Northwoods Knives: Everyday Barlow ... Opinions?

btmccutcheon

btmccutcheon

Joined
Jul 10, 2013
Messages
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Holy cow that was fast! I got notified about 1:30 and watched about 60 (I think) barlows disappear off the website in under 2 hours. Wow! They were beautiful though, and I manged to snag the #17 spear while I watched the sheepfoots dwindle. I never even got a chance to look at the clips. So now that I've already received a tracking number and am patiently waiting for mine, who got them and what's your opinion? I'm assuming they were built on the GEC #77 frame? Can anyone confirm?
 
These are queen made, as other have said. Derrek has the Michigan Jack EO coming on the 77 frame in the Northwoods Rustic line.
 
Derrick is coming out with a knife on the 77 frame as well. The "michigan jack" which I imagine is just a larger "broadway jack" from all the features included, "EO, wharncliffe, all steel.

As Bob and Kyle both stated, a Queen cutlery made product with the powder metallurgy steel. Not a super steel anymore these days but a very great one still. One of my favourites. I still shy away from Queen just based on the slightly bulbous grind they put on their full flat grinds.

I liked the barlow look, not so much the blue however. That vibrant candy blue is a bit too much/almost makes it look plastic in my mind. (just my own taste preference) I would love some wood, jigged bone, blue micarta etc.

All in all, I still think it's a great piece, just prefer the CK sfo when it comes down to manufacture.

Here's a photo since the photos are removed once sold out*

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I don't know what it is but all queen knives have a chintzy kinda look to them to me, at least in pictures. I've never handled one. I don't like that it's only got the arrowhead stamp on one side of the bolster.
 
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I am not sure if it is just the pic, or my cracked ipad, but the blade looks odd. The blade seems wavey above the pull and the grind looks wavey as well. Is it just me, my poor eye sight, and cracked ipad?
 
KBA said:
I am not sure if it is just the pic, or my cracked ipad, but the blade looks odd. The blade seems wavey above the pull and the grind looks wavey as well. Is it just me, my poor eye sight, and cracked ipad?
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You're not alone Brett, I just looked at it for a long while now and it's warped or wavy in some spots to my eye as well. Like I said, the grind on Queens are what keep me from buying one.
 
Thanks Tim. I wasn't sure due to my daughter using my glasses as a chew toy for the last 2 years. :D


Here is a clip:




Does it look like it has a recurve to it? Could just be the angle of the pic.
 
KBA said:
Thanks Tim. I wasn't sure due to my daughter using my glasses as a chew toy for the last 2 years. :D

Here is a clip:
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Does it look like it has a recurve to it? Could just be the angle of the pic.
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I'm not sure either but it does seem so. A slight upsweep from the belly into the sharpening notch. Gonna have to wait till the first reviews come in but that's another common feature on Queen. A photo of a S&M Shiner Pint in ATS-34 with a recurve as well from Knifecenter.

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The blue is too blue for my taste, and I somehow don't like the f&f on Queen knives, and their overly obtuse grinds. For that money, I'm certainly not impressed. Pass.
 
I looked long and hard at these. Not sure if it's the photography, but it looks like a lot of variation. I too, passed.
 
Not trying to start an argument, but perhaps are some looking for faults because they are made by Queen instead of GEC? I personally have several queen knives and they are well made except for the dull edges out of the box. (Which GEC is bad about too!!)
Anyways back on track I like the look of these and will be picking one up:thumbup:
 
Ernie1980 said:
Not trying to start an argument, but perhaps are some looking for faults because they are made by Queen instead of GEC? I personally have several queen knives and they are well made except for the dull edges out of the box. (Which GEC is bad about too!!)
Anyways back on track I like the look of these and will be picking one up:thumbup:
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Was going to write about that. My opinions on these knives are based on it being a Northwoods, purely the construction/manufacture as of late is what keeps me from liking them.

I actually like several of Queen's offerings and the look of them. This one just doesn't do it for me either in terms of looks.
 
The Indian River Jacks have been a very successful pattern for Derrick and they are made by Queen. I can't imagine that the quality will be much different with these. The darker color variation is interesting, makes me wonder what the differences are between how GEC dyes camel bone and how Queen does it. I do like the arrowhead on the bolster but wish it was on the pile side as well. One of the biggest selling points for me is the CPM-154 steel. I like 1095 as much as the next guy but really, really, really, wish GEC would offer more knives in various stainless steels. Kudos to Queen in that respect.

I ordered one so we will see.
 
I don't think that's the case. I saw the picture and thought it was the new Michigan Jack that gec is building, but when I looked closely at the picture, I immediately knew it was a queen. It was exactly the things people are staying that tipped me off, not the other way around.
 
These are certainly made by Queen. They did a good job on these.

The F&F is a step down from GEC, but the steel is a huge step up. They won't be for everyone, but they are the only Barlows that I know of made with a super steel.

:)
 
I was so close to pulling the trigger as well... I am sure I will regret it. I have 3 Northwoods so far and love them all. The IRJ by Queen being my favorite actually. Looking forward to hearing some in hand reviews. Will you be posting a video Derrick? I might have missed it on your site.
 
choombak said:
The blue is too blue for my taste, and I somehow don't like the f&f on Queen knives, and their overly obtuse grinds. For that money, I'm certainly not impressed. Pass.
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Like the steel, don't care for the smurf blue. Just my tastes, but don't care for blue knives. And I'd for sure take a clip or spear blade as a single blade knife over a wharnie. I just feel a clip or spear is more versatile for everyday tasks when it's a single bladed knife. Just my own tastes is all. But boy, that blue to me looks like plastic. Dunno. I am glad to see higher graded steels being used though.
 
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