Dale Larson Knives:

If I keep saying this it is going to lose its impact, but “this is the sharpest knife I ever held.” If you remember the small Matt Lamey Bowie held this title only a few months ago (A New Definition of Sharp.) Now along comes this knife by Dale Larson and it at least equals, if not surpasses, the Lamey knife. I previously bought one other of Dale’s knives off Ebay and was impressed with its simplicity and the quality too. When I saw this one I decided to put in a bid on it. Most of the Larson knives I had seen before were smaller 5-6 inch hunters. Just to look at this knife you would think it was much bigger than a seven inch blade. I tend to consider any knife with a blade anything under 9 inches not quite a full-fledged Bowie. This sweetly upswept, heavily recurved blade is forged from 5160 steel and is about ¼ inch thick through the tang. The long false edge is partially sharpened. The finish on the blade is hand-polished to what looks like a 600 grit and it is one of the best finishes I have ever seen on a knife blade.

Dale also has a superb sense of handle ergonomics that many knife makers could take lessons from. This knife is no exception! The smallish handle fits my hand perfectly giving excellent retention and just encouraging me to swing the knife in broad slashing moves. Yes I know it will not be any good in reverse grip. So what?

So anyways, getting back to sharp. A good sharp blade will perform a clean draw-cut on the edge of a piece of copier paper. This one will cleanly cut off a slice just by virtue of its own weight and the force of gravity! What I am saying is that holding a piece of paper on end and holding the knife lightly by thumb and forefinger, the blade actually slid downwards, through the paper. This is phenomenal cutting power! Pool noodle targets offered no resistance either. Will it cut through ¼ inch steel bolts or stab through the hood of a 1936 Desoto? I don’t know and I don’t care. This knife has all the appearances of a Spanish/Mexican Bowie with one very big difference. Unlike most of those poorly tempered tourist pieces this knife will really cut. Watch for Dale Larson’s work on Ebay or contact him direct. You won’t get a lot of flash for your money but you will get a superbly shaped and finished knife that just happens to have the sharpest edge you’ll probably ever hold. Outstanding work Dale!

http://larsonforgeandfinish.com/index.html