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Custom Knives by Alan Davis

Thought I would start a blog here to showcase the work of my favorite knifemaker. I stumbled across Alan Davis, a knifemaker from Boerne, Texas, in late 2012. I was blown away by his knife designs. Even more astounding was the fact that they were virtually all one of a kind creations. Alan didn't just make one or two patterns and then just outfit them with different materials. Each and every one was pretty much different. While he did have a few designs that people seemed to like and ask for, even those were made a little differently to make them unique. Alan works with all types of handle and blade material ... but does prefer Damascus blades. I currently own 67 of his knives (mainly his linerlock folders, do have a few frame locks, slip joints and fixed blades) and jokingly told Alan that I would love to have owned 100 of his knives before I die. Wasn't sure that would happen (while I sell many of his knives, I have been known to give a some away to close friends, so that they understand why I keep praising Alan's work!) ... but, that milestone was reached on April 19th, 2021, when I hit that 100 goal. He is the only maker who I would have no problem asking to make a knife for me and leaving everything (material/design) up to him ... and be confident that I would be thrilled with the results! I have done this twice .... and thrilled both times!

To start things off, here is one of my favorites that I picked up in 2014 (though I have so many I love, that picking favorites is a very difficult task!). It is a beautiful linerlock folder with amber Sambar stag scales and M3 composite bolsters. The blade measures 3.375" and is made from Damascus by Zoe Crist (in his Blackhawk pattern). Pocket clip is also Zoe's Damascus. Backspacer and liners are nuggetized and anodized a sort of plum color. All in all, a beautiful knife that feels super nice in the hand and is not too large or heavy to carry around clipped to your pocket all day. Hope you like it.

Stay tuned ....

Tags: Alan, David, Knives

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Comment by Dennis Hibar on May 6, 2017 at 5:12: Here is a special Davis from my collection. It is dressed up with Mammoth tooth scales, Mokume bolsters and a just under 3 inch blade from some of Del Ealy’s multi-bar Damascus. The reason this one is special is that it has colors in it my mother would have loved. She passed away last year ... less than a week before Alan made this one. As soon as I saw it, knew I had to add it … as it reminds me of her.

Comment by Dennis Hibar on April 30, 2017 at 5:07: Thanks Jan. This one is a simply lovely knife. Only problem is that there is no way I can capture the wonderful chatoyancy in the wood in any of my pics.

Comment by Jan Carter on April 29, 2017 at 18:09: It looks a great deal like a friction folder to me and I LOVE this one. You know me, I love my woods and this one has a simple quality that I really like

Comment by Dennis Hibar on April 29, 2017 at 4:37: (Update: This knife has been gifted.)

While all of Alan’s knives are uniquely different in one way or another, every now and then, he takes things one step beyond different. These are the ones I like to spot quickly enough to add to the collection. Here is one example I picked up in January of 2016. It is a small folder with a 2.25” Rob Calcinore Damascus blade and curly koa scales. What sets this one apart from the pack is that it uses a front tab on the blade to open the knife (similar to the opening method a number of South African knife makers use). While Alan calls this a front opening flipper, you’d have to have very small hands to easily hold and flip the blade open. With my larger hands, I find it far more comfortable to roll the blade open with my thumb on the opening tab. This is a super nice knife that fits comfortably in the watch pocket of my jeans!!

Comment by Dennis Hibar on April 22, 2017 at 4:36: Let’s do some Mammoth bark again. Here’s a great Davis gent's folder. I bought it because I loved the blade. Well, that ... and I really liked the coloring of the Mammoth bark. And, truth be told, I also liked the matching Mokume bolsters and thumb stud. Okay … fact of the matter is, I love everything about the knife!! The green/dark caramel colored crackle Mammoth bark ivory scales have a very nice pattern and color. The bolsters and hand carved thumb stud are some of Mike Sakmar Mokume. The blade is nicely sized at 2.875" and is some of Del Ealy's Damascus in his Dragon pattern. Alan added double anodized, textured Ti back spacer and liners for some added eye appeal. Hope you enjoy.

Comment by Rick Propas on April 15, 2017 at 22:09: Everyone needs a few that are over the top!!

Comment by Dennis Hibar on April 15, 2017 at 4:24: (Note: This knife has a new home!)

How about a really eye-popping Davis flipper? The scales are a nicely figured curly Koa, bolsters are s-shaped M3 composite, blade is 3.3125" of iguana pattern Damascus by Chad Nichols, and it has fantastically anodized liners and clip and a carbon fiber back spacer. I bought this one in 2014 and was really on the fence about it. I mean the colors are so loud that they scream! However, after receiving the knife, I really started to appreciate it. Even though it is a little larger than I like, it really feels great in hand … and it is a super slicer!

Comment by Jan Carter on April 9, 2017 at 20:03: Rick,

The "basic" is a splendid looking knife. It is one I would feel just fine about putting in my pocket.

Comment by Rick Propas on April 8, 2017 at 13:11: That is stunning. No other word.

Comment by Dennis Hibar on April 8, 2017 at 4:40: One of the nice things about box elder is that the grain and coloring can differ so much from piece to piece. Throw in some dye … and well, the appearance combinations seem limitless! Here is an example of some dark dyed box elder with special bolsters. Alan made this one in September of 2016, but I missed it because I was out doing yard work when it listed. Fortunately, a month or so later, I was able to pry the knife from the collector who snagged it! (I love haggling with other collectors, whether it be to buy one of theirs or sell one of mine! You become great friends with people that way!) Anyway, this one has dark, richly colored box elder, a 2.875” Alabama Damascus blade, and blue shred carbon fiber bolsters separated from the scales with some blue G10. The blue shred is really fascinating, in that you only see the blue under some direct lighting and the color seems to shimmer as you rotate the knife. Really neat.