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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 July 31, 2016 at 4:58: I think some nice Hawaiian Koa is in order for next Saturday!!

Comment by Jan Carter on July 30, 2016 at 20:36: Dennis,

Another stunner! That satin blade shows off the beauty of the wood like crazy! CTS has a great reputation and a good many high end knife makers appreciate it

Comment by John Bamford on July 30, 2016 at 10:24: Dennis that is a wonderful knife that Mesquite is a fantastic looking wood , I have heard of it but don't remember seeing it before . I did see Lonesome Dove and enjoyed it enormously though alas the reference to Deets escapes me as well . I the stuff is anything like the Blackthorn we have here it must be nasty stuff , when I get stung with blackthorn I almost always get infected .

Comment by Dennis Hibar on July 30, 2016 at 4:31: Here is another of my favorite Davis wood liner locks. Here is an example of some absolutely outstanding Texas mesquite adorning a knife. I have a personal, up close relationship with mesquite, as I have been stuck (more than a time or two) with its thorns. Fortunately, as I have told many a friend … some of whom didn’t understand the “Lonesome Dove” reference (more’s the pity), I didn’t need ole Deets to get ‘em out!! Anyway, the blade on this one is a perfectly sized 3” and is made from Carpenter’s CTS-XHP … which is outstanding steel. Bolsters are M3 composite that blend very nicely with the blade and scales.

Comment by Dennis Hibar on July 25, 2016 at 19:58: Well ... for this coming Saturday's update, I will post a beautiful wood with just stand offs, no back spacer (filed or otherwise!).

Comment by Jan Carter on July 25, 2016 at 19:15: This one truly is a stunner! I am not a file work person but that spring is just beautiful

Comment by Dennis Hibar on July 23, 2016 at 4:48: (Note: This knife has a new home!)

It's Saturday and time for another Davis.

Here is an one that fits so well in my hand, that I almost never want to put it down! Even though I am not a huge fan of flippers, there are a few for which I will make an exception … this is one! It has an overall length of 7.5 inches with a 3.25” Damascus blade by Rob Thomas (in his typhoon pattern). The scales are Mammoth bark ivory and the bolsters are M3 composite. Alan did some intricate file work on the back spacer and double anodized it in blue and gold. This is one of the many things I like about Alan's knives. He does some fantastic carving and filing on many of his back spacers. This one is a real eye catcher!

Comment by Dennis Hibar on July 16, 2016 at 9:55: He sure does Jan. I'll post a Mammoth ivory next week that has some great eye appeal.

Comment by Jan Carter on July 16, 2016 at 7:30: Mr. Davis sure has an eye for matching prime steel with some outstanding handle material!

Comment by Dennis Hibar on July 16, 2016 at 5:14: For your viewing pleasure today is one of my favorites (though most of my Alan Davis knives are favorites!).

I find this one very appealing for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the scales. While my favorite handle material on a knife is a beautiful wood ... giraffe bone is a close second (with Mammoth ivory third, and stag fourth). This one sports some green-dyed giraffe bone with great eye appeal. Alan coupled these scales with some M3 composite bolsters and a 3.1875" Chad Nichols Damascus blade in his lizard pattern. It has a really nice shape to it and feels great in hand. One of the things that Alan likes to do is dress up many of his knives with some attractive back spacers. This one is no exception. In addition to the neat file-work, I love the double anodized color!