R.W. Loveless was a gifted knife maker and designer and there are many books, articles and videos about him. He was a down to earth kind of guy with an amazing talent for making knives. Here is a pretty good example of Bob Loveless. Bob Loveless video
When you talk of the Schrade- Loveless knives there is a lot of confusion. The the original Schrade-Loveless knife was the RL-2 which Bob Loveless designed on the back of a diner's menu in 1971 and was very similar to his Skinner model. There is also a RL-1 which was to have a white Delrin handles. I have no information on that knife.
A little info. From Blade Forum Feb 14, 2012:
Uncle Henry (Schrade) 1st contacted Bob in 1967 but was rebuffed. Henry got him to NY in 1971 where they struck up a deal. Bob drew an example of what he had in mind on the back of a menu which I have posted in the past which was very similar to the knife produced. It took them a few years to develop the 1st Loveless knife mass produced. 3600 were ordered for 1975 with the first 2000 delivered in May. Dave Swinden was heavily involved in the design and manufacturing processes of the Loveless knife. After the contract expired or was cancelled(looks to be a bit of a story there), Schrade sold the knife as the PH1 and later the PH2.
Here is a link to the sketch he made on the menu: Wolfies Coffee house drawing. It is an amazing piece of history.
Blade magazine features an article:,
The Iconic Loveless Knife Built For Schrade
By: Joe Kertzman |
The knife Bob Loveless built for Schrade features a stainless steel blade and synthetic molded handle with no guard. The top piece is the Schrade knife, and the bottom is the Loveless semi-skinner prototype from which the Schrade knife was developed. Note the finger-grooved handle, a feature seldom seen on a Loveless knife.
You can definitely see the similarities. Research reveals the following;
From 1975-1976 Schrade made a Bob Loveless designed knife called the Schrade-Loveless Hunter (RL-2) I believe the blade was made from 154CM although there is some confusion on the blade steel and it retailed for $100. the knives of 1975 & 1976 had handles of burgundy delrin and had the laser engraved R.W, Loveless/Schrade oval on the blade.
Then in 1991-1995 two knives called the Pro Hunter are introduced. The PH-1 (which based on its profile) looks like a clone to the 1975-1979 models. A smaller version called the Mini Pro Hunter (PH-2) is also offered. The Mini has an overall length of 7". These "new" knives had black delrin handles instead of the original burgundy. For five years the PH-1 listed at $74.95 while the PH-2 went for $59.95. In 1996 these two models were dropped from the catalog.
Here is an example of one I sold some time back. You can see how similar they are, the blade though is stainless steel but not 154CM.
There were a lot of Schrades produced similar to this pattern in different handles, sheath colors as well as some custom knives for companies like Ducks Unlimited.
There are lots of experts on Schrade/ Loveless knives and all the different handles and Sheaths. For a more detailed look at all the models I recommend this posting of Larry 303 in Blade Forums may 24, 2011.
pages 5 of 18, and 9 of 18, show examples of the Schrade Loveless <3 different Loveless knives on page 9> all compared to the 1978 edition CH2 <Custom Hunter2> which was the true forerunner to the PH1 <Pro Hunter 1>..The CH2 of 1978 did not have the distinctive 'birdseye Loveless handle rivets' or the same shape brass cross guard as the RL2.....the RL1 was a white Delrin handle Schrade Loveless.....all the handles of the collaboration Schrade Loveless and the following CH2 were Delrin handles..The differences are easier to see in the photos than describe..
Bob I have Schrade boxes in the black/blue design which are PH1ES on the flap and on the reverse state Natural Stag handles/Polished Brass Cross Guard and Rivets and are specifically for your Stag PH1..so I do not believe they were end of days knockups.you will see examples of those Stag knives on my photos....The PHIEM Box States on reverse states Hand Finished MICARTA Handles,Polished Brass Guard and rivets........I have examples of the Burgundy and black handle PH1's with micarta handles....