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Master Knife Maker Tony Bose Passes Away

November 23, 2020

Knife lovers everywhere are mourning the loss of legendary maker Tony Bose today. Bose passed away yesterday at the age of 74.

The name “Tony Bose” is one of the legendary names in the custom slipjoint world. Bose’s work became synonymous with the best traditional knives in the custom realm, blending unearthly beauty with the rugged, dependable performance that has been a cornerstone of the traditional knife philosophy from the beginning.

But Bose didn’t just perfect existing traditional knife patterns: he also created some classics of his own. It takes a lot, in the modern age, to create a traditional pattern that stands toe to toe with those classics in terms of beauty and utility; but Bose managed to do it with the Zulu, a hard-working single blade slippie that has been as influential as it was lusted after. Dozens of other patterns flowed from Bose’s pen.

Bose’s work wasn’t solely relegated to the lofty custom slipjoint realm. He partnered with W.R. Case and Sons to produce high-end production versions of some of his most famous work – a sort of small batch production project before that practice became commonplace in the industry.

Reese, Bose’s oldest son, studied under his father and is a master knife maker as well. So the Bose name will continue in the industry; and Tony Bose’s legacy was, and will be, cherished by knife collectors and historians – as well anyone who appreciates the work of a master artist.

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