All About Pocket Knives

Thanks guys.

Wonderful stuff Alan, never get tired of seeing your Lloyd's! Don't be a stranger.

Thanks Glenn. This one ranks right at the top. Ivory zulu with engraving done by Tommy Baldwin of Tampa/St. Pete.

The John Lloyd knives I own were bought as they were made, either on the secondary market or from Vincent Mazzei at vcmcustomknives.com except for this one which I had John make for me. It was for my home in Sanibel, Florida. I had a matching pair made, one for me and one for my cousin. I asked for a special shield. Sanibel is known for its shells so a shell was only fitting for this knife. He had it engraved by Tommy Baldwin. Click on photo for a better look.

Great knives fellas from one of the best guys.

John got the handle material from a repossessed stockpile that was from a guy who supplied Case. He got overextended and Case didn’t buy and his bank foreclosed. The bank had dumped a lot of material before he found it, because of the smell. About all the major custom makers get a lot of John’s materials.

He also sold GEC about 50-60,000 pieces of stag last year.

One of John's smaller sowbellies at 3 3/16" closed.

Alan, you've got quite an impressive collection. I'd like get at least one John Lloyd sometime in the future.

You and I discussed this model awhile back when I saw it for sale. Somebody else bought it but I would still like to get one like it some day.

Railsplitter wrote:Alan, you've got quite an impressive collection. I'd like get at least one John Lloyd sometime in the future.

You and I discussed this model awhile back when I saw it for sale. Somebody else bought it but I would still like to get one like it some day.

That popcorn is really special along with that angular clip point that is not often used by John.

The 2 knives above with the Sanibel shell shield: Wow, Wow & WOW ! Perhaps the most attractive custom knives i have ever seen by any maker.
Am i ever jealous !
kj

kootenay joe wrote:The 2 knives above with the Sanibel shell shield: Wow, Wow & WOW ! Perhaps the most attractive custom knives i have ever seen by any maker.
Am i ever jealous !
kj

Thank you. John took my basic idea and ran with it. His interpretation was better than I could have imagined. You can't beat a craftsman with an artistic eye.

Yes, design is everything for a folding knife. It could be made by the best in the world, but if the design elements do not have good flow & balance, it won't look good and you won't like it.
kj

A trio of zulus in stag, mammoth, and micarta.

John calls this one "Talon."

Joe do you know how jealous many of us are getting ? I have lost track of how many Lloyds you have posted but every single one of them is the best of John's work. As with all custom knife makers, not every knife he makes is an immediate "WOW !" But every one you have is.
I have followed John Lloyd knives from the very first one Vince posted, about 8-10 ? years ago. His early knives often had thick grinds with uneven taper, sometimes thicker at the point, which might have been intentional ? However he always has shown excellent design which is the artistic side of creating a knife. Not all knife makers have a strong sense of artistry. Artistry here means all the elements, shapes & proportions flow together seamlessly to create a unified 'whole', in this case, a knife.
Are all these knives that John made for you at your request ? Or are some from Vince's site or from secondary market ?
kj

Thanks for the comments because I have come to understand the work and vision it takes to be a custom maker through John. My first custom was a John Lloyd and to this point 90% of my customs are by John. My first was the Richlite LC below and the seller told me it was an early model and exhibited some flaws. To this day the only flaw I can find is the cut out for the shield is ever so slightly too big on one edge. What I paid which was about the cost of a new GEC made me very happy.

The only knife I've had John make was the pair of Clam Shell Shield Stag Teardrops. I guess I've gotten 25% on the secondary market and the rest from Vincent's site. John is currently making me a coffin jack with black carbon fiber covers.

I have a lot more to post but in the meantime here is the Lanny's Clip I mentioned.

What is the handle material on the Lanny's Clip ?
kj

kootenay joe wrote:What is the handle material on the Lanny's Clip ?
kj

It's Richlite.

https://richlite.com/pages/about

Thank you for the link. I have not heard of Richlite previously. It certainly is not commonly used for knife handles. Micarta stands up very well to trauma/abuse. I wonder if Richlite is similar.
kj

I think it was developed for kitchen counter tops so I imagine in addition to tough it's also waterproof.

I previously posted a stacked leather LC. I have one more stacked leather. This one is a sowbelly which is probably my favorite pattern.

Stunning! I also, think that's my favorite shield ever. I've never seen the official name of it. I'm assuming it's a chess piece. Queen? Bishop?

Doc B wrote:Stunning! I also, think that's my favorite shield ever. I've never seen the official name of it. I'm assuming it's a chess piece. Queen? Bishop?

I think it's called bullocks.

joeradza wrote:

Doc B wrote:Stunning! I also, think that's my favorite shield ever. I've never seen the official name of it. I'm assuming it's a chess piece. Queen? Bishop?

I think it's called bullocks.

I was definitely off...on that! Still love it!!!

Doc B wrote:

joeradza wrote:

Doc B wrote:Stunning! I also, think that's my favorite shield ever. I've never seen the official name of it. I'm assuming it's a chess piece. Queen? Bishop?

I think it's called bullocks.

I was definitely off...on that! Still love it!!!

How about a composite photo of four custom shields John has used.

Those are all awesome...I vote the lower right, fish