Let's talk Northwoods

I got my Madison Barlow in Cocobolo today. I wanted to get one because I like cocobolo and my brother has one of these and I wanted to check one out. The Cocobolo is lighter and more orange than I'm used to but very nice with interesting grain. It has a nice smooth 5 pull, with nice snap open. Snap closed could be a little stronger, but I hate blade rap (like I had on a 43) so it is good for making that less likely. I also haven't oiled it yet. It has great fit and finish with no gaps and perfect centering. An extremely well made knife, but for whatever reason I'm not sure I'm connecting with it.

Here's an overview video I made on my YouTube channel:


I've got lots of other videos on GEC and some Northwoods knives so check those out also.
 
Quick photo, just got these in the mail, still a bit cold. Very happy with with the fit and finish on all. The Madison's are a big knife, but thin. Think they will carry well. The mammoth Big Bay has excellent walk and talk. A bit of an impulse purchase after checking out with the Madison's. Still surprised it was available. FullSizeRender.jpg
 
Arrived today:
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It’s pretty cool how different the various cocobolo scales are. Makes you feel like it was made just for you. The warmth of the wood combined with the mirror polished blade, combined with the thinness in width, will make an excellent dressy knife.
 
Honest first impressions. Not sure I connect with it. First of all the fit and finish is just ok in my experience, not the same as the rest of my Northwoods collection? The bolsters and blade didn’t have the best polish on them. Centering is fine, and flush in open and close positions, 90* is not. The walk and talk is ok, half to open are a 4/5 while the close is a little bit squishy. Maybe a 3.5/4.

It’s a cool piece and I’m sure folks will like it. It definitley has good purchase on the handle with a full 4 finger grip. Would be great for meal prep, but kinda large to carry, so it’s a conundrum for me.

It is a cool knife and I appreciate the departure from the wharncliffe blade and rustic finish. I’ve really been an advocate for a full flat grind and no heat treat like an esky zulu for example, but I’m sad to say this didn’t do it for me. Maybe the pattern just isn’t for me, time will tell. Blade shape is nice. The long pull and sledge are good too. We’ll see

Great pics people. Just wanted to give a little feedback with both pros and cons.
 
This just arrived yesterday from the odds and ends sale last week. Bear lake on the 59 frame. Hopefully GEC uses this frame in the future. I like it... The slip that that it came with seems to be much better quality than what I've gotten in the past.


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Got this one in the mail today. This is my first Northwoods. I was a bit hesitant about going for one of these Madison Barlows, because it is a much larger knife than I normally carry. In fact, I think I passed on these when KSF had them before for that very reason (I feel like they had some of these in stock for quite a while a few years back, but maybe I'm misremembering).

That said, I'm quite happy with this knife. F&F are excellent. Nice middle of the road pull (action could be snappier, but that might improve with a little oil and use). The jigging, although not the coveted random-style jigging, looks and feels nice, and I really like the bolsters and arrowhead stamp. Although it is a large knife, I appreciate that it's quite slim. It's also a fairly hefty knife thanks to the bolsters. I like the weighty feel of it in my hand compared to, say, my Jigged Cherry Beaver Tail #43, which feels too light for a knife of its size. I'd probably prefer the blade in a less polished finish, but that's nothing a little use and patina won't fix. :D Definitely glad I picked this one up! :thumbsup:

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btb01 said:
Got this one in the mail today. This is my first Northwoods. I was a bit hesitant about going for one of these Madison Barlows, because it is a much larger knife than I normally carry. In fact, I think I passed on these when KSF had them before for that very reason (I feel like they had some of these in stock for quite a while a few years back, but maybe I'm misremembering).

That said, I'm quite happy with this knife. F&F are excellent. Nice middle of the road pull (action could be snappier, but that might improve with a little oil and use). The jigging, although not the coveted random-style jigging, looks and feels nice, and I really like the bolsters and arrowhead stamp. Although it is a large knife, I appreciate that it's quite slim. It's also a fairly hefty knife thanks to the bolsters. I like the weighty feel of it in my hand compared to, say, my Jigged Cherry Beaver Tail #43, which feels too light for a knife of its size. I'd probably prefer the blade in a less polished finish, but that's nothing a little use and patina won't fix. :D Definitely glad I picked this one up! :thumbsup:

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Your description is spot on.
 
I did a lot of thinking and looking at knife pictures, trying to dream up my perfect carry knife. My decision came down to a Northwoods Lincoln Jack with dark black ebony handles. To me, that would be just about the perfect knife to throw in the pocket every day. Are you listening KSF?
 
Pics from another thread. This was my first Northwoods and I’m glad I was able to get it. At every other drop for the last 3-4 years I wasn’t able to get one because I’d be at work or the drop time was when I was too busy. I’m overall impressed with how the Appaloosa turned out. Good fit and finish all around. About 4-5 pull which is good I think for this style knife. And the bone is absolutely gorgeous! This will be riding in my pocket at my fathers wedding.
Jdr226439 said:
Mail Call!
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Great knives, everyone!
btb01 btb01 , nice jigged bone and glad you like it!:thumbsup:
tmd_87 tmd_87 , great looking grain on yours! :thumbsup: Mine is similar but not as pronounced. This is not a great picture but you get the idea.
All in all, another epic run of Madison Barlows. The appaloosa turned out fantastic, some great Cocobolo on this batch, lots of variation but all well matched side to side.
I like the non-rustic blades and full grind SOoo much better. :D
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btb01 said:
Got this one in the mail today. This is my first Northwoods. I was a bit hesitant about going for one of these Madison Barlows, because it is a much larger knife than I normally carry. In fact, I think I passed on these when KSF had them before for that very reason (I feel like they had some of these in stock for quite a while a few years back, but maybe I'm misremembering).

That said, I'm quite happy with this knife. F&F are excellent. Nice middle of the road pull (action could be snappier, but that might improve with a little oil and use). The jigging, although not the coveted random-style jigging, looks and feels nice, and I really like the bolsters and arrowhead stamp. Although it is a large knife, I appreciate that it's quite slim. It's also a fairly hefty knife thanks to the bolsters. I like the weighty feel of it in my hand compared to, say, my Jigged Cherry Beaver Tail #43, which feels too light for a knife of its size. I'd probably prefer the blade in a less polished finish, but that's nothing a little use and patina won't fix. :D Definitely glad I picked this one up! :thumbsup:

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Exceptional picture. Feel like I can grab it right out the screen.
 
Wow you guys take some great photos. This is J Rouch - sorry I'm late to post, I'm pretty much a lurker on BF in general. But I wanted to say hi and let you guys know a bit about what's going on with Northwoods. 1st thing - Derrick was my best friend and I miss him dearly. We have worked together on Northwoods as a brand for years. I officially took over the Northwoods brand completely during the 1st Bear Lake drop (That one was a nightmare) We oversold, it wasn't a great time. So many people we had to refund - apologize and go by completed orders via timestamp to straighten it all out.

Our vision for Northwoods was always to be a simple, refined, pocket knife you could be proud to own. We worked hard to build a premium brand and I'll keep on doing that - Obviously our last drop of Madison Barlows didn't go well due to overwhelming traffic. Basically several thousands of people shooting for a few hundred knives. We prepped the web host about the drop - just as we've done before and this time the bandwidth was just not there - it was a rough launch - but we're constantly working on improving that experience. I don't want you guys to just think that it was OK for us either - We're refining that process continuously and I'm confident we'll improve it.

I always joked with Derrick that it was odd we didn't offer wood on the Northwoods - and as you can see, wood covers were back and I hope to keep offering unique materials that aren't just the old standards - I wish I could make everyone happy, but I only have 5-6 choices per run. I wish I could get more knives into the hands of people wanting them. I'm working on it - Thanks for your patience and support. You guys are awesome.
 
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