :D

The quality seems decent but those blades are pricey & the wait times long.
 
his knives are great as is his reputation
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Ummm, no. As Sam said, the quality issues would deny that, BUT those issues have been with the semiproduction knives and not with the true customs.
 
Rusty, Benchmade made better Emersons than Mr. Emerson's production models. Now under the Kershaw-Emerson collaboration Kershaw's facility in China is making better fit and finished knives with a lower grade blade steel based on what I saw at Blade. The really exciting models (if you want an Emerson) are the Zero Tolerance - Emerson ZT0620 and ZT0620CF collaborations. You get the Emerson design with ZT's superb quality and better blade steels than the Emerson production knives, all for less than an Emerson production knife if you shop carefully.

Whether you go with the Kershaw - Emerson or the ZT - Emerson you get the Wave feature on every model, and they're all frame locks that I trust far more than the liner locks on production Emersons. And, yes, I used to own a production Emerson CQC-7. It was a pretty good knife, but I was working for a dealer and got it at wholesale pricing. I wouldn't have paid street price for it though.
 
Daniel Winkler custom knives......

Do any forum members use any Winkler series custom knives?
They are pricey but look solid.

The Cutco Ka-Bar field knife might be a worthy trade-off. :D
 
Do any forum members use any Winkler series custom knives?
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I have not, but he's an ABS Master Smith. The testing to become a Master Smith is extreme: http://www.americanbladesmith.com/index.php?section=pages&id=178. Bear in mind that most of what you see currently available are his stock removal knives, marked Winkler II; rather than his forged blades which are marked D. Winkler. The Winkler II knives are priced around $400 because they're stock removal. If you want a forged knife from an ABS Master Smith be ready to pay at least twice that.

Regardless of if the knives are forged or stock removal you can buy a knife from any ABS Journeyman or Master Smith and know that you're getting a superb knife. The testing a guild master review process ensures such.
 
Thanks!

I saw a custom shop called Begg Knives too but the long wait times & prices make that pick nearly impossible. :rolleyes:
The firm was featured on a short lived "unscripted" TV series too so that notoriety increased the company's profile. :mad:

www.BeggKnives.com
 
Todd Begg is a highly sought after maker.

While I'd agree in principle that any knife from an ABS Journeyman or Master Bladesmith should be a superb knife it isn't always the case that an individual smith actually does turn out such quality. There are also many knifemakers outside of such organizations, smith and stock reduction, that craft superior knives consistently (look at Kim Breed, Ray Ennis, Larry Harley, ... ). Each maker and each knife itself should be evaluated on its own merits and don't forget that there are even companies like Bark River and Chris Reeve and LT Wright that use the same care in producing their knives that you see out of the "bread and butter" knives from a skilled craftsman. High quality knives are a complicated world these days with the lines between handmade and production are blurred by makers and companies thanks to the available equipment and techniques that allow superior blades to be produced.
 
Todd Begg's big niche is integral fixed blades. His are gorgeous, but lots of $$$.

For big choppers in the same size and function range as the Grayman knives, I would recommend Bark River Knife and Tool. Better grinds, better fit and finish, better materials.

www.knivesshipfree.com carries most of the BRKT line.
 
While I put years of thought into the Camp Defender, and Sam O executed it wonderfully, Bark River makes great knives, and you can get them much quicker than one from Sam O (Sam1911).

I also think the Ontario RTAC II is a heck of a bargain in a big knife, at less than $100 shipped.
 
Camp Defenders don't hold up so hot to unintentional dishwashings by wives who turn ghostly white when they learn how costly the mistake they made was...

They still chop pretty good though.
 
Sam Cade said:
img1871.jpeg
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Looks like a "remove everything that doesn't look like a knife... a comic book hero's knife" method of knife "making".

That "asymmetrical wound" blather is straight "tool" speak.
 
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