Comfort Knives!

[samb1955]

Like that one! Looks like our taste in knives are very similar.

[Madmarco]

You've mentioned that before Sam, and I completely agree with you now, just like I did then! All I can make of it is that great minds think alike!

[Ripster]

Afternoon , thought would throw this one at you all, got it from bro in law for a gift. Take it out occasionally when riding as it’s a boot knife, which like to carry when out on motorcycle. Have sliced some Salami and cheese with it , but that’s it, it came sharp,and is holding a good edge .
Hope you all are doing well , and staying safe and warm !

[Madmarco]

Nice boot dagger J.P.! I've watched these for quite awhile, but am yet to pull the trigger for one. Every time I go to place the order I find something I like even more, so this knife keeps gett'n bumped, but I have faith in me, and I'll get one sooner or later. Perfect knife for the boot while out crusi'n on your scoot! I also spotted your tube of Q.R. oil, a knife's best friend! I'm noticing that many of the knives you're posting are models that I also like, so, as Samb1955 would say, "seems like our knife tastes are much the same"! Thanks for posting it!

[Madmarco]

I'm almost certain that I haven't posted this knife in this thread before now, but if it turns out I'm not as certain as I think I am and you've already seen it here, I apologize, there's just too many pages to go through every time I go to post to check if it's a double-up. This knife is the Helden Rand version of the Mercator Black Cat K55 humpback knives, and is 8 1/8" oal from tip to end of bail about 1/2" longer than a Mercator, although, I don't know if Kauffmann included the bail in their length/SS spear-point blade, 2-piece black aluminum body, SS pins and bail, no liners, and front tang stamp of "HELDEN RAND". Weighs a scant 2.6 oz.'s, and came factory sharp. Walks open smoothly, and snaps like a gator when it talks! These are solid knives that I don't think are appreciated nearly enough, and I really like em'!

[Ivoryman]

Afternoon , thought would throw this one at you all, got it from bro in law for a gift. Take it out occasionally when riding as it’s a boot knife, which like to carry when out on motorcycle. Have sliced some Salami and cheese with it , but that’s it, it came sharp,and is holding a good edge .
Hope you all are doing well , and staying safe and warm !

I can't take my eyes off those Camillus beauties in the back ground, all covered up and begging to be laid bare. Wow, would love to see them all lined up exposed. Beautiful.

[CluelessNick]

I'm almost certain that I haven't posted this knife in this thread before now, but if it turns out I'm not as certain as I think I am and you've already seen it here, I apologize, there's just too many pages to go through every time I go to post to check if it's a double-up. This knife is the Helden Rand version of the Mercator Black Cat K55 humpback knives, and is 8 1/8" oal from tip to end of bail about 1/2" longer than a Mercator, although, I don't know if Kauffmann included the bail in their length/SS spear-point blade, 2-piece black aluminum body, SS pins and bail, no liners, and front tang stamp of "HELDEN RAND". Weighs a scant 2.6 oz.'s, and came factory sharp. Walks open smoothly, and snaps like a gator when it talks! These are solid knives that I don't think are appreciated nearly enough, and I really like em'! 8)WIN_20210217_14_10_42_Pro.jpg

Nice knife Mark. Really enjoy seeing what you come up with each day and probably wouldn't know if it was posted before or not. You always post knives that I have never seen before. thanks--Nick

[CluelessNick]

Afternoon , thought would throw this one at you all, got it from bro in law for a gift. Take it out occasionally when riding as it’s a boot knife, which like to carry when out on motorcycle. Have sliced some Salami and cheese with it , but that’s it, it came sharp,and is holding a good edge .
Hope you all are doing well , and staying safe and warm !

great photo with those beauties in the background

[Madmarco]

Thank you Nick! Glad to see you're fitting right in!

[Papa Bones]

I'm almost certain that I haven't posted this knife in this thread before now, but if it turns out I'm not as certain as I think I am and you've already seen it here, I apologize, there's just too many pages to go through every time I go to post to check if it's a double-up. This knife is the Helden Rand version of the Mercator Black Cat K55 humpback knives, and is 8 1/8" oal from tip to end of bail about 1/2" longer than a Mercator, although, I don't know if Kauffmann included the bail in their length/SS spear-point blade, 2-piece black aluminum body, SS pins and bail, no liners, and front tang stamp of "HELDEN RAND". Weighs a scant 2.6 oz.'s, and came factory sharp. Walks open smoothly, and snaps like a gator when it talks! These are solid knives that I don't think are appreciated nearly enough, and I really like em'! 8)WIN_20210217_14_10_42_Pro.jpg

Very nice Marc. I've known a couple of people that have had both. Also I believe a couple years ago Kriegar started producing a reproduction of the Helden Rand Kat. I believe their version was around 4-1/4" closed and has a 3-1/2" drop point blade. Can't remember where they were being made, but figured it may be in an Oriental Country.

[Madmarco]

I'm almost certain that I haven't posted this knife in this thread before now, but if it turns out I'm not as certain as I think I am and you've already seen it here, I apologize, there's just too many pages to go through every time I go to post to check if it's a double-up. This knife is the Helden Rand version of the Mercator Black Cat K55 humpback knives, and is 8 1/8" oal from tip to end of bail about 1/2" longer than a Mercator, although, I don't know if Kauffmann included the bail in their length/SS spear-point blade, 2-piece black aluminum body, SS pins and bail, no liners, and front tang stamp of "HELDEN RAND". Weighs a scant 2.6 oz.'s, and came factory sharp. Walks open smoothly, and snaps like a gator when it talks! These are solid knives that I don't think are appreciated nearly enough, and I really like em'! 8)WIN_20210217_14_10_42_Pro.jpg

Very nice Marc. I've known a couple of people that have had both. Also I believe a couple years ago Kriegar started producing a reproduction of the Helden Rand Kat. I believe their version was around 4-1/4" closed and has a 3-1/2" drop point blade. Can't remember where they were being made, but figured it may be in an Oriental Country.

Thanks for that additional info Smitty! I've recently seen the Merc's with dark walnut and smoked oak covers, and they are gorgeous, one of those will definitely be a future acquisition, although, they're a bit up there in price. Will likely wait for the "newness" to wear off and let the price come down. Great to see you over here on this thread, and please feel free to post some of your favorites! Mark!

[Ripster]

Afternoon , thought would throw this one at you all, got it from bro in law for a gift. Take it out occasionally when riding as it’s a boot knife, which like to carry when out on motorcycle. Have sliced some Salami and cheese with it , but that’s it, it came sharp,and is holding a good edge .
Hope you all are doing well , and staying safe and warm !

I can't take my eyes off those Camillus beauties in the back ground, all covered up and begging to be laid bare. Wow, would love to see them all lined up exposed. Beautiful.

Here you go IMAN , just got done oiling em up and thought be a good time for a group pic for you. The 72 is one nice fitting and looking piece , and the Camillus bone in the short line is some of the best in my book . Thanks for all the nice cutlery you’ve shown !! .
Have a good one .

[Ripster]

Afternoon , thought would throw this one at you all, got it from bro in law for a gift. Take it out occasionally when riding as it’s a boot knife, which like to carry when out on motorcycle. Have sliced some Salami and cheese with it , but that’s it, it came sharp,and is holding a good edge .
Hope you all are doing well , and staying safe and warm !

great photo with those beauties in the background

Thanks Nick, took awhile to get them in this shape,but worth it.

[doglegg]

JP, those are special.

[Madmarco]

Very handsome group J.P.! Congrats!

[Ivoryman]

Here you go IMAN , just got done oiling em up and thought be a good time for a group pic for you. The 72 is one nice fitting and looking piece , and the Camillus bone in the short line is some of the best in my book . Thanks for all the nice cutlery you’ve shown !! .
Have a good one .
[/quote]




Thanks a bunch, that's really a great line up. We see a lot of those around here and that's the best looking group shot I can remember. Great colors. Thanks again.

[toomanyknives]

Some great looking knives there, gentlemen!

[WillyCamaro]

Some mighty fine Iron you boys are showing off today, mighty fine. My favorite tis yer boot dagger JP, lines just perfect on that Schrade...

[Madmarco]

Well guys, I'm posting late today because what started out as a wonderful day did a complete turnaround and became a nightmare! I went to the mailbox this morning expecting to see a package that's on the way from Mark at SSk, but instead there was a package that I wasn't expecting for awhile yet, and 1 single envelope. In the package was the knife I'm posting today, and it comes with quite a story. I had spotted the knife on this forum when it was posted by another member in 2018, and it was one of those knives that "ya just gotta have", so I messaged the owner asking if it might be for sale. He said that he hadn't thought of the knife in awhile and he had no special attachment to it, and that he'd look for the receipt so he could give me an accurate price. Some time passed and I hadn't heard from him, so I messaged him again. About 2 weeks later he sent me a message stating he would sell the knife for $150./shipped, along with some pictures. I agreed to his terms and we set a date to do the transaction. The day before we were to do the deal I messaged him just to be sure everything was on track, but got no reply. Suffice to say the deal fell through and I began a search on ebay for one. I found one almost immediately but the price was out of my league, so I sent the seller an offer which he immediately accepted. This really surprised me and I realized I'd need to do some financial shuffling to pay for it, which I did successfully. I paid for the order and it arrived today, much to my excitement. I opened the package and was enjoying my new knife when I remembered the envelope. I opened it only to find a "Notice of Seizure" from Customs for my package from Mark. They claimed that all 3 knives enclosed had "index flippers"(I don't know what those are either)when in fact 2 knives have thumb-studs, and the 3rd has nothing more than a nail-nic, all 100% legal to import into Canada. I can appeal their decision, which I will, although, I don't have a lot of confidence in government officials that can't even distinguish a thumb-stud from a flipper. That fact may actually be to my benefit because when they're reviewing the claim they will see that the 3rd knife doesn't even have a thumb-stud, so perhaps they will rule in my favor by realizing their agent needs some work on his assessment of knives. I'll let ya know when it's all settled. Now, the knife! It's a genuine prototype of a knife that was commissioned by Blackjack Knives to be built in Seki, Japan but never was. There was paperwork in the package from Jemmy Iwahara from Japanese Knives Direct, the same fella that Mark(SSk)deals with, stating the knife is a proto that never went into production, there were only a few made and were made by hand, and that the knife is very rare. I'm going to contact Jemmy to see if he can tell me anymore about the knife because, the tang stamp on mine and the copy from the deal that fell through is "FLT-1", but, I found another copy on ebay that has a tang stamp of the official Blackjack logo, and an asking price of US$1498., so I'd like to know why the 2 are different and who exactly built them. So, what was shaping up to be a stellar day ended up being just an O.K. day. The trails and tribulations of a Canadian knife enthusiast! Here are the specs! It's an 8 3/8" oal linerlock/SS dagger blade with stud, NS bolsters, brass liners, and black ringed micarta covers. Just a gorgeous knife that I'm very pleased to own! If you click-on a picture once it will open in an expanded window, and if you click-on it again it will magnify so you can read the paperwork and see the tang stamp!
WIN_20210215_13_24_56_Pro.jpgWIN_20210215_13_25_19_Pro.jpgWIN_20210215_13_25_45_Pro.jpgWIN_20210215_19_31_18_Pro.jpg

It was too late to edit my OP guys, but I got a bit more info on my B/J proto! Jemmy said that he couldn't explain the different tang stamps but they usually didn't stamp their protos although he really can't recall from over 30 years ago, the knives were built by Mr. Noda whom I'm assuming is/was a renowned Japanese maker, and value is what current collectors would value it at. So, not a lot more to go on, but suffice to say the knife is staying with me under any and all circumstances!

[Madmarco]

Well guys, I dug out this big ole' Japanese tanto folder as my comfort knife for today! This one is totally unmarked, although, I was told by the fella I bought it from that he bought it in England over 30 years ago and he believed it was built in Japan. It's an 11 3/4" oal lockback/SS tanto blade with the nail-nick positioned directly adjacent to the finger choil on the handle, NS ornately engraved with a dragon bolsters, brass pins, no liners, and jet-black ABS covers with deep grooves for gripping. Fairly heavy at about 8 oz.'s, and the blade came oiled and sharp. This was 1 of the 1st knives I purchased about 2 years ago, and it's the one that got me started on wanting to acquire as many different knives from around the world as I could find, and afford. It's definitely a showpiece knife, although, if so desired it would make an excellent user since it's so solid, albeit a bit big for the pocket!

[Papa Bones]

Here you go IMAN , just got done oiling em up and thought be a good time for a group pic for you. The 72 is one nice fitting and looking piece , and the Camillus bone in the short line is some of the best in my book . Thanks for all the nice cutlery you’ve shown !! .
Have a good one .

Simply awesome J.P.

[Papa Bones]

Well guys, I dug out this big ole' Japanese tanto folder as my comfort knife for today! This one is totally unmarked, although, I was told by the fella I bought it from that he bought it in England over 30 years ago and he believed it was built in Japan. It's an 11 3/4" oal lockback/SS tanto blade with the nail-nick positioned directly adjacent to the finger choil on the handle, NS ornately engraved with a dragon bolsters, brass pins, no liners, and jet-black ABS covers with deep grooves for gripping. Fairly heavy at about 8 oz.'s, and the blade came oiled and sharp. This was 1 of the 1st knives I purchased about 2 years ago, and it's the one that got me started on wanting to acquire as many different knives from around the world as I could find, and afford. It's definitely a showpiece knife, although, if so desired it would make an excellent user since it's so solid, albeit a bit big for the pocket! WIN_20210218_14_41_15_Pro.jpg

That is a Hoss of a knife. Very ornate bolsters, and I like how they molded the traditional hilt braids in the handles. I've always liked the tanto design.

[Madmarco]

Thanks Smitty! I really like the tanto blades too, and, you've taught me the proper name for what I was calling grooves, "hilt braids", thank you for that!

[Ripster]

Thanks Smitty! I really like the tanto blades too, and, you've taught me the proper name for what I was calling grooves, "hilt braids", thank you for that!

That’s a lot of knive! And that Tanto blade is blinking cool ,like it
Lot of neat stuff been shown here, been interesting.
Thanks all for the comments on pics, been fun .
Stay in the Comfort Zone Mark ,thanks for a neat thread .

[Madmarco]

Thanks Smitty! I really like the tanto blades too, and, you've taught me the proper name for what I was calling grooves, "hilt braids", thank you for that!

That’s a lot of knive! And that Tanto blade is blinking cool ,like it
Lot of neat stuff been shown here, been interesting.
Thanks all for the comments on pics, been fun .
Stay in the Comfort Zone Mark ,thanks for a neat thread .

Thanks J.P.! Yes, that tanto surely is a big one! And thank you for your posts, I've enjoyed them equally too! Don't be a stranger, I have all my fixed blades to post yet! And I'm ALWAYS in the Comfort Zone J.P., I tried uncomfortable and didn't like it much!