All About Pocket Knives

Thank you Marco. Al Mar certainly produced consistent quality. His standards were very high.

This is a traditional Japanese Hunting knife. The handmade blade is beautiful and super sharp.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 2:55 pm This is a traditional Japanese Hunting knife. The handmade blade is beautiful and super sharp.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2024 5:59 pm This Japanese made Damascus knife is unmarked as to its creator or location. The workmanship looks first rate to me. The almost 5" blade is set of by a full tang covered in a lustrous hardwood.


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That's a real beauty, QS! That Al Mar is no slouch either!

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 2:55 pm This is a traditional Japanese Hunting knife. The handmade blade is beautiful and super sharp.

I was always of the mind that it was Mark/SSk who spawned the interest in Japanese knives around here, but after seeing all these wonderful examples you've been posting, Garry, I might just have to do a rethink on that!
You have fine taste for great knives, my friend, thanks for sharing them with us, and if there's more, well...you know!

Thank you for your generous comments, Marco. To be clear, Mark's [SSK] knowledge of Japanese knives is of a different order than mine. He has great knowledge and experience adding up to profound expertise. I am just a wannabe.

This is a Bob Lum design executed in Seki City. This 5" bladed knife would be one of my top picks as a companion on outdoor adventures. Rugged but not too heavy.

What a perfect time for you to show one of your Bob Lum designed knives, Garry, since I just received this one yesterday and was about to post it! Great minds at work again!

SC-103 Lum "Encounter" 9 1/4" open silky-smooth 1-hand linerlock, with D2 mild clip-point with stud, textured G-10 covers secured with screws, SS liners/bolsters, and removeable clip.

I realize this is a fixed blade thread, but it seemed like a good opportunity to post it along with yours so I did, I hope no one objects terribly, but if you do please move it to where it belongs, I'd do it myself upon reading any complaints but I don't know how.
If memory serves me, Mark/SSk had a copy of this knife for sale in his store at one time, and I had it on my "Watchlist" but failed to act soon enough and regrettably for me it was sold, so I sure was pleased to find this one at ACK.com recently!

Nice Marco, I'm guessing that Lum's name or chop mark are on the blade but just can't be seen by me due to reflected light.

I'm not certain of what markings I'm looking for, Garry, but the only markings are, "SEKI*CUT" stamped on the front tang, and, "De Japan" stamped on the rear tang, nothing on the blade itself and it doesn't appear that anything has rubbed or faded off.

I got it from Arizona Custom Knives.com , and they're pretty strict regarding selling fakes and/or counterfeits, but you never know.
You seem so certain it should have distinctive markings, I hope I didn't get duped. Ordinarily I'm not overly concerned about a knife's origins, but I paid up some for that one so I'd much prefer it be genuine.

Your thoughts, Garry?

Marco, I never thought this might be an unauthorized copy. It is just that every knife of his {Lum} that I have seen has his name on the blade along with,for example, the name of the manufacturer such as Spyderco etc. It certainly looks like a Lum design to me. Perhaps some other member will comment. Or, you could call Arizona Customs and inquire about it. If you do kindly let me know your result so I can learn too.

Chris Reeve built this knife back in April 19, 2004. Both the blade and the hollow handle which is sealed with an O ring are made of A2 steel. This is the same steel used by Phil Hartsfield when he was making his extraordinary swords. Mr. Reeve called this knife his Project 2 and has a hardness rated at 55 to 57. Today Chris is famous for his highly respected pocket knives. I feel fortunate to own one of his early works, this fixed blade gem.

I have shown this knife previously and will no doubt post it again because I find it fascinating. Produced by Hanwei, the 7" blade [OAL 121/2"]has an unusual almost magical ability. The powerful clip on the aluminum sheath carries the weight of the knife. Clipped on the inside pocket of a quality sport coat or suit coat there is no perception of weight. Nor is its presence in any way revealed: no bulge, no drag. Tho held securely in its sheath the blade can be brought to hand with great speed. This is unquestionably the knife to take on a sophisticated adventure, say, to the Italian or French Riviara. James Bond could only wish to have such a blade.

On the Riviera or about the Kentucky countryside. Beside your Vietnam stories are better than Bonds. Sweet knife.

You are too kind doglegg. Besides I have had no sophisticated adventures in decades-if ever-none are available in the KY countryside.

Sweet fixed blades, QS! And some great knife history there too.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Tue May 21, 2024 1:53 pm Marco, I never thought this might be an unauthorized copy. It is just that every knife of his {Lum} that I have seen has his name on the blade along with,for example, the name of the manufacturer such as Spyderco etc. It certainly looks like a Lum design to me. Perhaps some other member will comment. Or, you could call Arizona Customs and inquire about it. If you do kindly let me know your result so I can learn too.

That's an excellent suggestion, Garry, although, ACK.com is a consignment site and their information isn't always correct, so I don't know if they would know.
It's odd you should mention doing that right at this time, cuz in the last week I have contacted them 3 times informing them of incorrect information in their descriptions and they were very grateful for my telling them, so they weren't likely simple typos or brain farts, but rather a lack of knowledge on their part.
It certainly won't hurt to try, and should I get anything positive I will certainly let you know.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Tue May 21, 2024 4:13 pm Chris Reeve built this knife back in April 19, 2004. Both the blade and the hollow handle which is sealed with an O ring are made of A2 steel. This is the same steel used by Phil Hartsfield when he was making his extraordinary swords. Mr. Reeve called this knife his Project 2 and has a hardness rated at 55 to 57. Today Chris is famous for his highly respected pocket knives. I feel fortunate to own one of his early works, this fixed blade gem.





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That's gorgeous, Garry.
I've always admired that particular design for a knife but couldn't afford a C.R., so I got the next best thing, in my eyes anyway, that being the Schrade look-a-like boot knife.
It will never be a C.R., but at least the pommel unscrews, and, the glass-breaker is brass! Yippie, huh? lol!

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Wed May 22, 2024 1:04 pm I have shown this knife previously and will no doubt post it again because I find it fascinating. Produced by Hanwei, the 7" blade [OAL 121/2"]has an unusual almost magical ability. The powerful clip on the aluminum sheath carries the weight of the knife. Clipped on the inside pocket of a quality sport coat or suit coat there is no perception of weight. Nor is its presence in any way revealed: no bulge, no drag. Tho held securely in its sheath the blade can be brought to hand with great speed. This is unquestionably the knife to take on a sophisticated adventure, say, to the Italian or French Riviara. James Bond could only wish to have such a blade.


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This is another pattern I'm quite fond of, Garry, in fact, I originally thought yours was an Anton Wingen Jr. "Othello" until I looked closer and read it is a Hanwei design.
Could we please see pictures of the entire blade and handle together outside the sheath? Thx!
Very nice knife you have there, and coming from you it's not surprising!

Marco, I especially like your Schrade Bootknife. Many Boot knives I find are too wide, too fat, for my tastes. Yours is just right.

Good to learn of your experience with Arizona. I had assumed that being a consigner of custom knives they would be reliable in their analysis and understanding of knives.Now I am alerted. Thanks.

Hope these photos help.

My goodness, Garry, your knife is even nicer than I expected, it's gorgeous. I tried picturing it with a dagger or spear-point, but ultimately decided it looks perfect just the way it is. Thanks for the additional pictures.

And thx for the compliment about my Schrade, I feel the same way.
It feels slim in my hand yet has substantial weight making it very comfortable to hold and fondle.
When I first got it I posted it in the Schrade forum, but got indirectly scolded for polluting the pure Schrade thread with a wannabe, which not knowing Schrade knives very well puzzled me, until someone explained what that was about. Ya can't win em' all, I guess.

Please don't get me wrong about ACK.com, those guys know their knives 99.9% of the time, perhaps my words were a bit too strong. I have to assume that any mistakes they make are due to the sheer volume of knives they handle everyday, and when they do get something wrong it's likely due to the description writer being overloaded with his job and slips up. I'm contradicting what I stated about brain farts, but upon rethinking it that is more likely the cause of any mistakes. To give you an idea of just how many knives they deal with on a daily basis, in their blurb explaining how the consignment works they state that after they receive your knives it will be about 6 months before they're listed for sale, cuz they need to do their research, clean and polish them, and figure out prices, so if that's too long for you please don't send them. I probably should have simply said, be sure to read the descriptions and examine the pictures closely before buying, so please don't be soured about dealing with them.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Thu May 23, 2024 2:44 pm Marco, I especially like your Schrade Bootknife. Many Boot knives I find are too wide, too fat, for my tastes. Yours is just right.

Good to learn of your experience with Arizona. I had assumed that being a consigner of custom knives they would be reliable in their analysis and understanding of knives.Now I am alerted. Thanks.

Hope these photos help.

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Gary, did you have a boot knife during your time in Vietnam?

LTW 10th Anniversary Knife in ironwood

Hi doglegg. No, I didn't carry a boot knife in Nam. On my belt I caaried a 5" blade field knife. As a final backup I did carry a Colt .38 snubby.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Sat May 25, 2024 4:44 pm Hi doglegg. No, I didn't carry a boot knife in Nam. On my belt I caaried a 5" blade field knife. As a final backup I did carry a Colt .38 snubby.