Huge Score at the Cleveland Sports Show - Randall 1-7

[OhioGrizzLapp]

While we were doing demonstraitions at the Cleveland Outdoor and Sports show, I had a small sign on one of the corner posts that said "I buy knives and guns" ........

On Sunday about 3pm, just before I was ready to leave, a guy comes up and said he has what he THINKS is a vintage knife.

He pulls out the most prestine RANDALL #1 I had ever seen. So I look it over and measure things and it turns out to be a #1-7 and the sheath made by Johnson. So without me looking like I just found the lost city of Atlantas, I asked how much he wants for it. He said he would like to get $150. I nodded my head yes, not wanting to look too excited. I went to the cash box and pulled out HIS $150.00 and handed it to him and gently put the knife all back in what he wrapped it in and walked it out to my cars trunk.

He told me that he thinks his brother also has a Randall from the 1960s and described it as a all metal knife with a screw end.....again, my heart thumped (could it possibly be a Randall military survival knife ). I asked him if he would call his brother right there as I was just about ready to leave. He did and his brother said he could bring it down in an hour. Somehow, something happened and he called and said he could not show, but could he bring it to me monday afternoon. I of course said yes. So I meet him later today.

Here is a pic of the Randall #1:

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[Winnie]

I know absolutely nothing about knives except they have a pointy end and a blunt end, however that is a very nice pointy, blunt thingie and obviously worth more than mere money!

[hunter63]

Every once in a while the starts line up, and Bam "IT" happens......
Congrats.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

It's that Super Full Moon and all the Gravity it pulls.... makes people bring me knives and guns. Ok I am now the owner of a Randall USA Survival knife with a screw top pommel..... prestine condition....I am very tempted to use the saw back on something just to see if it works. So thats two knives for $300 that should have cost me about $1200 to $2000. This one is just the 5 1/2 Inch Randall 18 :Attack Survival" with brass pommel and hilt. No survival kit in the handle ...........Y E T

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[canid]

now why don't they make a sturdy tube handles knife like that with actual set and kerfed teeth so the saw is usefull? is it just me or has it not been done thus far?

the result would be a 'survival knife' that actually meets expectations.

[OhioGrizzLapp]

It has been done and you can hardly get your hands on it unless you pay about 2 times what it sells for retail. When I tested mine, it honestly passed all 14 tests. I just did not like the ergo of how it is built, even comes with two screw in grapling hooks that did NOT fail in a 240lb person, climbing up a 10 foot wall with just the hooks as an anchor.

It is the Buck 184 02a Buckmaster in either stainless or coated stainless. Screw off pommel, decent sheath and was made orig by Probis (M9 Bayonet) and then Buck bought the design.

I prefer my plain ole Cold Steel SRK to the Buckmaster though...

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[Canadian-guerilla]

sorry, i don't care who makes em

hollow handle knives give me the willies


FULL TANG BABY

and this site has lots of FULL TANG PORN

[canid]

that just opens up a whole new can of mall ninjas though... oops; i mean worms. no knife needs a grappling hook.

CG: full tang knifes are nice, but they'll never compare to a hidden tang for aesthetics,
and besides; without a hollow handle, where will you put your accessory rail and night vision scope when it's not on the knife..?

[Pocomoonskyeyes3]

You Lucky Dog!!!

[OhioGrizzLapp]

To each their own on the knife I guess.... I do not carry a hollow handled knife in the field, but if I were going to, it would prob be the Buckmaster. The Randalls are pure investment and not to be used. When Jimmy Lile made the knife for the "Rambo" movie, that opened the flood gate to all the Mall Ninja types and their hollow handled knives that cost $9.98 from Bud-K and the East Indian/Paki knife sellers at flea markets.

I actually laughed once at a Bushcraft class I had gone to. Some guy showed up with one of the cheap fakes and he was given a task of making reversed notched stakes and the very first time he went to sharpen a wood stake, the knife broke in 3 pieces. I had an extra SRK with me and let him use it for the next 5 days. I am betting he went and bought another fake as he was just that type that had the Mall Ninja spirit in him.

Bianchi made one in the 80's called the Bianchi Nighthawk, looked good, fantastic sheath (wish I had one of those sheaths for my SRK), but it was very weak and would not stand up to any real use. They were $48 when they came out and they are now selling for minimum $250 in any condition and about $500 in excellent condition.

There is even one out there that is hollow handled, turns into a slingshot, has a wire cutter, extra small blade and all kinds of gadgets...NONE of it works mind you and they are very cheaply made, but I still see folks at the gun shows and flea markets buy them and pump and thump their chests at their new found pride and glory of a survival knife, total cost per knife ....a whopping $19.95 each.

The Buck Buckmaster now sells for 2 times its retail and Buck is still making them. The second they hit the stores or eBay, people grab em up and truly bid war for them. If you can find em wholesale or at reg retail, I suggest you buy a couple as their prices will go through the roof when Buck stops making them in 2012.

There are a few documented "Survival" stories of pilots and air crew using the Randall 17 & 18 or a Russel Air Crew knife in real situations in Nam where they sawed through the fuslage or cut through wires and such to escape a downed aircraft. Those stories carried over to Civillian lore and thus the whole cut yourself out of a plane folklore ensued on and on and even to this day.

There is only one full tang hollow handled knife that I know of and that is a Reeves K4R2, full forged knife and tang and then the hollow handle is machined out, the tang is part of the forged piece and not a sep added on piece. The pommel is tool steel and hardened and can truly be used as a hammer. The handle is actually roomy enough to add useful items. But.... at $1800 if you can find one, I can think of other more useful knives at a much lower price.

[Justin Case]

I had a Buckmaster,,, lost it to the pawn shop when I lost my home (it was really too heavy to carry around much) but I hated losing it lost everything i had when the economy crashed, .......

[crashdive123]

Great score!

[OhioGrizzLapp]

Sorry to hear that Scott.... even with what I make in money and trades, I could never live in Cali, just costs way too much to just live there much less to thrive there.

When I first got out of the Navy I was on the low end of cash....did a few hobbies like mountain stuff, mostly because I did not have a real place to live, so I lived in a friend Teepee on his land. I went to school that year while dealing with all the health issues from the wounds. Wandered about a bit. 1991 was a pretty rough year on me... But, I rose above it all and slowly fought and clawed my way through the idiots and arseholes....

I have never sold anything to a pawn shop, but I sure have sold a few things cheap enough to so called friends and family to now kick myself in the arse a few times when I think about it all now.

Right now I am trying to down size a lot of my life....this weekend I gave away a car and a motorcycle to a couple friends that I know will take care of them. Selling off over 60 guns in gunbroker and some personal guns on various forums. Sold the canoe, will be selling the dang boat real soon....I just want to not be respons for so much crap.

The knives I doubt I will ever sell as I just have a great love for hand made stuff. Finding Randalls to me is like finding a Blonde that can balance a check book... you better keep em because they are rare LOL

[shooter_250]

WOW....I now officially hate Griz...i know i know,,,don't hate the player,,,hate the game...whine whine,,,i NEVER never never get to play those kinds of games....................................ok ...the hatin' is over,,,but i'm still green with envy.....

Good on ya Griz and Sir, i hope many more deals like this come your way,,,,i bet you're still grinnin' like a possum eatin' briars....i would be too

God Bless

Lee

[Winter]

Great score. Amazing really.

I have a bianchi nighthawk with the International Survival sheath you speak of. I would not call it weak. Gerber made them prior to bianchi having Carl Sleipner (eye brand)of germany produce them.

Retail was $125.

[Trabitha]

I know absolutely nothing about knives except they have a pointy end and a blunt end, however that is a very nice pointy, blunt thingie and obviously worth more than mere money!

LOL!! I must agree with Winnie here! Nice pointy thing! It's really pretty too!

[hunter63]

LOL!! I must agree with Winnie here! Nice pointy thing! It's really pretty too!

Help, I wearing 123 sharp pointy things/and other do-dads, and thingies, so I can be ready for ANYTHING, except standing up....Help?

[OhioGrizzLapp]

Ummmmmmmpfffff a Randall "PRETTY" how dare you, pure blasphamy..........* polishes up the HANDSOME custom blade....and curls my lips at the WOMIN Folk and their rude departure from KNIFE etiquette....."pretty"...........pfffffffffffttttt tttttttttttt.............glares at Hunter.....Hmmmmm pickin seed with the chickens huh.... gets out book and puts a mark next to hunters name...... ;-)

Sorry Winter... I truly consider the Bianchi Nighthawk a true weak sister, even the newer ones in Euro, could not pass 3 of the 14 tests at all. The handle area broke right off with just hand pressure while the blade was in a vice. The sheath is great, I honestly want one for my SRK, but the blade is a POS. There are actual accounts of some guys taking them to theater and the knife failing, no deaths that I know of from it though. This is the reason Bianchi dropped them very quickly from their inventory.

[crashdive123]

For those that are not familiar with the Randall "hollow handle" survival knife, it is made from one piece of steel. There are no welds or weak points as you find in most knives of a similar appearance.

[Justin Case]

Sorry to hear that Scott.... even with what I make in money and trades, I could never live in Cali, just costs way too much to just live there much less to thrive there.

Actually,, it all happened in Arizona,, I just move back to cali after 15 years in AZ,,, I had to come back as my sister has given me a room,,, i know its a cliche (sp),, but I ended up living in an old camper on the bank of the colorado river,,, it wasn't "All" bad, but being in a house is much better

Ok,, back to the Knife,,,, can I have it ? lol