LIONSTEEL CAPLIFTER BARLOW

I received these two LionSteel CK Barlows in the mail today. Only one of them is the new Beerlow/caplifter Barlow, but as long as no one minds, I thought I’d share my thoughts on both knives together here rather than digging up an older, less active thread.

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This is the first time I’ve owned one of these. I always thought they were good looking knives, and I’ve read plenty of glowing reviews from members here whose opinions I trust, but I just never pulled the trigger. A few months ago I did purchase a LionSteel Bolus (clip point) from CK, which I liked more than I expected to, and which certainly influenced the decision to finally try out these knives.

I like both of these knives so far. If I had to choose, I’d probably say that I prefer the feel of the single-blade in hand, but the caplifter version is not too bulky, nor is the closed blade noticeably uncomfortable when the other is open (though it is noticeably there, if that makes sense). I also like that I can pinch the single-blade, because I find the long pulls on all the blades a bit shallow.

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The action on both knives is quite nice, and the fit and finish overall seem good. I was unsure about the Ram’s horn, which can be hit or miss for me, and I almost went with the natural Micarta for both, but I’m glad I didn’t. I did submit a request (hopefully not too particular) for what kind of Ram’s horn I preferred, and I’m happy with what I got. (Thanks, Mike!) Although I didn’t take a picture of it yet, the pile side has some nice character.

There are two “negatives” I’ve encountered with these knives so far. The first is very minor: the mark side Ram’s horn scale juts out a bit where it meets the bolster. I know, natural materials and all that, but still… it sure would be nice if that transition was as smooth as the pile side.

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I considered swapping the Ram’s horn and Micarta, thinking that the thicker/uneven horn might not feel as bad on the slimmer single-blade knife. I even tried it out, and I was absolutely right, and I would have left it that way, but when I went to put the Micarta onto the two-blade knife, I ran into a problem: it wouldn’t fit. The screws for the scales would only catch the holes in the liner at an angle, and I had no desire to crossthread the screws, so I swapped the scales back to the knives they came on. (I even tried swapping the bolsters, pairing the Micarta scale with the bolster it came with on the other knife, but it didn’t make a difference. Must be a small variation in the position of the holes in the liner.)
 
Good report Barrett. Nice horn on the cap-lifter! Which may be a cap-lifter only, according to Greasepiggy's post above. :( Bolster to cover transitions seems to be LionsSteel's nemesis not terrible but could be improved. Great cutlery, enjoy!!
Edited after considering Jiki Jiki following post
 
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JohnDF said:
Oh no...
Is M390 brittle material?
Click to expand...

At higher hardness most steels get a bit more brittle, but the caplifter blade was treated to around 58.5hrc as opposed to the main blade a little over 60hrc. I have tried on a couple and as long as the pressure stays flat the torque gets pretty high before the actual frame of the knife itself starts being twisted. I can't break one if I keep the tension inside of bounds that seem safe for the frame of the knife. But if the torque somehow made it into a position that the pressure was not only in the circular but also a bit in the horizontal (think pry); I can see it causing a problem.
 
I was tightening a screw on a cell phone stand. No prying involved. Not a lot of torque being applied either. Maybe mine had some internal “Gremlins From the Kremlin” in the metal?
Who knows?
 
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