Northwoods Knives: Everyday Barlow ... Opinions?

hhmoore said:
I now have mixed feelings about my purchase; but I'm going to keep an open mind.
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I doubt you will, when it's in hand. Personally, I like the idea of my knife not rusting from being in the pocket.

kootenay joe said:
HST, what is "MD'ing" ?
&
mazman, i absolutely agree that KSF is First Rate Top Notch among knife dealers and the main reason for this is "Tyler". He listens attentively and then does what he says he is going to do to make sure you get the knife that is right for you. Because of Tyler KSF is right up there with AG Russell in giving the very best customer service.
kj
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I am an MD that specializes in Emergency Medicine (MD-ing = practicing medicine/care). I have to look quickly and asses very often, and that assessment could mean life or death. I've developed a very keen eye, over the years. I also agree, the service at KSF is some of the best, it has its rank.

idahoguy said:
The CPM 154 intrigued me, my first. The price is the same as the Indian River, what a "super steel" in a traditional commands. There seems to be a good amount of interest in quality stainless traditionals.
Sure seems to be no shortage of nitpicking on the everydays here. If the knife has a serious problem, I'd complain, but my knives are all users. The lighter ones in blue looked good to me, but I settled on maple because it was a beautiful one. Got my fingers crossed.
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CPM154 is a great stainless steel for a traditional, IMO as well. I got one then ordered more. It seems funny to me that people nit pick because of price; however, they sell their never used knives that cost less or the same for plenty more. 'Knife Capitalism.' I'm going to use the absolute heck out of mine. I don't know what for exactly, but every day one of these will be in my pocket.
 
I just recieved this cocobolo sheepsfoot and I have to say, I am immensely pleased with it. The handle is absolutely beautiful, I wish I could take pictures that do it justice. It appears to be a higher end version of the Queen 69 workhorse I have, same general size and shape although the Northwoods is lighter weight. I like the pinchable-ness of the blade and the relatively light pull, maybe a 6? It does have a couple of issues, the pile side bolster is ever so slightly longer than the front one, and one of the pins on the back is flattened strangely (interestingly I have the same problem on my 69). Also, like Spyderg mentioned the spring came kinda gritty and needed to be cleaned out and reoiled but that seems to have fixed it. For a knife I intend to carry and use these are not major concerns to me but others may feel differently. Overall I am very, very happy with it and look forward to carrying it for many years to come.
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Those pictures look pretty good to me, Cannonball970. :thumbup: Very nice looking knife!

I did not get one of these but I want to comment that it's nice to hear that some folks are able to eliminate the grittiness in the blade action that seems to be a signature of many recent production Queen knives. I've never been successful in my attempts. Looking at my Queen knives with this issue I notice that it's an uneven grind on the blade tang where it rides on the spring, not dirt or sediment. With these Barlows it seems to be resolvable with a good cleaning. That's good news and I'm glad to hear it.
 
If you have issues with these knives, I would send a critique with an honest assessment of the knife to Queen. Just telling them that "I want the knife to be like Great Eastern knives I have" does nothing for them or for you for that matter.

On the other hand, if you really like the knife, send them an email or message, letting them know.
 
I just received my spearpoint in birds eye maple today! I'm pretty new to traditionals as my only other traditional is a GEC #15 Huckleberry Boys Knife sheepsfoot in jigged bone. my thoughts on the Northwoods Everyday Barlow are as follows:

1. Love the CPM-154 blade steel. I used my GEC #15 previously in a fairly wet/muddy environment and it rusted like wild. I don't mind knives looking used rather than brand new, but I also don't mind high quality stainless steels. very much looking forward to making this a daily user. not the sharpest blade I've ever seen come out of the box but certainly not dull at all. I got right down to cutting and it performed very well.

2. the look and proportions are fantastic. was originally looking to snag one with the very handsome linear-grained box elder scales but the birds eye maple is a visual delight. blade size is right where I like it for an EDC and the handle sits comfortably in a three-finger grip for my XL-size hands. I feel like Queen & Northwoods really knocked it out of the park with the material choices for these ... it was tough deciding between the various maples, the cocobolo, and that rich blue colored bone. that internal debate was what cost me the chance to get the box elder spearpoint or sheepsfoot... but I feel the birds eye maple I received is one of the most handsome knives I've ever seen.

3. fit and finish: I may be a noob and missing out on some of the finer aspects of judging fit and finish on a traditional blade, but from what I can see this is a solid 8/10 in my book. grind lines on the blade are perfectly vertical, evenly spaced, and subtle. blade is dead centered when closed but leans to left when open, and the swedge is uneven on the two sides, which exaggerates the left-leaning appearance. I don't think it will affect cutting performance and I like a little idiosyncrasy in handmade products, so I'm fine with it. no lateral play in the blade when fully open. all the pieces fit together nice and tight - excellent job there. bolsters, scales, liners, backspring - everything put together 100% perfect and clean. nothing sticks out, no waviness or gaps. the two bolsters are a little asymmetrical (one has more curvature - again, not performance-impacting and a nice bit of idiosyncrasy). the rivets are precisely flush with the wood and the thickness of the wood scales are the same on both sides. there is a nick in the steel at the base of the blade tang.

4. blade opens smoothly, pull weight is slightly less than my GEC #15, which I'm happy about since that was a bit too stiff for my tastes. that might just be because I'm used to modern folders.

I'm extremely happy with this purchase and looking forward to enjoying the Everyday Barlow. I missed out on the IRJ but I can see what all the fuss was about, and I'm very happy to now own a Queen-made knife. I'm very happy with the price I got it for as well, for my tastes the fit and finish is excellent and getting a traditional with modern steel is worth something extra. going to be out of the country for a few weeks but once I get back I'll try to post a shot of my new companion.
 
Like many of you I have my issues with Queen, having experienced awesome quality from them at times, and then almost unbelievable levels of uneven, poor grinds on the blades at other times. I was pretty weary of ordering one of these when it became apparent to me that they were Queen. But I have found that all of the USA traditional makers tend to step up their games on SFOs. And I so love cpm154, and I so want to support Queen (as a life-long western PA resident), and I am a big fan of KSF to boot. So there were many reasons to give it a chance.

So after studying the photos (much more closely than usual) I selected one and stuck it in the cart with something else I was purchasing anyway. I just got my blue camel spear point yesterday, and wanted to share that I am very pleased. Queen did a nice job on these, at least so far as my example can tell.
 
I also first heard about these on FB and managed to snag one of the box elder clips. Being a Barlow fan I was naturally intrigued but the big draw for me was the steel.

Having been out of town when it was first announced I didn't have time to peruse the forum before purchasing so I didn't know they were made by Queen. Now that I have it in hand the subtle signs are there. As others have mentioned there is a very slight recurve in the profile. Not enough to make that much difference but you would rarely see this on a GEC. Another (positive) difference is that all of the pins are flush, something GEC seldom seems to achieve. Also there is a very slight gap in the spine, something not too uncommon for either maker but more frequent on Queens.

All in all I'm happy with the knife because of the wood and steel but had I known it was a Queen my personal bias might have prevented me from pulling the trigger in the first place. As it stands I do think this is an improvement over the few Queen's I've had in the past. If this becomes a proven trend for them then I may put them back on the watch list. I had considered jumping on a blue camel bone clip (always loved that color on my Madison) but I think I'll keep my powder dry for now.

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I just got my Everyday yesterday and tried to post, but it didn't work. I'm very happy with it so far. I got the birdseye sheepsfoot. The birdseye is beautiful. I considered the blue, but went with maple. If the bone had been amber... It's a very tight knife, just a very small gap between the spring and liner, but that will fill in with pocket lint. :thumbup: The pins are nice and flush. There was a small amount of grittiness on movement when I first got it, but I cleaned their oil out of the joint and re-lubed it, and it's good to go. I was going to wait to do it, but I re-ground the sheepsfoot into a wharncliffe, and love it that way. Photobucket doesn't work for me, or there'd be a few pictures in my post. I only bought it because of the CPM 154. I won't use the pocket slip because it fits so nicely into my watch pocket. Real happy so far.
 
My second one was gritty. I just washed it. I'm a noob, but it worked. I will also say when I first got it grease/gunk/whatever it was would come out the bolster when working the blade from open to closed.

New edition, birds eye maple, and this is my favorite so far.
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That's all 'grease' (not really sure) smudge from assembly, the finish is spot on. This one - like my first EDB - has no grit, but my second did. Shaving hair sharp, like all my others. Now, I have choices for EDC beaters that are traditional with a modern twist. If you haven't got one of these, get one, you won't regret it.
 
I just unpacked mine. At first glance, they're very attractive knives. On second glance, though, the grinds are uneven - not horrendous - but enough to make the blades look wavy/bent. As I manipulated the knife in my hand, I noticed rough edges at corners of the bolsters - again, not horrendous - but a distraction...I'm not sure it's mild enough that I wouldn't notice; but I don't think it's likely to cause discomfort on either knife.
I bought one to be a user, one to be a gift. I'm disappointed with the faults I see in the one I purchased for myself; but, while they detract from the perceived value, they won't detract from the functionality. The person for whom I purchased the other would likely not even notice the faults...but I did; and I don't see myself giving it to him, as a result. I've returned both knives to their respective slips and bags - I'll take another look at them tomorrow, and decide whether I return one (or both).

*Edited to add - I guess he pays more attention than I thought. His wife told me tonight that he refuses to buy Queen because he's returned every one he's purchased due to uneven grinds and/or scale issues.
 
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Drew, I am able to pinch my clip open. The pull is about a 5 on mine so it's just doable with my slightly arthritic fingers. If this were a GEC (with their stiffer pulls) I wouldn't be able to do it.

Love your avatar. She's adorable!
 
I got the sheepsfoot, and it's an easy pinch open. The pull is lighter than the Queen #69 I bought, which is nearly identical.
 
HST said:
...New edition, birds eye maple, and this is my favorite so far.
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Holy antelope antlers!! Those covers are incredible! :eek: Congrats, and thanks for the great photo, HST! :thumbup::thumbup:

- GT
 
HST: That is some beautiful bird's eye maple on that knife. btw I'm an EM doc too,,,almost 33 years of practicing.:thumbup:
 
Kubelik: "there is a nick in the steel at the base of the blade tang."
Usually that is done with a file to indicate a 'second'. I am not familiar enough with Queen to know if this is how they mark a second but it is a common practice.
kj
 
kootenay joe said:
Kubelik: "there is a nick in the steel at the base of the blade tang."
Usually that is done with a file to indicate a 'second'. I am not familiar enough with Queen to know if this is how they mark a second but it is a common practice.
kj
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I believe they stamp a 2. We haven't received our seconds yet.
 
spyderg said:
I've got a spear and yes pinchable but not if your hands are wet or greasy, (just went to use mine after a turkey sandwich).
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I hate opening knives with nails and pretty much only use pinch. This knife is definitely pinch-able, even with slightly wet (but not totally wet) fingers for me.
 
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