Its been awhile

Rsmith_77

Rsmith_77

Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Messages
4,186
So, yeah i been gone from the traditional forums and bladeforums awhile
But i wanted to say i been carrying a new knife for awhile. Pretty amazing how handy it is. Small and unobtrusive like Jackknife always talking about. so light I forget its in my pocket

But for me the perfect size and shape and utility
The case Blackthorne.

my only issue is that i am not a fan of case's stainless
anyone know of a similar knife in size and dimensions but perhaps made with bone scales instead of plastic and something better than case stainless steel.

oh and howdy again folks
long time no see
 
Welcome back, glad you wandered over here. I can't help with your knife request question, but I'm sure others will be able to chime in.
 
Welcome back, Ryan! I don't have a suggestion just yet but I might come up with one eventually. Good to see you back!
 
Case Blackthorne? Do you mean the Blackhorn? Small, cheap lockback?
 
I recommend the Moki Blakiston's Fish Owl. Comes in two sizes, small and large. The large is about the size of a Sodbuster Jr. The small is I think in the 3 3/8" range. Those knives are excellent. If you want a little more stabby blade, you can go with the Al Mar Hawk Ultralight, which is also made by Moki, just little different blade and handle shape, otherwise same stuff going on.

I cleaned up and sharpened up a small Buck lockback for a friend a few months ago. That 420HC from Buck is pretty good stuff, takes a heck of an edge, and the fit and finish on it was superb. Had a lot of charm. If you're open to something that isn't a lockback, but instead a slip joint, I would there are still some GEC 14s available at dealers, and if you PM me, I can point you to them.
 
Moki makes some very fine small lockback knives. Some with bone handles and VG-10 steel.

The small Moki Blakiston's Fish Owl is an incredible value imo .
 
I also agree with the Moki Fish Owls. They use AUS-8 steel but it does hold an edge pretty well. I have both the large and small but I carry the large most of the time. It's about 4" closed but very slim in the pocket. Great knives!
 
You can also find older AG Russell knives that were made in Seki, by the same cutlers that make the Al Mar and Moki knives (or their descendents at least) that are great knives and some have bone covers.
 
The GEC #83 is the lockback pattern in that size, if you want to go with carbon steel.
 
The Moki Fish Owl is similar yet better in pretty much any way. Model 120M (110M is the bigger 4" version, go figure). AUS-8 isn't the most premium of steels, but it's decent, and will be noticeably better than Case's Tru-Sharp (which is 420HC run very soft). Handles are polished black micarta, which I personally dig, but admittedly have a plasticky feel. Another by Moki is the Glory, which is essentially the same knife as the Fish Owl (or the Pliant for a 4"), but with steel construction and quince wood handles. There's another, the Ezo Red Fox, which has wood inlays in a steel frame. Those'll be much heavier than than the Fish Owl or your Case though. Either way, you'll find nothing but praise for Moki's F&F and the Fish Owl (including from me - I have both sizes).

Al Mar does similar knives. Actually, Al Mar and Moki are both manufactured by G.Sakai. The Hawk is the size of your Blackhorn, but again, will be much heavier. I don't see bone, but nice choices in wood, pearl, and micarta.

Great Eastern Cutlery does (or did) the #83, a 3 3/8" lockback in a variety of handle materials. However, they're not in production, nor terribly easy to find, so little chance of instant gratification there. Plus it was only available with 1095 carbon steel, which might not be what you're looking for.

If it doesn't have to lock, there's countless knives of that size you can get. I can also give you examples of knives that are similar to the Blackhorn (small, light, unobtrusive) but they don't fit the guidelines of "traditional" so I won't post them here.
 
The Moki small Kronos is the knife I was thinking of with bone covers and VG-10 steel.

It's a pricey knife, but you get what you pay for, which is near custom level quality.
 
Buck 505 or 503. Still 420HC, but Buck's version may be more to your liking. You can pick your handle material from their custom shop, or go with the standard models that are still available with wood handles for about $40-ish.
 
The 501 is a little bigger, but it can still be ordered from the custom shop with S30V blade and your choice of several handle materials.
 
Planterz said:
Al Mar does similar knives. Actually, Al Mar and Moki are both manufactured by G.Sakai. The Hawk is the size of your Blackhorn, but again, will be much heavier. I don't see bone, but nice choices in wood, pearl, and micarta.
Click to expand...

I thought the Hawk (ultralight) was about the same weight as the fish owl, at least the micarta version. They do make a bolstered/wood version, and those are heavier with the bolsters.
 
Perhaps not for everybody but here's a seldom talked about Moki Calliope. Black Micarta with a Mother of Pearl inlay and a VG10 blade.

IMG_3022.JPG

I like to show this photo whenever I post other photos of this knife because it's a testament to the exceptional build quality of the Moki brand.

IMG_3026.JPG
 
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