Please Help Me Pick a Slip Joint!

bleev3

bleev3

Joined
Nov 21, 2008
Messages
241
For the last several days I have kinda moved from drooling over modern titanium frame locks to forgetting they exist and fixating on traditional slip joints. Connecting to that history is starting to mean a lot to me.

Anyway I have been looking at knife after knife in an attempt to pick the perfect slip joint for my first traditional purchase. Then I realized I had a tremendous group of knowledgeable people on this site that could probable lead me to the perfect knife.

MY IDEAL SLIP JOINT…

It would have a long blade 3.5-4 inches long with a decent belly for cutting food. If I were to cut a dinner roll in two I would like to hold the knife at a 45 degree angle while slicing and I don’t want to the knife to be riding on the tip, so a nice belly on the knife is a must. Do you know what I mean?

Ideally the knife would have a second blade of smaller proportions. A blade sub 3 inches so I don’t scare the natives in public like I did with my spyderco caly 3 a couple months ago while cutting a popcorn bag at the movies…sigh.

Both blades would be a min of ½ inch wide. Thickness is not much of a worry to me just something that will last. Carbon steel is preferred but not required.

I have a lot of interest in Great Eastern Cutlery so I would love it if they produced a knife that meets most of the above. Their Mellon Whittler (I believe is the name) comes close but the blades are not wide enough. I want to be able to touch them up on my Gatco diamonds when my strop doesn’t produce a razors edge anymore.

Please post your recommendations preferably with an image or link to the knife you believe would fit the bill.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
YUP .... Morrow is on the right tract. Good choice. You can get a single blade Teardrop Jack with linerlock from Queen also that has a nice belly on it. Modern knives are hard to
find with a nice belly on the main blade. GEC has so many new models. The melon whittlers
are the latest, go back a year or two, because they had several two blade jacks that might
fit your taste. Its hard to find a longer jack with a spear blade that has a fat belly.
 
How about the Northfield Moose, plenty of Spear and Clip on those, swedges too.
 
Thanks for your time guys....love the queen and the GEC #73 stag looks like it fits the bill absolutely perfectly!

Love the bolsters and handle material..not to mention the awesome belly.

gec990305102a.jpg
 
Reading your original post, you are looking for a very large slipjoint. Main blades of 3.5-4 inches would require a 4.5-5" closed slippie. The GEC #23 Pioneer is quite a bit larger than the #73 Scout, yet it's main blade is right in the middle of your range, at 3-3/4 inches. Problem is, the secondary blade is the same length.

Here's one that qualifies: Schatt & Morgan File & Wire Series IV Daddy Barlow.

DaddyBarlow1.jpg


This one comes in at 4-15/16" closed, with main spear blade at 3-7/8" and the secondary clip blade at 2-1/2". Premium ATS-34 stainless in both blades.
Those are 35 Whelen Ackley Improved cartridges for comparison sizing.
 
Some great recommendations so far.:thumbup: Another option would be to go with two knives to cover all your bases - maybe something like a large Sodbuster paired with a Peanut.

Also, just in case you aren't already aware of this, most slipjoint measurements indicate the closed length (although many sites do list the blade lengths as well) - something to keep in mind while searching various dealers' sites and drooling over the pics. ;):D
 
Really guys thanks for the guidence.

It is weird most sites don't give you the blade(s) length. I assumed a 4 inch long slip would have a 3.75 inch blade. Do you lose blade room on slip joints?
 
bleev3 said:
Really guys thanks for the guidence.

It is weird most sites don't give you the blade(s) length. I assumed a 4 inch long slip would have a 3.75 inch blade. Do you lose blade room on slip joints?
Click to expand...

Many (most?) slipjoints will have the same blade/handle ratio as locking folders. For example, a large Case sodbuster has a 3 5/8" blade with a 4 1/2" handle.

ETA: Here's a large Case sodbuster with a large Sebenza 21 to kinda give you an idea:

IMG_1725.jpg


IMG_1726.jpg
 
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When it comes to large slipjoints you can't really beat a nice sunfish can you?
•OAL Closed: 4.25"
•Main Blade Large Spear .156" thick x 3.75" x 1" wide
•Secondary Large Pen Blade 2.658" x .75 wide
gec_36_antique_herringbone.jpg
 
Well we are on the ball today !! I was coming back to report...and Black-Mamba
beat me to it. The S&M Big Barlow ....shizzam !! ALSO, you gotta check out a
CaseXX Big Cigar Whittler, as it has a nice big spear blade plus the other two.
and ...ProTourist's choice is a good bun-slicer too
 
Ah I've got a GEC made Sunfish. Word for the wise: buy two, one for each pocket. I've only got one and it has me walking in circles.
 
ddml said:
Ah I've got a GEC made Sunfish. Word for the wise: buy two, one for each pocket. I've only got one and it has me walking in circles.
Click to expand...

That actually made me laugh out loud.:D
In hand pics are needed here. It is really amazing how large those knives are.
 
Thanks...I started out wanting one knife now yall have turned that into a bakers dozen. lol
 
Hey, anyone know if that Schatt & Morgan Daddy Barlow has a half stop on both blades?

Also what is a "long pull"? I've seen that on a few knives...just wondering if that means it has no half stop.
 
bleev3 said:
Hey, anyone know if that Schatt & Morgan Daddy Barlow has a half stop on both blades?

Also what is a "long pull"? I've seen that on a few knives...just wondering if that means it has no half stop.
Click to expand...

I don't believe it has a half stop....

A "long pull" means it doesn't have a nail nick per say but a long "trench" for opening.

Look at the spear point blade on the moose a couple of posts before this one. That is a long pull.
 
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