Review: Custom bowie knife by Bones61
Nov 9, 2013 14:43:19 GMT
Post by Nilfgaardian on Nov 9, 2013 14:43:19 GMT
Introduction
This is a bowie knife I ordered a couple months back from a member and knifemaker over at Britishblades forum, Bones61. I decided a while back that I wanted a bowie knife and initially I looked at the ones from Hanwei. Eventually I found my way to Britishblades forum and looked over some threads there. I noticed that whenever someone asked about bowie knife makers, people recommended Bones61. I spent some more time looking at other knives he had done and then decided to order one of his knives.
I did some basic research on bowie knives, looking at different designs from other makers. I settled on a simple stag handled bowie knife, undecorated and with a sharpened clip. Bones told me that it would take about 4-6 weeks to finish the knife and he did not ask for any money up front, since he prefers not working on a schedule.
Communication was excellent and messages were usually answered quickly. I was given some progress pics as the work progressed. There were a few minor delays. The first piece of stag antler was not as good as Bones had hoped, so he ordered another piece. This was a good decision on his part because the second piece was a lot better and we decided to use that one instead. Later when ordering leather for the sheath, he received the wrong leather, much too thin for a sheath, but it did not take very long for the correct leather to arrive.
The knife was finished after about 6 weeks, like the maker indicated. Shipping was fast, it only took three days from the UK to Sweden.
Full Disclosure
This is my first bowie knife, and my first custom blade. I paid full price for it. Since this is a design based on what I like, one could say I'm a little bit biased because of that.
Initial Impressions
The knife was packed in a cardboard box with huge amounts of bubble wrap surrounding it. It took a good while to reach it. I had seen pictures of the nearly finished knife before, but it was much better actually holding it in my hand. Fit and finish was top notch, the blade having a fine hand rubbed polish, which is close to a mirror polish. I honestly can't find a single fault on this knife as far as finish is concerned. Everything is fitted perfectly without irregularities or gaps.
Statistics
Blade: 10.6 inches.
Handle: 4.7 inches.
Overall Length: 15.3 inches.
Guard Width: Approx. 2.5 inches.
POB (Point of Balance): Balances right at the guard.
Weight: Sorry folks, don't have a scale. Approx. 0.8-0.9 pounds.
Components
The Blade
The blade is 10.6 inches long, 1.4 inches wide and 0.2 inches thick at the base. The distal taper starts at the beginning of the clip. It is made of a steel called 52100, commonly found in ball bearings. The steel is similar to 5160 but sacrifices a bit of toughness for better edge retention.
The edge has a small, unpolished secondary bevel, but this is the makers preference. It is more of a working edge that can be easily re-sharpened. The edge is scary sharp and slices paper with ease. The clip point is quite long (it actually looks shorter in the pictures) and the false edge is sharp enough to slice paper, although not as easily as the main cutting edge. The tip is also very sharp, made for use against people and dangerous animals. It is a bit on the thin side for use as a pry bar or stabbing through thick wood.
This blade has a hidden tang, but it's quite substantial as I have seen in the progress pics. One could compare it with the tang on a high-end euro sword. It's a peened tang, but the peen is polished, making it hard to spot.
The Handle
The knife's handle is made of dyed stag antler. Being a natural material, the antler has a few irregularities, but it seems Bones61 picked a piece of antler with good ergonomics. The handle swells on one side, making it fit perfectly in my right hand. Antler is a bit slippery so that's the only negative, but it might get better with use. Overall I like the handle on this one, especially how it looks.
The Fittings
I asked for simple fittings, so that's what I got. The guard is a simple oval shape. A curved guard might have been more suitable for a fighting bowie such as this, but since I prefer the look of a straight guard and don't plan on fighting anyone, I chose a straight guard.
The Sheath
A simple belt-tuck sheath made of thick leather. Bones always says the he isn't very good at leatherwork, but I think he has done a great job on this. A sheath like this one might not be as practical as a belt hanger sheath, but I think that bowies were carried like this historically.
Handling Characteristics
This knife is really fast and balances right at the crossguard. When you pick it up, it seems to be very light, although it's really quite weighty. I don't have much to compare it to, but I really like how this knife handles. It does not have that much blade presence, since it is not designed for chopping, although it can still chop just fine.
Test Cutting
I haven't done that much cutting yet, but as far as I can tell from the cuts I have made, it cuts well. The targets used were very light though - milk cartons filled with water. These cartons tend to explode when edge alignment is off, and that happened a few times, mainly because of poor technique from my part. I had never cut with a knife before so I had to change my technique a bit. When I tried again at a closer range, cutting with the center of percussion, cuts were pretty much effortless. I tried a few back cuts too, which worked pretty well. Thrusting was easy, as expected.
Conclusions
I really like this knife, and I plan to keep it for a long time. I was happy with the customer service I received from the maker and the delivery was fast. I think this knife was a great value for money too, a custom knife for only a bit more than for example, the Cold Steel Laredo bowie.
Pros
Good value for money
Extremely sharp
Excellent polish
Excellent fit and finish
Customer service from the maker
Handling
Cons
Some people don't like secondary bevels, but this is a custom knife
which means you can have pretty much whatever you want.
The Bottom Line
If you want a custom bowie for a fair price (still not cheap though), I can recommend Bones61 over at Britishblades. I couldn't be happier with this knife. My father even stated that it was the best looking knife he had ever seen.
This is a bowie knife I ordered a couple months back from a member and knifemaker over at Britishblades forum, Bones61. I decided a while back that I wanted a bowie knife and initially I looked at the ones from Hanwei. Eventually I found my way to Britishblades forum and looked over some threads there. I noticed that whenever someone asked about bowie knife makers, people recommended Bones61. I spent some more time looking at other knives he had done and then decided to order one of his knives.
I did some basic research on bowie knives, looking at different designs from other makers. I settled on a simple stag handled bowie knife, undecorated and with a sharpened clip. Bones told me that it would take about 4-6 weeks to finish the knife and he did not ask for any money up front, since he prefers not working on a schedule.
Communication was excellent and messages were usually answered quickly. I was given some progress pics as the work progressed. There were a few minor delays. The first piece of stag antler was not as good as Bones had hoped, so he ordered another piece. This was a good decision on his part because the second piece was a lot better and we decided to use that one instead. Later when ordering leather for the sheath, he received the wrong leather, much too thin for a sheath, but it did not take very long for the correct leather to arrive.
The knife was finished after about 6 weeks, like the maker indicated. Shipping was fast, it only took three days from the UK to Sweden.
Full Disclosure
This is my first bowie knife, and my first custom blade. I paid full price for it. Since this is a design based on what I like, one could say I'm a little bit biased because of that.
Initial Impressions
The knife was packed in a cardboard box with huge amounts of bubble wrap surrounding it. It took a good while to reach it. I had seen pictures of the nearly finished knife before, but it was much better actually holding it in my hand. Fit and finish was top notch, the blade having a fine hand rubbed polish, which is close to a mirror polish. I honestly can't find a single fault on this knife as far as finish is concerned. Everything is fitted perfectly without irregularities or gaps.
Statistics
Blade: 10.6 inches.
Handle: 4.7 inches.
Overall Length: 15.3 inches.
Guard Width: Approx. 2.5 inches.
POB (Point of Balance): Balances right at the guard.
Weight: Sorry folks, don't have a scale. Approx. 0.8-0.9 pounds.
Components
The Blade
The blade is 10.6 inches long, 1.4 inches wide and 0.2 inches thick at the base. The distal taper starts at the beginning of the clip. It is made of a steel called 52100, commonly found in ball bearings. The steel is similar to 5160 but sacrifices a bit of toughness for better edge retention.
The edge has a small, unpolished secondary bevel, but this is the makers preference. It is more of a working edge that can be easily re-sharpened. The edge is scary sharp and slices paper with ease. The clip point is quite long (it actually looks shorter in the pictures) and the false edge is sharp enough to slice paper, although not as easily as the main cutting edge. The tip is also very sharp, made for use against people and dangerous animals. It is a bit on the thin side for use as a pry bar or stabbing through thick wood.
This blade has a hidden tang, but it's quite substantial as I have seen in the progress pics. One could compare it with the tang on a high-end euro sword. It's a peened tang, but the peen is polished, making it hard to spot.
The Handle
The knife's handle is made of dyed stag antler. Being a natural material, the antler has a few irregularities, but it seems Bones61 picked a piece of antler with good ergonomics. The handle swells on one side, making it fit perfectly in my right hand. Antler is a bit slippery so that's the only negative, but it might get better with use. Overall I like the handle on this one, especially how it looks.
The Fittings
I asked for simple fittings, so that's what I got. The guard is a simple oval shape. A curved guard might have been more suitable for a fighting bowie such as this, but since I prefer the look of a straight guard and don't plan on fighting anyone, I chose a straight guard.
The Sheath
A simple belt-tuck sheath made of thick leather. Bones always says the he isn't very good at leatherwork, but I think he has done a great job on this. A sheath like this one might not be as practical as a belt hanger sheath, but I think that bowies were carried like this historically.
Handling Characteristics
This knife is really fast and balances right at the crossguard. When you pick it up, it seems to be very light, although it's really quite weighty. I don't have much to compare it to, but I really like how this knife handles. It does not have that much blade presence, since it is not designed for chopping, although it can still chop just fine.
Test Cutting
I haven't done that much cutting yet, but as far as I can tell from the cuts I have made, it cuts well. The targets used were very light though - milk cartons filled with water. These cartons tend to explode when edge alignment is off, and that happened a few times, mainly because of poor technique from my part. I had never cut with a knife before so I had to change my technique a bit. When I tried again at a closer range, cutting with the center of percussion, cuts were pretty much effortless. I tried a few back cuts too, which worked pretty well. Thrusting was easy, as expected.
Conclusions
I really like this knife, and I plan to keep it for a long time. I was happy with the customer service I received from the maker and the delivery was fast. I think this knife was a great value for money too, a custom knife for only a bit more than for example, the Cold Steel Laredo bowie.
Pros
Good value for money
Extremely sharp
Excellent polish
Excellent fit and finish
Customer service from the maker
Handling
Cons
Some people don't like secondary bevels, but this is a custom knife
which means you can have pretty much whatever you want.
The Bottom Line
If you want a custom bowie for a fair price (still not cheap though), I can recommend Bones61 over at Britishblades. I couldn't be happier with this knife. My father even stated that it was the best looking knife he had ever seen.