Northwoods Knives: Everyday Barlow ... Opinions?

major_works said:
I may be speaking out of turn here, and someone will surely correct me if so, but I believe what's meant by a "proud half stop" is that when the blade is in the half-stop position, the spring protrudes out from between the liners on the spine side of the handle.
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You are correct
 
Bleh, thanks and it really does have a great grip. It's my first stag knife - super pleased.

major_works said:
I may be speaking out of turn here, and someone will surely correct me if so, but I believe what's meant by a "proud half stop" is that when the blade is in the half-stop position, the spring protrudes out from between the liners on the spine side of the handle.
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Then mine are not "proud" if that's right. I'm a newbie to these knives. The spring is actually recessed a little in the half stop position. I also need to add that all of mine wiggle in the half stop position, but they snap into the half stop.
 
FLymon said:
That's what I take it to mean.
I have a few knives that the spring is sunk a little at the half stop and those half a very pronounced half stop while the proud springs have a softer stop, if that makes sense.
I always kind of figured maybe that is designed in for that reason?
If it is different from one knife to the next in the same model though, that to me is a sign of poor attention to detail.
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CROWEMAG said:
You are correct
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All answered while I was typing, in my defense, I was corralling my K9s while typing.
 
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Mine came today, Spear blade, reasonably sharp, sharper once I was done with it. No wobble at all, beautiful blue uniform covers...very pleased:thumbup:

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Well after having and using it for a bit now, my opinion as requested is - it's good not great. I don't regret buying it and will continue to use it. I likely won't go ahead with a IRJ when they come out as it seems Queen just doesn't make as good of a knife as GEC. I won't get into nitpicking as there is nothing wrong with it, just not the same F&F. It won't be replacing my Broadway Jack as main traditional carry, (partially because of the light pull) I like the steel, it came shave sharp and has stayed that way with nothing more than a quick touchup on my Spyderco Doublestuff. And that's after the wife used it to dig stuck pebbles out of the kids toys as well as my usual tasks. I'm no expert but if anyone has a specific question feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
 
I ordered a Blue Camel bone with Sheepsfoot blade and was a bit disappointed with the F&F when I received it. I'm usually not super anal about perfect blade centering, but mine was pretty bad. Blade was almost touching the Mark side and with little pressure it would touch. At first glance my blade also looked warped.

My knife was also covered with metal shavings - I mean a lot of it! It was everywhere! Some was stuck between the liners and spring, making the action pretty gritty/rough. The first thing I did when I took the knife out of it's slip is run my finger on the back and instantaneously got a finger full of metal splinters :grumpy: There was also some noticeable gaps between the liners and scales/spring.

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I sent mine back for a replacement. KSF customer service was impeccable. They were super nice and apologetic + took great care of me. They hand picked one out of what was left in stock. I'm was confident I was going to get a good one.............

Got my replacement yesterday and to be honest I’m sending it back and asking for a refund. The fit and finish is unacceptable for a knife at this price point. The replacement is better, but the blade is still off center - which I was surprised especially for a hand picked one. The blade also has quite a bit of side-to-side play, something the original didn’t have.

And Look at this grind job on the pile side of the blade. I'm sorry but I cannot accept that on a $130 traditional folder.

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Sending it back today - I'd take a refund if they didn't ding you with a 20% restocking free :( I'll take store credit - I'm sure I can find something much better for that price.

It's been a long while since I've been this disappointed with a knife purchase.
 
FLymon said:
Those pics didn't look too bad for a Queen.
Wish I was kidding.
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I have a few knives made by Queen and I'm pretty satisfied with them.

I can easily fix an edge, but I cannot remove that edge off the choil/tang. Unless a serrated choil in a hidden feature with this knife. ;)

From now on I'm going to stick with GEC. I really wanted to like this knife - mostly for the blade steel and beautiful blue camel bone.

Oh well. it's not the end of the world. plenty of other great options out there.
 
Sorry for your bad luck Luc. I wanted to like it too, but it seemed too much of a risk at the premium price based on what I can see in pics and previous Queen experiences. I've had better luck with lower end Queen knives than some of their premium lineup. I recently sold a Queen City #41 Copperhead. For a $60 knife, it was quite well made. Good blade centering, good grinds, no gaps, smooth walk and talk. Unfortunately I can't say the same for some of their more expensive selections. I really want to like them too.
 
Sorry to hear about that experience Luc, seems like a safety hazard alongside a poorly picked replacement. I would think a restocking fee wouldn't apply with such dissatisfaction. Derrick is pretty good about that.
 
+ 1 on Derrick with great customer service, he's a great guy:thumbup: I however, have given up on ever getting a decent knife from Queen :(

~Jim
 
BigBiscuit said:
Sorry for your bad luck Luc. I wanted to like it too, but it seemed too much of a risk at the premium price based on what I can see in pics and previous Queen experiences. I've had better luck with lower end Queen knives than some of their premium lineup. I recently sold a Queen City #41 Copperhead. For a $60 knife, it was quite well made. Good blade centering, good grinds, no gaps, smooth walk and talk. Unfortunately I can't say the same for some of their more expensive selections. I really want to like them too.
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It's okay - live and learn. Guess I haven't been around long enough to know the whole history/stories surrounding Queen knives. I pretty much based my purchase decision on the hands on experiences I had with the knives I own. I won't like tho - I did question the $130 price point for this particular knife but I figured "guess that's the price I have to pay for the CPM-154 blade steel". F&F never once crossed my mind until I started reading this thread. I still gave them the benefit of the doubt by waiting until I got my replacement before posting about my experience. It's just too bad because the blade steel is excellent, size is excellent, feel in hand is excellent, the pull on it was excellent- only problem is execution. They are realllly nice from far, but in this case, far from nice ;)

Ryouchijtx said:
Sorry to hear about that experience Luc, seems like a safety hazard alongside a poorly picked replacement. I would think a restocking fee wouldn't apply with such dissatisfaction. Derrick is pretty good about that.
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Thanks Tim - Derrick has already reached out to me and confirmed that restocking fees will be waved. Derrick rocks - he really stands behind his products and cares about the his customers. :thumbup:

SonnyJim said:
+ 1 on Derrick with great customer service, he's a great guy:thumbup: I however, have given up on ever getting a decent knife from Queen :(

~Jim
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+2 as mentioned above.
 
I bought one of the sheepsfoot everyday barlows and immediately sent it back. The blade was not evenly ground and the edge was wavy. Will be my first and last Queen knife for sure. Stick with the GEC made Northwoods!
 
"Thank you Drew, enjoyed your pumpkin patch Barlow pic, beautiful family buddy"

Thank you Paul, they are my life : )

Luc.. sorry to hear about your knives : ( That is very dissapointing. Glad Derrick made it right though.
 
I'm glad I've seemed to luck out with this one. I have a saw cut clip point, and am very happy with it, and it's my 3rd Northwoods Queen. My first 2014 IRJ had some issues - liner gaps, proud tip when closed, not very sharp. A little work, and then I was happy with it. My 2015 IRJ was very well done out of the ziplock bag - Sharp, no gaps, etc.

Comparing the EDB to my IRJ's, I've got no complaints. There are no visible liner gaps, but holding it up to the light shows there are some slight gaps there. Blade is centered (which surprised me), and while not as sharp as my 2015 IRJ was, it's more than adequate for sharpness, and I'll touch it up when it needs it. Action was a little rough when it arrived, but after flushing the pivot, everything is operating smoothly. Pull is lighter than I'm used to, but not too bad. I'd rate it a 4-5 or so, where my IRJ's are around 7-8.

This is my first traditional (any brand) that has a flush spring in closed, half stop, and open. That was a pleasant surprise :)

I love the saw cut bone covers! Classic looking, and pretty grippy. Blade to handle ratio is pretty impressive. Handle is shorter than the IRJ, but the blade is longer. Both opened are the same length.

I'd say Derrick has another hit with this one, and it's kicked my IRJ out of the pocket for the last week since it arrived. While it's not as pretty as my GEC made Northwoods, it does scream that it's ready to work, which makes it great for Every Day :)

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the Sawcut Bone looks really really nice. kinda reminds me of the old Barlows. the Blue Camel Bone looks really good too.
i know from reading this thread there are some duds in the run of Everyday Barlows and a few are iffy.
too bad .
i have some older Queen knives and the quality is very good, although i have seen a dud or two.
Derrick is a knife lover and i bet he is wringing his hands over the quality issues.
i don't have a dog in the hunt so i'm only watching the game from the sidelines. reading this thread is like reading a strange book.
you might watch the video on youtube where Derrick talks about the difference between bicycles and Ferraris.
 
Mike my experience mimics your own with the same knife. I am very happy with mine and feel blessed to have gotten a good one. Pound for pound after looking at my GEC knives this one is on par quality wise. Centered with no liner gaps. Have had it in pocket for a week now. And I agree that it does scream to be used. I don't worry about dings/dents, wiping it down etc. I think it's going to tide me over right past the Michigan since I like the clip more then the wharnie.
 
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