Lyndle Driggers D Guard Bowie Knife
Jul 8, 2019 18:54:03 GMT
Post by Jordan Williams on Jul 8, 2019 18:54:03 GMT
Up for review today is a knife I commissioned from our own Lyndle Driggers earlier this year. I commisioned it inspired by D guard bowie knives of the American civil war era, but with my own thoughts as per what I wanted in a work and tool knife.
TL;DR version - Very good knife. Very good workmanship. Well worth the price. Good communication.
For those not lazy, or with more time to read a review.
Inspiration and service.
Back in November my brother bought me the video game "Red Dead Redemption 2" as a birthday gift. I played it for a while in between work and class, and found a knife in the game with a broad bowie blade and a D guard, and researching if it was based off of any historical example I found one from the civil war that was quite similar. Knowing Lyndle does good work on blades, and having owned some of his pieces before (a celtic sword designed for modern cutting, and a tomahawk), and especially wanting a knife from an American maker, I contacted Lyndle in the beginning of February for the commission. Soon after I got a price quote, sent off the design, and got to wait for my knife. Communication was good, ample, concise. No big gaps like I've had with other folks, or flakiness. In late April I received word the knife was finished, exactly to the paper diagram I had drawn, sent over the last part of commission cost and shipping fund, and a short while later got it in the mail.
Knife overview, design and purpose.
The design I wanted was to be a sort of "pocket machete", something that could be used to clear vegetation, hack wood, and be used generally as a tool while not being as bulky or large as a machete. The broad blade is meant to give the blade presence for chopping and cutting, the false edge for an easier job piercing or having a more preserved edge for cutting string or small ropes, and the hand guard to stop brush or thorns from hitting the hand during work, which sucks to have happen with shorter machetes. Also, because it looks cool. But the function has overrided the form.
How has it held up in this use?
Good, I think. It is easy to carry and transport, and very robust with good edge geometry thank to L. Drigger's work. I have used it as a hammer as well, to pound in tent pegs. It held up beautifully and never took any looseness in the hilt. The false edge I designed is too short to really fulfill the role I envisioned. I should have taken some more inspiration from historical examples here - Most effective false edges are longer and deeper, not short and thiccc like the one I designed on my knife. That said, Lyndle Driggers made the false edge very sharp.
It is able to chop heavier woods, and fares well against lighter vegetation as well due to the overall low weight and ability to be accelerated quickly.
Despite the shortcoming in my design, I am absolutely happy with it and have zero complaints. Lyndle Driggers followed my design to a T, and that is really what I want most in a custom made piece. I really am very happy with how closely the design was followed.
Finale
I can absolutely recommend Lyndle Driggers as a maker and I feel I got every penny I payed in what I received. As well as making me this knife on commission, Driggers also tempered a sword blade for me per his service fee, and the temper is so excellent I am able to do pull ups on it without it taking a set. If I had a larger budget, and a more stable job my collection would be essentially 50% work from him, and 50% antiques.
(After - note; after doing about 15 total pullups, with my 165 pound frame, the blade took a set, and was easily corrected and still able to cut and thrust abusive targets without further setting or damage. Compare to 2 pull ups from a windlass of comparative thickness and profile before taking a set. Clearly this is abuse, and clearly once again the quality of Lyndle Driggers work is shown to be superior to other pieces from the production market, which is of course no surprise. (I am a little bit of a fanboy of the pieces, as you can see)).
Pictures coming soon.