Knife History Archives

What Knife Would Jim Bowie Carry Today?

Knife History

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February 3, 2026

If he were in his prime today, Jim’s EDCs would run the gamut.

Jim Bowie is known for more than a few things, among others the Sandbar Fight, the Battle of the Alamo and the knife called by his surname for nearly 200 years. A member of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame®, he was a businessman, soldier, pioneer and frontiersman, and a gentleman of means. While he gave his life at the Alamo 190 years ago this March 6, if he were as immortal as his namesake knife, what would be his EDC today?

BLADE® field editor Reuben Bolieu knows knives, the outdoors and bushcraft.

“If Jim Bowie were around today, he’d do as I’m sure he did back in his time—use the best materials on hand up to his standards,” Reuben observed. “I believe his everyday carry would reflect both tradition and modern utility. Two blades from Bear Forest Knives stand out: the GT-EDC and the Thunder. Each offers distinct advantages and together capture the essence of Bowie’s legacy.”

The GT-EDC belt knife is compact yet capable. At 8 inches overall with a 4-inch blade, it balances portability with cutting power. The eighth-inch thickness gives precise control and strength without excess weight, while 1095 carbon steel ensures durability in the field. A 90-degree spine adds fire-starting utility, and the full flat grind makes slicing efficient. Finished in a rock-tumbled acid wash, it carries a rugged look that matches its performance.

In ABS master smith Lin Rhea’s view, Jim Bowie would still be carrying a bowie knife, forged and differentially heat treated, with a few touches of class. A modern-styled knife with a hint of the Sandbar Fight like Lin’s Preacher (facing page) would fill Bowie’s bill. Kay Rhea made the sheath. (Jocelyn Frasier knife image)

The sheath is .080-inch-thick black Kydex, with a nylon cross-draw/scout belt loop. Though definitely not the typical way to carry a knife in Bowie’s days, in modern EDC terms it’s the Bowie spirit distilled into a pocket-sized package.

On the other hand, Bowie was known for carrying big steel. It was not just acceptable for him to carry a big knife, it was expected. That’s where the Thunder comes in. At 15 3/8 inches overall with a 10-inch blade, it commands respect the moment it clears leather. At 3/16-inch thick, the 52100 carbon steel blade is built for performance. The high-saber grind delivers power on every cut, while the 90-degree spine adds versatility. The rock-tumbled acid-wash finish speaks to hard use, not polish. Natural linen Micarta® scales lock into the hand, and the JRE Industries brown leather sheath completes the package.

The Thunder is more than a knife—it’s a frontier weapon, a tool and a statement. Bowie would carry it with pride, knowing size and steel would give him the edge on any foe.

Together, these knives show the evolution of Bowie’s legacy. The GT-EDC represents modern practicality—lightweight, efficient and discreet. The Thunder embodies the old-school bowie ethos—large, commanding and battle-ready.

“Bowie would carry something like one of the CAS knives,” purveyor/retired ABS master smith Dave Ellis said. “They’re perfectly executed with high-end materials and expert technique.” A Sobral Brothers/CAS bowie in mosaic damascus, S-guard, gold accents and stag handle applies. (Dave Ellis/Exquisiteknives.com image)

“If Jim Bowie lived today, I believe he’d carry both,” Bolieu stated. “The GT-EDC for daily utility, the Thunder for the moments when steel decides fate—both made in the USA. In either case, he’d have the edge on any foe.”

The Preacher

Few bladesmiths merge both historic and modern influences in their bowie knives as well as ABS master smith Lin Rhea. If anyone can predict how a contemporary Bowie would blend historic knife design with modern materials and flair, it’s Lin.

“I try to pay homage to the old craftsmen and their techniques,” Rhea observed of his bladesmithing approach. “That’s how I know how to do things: the old way.”

According to Lin, after the Sandbar Fight Bowie sought out James Black, who made the knife known as Bowie No. 1. Black lived in Washington, Arkansas, just down the road from where Rhea lives today.

With the pronounced clip-point blade, it’s easy to see the Bowie influence on the GT-EDC from Bear Forest Knives. Would a Bowie-inspired EDC be on Jim’s hip?

“I think for sure he’d go with some kind of S-guard bowie knife, with a sharpened clip and a stag handle. It would be both fancy and practical,” Lin opined. “Bowie went to James Black because his blades had a reputation for toughness as well as innovation, using silver in such a way as to render the handles waterproof.”

Compared to the knives of the time, the bowie was larger than usual and had a larger handle, too. Obviously, to Lin, Bowie would still be carrying a bowie knife, forged and differentially heat-treated, with a few touches of class. He’d still carry an innovative version of his old-faithful design. A modern-styled knife like Lin’s Preacher would fit the bill.

High End

Dave Ellis is a custom knife purveyor and a retired ABS master smith. He knows how to make a world-class knife and what it takes to buy and sell knives of the highest quality and price points.

“If we were just thinking about price points, Bowie could carry a Loveless Big Bear or a Bill Moran damascus ST-24,” Dave noted. “Both would be $60,000 to $80,000 in today’s dollars.” Vintage examples of those knives are so valuable because they were made by two iconic Cutlery Hall of Famers and are historic, nearly antique. Would Bowie carry such an expensive knife that’s several decades old? You be the judge.

Veteran EOD tech Rob Cude said Bowie would carry at least two knives. One might be like the knife Cude and Kit Carson designed that eventually became the Buck Knives Intrepid. The original design featured a special wedge-shaped tip, a sharpened spine area for cutting metal straps and an exposed tang for durability during hammering.

Dave and your intrepid reporter discussed jewel-encrusted daggers by Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Buster Warenski, engraved Warren Osborne autos and $100,000 Japanese katanas. We ultimately recognized that Bowie had a flair for the practical. While he may very well carry a knife that screams “I’m rich!” it would also have to do its basic job.

When it comes to the highest modern expressions of the bowie knife, the South Americans stand out. Whether by the Sobral Brothers/CAS Knives, ABS master smiths Dionatam Franco and Rodrigo Sfreddo or other top artisans, the merger of high quality and performance within the bowie genre is very evident.

“I’m thinking Bowie would carry something like one of the CAS knives,” Ellis said. “They’re perfectly executed with high-end materials and expert technique, and at a first glance are still immediately recognizable as bowie knives.”

Warfighter Knives

Serving his country with acts of valor as a first-class warfighter, veteran explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) tech Rob Cude spent his career in the shadows. Success in his job meant frustration for the bad guys and safety and silence for the good ones.

According to Rob Cude, something like the Spartan Ronin Shinto with a recurve blade, long edge and a bit of belly for utility jobs would be on Bowie’s hip. Blade steel and length: CPM MagnaCut stainless and 5 5/8 inches. Country of origin: USA. MSRP: $385-$420.

Rob’s background is in knife design for special forces, military and EOD. In the 1990s, he sought out Cutlery Hall-of-Fame maker Kit Carson to build exactly the knife that would suit his needs. The modern warfighter may jump out of a plane, swim from a boat or trek over land, none of which lend themselves to a wimpy knife.

In tandem with Kit, Rob designed the knife that would in 1998 become the Intrepid from Buck Knives. The original design featured a special wedge-shaped tip, a distinctive sharpened area on the spine for cutting metal straps, an exposed tang for durability during hammering, and a ceramic bead finish that was much more rust-resistant than a sandblasted one. Stainless 440C steel was the best game going at the time and had a suitable combination of hardness and toughness.

“If your knife edge rolls or the knife bends, you can fix it,” Rob advised, “but if it chips or breaks, you’re stuck.”

From Rob’s soldier perspective, Bowie would carry a gun and at least two knives. As technology has evolved, the tools of the soldier have evolved. Given how Bowie was responsible for the evolution of a knife style, it makes sense that his tastes would continue to evolve as well. A modern Bowie would carry one knife for work and another for self-defense.

“Something like the Spartan Ronin Shinto would be on Bowie’s hip,” Rob opined. “It has a recurve blade with a long cutting edge but also has a bit of belly that works well for utility tasks.

“Whether it’s cutting lines and straps or opening MREs, a fixed blade in the 5-to-6-inch range is on every modern fighter’s hip. He would also carry a backup knife for self-defense, and a pistol and rifle as well. Bowie was proficient in the tools of his time and that’s his real legacy. He’d carry that proficiency forward into the modern age, adapting to the tools of our time.”

In the end, of course, we’ll never know exactly what a modern Jim Bowie would carry if he could, but one thing’s for sure: you’d not want to meet him on a sandbar or battlefield to find out.

More Knife History:

Walter “Blackie” Collins: Applying The Edge To BLADE Magazine
American Knives: Legendary Designs From The Land Of The Free
Antique Switchblades: World War II And Beyond

Growing Up Loveless: Reflections On The Master From His Daughter

Mike Haskew

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January 16, 2026

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Growing Up Loveless: Reflections On The Master From His Daughter

Robin Askew reflects on being the daughter of Bob Loveless.

It was intimate and distant. It was warm and aloof. It was youth, adulthood, hope and memory—all at the same time.

Robin Askew is 70 years old now. She lives a quiet life in Sacramento, California, and her recollections of growing up as the daughter of a legend offer insights into years of experiences that few could imagine. Her father, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bob Loveless, was and remains one of the titans of the custom knife industry. He has been gone more than 15 years, but his imprint on the past, present and future of custom knives is unmistakable and not about to wane.

Bob Loveless (center) talks with David Crosby (right) of Crosby, Stills and Nash at the 1989 California Custom Knife Show. The two were good friends, with Loveless an inveterate harmonica player who at times would play with CSN at a local bar or night club. At left is a young, mustachioed Steve D’Lack, coordinator today of the New York and Nashville Custom Knife Shows. (John Denton image)

Likewise, those who knew him remember his unforgettable, often larger-than-life persona. Creative genius, irascibility, generosity and unique perspective came together in Loveless, the man who shaped custom knives and literally changed the landscape in tangible ways, including steel and its components, and in intangible ways such as the sweep of the blade, its flow and form, and the aesthetic qualities that characterized his legacy.

Robin experienced the evolution, both in the life of Loveless and in the industry that he forever altered. From her earliest memories, her father was a busy man building a future one knife at a time, crafting a legend—whether he knew it or not—one innovation after another from a basement in Delaware to his shops in California. In the midst of it all, growing up Loveless was a complex, frustrating, fallible, forgiving and ultimately joyous journey.

David Crosby owned this ivory-handled Loveless utility knife fully engraved by H.H. Frank. According to John Denton, it sold for $22,000 a few years ago. (Cory Martin image)

“Some people were actually frightened of him,” Robin smiled. “They might have been put off. But his bark was so much worse than his bite. Over the years, my father was so amazed by the fact that others regarded him with such a high standard. He didn’t embrace that at all. One time he said to me, ‘They still think I’m the greatest.’ That was something that he had never imagined and never really came to terms with.”

Bob Loveless made contributions to the knife industry on multiple levels. He was instrumental in the formation of The Knifemakers’ Guild and in establishing the custom knife market in concert with other great men like the incomparable Cutlery Hall-of-Famer A.G. Russell. Loveless reached across the globe and developed relationships in Japan that eventually brought ATS-34 stainless steel, a staple in blade construction, to other markets. He was a metallurgist who concocted his own steel composition and made Micarta® a handle material of choice. The curve and the sweep of the drop-point hunter and other Loveless creations touch the senses and influence generations of admirers even now.

Robin Askew is alive and living well today at 70.

For Robin, more than half a century of a legend in the making is remembered in light and shadow, the image of her father at work tirelessly building and brainstorming and striving to make his way, and in turn taking care of those close to him. It was, at times, both turbulent and tender, but always something new.

“Daddy was super, super busy,” Robin recalled. “I never made a knife, just swept the shop floor. He would do things in batches and stages, and one of the most fascinating things I remember was when he would cut the leather and make the sheaths on a big stitching machine. He did everything with the knives, from drawing out the patterns to grinding the blades down and shaping them and putting the Micarta, stag or ivory handles on them. After he ground batches of blades, he would test them, pointing them down and dropping them onto the concrete floor of the shop. If the tip cracked, the whole batch of blades would be thrown away—but that never happened.”

Through the years, there were times when the family fractured, quite probably due at least in part to the stress and strain of a one-man enterprise that was on the rise, moving through uncharted territory and challenges. While something incredible was eventually gained, there was a cost to be counted. But such is true in life, true for everyone and in every relationship.

Lawndale & Riverside

For much of her young life in Lawndale, California, Robin lived in a small house with her mother and sister while her father lived in a studio apartment just down the road and worked in his basic shop.

“At the time I grew up with my dad, Allison and I were the oldest, and then Mary came along nine years later,” Robin commented. “Dad was getting to be known while the shop was in Lawndale, and when I was a senior in high school in 1973, the shop in Riverside, California, was not quite ready.

Taken on Christmas 1982, Loveless’s three daughters appear together, in back from left, Robin, Alison and Mary. Bob has his arm around Alison’s daughter Anna, the first Loveless grandchild.

“Still, he was getting telephone calls all the time. We would answer them in the house when he was working, and finally he put a phone in the shop because we had been taking all the calls,” she laughed. “He hired me to be his little secretary, and I would send out the catalogs and address them and seal them and take messages. It was a little weekend job, nice and fun.”

The relocation to Riverside occurred about 1974, and Robin remembers the dramatic change from Lawndale in terms of shop sophistication. “I had moved away,” she said, “and when I came to the shop in Riverside, it was so much more advanced than the little Lawndale shop with so many machines and things to look at. I was fascinated by everything he did, and it was fun to sit in his office.”

Along For The Ride

“Some people were actually frightened of him,” Robin said of her father. “They might have been put off. But his bark was so much worse than his bite.”

By that time, though, the Loveless mystique was already established. Bob was well on his way to custom knife stardom. And those around him? Well, they were along for the ride.

“People had started to come over and meet my dad,” Robin smiled. “There were so many people, different people, ordering knives. He would hang up the phone and say, ‘OK, John Wayne just ordered a knife.’”

Bob Loveless became a friend to the prominent, the eclectic and a diverse spectrum of admirers. Although they may have shared little else, they were each drawn, like moths to a flame, to the world and work of a master. Loveless met David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, stars of the pop music scene with their fame growing exponentially in the late 1960s. Crosby was a frequent visitor.

“When Dad first met them, the three were playing the circuit,” Robin remarked. “They were performing in bars and night clubs, and Dad would sit in with them on stage and play his harmonica. He loved to play the harmonica and had a lot of fun with them. Crosby would come to where Dad lived in the studio apartment about a quarter mile down the street from the house in Lawndale and just hang out. One time, he came to the door and said, ‘Is your dad here?’ and I yelled, ‘Dad, David Crosby is at the front door!’ They would just talk and enjoy themselves and do their thing.

“One time Crosby came into the kitchen and said, ‘Robin, can you make me a cup of coffee? You’re the only one who knows how I like it.’ This is 1973. These guys are really hot. And I’m a senior in high school!”

Vietnam

Robin visited her dad after he set up shop in Riverside, California, where this shot was taken in the backyard. She was 18.

During the 1960s and ’70s, Bob made many knives for military personnel, but Robin says he was sensitive to the situation when it came to his children. “My war was Vietnam,” she reflected, “and Dad made a lot of combat knives for Marines and Special Operations people who went overseas. I never knew that until I was an adult, and I don’t think Dad wanted us to know that. The war was so horrific in my eyes, but I supported everyone who ever went there. Some of them were my schoolmates.

“Dad was not a part of the California culture of that time,” she continued, “because he was always making knives. He had a lot of them on back order, and he would tell me the wait time was five years or six years, and later it got up to 10 years. He didn’t ever really have time to leave the shop, and he never discussed political things unless I called and asked his opinion about something. I do know that he made fighting knives—and these were like ‘killer knives.’ They were unbelievable. Then, his mother and stepfather were murdered in Ohio in 1985. They were stabbed to death in a robbery while he was in Japan.

According to John Denton, Loveless made this fighter in tulip wood with skull-cracker in Lawndale, California, for CIA operative Harry Archer. (Hiro Soga image)

“The decision was made not to tell him about it until he came home. He had already had a heart attack. So, after he was given the terrible news, I believe he felt bad about making knives because sometimes knives took people’s lives. Afterward, he no longer made combat knives.”

The life and times of Bob Loveless were surreal, energized and unequalled in excitement. “I remember once when a gentleman from Japan visited us in California,” Robin added. “My dad was instrumental in helping the Japanese Guild get started, and they would send makers over to work with him. I had no idea who this gentleman was, and you’ve got to remember that the Lawndale shop was just a tiny square box, not fancy but where he had put everything he had into it. This Japanese gentleman bowed to me. I was 16 at the time—and honored that he would bow to me. I didn’t really understand, but Dad said, ‘That’s what they do. They respect us, and they copy us because they respect our work.’”

Bob’s Beehive

Bob also cultivated a relationship with his one-time landlord, Dr. Dixon. He rented a house from Dixon and subsequently bought it. He made knives that Dixon collected, even naming a fighter style after his friend, this one with the Loveless signature logo. (John Denton image)

The Loveless shop, in Lawndale and then Riverside, was a beehive of activity. First, Bob was a solo act, and then great partnerships and friendships emerged. “In the morning, I would go to school, and he was busy all day,” Robin said. “Steve Johnson came in and was his partner. Steve was like an older brother to me. He was a very good boy, very shy and dedicated to learning the craft from my dad. He is maybe five years older than I am, and he grew into a wonderful man.

“Steve had a Camaro, and he would let me drive it,” she continued. “It had a manual shift, not an automatic. I went for the test to get my driver’s license in that car, and it didn’t go too well. The instructor said, ‘Are you all right? You turned too much!’ When we got back to the DMV, I told Steve I had flunked. But he still let me drive his car back home.”

The most famous Loveless knife of all, the drop-point hunter or, as he called it, the dropped hunter.(Dave Ellis/Exquisiteknives.com image)

Bob also cultivated a relationship with his one-time landlord, Dr. Dixon. He rented a house from Dixon and subsequently bought it. He made knives that Dixon collected, even naming a fighter style after his friend. Bob’s buddy Ray Randall was a frequent visitor as well. Robin recalled, “Ray was a sales representative, and he would bring us girls all kinds of shampoos and cream rinses for our hair when he came out to visit Dad.”

50 Years Ago In BLADE: Your Friendly Airport Knife Shop

Knife History

BLADE Staff

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January 9, 2026

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50 Years Ago In BLADE: Your Friendly Airport Knife Shop

Not only could you carry knives on flights, you could buy them in airports.

Operated by Darlene and Don Couchman half a century ago, The Knife Shop sold factory and custom knives, sharpeners, knifemaking supplies and more—all in a 15-by-15-foot store in the El Paso International Airport.

A knife shop in an airport is not exactly something you would expect to see today, but such was not always the case in 1976. It was then that Darlene and Don Couchman operated The Knife Shop in the El Paso International Airport.

Airline passengers on their way to parts unknown could stop and avail themselves of knives of almost “every major brand of commercial household and sporting cutlery,” antique knives, straight razors, sharpeners, cutting boards and various knife displays, along with a full line of custom knives that included Don’s custom models.

Of course, as writer/then The American Blade editor L.V. Baker noted in his story “Knife People,” how Don found time to both make knives and help tend the store was “problematical.” Moreover, the Couchmans provided a special packaging and delivery service through the air carrier so passengers could take their newly bought knives on their flights.

“The biggest-little knife emporium in the Southwest, if not the world,” The Knife Shop had a 15-by-15-foot sales area that somehow also found room for a cigar store Indian. What’s more, the Couchmans sold parts to make knives, including finished blades, brass for guards and buttcaps and more, all in neatly arranged drawers so you could find it all easily.
Now boarding!

More Knife History:

Walter “Blackie” Collins: Applying The Edge To BLADE Magazine
American Knives: Legendary Designs From The Land Of The Free
Antique Switchblades: World War II And Beyond

50 Years Ago In BLADE: Buster Warenski

BLADE Staff

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December 29, 2025

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BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Buster Warenski was the subject of an extensive six-page profile a half century ago in the January/February 1976 issue of The American Blade. He was larger than life then and would get even larger in the years to come.

Unmistakable in the low-crowned Stetson and mutton-chop sideburns he wore back then, Buster was interviewed in his new Richfield, Utah, knife shop by then editor L.V. Baker. Richard Barney, co-author with Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bob Loveless of the landmark How To Make Knives book, was along to take photos. The lead image of Buster holding one of his latest knives at the time is about as iconic as it gets.

Done about half a decade before Buster would go on to make his reproduction of the King Tut Dagger, the story and spread reflect how consequential Buster was to the handmade knife movement of the 1970s. It covers from his early influences, including Harvey Draper and Cutlery Hall-of-Famers Gil Hibben and Bo Randall, the first two knives Warenski ever sold, some invaluable magazine publicity from Cutlery Hall-of-Famer B. R. Hughes, Buster’s first Guild Show in 1973 and his position on the Guild Board of Directors at the time of the interview.

One of Buster’s best quotes: “I think the industry is going to get bigger and better, just as our customers and collectors are going to become better educated about the knives they buy and are going to demand a better product.”

Buster was right, of course—and would be among the vanguard of makers to supply the knives for which he predicted there would one day be such great demand.

More Knife History:

Walter “Blackie” Collins: Applying The Edge To BLADE Magazine
American Knives: Legendary Designs From The Land Of The Free
Antique Switchblades: World War II And Beyond

Randall Airman: USMC Prototype Carried By The Father Of Marine Helicopters

Will Talbot

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October 30, 2025

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Randall Airman: USMC Prototype Carried By The Father Of Marine Helicopters

The story of a prototype Airman and a Marine pioneer.

Editor’s note: The author contacted BLADE® and asked if we would be interested in his story on a special Marine Corps knife and a special Marine to coincide with the semi-quincentennial of the United States Marine Corps. Needless to say, it was an easy decision on our part. Meanwhile, please join us in wishing a happy 250th birthday to the Corps and Marines everywhere.

The core values of honor, courage and commitment have defined the United States Marine Corps since its inception on Nov. 10, 1775. To remain an elite fighting force, the Marine Corps has adapted as the world has changed over the past 250 years, incorporating new technology and developing new doctrine.

One of the most significant transformations began with the birth of Marine Corps aviation in 1912. During World War II, Marine aviators played a vital role in the Pacific campaign, working closely with ground units to seize heavily defended island strongholds. As Gen. Keith B. McCutcheon, a pioneer of Marine aviation, later emphasized, “The Marine Corps is proud of the fact that it is a force of combined arms, and it jealously guards the integrity of its air-ground team.”

The mark and non-mark sides of a prototype Airman.

The evolution of air combat brought new challenges, challenges that extended even to the knives that aviators carried. One result was a collaboration between Marine aviators and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Walter D. “Bo” Randall, who would redefine survival and combat knives with the now-iconic Randall Model 15. This article features one of Randall’s prototypes—a rugged, full-tang Airman’s Knife that was carried for more than 15 years by Gen. McCutcheon himself.

The Challenge

Marine aviators amassed extensive combat experience in World War II and Korea. By 1953, the Marine Corps recognized that the rigors of combat aviation demanded a new type of knife—one that was rugged, compact and versatile.

As documented by Randall historian Robert Gaddis, the Marine Corps Equipment Board assigned Lt. Col. H. Ross Jordan and Maj. Harold N. “Tex” Mehaffey to develop a survival and combat knife for Marine aviators. The knife had to be nearly indestructible—strong enough for an airman to pry, cut or smash his way out of a downed aircraft. At the same time, it had to be short enough to be worn in a cramped cockpit, and the sheath needed to allow the knife to be carried on the upper arm or lower leg.

Wearing his sheathed Randall Model 15 Airman on his left hip, United States Marine Corps Gen. Keith McCutcheon (center) is flanked by South Vietnamese Gen. Hoang Xuan Lam, Commander of I Corps, and USMC Gen. Edwin B. Wheeler (right), commanding general of the 1st Marine Division. (image of McCutcheon, Lam and Wheeler from somewhere near Da Nang, Vietnam, March 16, 1970)

After reading a December 1953 magazine article about Bo and his expertly crafted blades, Mehaffey and Jordan arranged to tour his knife shop in Orlando on Feb. 11-12, 1954. By the end of their fruitful discussion on February 12, Bo had arrived at the basic design of the Randall Airman’s Knife. He also planned a longer-bladed version for ground troops, a design that would become the Randall Attack. Thus, this meeting launched the line of full-tang Randall models that would expand and evolve over the coming years.

Bo moved rapidly to fabricate prototypes that embodied his innovative design. The 5.5-inch blade would be forged from quarter-inch-thick O1 tool steel, a material that had been proven in earlier Randall combat knives. To strengthen the tip, the blade would retain the full quarter-inch thickness nearly to the point. To strengthen the junction between blade and the handle, the tang would be 7/8-inch wide along the entire grip. An extended segment of the tang would have a hole for a wrist thong and provide a surface that could be used for hammering. A heavy double hilt would prevent a gloved hand from slipping forward onto the blade. The handle would be made from a single piece of Tenite plastic, shaped with finger grips and a channel to snugly fit the tang. Stainless steel bolts would secure the handle.

To complete the package, Randall designed a sheath that could be worn on a belt, attached to a harness, or tied to the lower leg or upper arm with leather laces. It featured a diagonal keeper and rivets at stress points. The Randall shop completed the prototypes of the Airman’s Knife and the longer Attack Knife by the end of February 1954—barely more than two weeks after the formative design discussion—and Clarence Moore readied the sheaths soon after.

Three-star Gen. Keith McCutcheon, February 1970

The innovative features of the new knife and sheath designs were memorialized on certified blueprints on March 4, 1954. Randall filed a patent application on Aug. 11, 1954, and the United States Patent Office granted patent 177,590 for the Randall Airman’s Knife on May 1, 1956.

Prototype Testing

With prototypes in hand, Randall travelled to Quantico, Virginia in mid-March 1954 to present the new full-tang knives to Mehaffey, Jordan and other USMC and U.S. Navy officers. The group enthusiastically recommended that the Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics purchase 10 prototype Airman’s Knives for evaluation: five from quarter-inch stock according to the original design, and five lighter examples from 3/16-inch stock.

The requisition arrived in early April 1954 and the shop shipped the 10 prototypes in early May. The invoice listed the Airman’s Knife as the #14, but later that month Randall adopted the still-current model numbers: the Airman became the Model 15, and the longer version became the Model 14 Attack.

The Marine Corps Equipment Board received two of the prototypes, one of each blade thickness, and the remaining eight were sent to squadrons and other units for real-world testing. In late May, Mehaffey informed Bo that preliminary testing had begun.

One of the original Randall prototypes is featured in the accompanying photographs. Made from quarter-inch steel, as indicated by the inscription on the handle, the prototype closely follows Bo’s patented design, except the blade lacks the fuller shown in the drawing. As in the original design, the prototype’s handle is secured by three bolts; this feature sets the prototype apart from later production examples of the Model 15, in which only two bolts were used.

Leatherworker Clarence Moore made the sheath for the prototype Airman according to Bo Randall’s design. Moore made the sheaths for the earliest full-tang knives until Heiser took over production in 1955.

The handle is made from white Tenite, a material used only for a year or so before Randall adopted the more familiar green Tenite that was characteristic of production for nearly 10 years, until Randall Made replaced Tenite with Micarta® in the mid-1960s. The prototype’s hilt is nickel silver in contrast to the brass hilts seen on almost all Model 15s with Tenite handles. The sheath was made according to Bo’s design by master leatherworker Clarence Moore, who made sheaths for the earliest full-tang knives until Heiser took over production in 1955.

After more than 70 years, the knife and sheath are in outstanding condition—a testament to Randall’s craftsmanship and superb design.

Project Setbacks

Despite starting with such promise, the project faltered in the summer of 1954 when Mehaffey was transferred for duty in France and Jordan retired. The departure of the two enthusiastic advocates delayed testing and communications. The next official update was in December 1954, when Bo heard that testing had been underway for two months with positive feedback. In April 1955, the United States Air Force also ordered a group of Model 15s for evaluation. Bo wrote again to the USMC in June 1955 but heard nothing further from the Marines or the Air Force.

Although Randall was never officially informed of the results, author Frank Trzaska uncovered a September 1955 testing report in the USMC archives. The report was authored by USMC Maj. Norman W. Gourley, who had succeeded Mehaffey. Extensive testing of the Randall Airman prototypes showed that the quarter-inch-thick version (i.e., Bo’s original design) was “suitable for aviators’ survival use.”

SONY DSCAfter a fruitful meeting on Feb. 12, 1954 with USMC Maj. Harold N. “Tex” Mehaffey and Lt. Col. H. Ross Jordan, Bo Randall had arrived at the basic design of the Randall Airman’s Knife (top). Bo also planned a longer-bladed version for ground troops, a design that would become the Randall Model 14 Attack (one from 1955 is shown at bottom). The meeting launched the line of full-tang Randall models that would expand and evolve over the coming years.

The report, which pictures this story’s featured prototype, notes the high quality of the design, materials and workmanship of the Randall knife and sheath and concludes that it is acceptable for extreme survival tasks. The report also noted potential changes that would improve the knife further, such as the addition of saw teeth, a flat butt surface for hammering, and different handle configurations. Bo independently incorporated most of these features in various full-tang Randall models by the mid-1960s, and presumably he would have made the changes sooner if the request had ever been made.

While the tests of the Randall Airman were underway, the Navy adopted the Imperial Pilot Survival Knife for its aviators. Because the Marine Corps operates as part of the Department of the Navy, this surely complicated any attempt by the Marines to adopt a different design. The Randall Airman was never issued by the military, but Bo added the Model 14 Attack and the Model 15 Airman to the new Randall catalog printed in 1954, which showed prototypes of both models as “patent pending.” As envisioned by Bo and the Marine aviators who helped to shape the design, Randall’s full-tang combat and survival knives were embraced by many American servicemen who purchased them privately, especially during the Vietnam War.

Pioneer & His Prototype

One Marine who had a high opinion of the Randall Airman was aviation pioneer Keith B. McCutcheon, who as a colonel served as Chief, Air Section, Marine Corps Equipment Board from June 1954 to July 1957. After the Randall Airman tests concluded, McCutcheon carried the quarter-inch prototype for the rest of his career.

An attack helicopter warms up in the background as Gen. McCutcheon surveys the situation six miles southwest of Da Nang, March 17, 1970, his trusty Randall Model 15 Airman sheathed at his side. At left is Gen. Edwin B. Wheeler.

In January 1966, while commanding the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Da Nang, Vietnam, then-Brig. Gen. McCutcheon wrote that the Airman was a “wonderful knife” that he had carried for “10 or 11 years.” Photographs from 1970 show McCutcheon wearing the knife when he returned to Da Nang as a lieutenant general and commander of the III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF).

Commissioned as a Marine 2nd lieutenant in 1937, McCutcheon was a brilliant, courageous leader who transformed Marine aviation over the course of his illustrious 34-year career. Gen. Earl Anderson said McCutcheon “was one of the finest and most dedicated Marine officers [whose career] reads like a history of Marine Aviation. He earned his wings as an aviator in 1940 and served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.”

McCutcheon was instrumental in integrating helicopters into Marine operations, and has been called “the Father of Marine Helicopters.” But, as historian William Fails observed, that title does not capture McCutcheon’s central contributions to numerous other areas. He also advanced close air support doctrine and techniques, guided missile systems, and the AV-8 Harrier jump jet. McCutcheon was also an effective leader of ground operations, launching successful operations as commander of III MAF.

For his exemplary service over 34 years, McCutcheon received many of the nation’s highest military decorations, including three Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star Medal, three Legions of Merit with Combat “V,” the Distinguished Flying Cross, 10 Air Medals and others. He was appointed to become the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps but was unable to assume the post because of failing health. He retired as a four-star general on July 1, 1971, and passed away from an illness soon after.

Enduring Legacy

On the 250th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, it is fitting to honor the legacy of Gen. Keith B. McCutcheon, an extraordinary leader who helped shape the modern Marine Corps. McCutcheon’s prototype Randall Airman remains as a tangible link to his many accomplishments and to the connection between the Marine Corps and Randall Made Knives.

Sources

William R. Fails. 1978. “Marines and Helicopters 1962-1973.” History and Museums Division, Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps.
Robert L. Gaddis. 1993. “Randall Made Knives: The History of the Man and the Blades” Paladin Press.
James Anthony Ginther, Jr. 1999. “Keith Barr McCutcheon: Integrating Aviation into the United States Marine Corps, 1937-1971.” Doctoral Dissertation, Texas Tech University.
Norman W. Gourley. 1955. Marine Corps Equipment Board report A9-E-1039 on Project E-1039.
Frank Trzaska. 2001. “Randall’s Model 15 & the U.S.M.C.” February 2001 Knife World.

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Was This The Best BLADE Cover?

Knife History

BLADE Staff

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October 20, 2025

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The American Blade Cover saluted the Marines’ bicentennial in grand fashion.

A half-century ago, the November-December issue of The American Blade recognized the 200th birthday of the United States Marine Corps with a special commemorative KA-BAR U.S.M.C. fighting/utility knife on the cover.

The cover of the November-December 1975 issue of The American Blade featured the 200th anniversary “Commemorative U.S.M.C. Fighting Knife” by KA-BAR Knives. The Corps celebrates its 250th anniversary this year.

Paired with the iconic image of U.S. Marines inching their way up the beaches of Iwo Jima during the titanic struggle to take the island from the Japanese during World War II, the cover knife featured a blade with “gold accents” that included the Corps’ founding date of 10 November and 1775-1975, oak leaf patterns and 200th Anniversary under United States Marine Corps in script.

The commemorative’s “top quality leather handle” was an exact duplicate of the handle on the original 1941-45 issue knife. The commemoratives were made in a limited edition of 2,500 with individual MSRPs of $300 for knives serial numbered two through 49, $200 for serial numbers 50 to 99, $150 for serial numbers 100-199, and $100 for serial numbers 200 and up.

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50 Years Ago In Blade: Tomahawks–War Clubs To Modern Masterpieces

Knife History

BLADE Staff

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October 3, 2025

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50 Years Ago In Blade: Tomahawks–War Clubs To Modern Masterpieces

The tomahawk, from its American Indian origins to its modern renaissance as a highly sought-after custom-forged tool and defensive weapon.

Arnold M. Chernoff offered a wide-ranging review of the American Indian tomahawk in the November-December 1975 issue of The American Blade.

As Arnold pointed out in “Tomahawk!” the hawk was a weapon and tool used to maximum effect as the former by both American Indians and American colonists, often more savagely by the early colonists than the Indians. Arnold outlined a plethora of hawk designs with roots in the American West, from stone-headed war clubs of the Crow, Sioux and Cheyenne to metal-bladed models used by the Crow, Sioux, Blackfoot, Osage and Canadian Cree.

Examples included everything from the foregoing stone-headed versions to fancier ceremonial types.

Crow Chief Plenty Coups holds a fine tack-decorated pipe tomahawk circa 1880 during a visit to Washington, D.C. (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, D.C. image)

The Indians were not limited to using the stone-headed versions exclusively early on when English settlers first landed at Jamestown in 1607. As the settlers learned to their chagrin, the Indians had metal hatchets, probably French trade goods that had filtered south. In fact, Chernoff wrote, Capt. John Smith, Jamestown’s “noted chronicler,” was credited with introducing the word tomahawk, gleaned from the Indian vocabulary.

As time passed, the hawk evolved from hammer poll to spike heads, and eventually the pipe hawk, the latter of which Chernoff stated had an English origin around 1700. Some presentation pieces were for important chiefs, including one made for Tecumseh by the British, sporting a gold-inlaid panel in the blade with his name in script.

Later in the 19th century, the pipe hawk began to lose its practical function among Indians and assumed more of a ceremonial role as a “scepter, mace or badge of authority.” In recent years, though, the tomahawk has enjoyed a renaissance in both the custom and factory knife industries, with some of the finest examples fetching top dollar among users and collectors.

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