Lets talk GEC!

[pmew]

I think that #77 Wharncliffe blade looks great, but I have to confess to whinceing every time i see it on a Barlow frame.

Phew, my personal taste too. Glad I'm not the only one quietly shedding tears lol! I pop it into the same mental box as the Barlow mit caplifter.

 

[Jack Black]

Phew, my personal taste too. Glad I'm not the only one quietly shedding tears lol! I pop it into the same mental box as the Barlow mit caplifter.

I've been trying really hard not to share my feelings about it Paul! I just hope the Traditional Barlow thread isn't going to be flooded with them

 

[Sonnemann]

Have GEC made a knife with nickel silver liners before?

I can think of a few. 2011 forum knife, some 62 congress in 440C, and the NF 09 Esquire come to mind.

 

[thawk]

I think that #77 Wharncliffe blade looks great, but I have to confess to whinceing every time i see it on a Barlow frame.

I agree with you here, maybe functonal, and it seems fairly well received by some, but it does not look right to me on a barlow.

 

[philllll]

I've been wincing every time someone calls it a "marlow"

 

[Jack Black]

I've been wincing every time someone calls it a "marlow"

You're not alone in that either!

 

[Cory Hess]

I don't really understand this line of thought. If somebody wants a certain blade on a certain knife why would anybody else care? Nobody's forcing you to buy or use or even look at the knife. If they want to call it Bob or Jim or Purple Underpants good for them. I have yet to see a good reason why a wharncliffe or a caplifter shouldn't be on a barlow other than it not measuring up on the traditional scale, which is completely arbitrary to begin with. Traditionally, cutleries were built next to rivers because they relied on the running water for power. Do you wince every time you see a knife that was made using electricity? Do micarta handles make you wince? What about acrylic? Do you wince when you see the crown lifter etch because it's supposed to be called a caplifter? I just don't understand why some people find one thing acceptable and not another.

I'm not attempting to come off snarky or confrontational. I'm pretty new to the traditional world and I'm honestly trying to understand why people take the viewpoints that they do. Why is one aspect of a knife (such as blade selection) sacred but others (such as manufacturing methods and handle and blade materials) are fair game? I understand that there have to be guidelines for the forums, that's not the type of thing I'm talking about. What I'm saying is that a custom maker can put the latest and greatest "super steel" on a knife and everybody oohs and aahs over it, but if somebody makes a knife in a completely traditional fashion using completely traditional materials people nit-pick the blade selection. It makes no sense to me. Do you honestly think that the cutlers of the 19th century forbade the creation of a barlow with a wharncliffe? Or do you think it's more likely that they were just throwing on the most popular blades of the time because they were trying to sell as many knives as possible to support their families? I'd guess the second, and seeing as how wharncliffes are pretty trendy right now, I think that Mike and Bill are taking a very traditional approach to the design of the Marlow. Again, that's just the viewpoint of an outsider that's new to the hobby and I'm interested in hearing what the more experienced members think. No offense intended towards anybody.

 

[jrtodd46]

I've been wincing every time someone calls it a "marlow"

You're not alone in that either!

Awwww come on! All the cool kids are doing it.
No different than the charlows!

 

[esnyx]

Awwww come on! All the cool kids are doing it.
No different than the charlows!

It is quite different from the Charlows. Charl-ie Charl-ow, M-ike M-arlow? It don't make sense...

Besides, Marlow is already a persons name.

 

[jrtodd46]

It is VERY different from the Charlows. Charl-ie Charl-ow, M-ike M-arlow? It don't make sense...

Yea I know it doesn't make sense, but its funny to see that people dislike it.

I don't even remember who started it lol.

 

[esnyx]

Yea I know it doesn't make sense, but its funny to see that people dislike it.

I don't even remember who started it lol.

Honestly, I find it more as a slight to Charlie, and that bugs me more than anything else.

 

[jrtodd46]

Honestly, I find it more as a slight to Charlie, and that bugs me more than anything else.

Never thought about it like that. Good point sir.

 

[draggat]

Do micarta handles make you wince? What about acrylic?

For whatever reason, these get a pass. I posted a thread about carbon fiber on traditionals a while back and it seemed to be about a 50/50 split with some people considering it sacrilege because it isn't 'traditional'. I could be wrong, but I think the cutlers of old would have used all of the modern handle materials if they thought it would sell and I personally like them. I have quite a few Canal Street knives with G-10 and carbon fiber and I love em. Wait till they see what Esnyx has done to a couple of my #15's.

Charlow, Marlow, Beerlow, whatever bladeshape, etc.... if you like the knife, who cares what other people think? Let's just hope their name sakes don't mind and continue having them made.

 

[Jack Black]

Do you honestly think that the cutlers of the 19th century forbade the creation of a barlow with a wharncliffe?

 

[Cory Hess]

Well that's just fantastic right there, Jack!!

 

[philllll]

Did someone say caplifter on a barlow? :barf:

 

[KBA]

Charlow, Marlow, Beerlow, whatever bladeshape, etc.... if you like the knife, who cares what other people think? Let's just hope their name sakes don't mind and continue having them made.

Agreed. I hope both live to 125 and put out SFOs the whole time.

 

[jc57]

I guess any combination of 1 or 2 blades on a single long-bolster jack pattern can be called a Barlow. Personally I always think of a either a clip or spear main, with an optional pen secondary, single long bolster, flat slabs, and the overall size of about 3 1/2 inches or below. Variations from that I think of as a Barlow-like jack knife. But manufacturers and vendors can call their products anything they like. Most of the traditional pattern names we use today started out as a manufacturer's marketing name for it anyway.

 

[Lemmy Caution]

Honestly, I find it more as a slight to Charlie, and that bugs me more than anything else.

Agreed. I hope both live to 125 and put out SFOs the whole time.

I believe it was Brian (MrBadInfluence) who started calling them Marlows, not 100% sure. Whoever started it the intention was totally good natured, with all due respect. He was just trying to give appreciation to the individuality of Mike's design and help it gain traction in the community. I thought it was endearing. I know Charlie and Mike have the utmost respect for one another and I believe we all share that sentiment. I've never been the biggest fan of the Wharncliffe serving as the main blade but I do believe it has its place. Serving as secondary full size blade on the Barlow with Clip Main is not far off from the combo on an improved trapper. There is a nice symmetry to the two blades, same basic shape just reversed and sharpened along opposite edges. The wharnie functions well to score work like a coping blade for precision cutting and the clip is great for skinning, food prep, etc. That said to each their own, and if you stick to a strict notion of the traditional pattern then it might not make sense. For myself I think the spirit is still traditional and variations along these lines might even breathe new life into the pattern.

Now how about those Anniversary Red Soup Bone Charlows? Shall we call them Borschtlows or Gazpatchlows?

 

[jc57]

The recent ones could be called a Saddle Traplow