All About Pocket Knives

kennedy knives wrote:Mark After Christmas I will try and show the different Stamps that I have on the AL-Mars for reference.
Have a Merry Christmas

Gary, I am looking forward to the Al Mar stamps and more information on those. I would love to hear more about some of those particular fixed blades, handle materials, blade design, number produced and craftsman. That is if you have that information. I know that’s a lot to ask.
Here is one of the 4 Seki knives that I got for Christmas. I picked up 3 from JKD when they released the new customs this December. I am going to cut and paste the description of this one.
MS-100 Masayuki Sato "Higonokami Folder" Japanese traditional Higonokami Folder of 2-1/2" D2 mirror polished single edge blade with sharp Kiridashi tip and Thumb opening lever with file work on top, Flat grind on back in satin finish, Slip joint friction folder, 4" rare Japanese Koki (紅木) wood handle, tapped emboss finish with Red wire inlays and Gold pin, Black Leather thong on end with Ivory ring, Comes with custom made Dark brown Leather pouch with Carabineer belt hook.
D2 blade in 2.6mm thick, 65mm blade, 162mm overall in open, Weight 50g
I wasn’t about to try and spell all those Japanese words.
This one really caught my eye. Masayuki Sato made three different knives w/ this wood and the wire on the handle. All are stunning
My only concern w/ this one is that there is no liner on this knife. So it would NOT hold up to heavy use. That pin is placed right in wood. I know nothing about this wood and how hard it is, but I would think that side to side pressure will weaken the wood around the pin eventually. Doesn’t matter to me, I wanted it for the looks primarily. That sheath is pretty sweet too. I will post the others in the coming days.
SSk

Here is another Higonokami made by Master Fumio Inagaki. He was an apprentice under Master Seizo Imai 30 years ago. This is a custom knife that he made for JKD. The liners and bolsters are made of stainless steel and the blade is VG-10 Damascus. Opens and closes easily and smoothly. There is no lock on the blade.
My only complaint, and it’s a small one, is that the pins are just a little rough around them. A little surprised by that.
SSk

The pin issue you mentioned is clear. I wonder if something like that could be due to failing eyesight. Or a less steady hand deriving from age.

Quick Steel wrote:The pin issue you mentioned is clear. I wonder if something like that could be due to failing eyesight. Or a less steady hand deriving from age.

QS, I hadn’t thought of that. I know that as my mother in law got older and older she couldn’t see that her dishes were dirty after she washed them. So many things she couldn’t see or feel as her senses wore out. I would think that a knife master could have the same issues.
SSk

Here is another Seki made custom knife from knife maker Yuta Katayama. Here is the description of the knife from the JKD website: YK-100 KAWASEMI 川蝉 Beautiful Slimline EDC Utility knife, ideal for Steak knife too! 3-1/8" Shirogami #2 (White steel) forge layered Damascus V-grind blade, 5" Hand contoured and rounded Desert Ironwood handle with Mirror polished Stainless steel bolster, Full tang with Nickel silver rivets and tubelar lanyard hole on end, Comes with Blue Leather sheath
Shirogami #2 Damascus blade in 2.2mm thick, 80mm blade, 205mm overall, Weight 100g
I have been wanting one of these “white steel” Damascus knives for many years. This one caught my eye when they posted this earlier this month. This one is premium Desert Ironwood. It feels great in the hand, very balanced and smooth as silk. When the weather warms up next year and if I go fishing, I would like to try this one out fileting fish, it seems perfect for that task.
SSk

Yes, a Bird & Trout to die for all right. First I've seen of white Dami.

S2K wrote:Yes, a Bird & Trout to die for all right. First I've seen of white Dami.

TJ. It is spectacular. I have looked at other knives in white steel before and fall in love w/ everyone of them.
Here is my last Christmas knife. This one was posted early in this thread by someone else. It’s an A.G. Russell pinched peanut in mammoth ivory. I bought this from A.G. Russell’s website. I am thinking seriously about carrying this one. So far I am carrying it in a pouch to protect it. I figure that since I paid full retail there isn’t much room for this to appreciate, so why not? These are not cheap for such a little knife. I really like the angle and cut of the blades. This small wharncliffe blade is so sharp that the point is almost like a needle. Found that out the hard way. And, of course, as you can see from the blade/spring meeting point, this one has the typical high tolerances of any Seki made knife with no gap between the blade and spring.
The mammoth ivory has a mottled appearance, w/out that you wouldn’t be able to tell this from elephant ivory, they did a remarkable job on the handles.
SSk

With these beautiful knives you keep posting Mark, I am beginning to think maybe I should go back to work just so I can afford to acquire some of these gems like you. Don't think I will but you are pushing me closer and closer to the edge. Congratulations on your Mammoth. The fit of the Seki knives, the tolerances, are just great.

Hi Mark I see it's your Birthday So Happy Birthday Good looking Peanut you have there

kennedy knives wrote:Hi Mark I see it's your Birthday So Happy Birthday Good looking Peanut you have there

Thank you Gary. I have to admit, I’m smitten with this one.
Mark

Wishing you all the best on your birthday Mark.

Quick Steel wrote:Wishing you all the best on your birthday Mark.

QS, Thank you. It’s been a great birthday/holiday having our girl from Thailand here with us. Since she was orphaned at 13, she missed a lot of family time during the holidays. So childlike in her enjoyment of the holidays. Here is a picture of her on Christmas morning. She loved the necklace I bought for her. Feel very blessed this year to be able to share this season w/ this precious girl.
Mark

Here are all 7 of the MC-3 series knives from Mcusta in their display board. I like the deep red color for these. So impressed w/ these Mcusta’s. Well made and an incredible amount of craftsmanship went into each one. They look really nice all toghether.
SSk

Mark, that is a wonderful collection and display. Literally full of wonder.

Anyone get any Moki, Mcusta, Al Mar or other Seki made knives for Christmas? Let’s see them.
SSk

Very Nice Red Bone Moki Model MK-433anz Doesn't get any better than this one

kennedy knives wrote:Very Nice Red Bone Moki Model MK-433anz Doesn't get any better than this one

They call that Kronos don’t they? Or am I thinking about another one that they have? That’s one of my favorites. It’s beauty.
SSk

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:

kennedy knives wrote:Very Nice Red Bone Moki Model MK-433anz Doesn't get any better than this one

They call that Kronos don’t they? Or am I thinking about another one that they have? That’s one of my favorites. It’s beauty.
SSk

Mark you are 100% right that is a Kronos Has As good of fit & finish as any Custom Where the Blade At top side meets the back spring it as good as a custom .

kennedy knives wrote:

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:

kennedy knives wrote:Very Nice Red Bone Moki Model MK-433anz Doesn't get any better than this one

They call that Kronos don’t they? Or am I thinking about another one that they have? That’s one of my favorites. It’s beauty.
SSk

Mark you are 100% right that is a Kronos Has As good of fit & finish as any Custom Where the Blade At top side meets the back spring it as good as a custom .

Gary, Do you have any of the annual limited edition knives made by Master Hatori? I see on JKD website that he has issued an annual knife since 2003. Wonder what those go for and availability? Not trying to purchase at this time, just lining up for the future.
SSk

No Mark Don't have any .

I dug a little deeper on the JKD site and found this interesting history of Ichiro Hattori. There is also information on Bob Lum designed B&T knives, SOG and many other knives that have links to Seki. Find it here http://hattoricollector.com/ .
Also this photo goes w/ this last years limited edition Hattori annual knife. This one is still showing as available. This is one that’s on my wish list.
Master Hattori is in his 80’s and won’t be making knives forever. These annual limited edition knives would be an incredible collection to have.
SSk

Don't know much about these but it's the first to pass thru these hands...

TripleF wrote:Don't know much about these but it's the first to pass thru these hands...

Scott, Nice to see you posting on this thread. I don’t know much about that Al Mar but I am sure Gary Kennedy does. You can’t find an Al Mar that isn’t a nice knife. They make some of the best.
I saw that one on your eBay site the other day and was admiring it then. It’s tempting.
SSk

A little Bulldog Groundhog of Seki origin.

TripleF wrote:Don't know much about these but it's the first to pass thru these hands...

It's called (the Back-Up ) Model # 3801 Blade steel 6A, Blade Thickness 1/8" , Handle Aluminite , OVL 6 3/4"
Nice Knife
Gary