M14 Forum

shameless

I have two Randall knives I've had since my Army days.I have a model 1,and a 14.My question is that on the various forums all these I see are in pristine condition,never sharpened,and so forth.What's up with that?Both mine are sharpened and extensively used,not abused,but used.Several years ago I had them both sharpened and cleaned up by a knife maker.He sharpened the false edges and primary edges,and buffed out the few little scratches they had on them,and just kind of cleaned them up.They're both sharp enough to shave your face with.Now,have I hurt the value of these knives by having this done?I'll never part with them while I'm living,but I'd just like to know if they've been hurt any by having them professionally sharpened and buffed.

huntinghawk

If the guy knew what he was doing then no harm. My train of thinking is Randall knives should become family heirlooms so there is no marketable value to them.
JMO,
HH

drshame

Randall's hold their value whether used or as safe queens.

Whatever you paid for them, you'll get it back and a lot more as long as it's not trashed or badly abused.

Check Ebay for prices and you'll see what I mean.

You needed a little art for this discussion anyways.

huntinghawk

As a true field/survival knife, can't beat a model 18.

HH

ctdair

Have used and still use all My Randalls except the 2-8 , it does have a very specific use and I am not in a hurry to use it. That said I have bought and sold Randalls for profit and sold some out of necessity. I actually have made more money on the users than some of the pristine ones. If I was in the market for a period war (any War) I would want a user with provenance , a been there done that knife. Not one that was bought during the war time period and never used.
I missed a opportunity on a Korean war 2-8 and I still wish I had went ahead and bought it , would have been in big trouble from the CFO.

slamfire1

How much metal has been ground off? If the blade profile is really thin that could effect value.

What people will pay for things is really hard to predict. New original condition always commands top price. If you are talking wear, then the value of the knife is going to be based on what historical character owned the thing, (Jim Bowie’s knife would be worth buckets of gold regardless if it had any steel on it), historical place and time it was at.

It is a shame but most Randalls get stuck in safes and are never used.

Ranger325

I carried my M18 for most of my Army career. It has been sharpened, visited Alaska, Panama, Italy, Germany, Saudi, Iraq and lots of schools with more jumps on it than alot of troopers I knew.
I've always believed Mr. Randall make them to use and its worth more than you paid for it regardless. FWIW