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Posted: 2/11/2015 5:33:05 PM EDT
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On 3/23/2010 I put in my order with Randall for my #1 All Purpose Fighting Knife.
Yesterday it arrived, just shy of 5 years. This makes my 4th Randall, including my second factory order and one I picked up while touring the factory last year (well worth it if you are in Orlando and have some extra time - really helps you understand just how small this company is and the true custom work they do. 
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Sorry guys, I was out of pocket for a few days. I am at work now but will try and take some better pics of this and my other Randalls when I get home.
dc306 - Thanks for the Guy Clark info. I am a fan of his but somehow had never heard that one. MK5 - Randall only does the leather grips in Model I and II style, no finger grips. jeepnik - The knife shown is a #1, with seven inch blade, Model II leather grip, nickel silver hilt and Duraluminum but cap. When I placed the order I requested an 8 inch blade and wrist thong. After acquiring my other Randalls I decided 8 inch would be a tad too long and I no longer wanted the wrist the wrist thing. About 2 months before shipping I received a letter from Randall stating that my order would be shipping in @1 month. (Honestly I was amazed, it had been so long I had forgotten about it.) I called Randall and asked for those 2 changes and they were able to comply. As for ordering a Randall on-line and receiving overnight, I am assuming you are talking about an Ebay type of purchase. To me, part of what makes a Randall special is the ability to customize it to your specific tastes. The trade off is the wait. Sometimes you can find one already made the way you would want - my first Randall purchase was at a gun show and was a Model 18 that was exactly like I would order so I bought it. At a premium. That is the other trade off for instant satisfaction, you will typically pay a 40 - 50% premium over the catalog price. I know there are a lot of other great knives out there that don't require the cost and wait time of a Randall but as a student of military history I love the heritage of Randall and am thrilled that I am fortunate enough to have 4 in my collection. Now I just need to decide which Model 12 I want to order. 
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Quoted:
On 3/23/2010 I put in my order with Randall for my #1 All Purpose Fighting Knife. Yesterday it arrived, just shy of 5 years. This makes my 4th Randall, including my second factory order and one I picked up while touring the factory last year (well worth it if you are in Orlando and have some extra time - really helps you understand just how small this company is and the true custom work they do. Did you have to call ahead to set up a tour of the factory? I have family about 20 miles from Orlando and would love to go see the Randall factory next time I'm in town. |
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Thanks FLA556Guy. I agree, there is nothing like a Randall.
T2OPFOR - The only prep I did for visiting Randall was find out what time they opened and the address. Other than that I just showed up. Like I said you can't really understand just how small of an operation they have until you go there. The entire manufacturing facility is the size of a small house. It was just me, a co-worker I dragged along and 3 employees, I simply asked if I could walk back to the work area. At the time the "museum" was in the same building but they were preparing to move tis to a different building at the same location. Honestly the trickiest part was finding the very small sign on the street directing you to the very long driveway. If you go make sure to ask if they have any knives available - although they do not produce any extra for sale at the HQ it is possible that they may have one that they made to order but were unable to contact the customer or was shipped back due to bad address and they couldn't reach the customer to get it corrected. These are some of the issues that come up when an order can stretch over 5 years. I was lucky enough to pick up a Model #16-SP1 this way. 
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Nice!!! I've always wanted a 16 dive knife http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/0I4AAOSwBLlU73dS/$_57.JPG the Hell? they sending cases with them now? |
| That is a beautiful knife. My last Randall is very similar to yours - Model No. 1, 7" SS, NS double hilt, No. 2 leather handle, aluminum butt cap. I ordered it from http://www.clintonknives.com/ in April 2009 and got it in April 2010. Clinton Knives sell Randall Knives at the current catalog price at the time of shipment and, according to their web site, current lead time is 5 months. |
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I don't think any knife could meet my expectations after a 5 year wait. After that long, I'd expect the very edge to taper down to one atom thick, and the handle to be custom contoured to my right palm. http://rhost1.zfx.com/OZX/Blobs/blob77321.jpeg $140, ships immediately. Just saying  I've had my eye on that blade ever since I saw that pic! It kinda dampened my enthusiasm when I received my Spyderco TATANKA. 
Where are they for 140 bucks. The cheapest place I've seen has them for 178. |
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