Tony Bose: The Legend’s Effect On Pocketknife Designs

How the iconic custom maker transformed pocketknives and the knife industry.

The story of the knife is one of evolution, with thousands upon thousands of steps along the way. When you boil it down, however, it’s really just the passing of knowledge gained from one individual to the next. One who earned an immortal slot in that incredibly long span of time is BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Tony “Old Dog” Bose.

Born of humble beginnings, Tony suffered the loss of an eye at an early age—a setback for anyone, though especially a craftsman—and grew up in Indiana far from any cutlery center. Nonetheless, what he did have was a job repairing knives, and that was all the springboard he needed to launch him into becoming a highly revered custom knifemaker.

Tony produced his first custom knife in 1975 and by 1990 was going full steam—this while the Gulf War was inspiring the modern tactical knife movement. But he had his own plans and continued to gain popularity with the traditional slipjoint crowd, a popularity that surged throughout his knifemaking career. He had a huge impact in his day, not only for the sheer quality of his work and innovative styling, but for his lasting contributions to both the custom and factory knife industries.

Tony Bose As Mentor

One way to judge a master craftsman is by the people he taught.

“I first met Tony at the Guild Show in Florida,” notes Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bill Ruple, a knife legend in his own right. “I had just begun making knives and when I saw what he had on his table I was blown away! Before that I was making folders and a few fixed-blade knives. After seeing his work I focused on multi-blades. As time went on, we became great friends. One of my biggest regrets was not taking time to go and visit him. He invited me many times.

“Any time I had a problem, Tony was there to talk me through it. I’d always pick what I considered to be my best knife and have him critique it at the BLADE Show. He set the standard for all of us multi-blade makers. Reese [Tony’s eldest son] is continuing to set that standard today. I was just one of many who benefited from Tony’s generosity to share his knowledge.”

ABS master smith Harvey Dean, who makes top-notch slipjoints in addition to his award-winning fixed blades, has fond memories of Tony’s mentoring and friendship.

“I met him around 1993 at the New York Custom Knife Show,” Harvey recounts. “He had quite a few slipjoints for sale, and if I recall they did not last long [before they sold out]. I remember most of the people that bought them had memories of carrying his type of knives many years ago. Tony brought them back into popularity.

“Tony’s influence, I think, was his approach to making slipjoints. His grinds, swedges and the function of the knife were all spot on. His handle material was always exceptional. For me, Tony’s generosity in sharing his knowledge was the most important thing. I could call Tony anytime for help and he always helped me out. I still have, I think, three patterns Tony made for me, mailed them to me, and would not take any payment for them.”

Tony did the same for Ruple and ABS master smith Steve Dunn. “Tony sent me many patterns over the years and never charged me a penny,” related Dunn, who passed away last year. “He will go down in the books as the best slipjoint maker ever.”

At a BLADE Show circa 2010, Ruple told Tony his favorite knife ever was the Bose saddlehorn trapper.

“After the show I received a package from Tony,” Bill writes. “Inside were two different-sized saddlehorn trapper patterns. He had hand ground them! That’s the kind of guy Tony was. He was a kind, generous gentleman, always willing to share his vast knowledge of knives.”

One of Tony’s greatest achievements, in his own words, was teaching his son Reese to make folding knives. Tony commented on mentoring him in about as strong a statement as it gets.

“I have helped a lot of guys figure out how to make pocketknives,” he noted, “but Reese is the only one I have taught.” Today, Tony’s son is considered one of the world’s best slipjoint makers.

Reese has fond memories of his father.

“When I’m asked about Tony, a few things come to mind: generosity, influence and impact,” Reese says. “Tony’s generosity with his time and knowledge were truly something special. I can’t even begin to count the number of phone calls we had over the years. I do remember one of our first conversations when Tony told me, ‘Boy, you are gonna have to learn swedge work.’ He was always ready to give advice about knifemaking and even the day-to-day of running a knife business.

“Many makers went in and out of his doors with no money ever exchanging hands. It was this time spent sharing advice, knife patterns, and even loaning out vintage knives that illustrated the influence Tony will continue to have in the knifemaking world.”

Tony Bose & Case Knives

The knife collaborations Tony did with W.R. Case & Sons increased the awareness of and interest in the company to much higher levels, even during times when the cutlery world was consumed with tactical fare. His was also a constant presence at assorted Case collector events for knife enthusiasts of all ages, giving seminars, meeting and greeting all in attendance, etc.

His contributions were such that on July 14, 2023, he became the first person in over 20 years to be honored with a Wall-Of-Fame induction ceremony at the W.R. Case & Sons facility in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The induction included a plaque of Tony installed on the Wall Of Fame in the Zippo/Case Museum. Tony’s son Reese, Bill Ruple and others were on hand for the event.

Fred Feightner, Case director of marketing communications, remembers the early years in 1999 when Case hired Tony as a designer to elevate the company’s folding knives to a greater level of quality and relevance.

“My first one-on-one interactions with Tony came nearly 20 years ago as a result of an assignment I was given by Tom Arrowsmith, our company president at the time,” Fred recalls. “I had only been with the company a couple of years, so I was pretty new to the knife industry with very little exposure to the world of custom knives. The assignment was to produce an eight-to-10-minute video about Tony to support the introduction of the swayback pattern, our latest online edition of our Case-Bose series.

“Naturally, I was excited to be traveling to meet this famous knifemaker. So, with stars in my eyes, off I went to Tony’s shop in Indiana. The address I was given took me to Tony’s house. Once there, I was surprised to learn this superstar was making his impeccable knives from inside his attached garage. Tony came out to meet me and took me inside, showed me around the shop a bit, and introduced me to his son Reese, who was situated in a far corner. Then Tony offered me a cup of ‘cowboy coffee,’ which turned out to be coffee boiled in a camp pot and kept warm over a hot plate that was within easy reach from his desk all day.

“Over the next two days I would be treated to the most in-depth knifemaking tutorial series one could only imagine,” Feightner exclaims. “Being an eyewitness to the painstaking care that Tony took in preparing even a single knife for one of his customers was truly awe inspiring. I still recall watching him hunched in his shop chair, sanding down knife parts by hand for hours until they fit to perform perfectly when assembled. He was such a patient teacher! It was never a problem for him to answer questions while he was working away. That visit really provided me with the foundation I needed to do my job better as a Case marketing communicator.”

Tony’s collaborations with Case worked like magic. His upscale Case XX limited editions, delivered in signed brown leather zipper pouches, are some of the finest pocketknives ever produced by the company—or any company for that matter—and his Bose-branded boxed knives are highly collectible.

His signature Lanny’s Clip, designed for a friend, has become legend among both custom folder makers and Case collectors alike. Tony passed away in 2020, only one year after being inducted into the Cutlery Hall of Fame, but his imprint on the cutlery industry will last as long as his knives walk and talk—which will be a long, long time.

More Pocketknife Info:

• 5 Pocketknife Breakthroughs That Changed The Class Of Knife
• What Makes A Great Pocketknife? The Pros Weigh In
• What Makes The Perfect Pocketknife?
• How To Close A Pocketknife