Welcome Home...THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY

iKnife Collector

The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel

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

24 members like this

Add a Comment

You need to be a member of iKnife Collector to add comments!

Join iKnife Collector

Comment by Dennis Hibar on December 30, 2023 at 2:54: Ending the year with a super gift from my daughter, her boyfriend, and Alan. This special knife features interior walrus ivory scales with highly defined nerve core, sterling silver bolsters and back spacer, and a 2.5" blade that Alan forged in his double layer feather Damascus pattern.

KnifeMaker Comment by Andy Larrison on October 30, 2023 at 7:04: Just an amazing piece....not much more to say except maybe....WOW!!!

Comment by Dennis Hibar on October 30, 2023 at 2:51: I can't believe that it has been 2 years since I added another of Alan's knives. I guess I was waiting to find one that filled a void in the collection. Here's the new one, a gent's liner lock outfitted with Sambar stag, a 2.9375" blade from Alan's "cat's claw" Damascus, and Chad Nichols mosaic Damascus for the bolsters.

Comment by Lars Ray on October 19, 2021 at 20:37: Oh sure...wave the chocolate in front of me! I wasn't in the market, but I might be now.

Let's take this off the boards... you can reach me at Szabla.collector@gmail.com. I do not check that email often, so if you don't see me respond soon enough, ping me here on my page.

Sometimes you just have to rub my nose in it!

Comment by Rick Propas on October 19, 2021 at 20:04: Lars, if you are in the market for one of Alan's knives, let me know. I have a few that I could stand to part with as I pare down my knife collection.

Comment by Lars Ray on October 19, 2021 at 16:20: I'm not picky...any Alan Davis knife will be just fine. You do remember I like Halloween too, right. We talked about this before! :-D

You have a most handsome Davis collection...well done you!

Comment by Dennis Hibar on October 19, 2021 at 14:10: Thanks Rick. Go for it!! Not sure how much shop time he is going to have for a while. His wife had some surgery and in addition to everything else going on ... he'll obviously be taking care of her (and everything she used to do).

Comment by Rick Propas on October 19, 2021 at 13:07: Dennis, even for Alan that is just extraordinary. Wow!! Double wow!! I just love not just the mammoth (though it is exceptional!) but also how the bolsters and blade integrate almost as if they are one. Wow wow wow! Would you mind if I asked him to do something similar for me??

Comment by Dennis Hibar on October 19, 2021 at 3:13: Here's another new Davis. Arrived the beginning of last week ... but getting half decent pictures of it turned out to be a challenge. This is mainly due to the fact that Alan gave the smooth, brown mammoth bark a super high polish. Very hard to capture the depth in the Mammoth under bright lighting without the inevitable reflections! So, had to struggle with multiple diffusers to eliminate them. Just wish I had more hands!! Anyway, this is a great looking gent's knife with a 2.875" blade and bolsters made from a billet of Steve Standish's mosaic Damasic. Great package that fits very well in hand.

And .... here's what I mean about those blasted reflections without using additional light diffusers .... even when I tried to position the knife on an angle away from the direct lighting.