The old bladesmiths used to come up under a master in the classic apprentice/mentor relationship. The products they put out reflected not only the talents and work of the individual, but that of the collective knowledge being passed down through a long lineage. Lessons and innovations learned the hard way. Being one of Wayne Goddard's best senior students and close friends, Jeff's knives carry that kind of old-school weight.
It seems to me that if you were to provide any two knifemakers with the same quality of raw materials and ask them to produce a certain kind of blade for a certain kind of job, you'd be leaving them with just two critical areas in which they could outdo one another: design and craftmanship. Expertise in these aspects is born only out of experience and to some far lesser degree, raw talent.
When I talked to Jeff Crowner about his designs and posed some pointed questions about his choices in material and geometry I realized pretty fast that I was talking to someone who not only knew exactly how to make knives properly, but also someone who knew how to employ them expertly. Without going into too much detail (Opsec/Persec/Etc) I'll say that if I'm going to have to throw down with somebody in a dark alley with blades--Jeff is the absolute last person I'd want to square up with. Period. So you'll have to take me at my word that in this respect too, Jeff's combatives knowledge follows a centuries old tradition. His roots in the Indonesian and Filipino blade arts go seriously deep and his ability to wield a blade is profoundly scary.
All I can really say is that as a bushcraft and survival instructor, tracker and private security professional, knives are an essential part of my toolbox. I carry and use blades every day in work and personal capacities. I follow the adages to 'Always upgrade your weaponry' and 'Buy cheap, buy twice.' I research and fact-check and test and re-test all of my gear before it sees the field. If something works I stick with and in the end, I place the highest importance on real-world reliability and performance. Overall I am convinced that with respect to modern, custom edged tools and weapons there is nothing that compares with Jeff Crowner's work.
-A.Edwards
Northwest Bush Blade
