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Randall Knives - What's So Special?
Article Summary: Randall Knives are regarded as genuine collectible pieces, especially among knife devotees. Randall is renowned for making some of the best quality hand-made knives worldwide.
Randall Knives are regarded as genuine collectible pieces, especially among knife devotees. Randall is renowned for making some of the best quality hand-made knives worldwide.
History of Randall Made Knives
W.D. "Bo" Randall began constructing knives in his spare time. He quickly learned to hand-fashion high-quality forged knives for different outdoor applications. He began selling them casually in the years prior to World War II.
In the initial stages of WWII, a journalist got wind of these knives and wrote a story regarding Bo. This led to overwhelming demand and forced Bo into the knife-manufacturing industry full time. This worked out to be a great thing for knife buffs!
Randall continued to hand-forge every knife despite the time commitment and lure of mass-producing his merchandise. He acquired more positive attention throughout WWII as several war heroes, including Ronald Reagan, owned his weapons.
Subsequent to the war, Bo was sought out by NASA to create a survival knife for its fledgling space department. The result was one of Randall's most famous knives -- The Model #17 aka the "Astro".
Bo Randall passed away in 1989, but left his company in the competent hands of his son Gary. Today, Randall Knives benefits from an excellent reputation for producing some of the most premium hand-made knives around the world. Their knives are genuine collectibles, often increasing in resale value instantly after purchase.
The Knives
Randall offers more than 50 styles, many of which have been made for many years. The knives break down into a few divisions: Outdoorsman blades are for hunting, fishing and general wilderness chores. The model 5 and #8 "Trout and Bird" are in this category.
Saltwater knives are for underwater tasks, fishing and common utility use. The Model 10 and #16 "Diver" are the most popular items in this sub-division. Survival knives include the famous #17 "Astro" and Model 18 "Attack And Survival". Military style knives include the Model 15 "Airman" and the "Attack" #14. Bowie models include the #12 "Bear Bowie" and #13 "Arkansas Toothpick".
Knife Construction
Randall Made's knives have been continuously improved throughout the organization's lifetime. The current seventeen step process is very time-intensive, but results in a quality product. High-carbon steel is hand crafted to exact specifications. The completed knife is then buffed multiple times. If you want to read more about the knife-making process, visit Randall's home online.
Where to Buy Randall Knives
When you are shopping for a Randall knife, there are several buying choices open to you. By going to Randall's website, it is possible to register for a backorder list that is approximately fifty months long, if you aren't in a hurry. There are a few official resellers of Randall's knives, so you might be able to to locate a knife if you look for one of those. Unfortunately, these merchants are unable to buy a large supply of knives, so you aren't always going to locate one through them. If you need the knife right away or need a specific type of knife, your best option is eBay.
There are many new and previously owned Randall Made Knives offered for sale at eBay. It might require a little searching around to discover the right type of knife for you, but with some effort you can usually locate the right one. Always check the feedback score belonging to the vendor before buying, because you should purchase from a reputable vendor. Usually that means someone who has earned a feedback score of 98% or higher.
Learn More about Randall Knives
Randall Made knives are so popular, there are multiple books written about them: an exemplary reference book by The Wickershams, Robert Hunt's "Randall Military Models" and "Randall Made Knives: The History Of The Man And The Blades" from Robert L. Gaddis.
For a rough overview of the Knives, check out the Wikipedia's page on Randall Made Knives. It's brief, but does offer up a few links to more definitive websites.
Article Source: http://www.upublish.info
About the Author:
Greg K. Roy
Greg R. is a knife buff and amateur historian. He's also a frequent author at OnlyKnives, where he loves to write about hand-made knives like those from Randall Made.
His opinions have been published and recognized far and wide, so check out his writings on all types of outdoor knives, pocket knives and more.
