Randall Made Knives, usually referred to as Randall, is an American custom handcrafted knife manufacturer founded by Walter Doane "Bo" Randall, Jr. in the U.S. The knife making shop and showroom is located in Orlando, Florida. Randall began making knives as a hobby in 1937.^[3] His son and grandson continue the family trade along with 20 craftsmen producing about 8,000 knives per year out of a shop on South Orange Blossom Trail.^[3]

Randall offers 28 models of knives for different applications, each customizable at the factory based on customer specification.^[4] Randall hand forges nearly all models of knives instead of using factory stamping^[5] or stock removal, one of few manufacturers to do so. Randall uses a 17-step process for making knives, which usually takes over 8 hours to complete.^[6] The waiting list for obtaining a Randall from the shop is typically six years.^[7]

Two examples of Randall's Model 17 "Astro", designed for the use of astronauts, are on display in the Smithsonian Institution. The company operates its own museum containing more than 7,000 knives and other edged weapons, including one of the world's largest collections of pocketknives.^[8]

Bo Randall first became interested in making knives after he purchased a Bill Scagel knife that was being used to scrape paint off of a boat without showing any signs of wear or damage.^[9] He made his first knife in his garage at Lake Ivanhoe, Florida using an auto spring.^[6]

He founded the company in 1938.^[1] Although Randall originally designed his knives for outdoorsmen and sold them at sporting goods stores, demand from military customers initially provided his biggest boost in business and launched his company nationally.^[10]

In the early 1940s, Randall knives significantly increased in popularity after receiving good publicity during World War II.^[1] Several noted war heroes and GIs on all fronts carried Randall knives with them into major battles, including top American Ace Richard Bong, Lieutenant General James M. Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division during the Normandy invasion.^[1] Army Air Force Captain Ronald Reagan, future U.S. President, owned a Randall knife in World War II.^[11][12] Randalls were so popular that GIs from overseas ordered through the mail by simply addressing letters to the "Knife Man, Orlando".^[13]

Shortly after the war, the popularity of Randall knives increased among non-military users, and Randall developed additional models specifically for expanding markets. In 1956, Randall received a United States design patent for models 14 and 15.^[14] In 1957, bestselling author James Jones mentioned Randall knives in his book Some Came Running, and subsequently helped Randall to design a diver's knife.^[15] In the Vietnam War, General William Westmoreland, Commander of American military operations in Vietnam, was often photographed with a Randall. Pilot Gary Powers of the 1960 U-2 incident, and herpetologist Ross Allen, carried Randalls.^[6] In 1982, Randall was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia.^[16]

Bo Randall died in 1989 in Orlando, Florida, at 80 years of age.^[17] His son, Gary Randall, currently oversees production at Randall made Knives.

Bo Randall was inducted into the Blade magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1983 Blade Show as an inauguree.^[18] In 1997, Randall was inducted into the American Bladesmith Society Hall of Fame.^[19] In 2001, Randall's knives were listed as "Best Sheath Knife" as part of Forbes "50 Best List".^[20]

The Randall Made Knives Museum is located at the shop facility in Orlando and contains more than 7,000–knives and other edged weapons.^[24] It has one of the largest collections of pocketknives in the world and home to the world's largest collection of Bill Scagel's knives.^[6] The museum contains many historical pictures and documents related to Randall knives. Randall plans to move the museum to a larger facility.

Various models of Randall knives are listed below, along with years of introduction (in parentheses). ^[25]