New Slipjoint Help

J

Jesse D.L

Joined
Jul 31, 2009
Messages
475
Hey guys, I'm looking for a new knife and was really focusing on the same old tacticool type knives but have come to realise that I really have no use for them..so now im looking for a new slip joint to edc. I like the barlow, canoe, any whittler pattern, texas jack and many others but have no clue what knife to get! I'm gonna keep it at around 200, I'd like half stops too and a good spring, handle material doesn't matter too much just as long as its natural. Any Ideas would be great, I'd appreciate pictures with the suggestions too if possible. Thanks guys and gals.
 
I'll give you the good news first. With your budget you can get yourself 2, or maybe even 3 very nice knives.

Here's the bad news. You'll need to give us more specifics if you want to get any help. Your parameters are much too broad that they are nearly useless.

For example, do you want stainless or carbon steel?
Do you have a preference between wood, bone, ivory, or stag?
 
sorry about that I'm relatively new to slipjoints. here are some more specifics. I want carbon steel, around 3 inches for the main blade, can be less but no more prefferably, I prefer bone/stag handles to any other material and would like to stay away from Case. Thats all I can think of but if you all need more info ill do my best.
 
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I'm curious. If you are just getting started in slip joints, why do you want to stay away from Case ?

The workmanship on the older Case knives is very good. IMHO they offered some of the nicest production scales available. Beautiful green bone, red bone, and some very nice stag.

They can easily be found, and within your price range.

I can't help you much with current production knives, as I really don't have any, but G.E.C's seem to be very popular. Great workmanship and a wide variety of choices.

If you are willing to go a little higher in price, there are some members here that do incredible work. Take a look in the makers section and see some of their work
 
thanks, I have heard about a lot of shoddy work in recent years with case is the reason I blew case off as a possibility. I know the older knives are of much better quality but was uncertain if there was much of a market for new unused older cases. (im in canada and its always a bit tricky to get knives around where i am).
 
Not really sure how you came up with your budget, and it doesn't really matter, but that is kind of "tweener" money if you ask me. By that I mean, more than 90% (or more) of new production knives, and under 90% (or more) of custom hand made knives. You can get a lot of knife for 1/3 of that and try several patterns for your budget.

I am sure someone will throw out some more examples, but other than overspending on a few names I wont mention, the only knives I can think of that meet you criteria to a tee are the Northfield Genuine Stag knives from Great Eastern Cutlery. They have 1095 steel, awesome Stag, and are probably the best built factory knives around.

You can find them here:
collectorknives.net
tsaknives.com

you can also find a dealer list at
greateasterncutlery.net

If you are not sure about patterns you might like I would definitely recommend Queen in their D2 steel. You can see them at collectorknives.net also, and they are much more budget friendly to try out while still being better quality slip joints.

Happy hunting!
 
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thanks flymon, the reason that number came up is because in order to get a new knife I need to sell some of my stuff (out of work atm) that's the only real reason.
 
There was a period where the qc on Case knives was less than great. However, if you get back into the knives that have the Case XX tang stamp or even the earlier Tested versions, the quality is usually very good. I would say that some are even on par with some of the custom knives. I'm a little biased though..:D
These earlier Case knives have a very big following and command a bigger price, but IMHO they are well worth it... Do a little searching on the big auction site and you will find quite a few of them.

As I mentioned, I can't give you an honest opinion on current production knives, but a lot of folks here have been very happy with the quality of them.

Another thing you may want to check out is the earlier Scharde Walden knives.
Very well made, and they did an incredible job with their 1095 blades.
They can be had for less money than the early Case knives, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the quality. There were some that were made with bone scales, but those aren't very common and command a much higher price. Scharde went out of business in 2004, but there are still knives being made overseas with the Schrade name. Make sure you get one that is U.S made, because the current imported knives are nothing like the originals.

I have a few and they have jigged Delrin scales. I'm not usually a big fan of Delrin, but I really like these knives. It would give you a great way to get into slipjoints without spending a lot of money, until you get a feel for what you really like.
 
I wouldn't rule out current production Case knives. I've been very happy with recent purchases of new Case knives. I have 3 Case sway backs in CV...a humpback whittler in CV...a muskrat in CV and a texas jack in CV all new production and all acquired in the past year. Every one has been excellent in regards to F&F.
 
bladeplay and gaps are my biggest worry since I have to buy online and cant really see before getting it lol. Its good to hear you've had good experiences with the newer ones, I shouldn't be so quick to judge maybe.
 
Take a look at the Queen City Cutlery Classic Teardrop Jack. It's right around the size you want at 3 3/4" closed. It has 1095 blades, a spear main and a pen. Plus it's available with 4 different handle materials -- stag, ebony, amber winterbottom bone, and antique green bone. I'm not sure if it has half-stops, but it should be a simple enough matter for the vendor to check before you place your order.

I suggest taking the rest of your budget and placing an order for a 2010 forum knife. It's an equal end design with spearpoint and clip blades. The handle material is ebony, but if you can get past your bias you won't regret it. This is a real honey of a knife and one that you would be proud to own.
 
first look at the 2010 knife..that thing is sure pretty, will have to look into it once they post about canadian orders. When do the forum knives usualy ship?
 
morrowj_98 said:
I wouldn't rule out current production Case knives. I've been very happy with recent purchases of new Case knives. I have 3 Case sway backs in CV...a humpback whittler in CV...a muskrat in CV and a texas jack in CV all new production and all acquired in the past year. Every one has been excellent in regards to F&F.
Click to expand...

Absolutely my experience too:thumbup:

You might also want to try Queen Cutlery's Teardrop Liner lock in their grippy Amber Carved Stagbone or a GEC Liner lock in Bone or Stag. All far under your price ceiling and all decent.
 
Jesse, I hope you give Case a chance. It's a great old line company, with some very nice people backing it up. The past few years, the Case knives I've seen have been vey good in the fit and finish department. Plus they have the biggest line-up of old traditional patterns around. Thier CV steel is really good stuff, and is easy to sharpen, and forgiving of hard use.
 
thanks jackknife, I'm gonna get a case peanut to give them a try, will be good for my backup backup knife. (and give me an excuse to carry another knife ;P )
 
I would buy two or three nice production knives (Case, Queen or GEC) or come up with another $150 or so and get a nice custom from one of the makers here.
 
Jesse D.L said:
bladeplay and gaps are my biggest worry since I have to buy online and cant really see before getting it lol. Its good to hear you've had good experiences with the newer ones, I shouldn't be so quick to judge maybe.
Click to expand...

Don't hesitate to call up the online retailers and ask them questions about the knife you are purchasing. When buying slip joints online...that's what I do. If you ask, many around here can give you specific people to call and talk to. There are dealers here you can ask as well.
 
I agree with Wagglebee, buy two or three production knives. The Queen Dan Burke barlow is a very nice knife, excellent fit and finish. The GEC's I have are all excellent also, and the only new Case knives I have, a peanut and a swayback jack also are both excellent in fit and finish and good using knives.

Dan
 
Ruling out a modern Case would be a mistake IMO. The rest are fine too. You might also want to get a half dozen or so Rough Riders to find a pattern you like and/or some different handle materials. Cheap but very very serviceable.
 
There are dealers who will check your knife for you before shipping. You can call or email with questions about this.
When I bought my first Queen teardrop linerlock online, I didn't do this and had to send it to Queen to get blade play fixed.
I later got a Queen linerlock minihunter, and the dealer checked it for me before shipping. That one was fine.
 
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