I remember reading Rick Bowles' post and thinking about his first exposure to Randall Knives as something special.
I think most of us have known characters like Billy Redburn and having been influenced and changed by them.
My first Randall purchase was a Model 16 on New Year's Eve, 2003.
I had handled and seen a Model 1 after Navy Boot Camp in 1965, but could not afford one then.
The Model 16 lived with me for 15 years, and moved on to a collector that just had to have it.