"One Arm Bandits" aka the Razor Blade Barlow

jackknife said:
I can only wonder if the one arm knife was a timely marketing ploy of the period. I have some doubts about the one armed vets using the knife, if only that if it was truly for a one armed man, why would they put in a pen blade that a one armed man had no chance of opening?

And given the time period, if one needed a knife and had only one hand or arm, why not just carry a sheath knife?
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There you go using logic, again :D I suppose if it was just marketing, it could be appealing to a two armed man who wants the option of one hand opening. That's pretty common these days.
 
I agree with your reasoning jackknife, that's just always the story I've heard behind this pattern's history.
 
Alnamvet, you're responsible for this. :cool:

i-cBhQZhT-XL.jpg
 
jackknife said:
I can only wonder if the one arm knife was a timely marketing ploy of the period. I have some doubts about the one armed vets using the knife, if only that if it was truly for a one armed man, why would they put in a pen blade that a one armed man had no chance of opening?

And given the time period, if one needed a knife and had only one hand or arm, why not just carry a sheath knife?
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Absolutely! I've wondered how apocryphal the whole story was behind the pattern, particularly since so many examples are clearly not that great at their supposed purpose and could be implemented much better: one armed opening. Why, if they were truly meant to be opened "one armed", would one not make them with a more pronounced "hook" on the end of the blade? Some examples, such as the AG Russell One Armed Folding Steak Knife, look like practical examples that would work as advertised. Many more examples, some featured in this thread, look to have been neutered such that the hook is less prominent, and likely less effective.

Similarly, the idea that they are intended to be razors of any sort.

Perhaps they were *gulp* simply little more than a ploy to separate knife nuts from their money. Heaven knows the knife market has been lousy with examples of this practice, which survives to this very day.
 
shecky said:
Absolutely! I've wondered how apocryphal the whole story was behind the pattern, particularly since so many examples are clearly not that great at their supposed purpose and could be implemented much better: one armed opening. Why, if they were truly meant to be opened "one armed", would one not make them with a more pronounced "hook" on the end of the blade? Some examples, such as the AG Russell One Armed Folding Steak Knife, look like practical examples that would work as advertised. Many more examples, some featured in this thread, look to have been neutered such that the hook is less prominent, and likely less effective.

Similarly, the idea that they are intended to be razors of any sort.

Perhaps they were *gulp* simply little more than a ploy to separate knife nuts from their money. Heaven knows the knife market has been lousy with examples of this practice, which survives to this very day.
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I agree with your line of thought, and have wondered the same things. After some consideration, I think that the "razor" term might have been applied due to the similarity in blade shape to some straight razors that were common at the time.
As you said, in the end, I think that it was likely clever marketing instead of a knife designed to be truly disability-friendly.
 
Alnamvet68 said:
Don't you just love the near perfect fit, finish, and the very agreeable and pocketable heft of this pattern? This particular pattern could easily fetch twice as much.
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Very true. Perfect balance and heft. This has quickly taken a place in my "favorites" category.

I didn't really realize how large this knife is until I compared it to my GEC 72 tonight and realized they are the same length.
 
Having seen these around I was always under the impression that they were meant to be used as razors. I may be wrong but I believe, at least with straight razors, that the cutout portion of the blade is to contour around your nose while shaving. Never considered the alternative use as a pocket hook for one handed opening. Another thought was that maybe these knives, with their slightly thicker blades and stronger scales/handles than a typical straight razor, were to be used as an alternative because they would endure the rough treatment they would receive on the move such as during war or while at sea better than your slender straight razor. Just my thoughts on the matter.

P.S. Looking at them again after writing this I have to question my hypothesis. The slight belly all of these examples show would most likely pose a problem while shaving. Someone may have to take one for the team and try it out.:thumbup:
 
Here's a Case razor knife that had nothing to do with one armed bandits, but was contracted by the US between 1905 and 1914. It's a razor and nail file knife, usefull for keeping that five o'clock shadow off your face when in the trenches, while the nail file kept your feet in tip top shape for those long marches through a snowy forest....

 
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Hello!

Here is one of mine:

original.jpg


Please excuse my ignorance, but maybe one of you could point me to how one armed people were meant to open these, please? (Teeth?!?) Maybe it's the fatigue, but I can't wrap my brain around it atm... ;)

Regards,
Alex
 
Alnamvet68 said:
Here's a Case razor knife that had nothing to do with one armed bandits, but was contracted by the US between 1905 and 1914. It's a razor and nail file knife, usefull for keeping that five o'clock shadow off your face when in the trenches, while the nail file kept your feet in tip top shape for those long marches through a snowy forest....

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The blade in that knife was designed for rope work, mostly cutting it, and the manicure blade would help the sailor pass inspection, dirty, gnarly nails belonging to childhood ogres, and unfortunate people on the street.

Alex, that knife you "quoted" has nothing to do with one-armed people.
In fact I find that style of blade, which has little to do with shaving, not that useful at all!
 
A.l.e.x. said:
Hello!

Here is one of mine:

original.jpg


Please excuse my ignorance, but maybe one of you could point me to how one armed people were meant to open these, please? (Teeth?!?) Maybe it's the fatigue, but I can't wrap my brain around it atm... ;)

Regards,
Alex
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I like this!:thumbup:
 
waynorth said:
Razor Barlows
RazorBarlows2_zps54b72a21.jpg

RazorBarlows1_zpsbb7d41ad.jpg

One-armed-person knife. My father-in-law left me this knife. He left his arm in France during WWII. I miss him!
OneArmedManKnife_zps733a5fd9.jpg
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Are you holding out on us Charlie? :D Tell us about the 85 Razor. I NEEEED one of those.

Best regards

Robin
 
The GEC #85 Razor is on my want list. The new #15 Charlow Razor is nice, but that #85 just does it for me.
 
shecky said:
Absolutely! I've wondered how apocryphal the whole story was behind the pattern, particularly since so many examples are clearly not that great at their supposed purpose and could be implemented much better: one armed opening. Why, if they were truly meant to be opened "one armed", would one not make them with a more pronounced "hook" on the end of the blade? Some examples, such as the AG Russell One Armed Folding Steak Knife, look like practical examples that would work as advertised. Many more examples, some featured in this thread, look to have been neutered such that the hook is less prominent, and likely less effective.

Similarly, the idea that they are intended to be razors of any sort.

Perhaps they were *gulp* simply little more than a ploy to separate knife nuts from their money. Heaven knows the knife market has been lousy with examples of this practice, which survives to this very day.
Click to expand...


What they started as and what they became are different things. The more pronounced the hook is, the better it works, but the faster it will chew though your pocket. The relatively few people who truly needed the feature fall victim to the complaints of the much larger group who merely want it because it looks cool but don't want to put up with the drawback. Ditto with the pen blade, added because people with two hands, many of them totally oblivious to the intent of the design, wanted it. The same things are still happening today.
 
Just ordered a #15 Ebony Boys Knife with the Razor Blade. Considering I can only use 1-arm it's an appropriate knife for me.
 
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