Steve liked what I had to say and asked me to submit a knife to Joe Kertzman at the Krause Publications head office for possible photography and use in the article.  As I was not the only Purveyor interviewed, Steve asked me to think long and hard as to which one knife I wanted to send in, as one of the submitted knives was going to appear on the cover of the May 2004 Blade Magazine.

Well, it took me exactly 3 seconds to pull out one of the most incredible folding knives that I have seen in my 5 years as a Knife Purveyor.  That knife was the Johnny Stout Dress Baron. 

Let’s talk about the Knifemaker for a moment.  Generally speaking, one of the fringe benefits of being in the knife business is that I get to hang with some of the nicest people that I have ever met-  Ok, I will admit that like in any industry, there are a few notable exceptions, but for the most part, the Knife makers, other dealers, advertising folks and especially the collectors are all super people. 

However, when you come to a man like Johnny Stout, you know what a true professional and a plain down to earth nice guy is.   Johnny exhibits at many knife shows, including the Blade Show, Knife makers Guild Show, Spirit of Steel, BACKA and others.  He also has a cool website that is always current with great pictures of his knives available for immediate delivery and an extensive archive of his past work.  He also hosts a very popular Hammer-In every January at his shop in New Braunfels, Texas.

This particular knife, the Dress Baron, is a stunning piece.  The blade is a very rare Swedish Mattias Styrefores EXPLOSION Damascus and the Bolsters are Robert Eggerling Heat Treated "Crossroads" Mosaic Damascus.  However, it was the handle material that really caught my eye when I snatched this knife right off Johnny’s table at a recent knife show.  An outstanding and well-balanced pair of Fossil Mastodon Ivory Scales in a pattern that Johnny calls CRACKED ICE.  Although it is virtually impossible to “match” a pair of Ivory scales, Johnny did a great job of coordinating them – that is not easy.

If you look separately at the three components of this knife; Unusual Damascus Blade steel, Heat Colored Damascus Bolsters and the cool CRACKED ICE Mastodon Scales, one might wonder how the finished knife would look at the end. Well that is what makes knives by Johnny Stout so “collectible”- the knife is just sensational- all the components work to produce that final dazzling knife.

Finally, as you may all be aware, even the most expensive and high-end knives from any Knifemaker is built for “function”.  Whether a $300.00 Custom Utility folder, a Chris Reeve Sebenza or a $2000.00 Johnny Stout masterpiece, they are all made to be used.

The Dress Baron is no exception, as are all of Johnny's custom knives (see Protege above).  Perfect workmanship, fit and finish, smooth operation- flawless.

For more information, please visit: www.TrueNorthKnives.com