Custom Bowie Knife Reviews 2024

There are a few knives that have the same amount of sheer badassery that’s found in a bowie knife. But, when looking for that beast of a knife that can take the abuse you put it through as you tackle the great outdoors, just any old run-of-the-mill knife won’t cut it.

No, you need something as unique as you and the journey you and your knife will go through together as you climb mountains, take down small trees, and kill a wild boar or three. You need a custom bowie knife.

While we won’t make you choose a favorite, we were placed with the tough choice of choosing the best of the best. Ultimately, we had to go with the Snake Eye Wood Handle Bowie Knife by DKC Knives.

Our Pick: Custom Bowie Knife With Snake Eye Wood Handle by DKC Knives

The DKC-191 Snake Eyes Knife is a true beast when it comes to custom bowie knives. Not only is it just a big knife, but it has a bold presence that really makes it a dramatic knife to wield. It measures 16 inches and weighs 24 ounces, making it the largest bowie knife in this review. But, while size and appearance are all well and good, we all know that performance is the key when it comes down to it. Luckily, this knife delivers and holds up to the badass feel it gives off.

This is a full tang blade which, right from the start, lends this knife extra strength and durability that a partial tang knife doesn’t have. The blade is also made of over 250 layers of 1095 carbon stainless steel and 15N20 stainless steel. This same combination of steel alloys is used in a few of the other knives in this review due to its great final appearance and awesome balance of all the traits you want in knife steel: great edge retention, easy-to-sharpen razor-sharp, great corrosion resistance, and it’s tough.

The blade is a clipped point with a swaged edge and a solid spine that extends the blade’s full length. The handle is made of the South American hardwood known as Snake Eye due to the darker spots that appear throughout it, giving this bowie knife a one-of-a-kind look.

Runner-Up: Custom Bowie Knife with Camel Bone Handle by Poshland Knives

Poshland Knives has really put together a great-looking knife in this custom bowie knife. It measures 15 inches overall, with a 10 inches long blade and a 5 inches long handle. As this is a full-size bowie, this custom knife has a bit more heft and weighs about a pound and a half.

The REG 599 Custom Handmade Knife blade is made of genuine Damascus steel with 176 layers of 1095 stainless steel and 15N20 stainless steel. This combination of carbon steel with high nickel steel provides excellent toughness and a blade that easily sharpens to a razor edge and holds that edge well. This combination of steel also offers great contrast, further enhancing the visual appeal of this twisted Damascus pattern.

The blade is a clipped point with a swaged edge, typical of most bowie knives. This results in a thick spine that yields a strong point to add further durability and functionality to this custom knife. Too often, you get an awesome-looking blade only to have a point break off the first time you use it -leaving you with a junk knife. This is from a weaker spine and weaker steel that couldn’t support the point of the blade. This is a problem with trailing points and bowie knives, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind when purchasing a new knife.

The blade on this custom bowie knife is a good thickness, too, at 4mm. It’s also been lab tested at a hardness of 58-60 on the Rockwell hardness scale. The handle is made of genuine camel bone and features solid brass spacers at the heel and just behind the guard (which is also made of Damascus steel.) It has a handmade, double-stitched leather sheath with a snap-button closure and a belt loop.​

Also Great: Custom Bowie Knife by Perkin Knives

This custom bowie knife has a heavy construction, making it a true workhorse. The Custom Handmade Hunting Knife blade is made of ball-bearing stainless steel and has a mirror-like finish. Ball bearings are typically made of 440 series Martensitic stainless steel, which has a higher chromium content – making for a strong blade with great resistance to corrosion.

So while the manufacturer doesn’t specifically state the type of steel the blade is made from, it’s a safe bet that this steel will hold up to whatever you throw.

The blade measures 8 ½ inches long and 4 ½ mm thick.

Typical of most bowie knives, though not all, it has a swaged clipped point. The overall thickness of the blade is maintained through the spine, which extends nearly to the end of the blade point, giving you a strong point and blade. This blade has a hardness of about 58 on the Rockwell hardness scale. Another strong point is that this is a full tang bowie knife, with that blade extending all the way through the handle.

The handle is made of Pakka wood scales held in place with six brass pins. This treated type of wood makes it water resistant and more durable, as you don’t have to worry about the wood swelling, shrinking, or cracking due to humidity and time. There is a heavy-duty brass guard to protect your fingers from accidental slippage, and the handle has a dropped heel to fit the natural contours of your hand more. A lanyard hole in the bottom of the heel comes pre-strung with a length of leather cording.​

Honorable Mention: Custom Damascus Bowie Knife with Burl Wood Handle by Knife Shop

This is a bold-looking knife that carries a lot of flash and a lot of sheer power. It measures a full foot in length, with a blade 7 inches in length and a handle measuring 5 inches. The combination of genuine Damascus steel with brass and red and brown burl wood really makes this knife stand out. The Yam-107 Knife is a custom bowie knife that you’d be tempted to put in a display case if it weren’t begging to be strapped to your side as you trek your way through the wilderness.

The Damascus partial tang blade comprises 1095 carbon stainless steel and 15N20 stainless steel. This is a great combination for Damascus steel as it lends it great toughness and edge resistance and makes it razor-sharp. These two types of steel contrast nicely to provide a sharper patterning on the steel. The blade is a clipped point with a swaged edge, though the swage is not sharpened. At 5mm in thickness, this blade is also really tough and has a thick spine that extends all the way to the point, ensuring that this knife will survive whatever abuse you put it through.

The guard and rear bolster are both made of solid brass, with burl wood spacers in red, blue, and green and brass spacers to contrast nicely with the brown burl wood handle. The handle is lightly contoured to provide a surer grip. It also has a calfskin leather sheath, belt loop, and snap-button closure.

Final Thoughts on Custom Bowie Knife

These custom bowie knives are proof positive of how far a bowie knife can go when it comes to being the ultimate wilderness knife. They offer the strength needed to be truly functional while looking so good you’d be tempted to keep them in a display case.

Our favorite was the Snake Eye Wood Handle Bowie Knife by DKC Knives due to its impressive combination of toughness, ability to perform, and appearance. This knife has a commanding presence, and what better choice as you set forth to take charge of the great outdoors?

---

References & Resources

• DKC Knives, Official Brand Website.
• Poshland Knives, Official Brand Website.
• Perkin Knives, Official Brand Website.
• Knife Shop, Official Brand Website.
• Health Benefits of Hunting, Michigan State University.
• Hunting and the Environment – Are Hunters Environmentalists, ThoughtCo.