I got an email from Randall this morning. Apparently, Maroon Micarta is not available for this knife, so my choice is Black or Green Linen Micarta. I chose Black. Also, the Nickel Silver Butt Cap is not an option for this knife, because it is full-tang. Well, the good news is that dropped the price by $85. Also, that means that what I have on order is identical to the one shown above, with the exception of the two lines of blade etching that I specified, which will be on the other side of the blade.

quote:

Originally posted by lunde:
It seems as though my dad and I are having a contest...

Ahh yeah the ARMS race my dad and I have that at times also....

Gorgeous knives. Thanks for posting and keep on showing them.

A couple Buxton Fighters, which is a Randall Dealer Special offered through Wayne Buxton. These are not my photos. It is between the #14 (7.5") and #15 (5.5") in terms of blade length, which is 6.5", and has a protruding full tang that serves as a skull crusher. Both have Nickel Silver Forward Curved hilts and Single Finger Grip handles. The first has Red/Black Micarta:





The second has Torquoise/Black Micarta that matches my identically-configured #14 (my photo this time):

KEn now you got me hooked I got my catalog in mail I am looking at number 5 to start with maybe a green mic handle. So many choices the ordering of the right thing may be harder than the wait

The #5 is an excellent choice. The #5 6" that I ordered on 06/09/2004 arrived about thirty minutes ago. It has six chargable options, ordered before the limit was capped to five: stainless steel blade, stag handle, nickel silver hilt, wrist thong, compass, and two lines of blade etching (my name and birthdate). The ones I ordered for my three children have the same configuration, and will differ only in the characteristic of the stag handle and the blade etching.

I posted the following in a Randall forum a few minutes ago, and feel it is useful to post it here, too. The person who started the thread was merely stating that he placed another order through the shop, and that he has five years to wait. Anyway, this is what I wrote:

A #5-6" SS with stag handle, nickel silver hilt, wrist thong, compass, and two lines of blade etching arrived on Monday of this week. I ordered it on 06/09/2004.

I'd like to quote the following passage from Sheldon & Edna Wickersham's recent book, at the end of the "Dealer Specials" section on Page 211:

quote:

Not only can an authorized Randall dealer substantially reduce your delivery period, but in many cases can also put a fairly unique or specialized Randall knife into your hands at a decent price. A great group of guys to work with, placing an order or two with each of them will ensure that your newest Randall knives arrive on a semi-regular basis...

My first such dealer order was placed in November of 2006, for a pair of matching #16 Divers with options and blade etching, through Tom Clinton (aka, "Sharp Stuff"). I had to pay a deposit, to the tune of $50 per knife, only because I specified blade etching. Tom quoted me 18 months to two years. I never bugged him about it. Then, in early December of 2007, a box arrived at my work address, addressed from "Sharp Stuff." Wow. Barely over a year.

Here they are:





One was for me, hence my name and birthdate on the blade. The other was a gift for a friend.

I placed another order through Tom early this year, for his Dealer Special. Hopefully I'll see it by the end of next year. If it arrives earlier than that, it'll become a pleasant surprise.

Oh, and I also have my share of shop orders, my latest having been placed on 06/27/2008, for a non-catalog Fireman Special (nickel silver hilt, [black micarta] single finger grip handle, and two lines of blade etching). 05/16/2013 is the projected shipping date.

I wrote:

quote:

I placed another order through Tom early this year, for his Dealer Special. Hopefully I'll see it by the end of next year. If it arrives earlier than that, it'll become a pleasant surprise.

Sadly, Tom Clinton passed away a week ago, on 08/02/2008, at the age of 73. His funeral was held last Tuesday. It is unclear what will happen with his Randall dealership, and with existing orders. There is a chance that his son, Gary, may take over his dealership. He was Randall's largest dealer.