I'm going to dredge up this necro thread because I was searching for similar answers to the OP's question..... What are some good inexpensive Traditional Spanish folders?
Over the past few years, I've accumulated a small amount of Spanish Traditional Navajas. I'll share my thoughts here. Ultimately, what I have found is that for the most part, the inexpensive bigger brands, such as J.J. Martinez, Francisco Valencia, Joker, Exposito, Pallares Solsona, etc., tend to be sturdy and well made, but the fit and finish is typically somewhat rough. Just finding Spanish dealers willing to ship to the US is somewhat difficult, although I did eventually find one that sent me some very good, clean examples.
Even with the higher priced models, the fit and finish is still not remotely on the same level as GEC.... Maybe similar to Case, but the way they are constructed makes the comparison difficult. Blade steel tends to be 440A or something similar. Even the carbon steel is on the softer side, but all of it is definitely serviceable. If you want to go fancy, some models are sold in San Mai VG-10. Almost seems like the go-to super steel! The bottom line is that if you want really good fit and finish, you have to go to a custom maker, and it is possible, even here in the US.
If I say something that is incorrect here, please feel free to correct me! In Spain, the word navaja does not refer to a style of knife, but rather, all folding knives are called navajas.
Let's start with the one pattern that seems the most iconic, at least to me. Spyderco made a version of it they called the navaja a few years ago. From what I was told, the blade shape is named albaceteña, or if it was made in Santa Cruz, it is named estaje. I was told there is also a slight difference of shape on the spine of the blade.
This is the pattern that is sometimes outfitted with the famous carraca, the ratcheting teeth that click as the blade is opened. Most models are not made with this and generally are only on the larger ones, as in 5"+ blades. Although these have an antique look to them, they are all perfectly capable EDC knives.
My first albaceteña was this model by Exposito in bull horn, blade of around 3.5" in 440A. When I first received this knife, I was pretty underwhelmed. These navajas do not have any type of spring, they are basically friction folders that lock when opened.
One annoying thing about all of these is the lack of any kind of blade kick or stop to prevent the blade from contacting the inside spine of the handle. In the following picture, you can see the little piece of wood that was used as the spacer for the handle where it is pinned. On the right side, you can see a little bit of what I think is leather, to keep the blade from contacting any metal. I have since added a strip of leather inside the blade wells of all of my navajas.
Next up is a pair by J.J. Martinez. The top one is nicknamed Sancho, which I was told is the name of the hero of an old Spanish TV show, who would save the day with his navaja. The smaller one was the worst of all of the navajas I have acquired, but part of that was probably because it looked like it had been carried for a year or two already. I sanded and re-finished it because it was full of scratches and horn was completely dull. Probably handled a lot over several years of being in a store.
Sancho is a pretty big boy, next to a 110. Almost half the weight of the 110 too!
