Quality inexpensive Spanish Navaja ,which brand?

Hashishiin said:
It would be great if a company came about that would improve upon the locking system and give it a bit of a detent for assistance staying closed. Some modern improvements to the ratchet lock system.
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Agreed. If anything, at the minimum, it would be nice to have an internal stop pin like Fontenille-Pataud does with their knives. Also, Viper has had the ball detent 'slip joint' for several years and even Zero Tolerance borrowed that from them. I'm not sure how well that would work on the really large blades though.
 
Just Tom. said:
The horn-handled one I had like that came in a box that said “Made in Spain”. I think some of them are still made in Spain and some are outsourced to China. I suspect that is the case with a number of Spanish manufacturers.
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If you believe them, they say theirs are Made in Spain
 
draggat said:
Agreed. If anything, at the minimum, it would be nice to have an internal stop pin like Fontenille-Pataud does with their knives. Also, Viper has had the ball detent 'slip joint' for several years and even Zero Tolerance borrowed that from them. I'm not sure how well that would work on the really large blades though.
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Take into account that I do not know much about locks at all, but LT from Cold Steel was talking about how he wanted to make the XL Espada for years but tabled it because he couldn't find a lock of sufficient strength to support it properly (but also CS has way overbuilt locks, you could survive with less) until recently with the Tri-Ad, like, there are companies like BudK that produce giant novelty lockbacks that are 8 inches but I would assume something like that would snap on your hand in a quiiiick second.
I was thinking something like the Cold Steel Tri-Ad lock, not exactly that, but sort of like aspects from it. Maybe you could add a back-lock type system that would act in conjunction with the ratchet. I wonder if that would work.
 
joeradza said:
If you believe them, they say theirs are Made in Spain
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Alan, I am in agreement with you. Here in the US, when something is outsourced to China, generally it will say nothing on the knife if the manufacturer is trying to be sneaky about country of origin. I honestly do not know if Joker truly is made in China, or if the remark was made because he thought they were the equivalent of Chinese made. To think that they would label them as Made In Spain, but not really, would strike me as being profoundly corrupt.

Aside from all of that, my experience with Joker is based entirely upon a gimmicky knife that is meant to be appealing to someone who wants a Spanish Navaja but has no idea about what the reality is..... Ultimately, a tourist knife. From the other Jokers I have seen posted on Bladeforums, my conclusion would be that it is on the lower end of the quality spectrum, but that doesn't mean it's crap, and I would be surprised if they weren't actually made in Spain. Furthermore, who cares if it was inexpensive? If you find enjoyment from it, that is what matters. Until I have incontrovertible proof, I will believe they are Made In Spain. They even bear the Albacete mark.
 
Hashishiin said:
Take into account that I do not know much about locks at all, but LT from Cold Steel was talking about how he wanted to make the XL Espada for years but tabled it because he couldn't find a lock of sufficient strength to support it properly (but also CS has way overbuilt locks, you could survive with less) until recently with the Tri-Ad, like, there are companies like BudK that produce giant novelty lockbacks that are 8 inches but I would assume something like that would snap on your hand in a quiiiick second.
I was thinking something like the Cold Steel Tri-Ad lock, not exactly that, but sort of like aspects from it. Maybe you could add a back-lock type system that would act in conjunction with the ratchet. I wonder if that would work.
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From what I've read about the history of the navaja, the lock was actually something that was invented at a later time, but also served to make them more useful in an offensive or defensive situation. One could easily compare the sound of the carraca with the pump of a shotgun, except that large knives tend to scare the heck out of most people a lot more so than guns.

The truth of the matter is, for me at least, I'm not too concerned with the lock strength. I don't and probably never will, carry a knife with intent as a weapon. My first reaction would probably be to run like hell if I were faced with a situation that required the threat of murder, especially with a knife. I don't want to get into any kind of discussion about what is right or wrong, this is just what I would do.....

The historical significance is what interests me more than anything, along with a love for knives in general. I lean towards a 3.5" blade pocket knife and for that, the clasp lock is more than sufficient. Also, I am not one for spine whacking, so the truth is, I do not really know how strong these locks are. The extent of my testing is hand pressure to close the blade with the lock engaged and all have passed that test with flying colors.

If someone wants to purchase different navajas and do destruction tests, I would love to watch, but otherwise, I will continue to slice up my apples, along with lunch and dinner and be blissfully unaware if the lock can withstand a bloody fight to the death.
 
draggat said:
From what I've read about the history of the navaja, the lock was actually something that was invented at a later time, but also served to make them more useful in an offensive or defensive situation. One could easily compare the sound of the carraca with the pump of a shotgun, except that large knives tend to scare the heck out of most people a lot more so than guns.

The truth of the matter is, for me at least, I'm not too concerned with the lock strength. I don't and probably never will, carry a knife with intent as a weapon. My first reaction would probably be to run like hell if I were faced with a situation that required the threat of murder, especially with a knife. I don't want to get into any kind of discussion about what is right or wrong, this is just what I would do.....

The historical significance is what interests me more than anything, along with a love for knives in general. I lean towards a 3.5" blade pocket knife and for that, the clasp lock is more than sufficient. Also, I am not one for spine whacking, so the truth is, I do not really know how strong these locks are. The extent of my testing is hand pressure to close the blade with the lock engaged and all have passed that test with flying colors.

If someone wants to purchase different navajas and do destruction tests, I would love to watch, but otherwise, I will continue to slice up my apples, along with lunch and dinner and be blissfully unaware if the lock can withstand a bloody fight to the death.
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I probably would not carry my custom Navaja as a weapon either, but I want to have it as functional, usable and well-built as I can. I don't personally torture test my knives either, but I appreciate those who do!
I have much better things to carry out and about during say, nighttime walks, there are coyotes, etc. I won't even bring out my fancy shiny Espada XL for that, I have a G-10 Espada XL in AUS-10a as a "user", good in garden and woods, slim and can keep me safe if required. Or a Matriarch 2, or a Yojumbo, which are also great utility knives.

My custom Navaja will no doubt slice nothing harder than carrots. But if I am paying for custom... I want it to be stout, ya feel?
 
draggat said:
Last for today is the Cudeman 457. This is the same handle as the Cudeman in the previous post, but this one is a slip joint with carbon steel and bullhorn. Excellent fit and finish on this one as well. In fact, my experience is that Cudeman makes very good knives. It is a little big knife as well with a blade just over 3".





More Spanish navaja reviews to come as I find time.
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Beautiful really. I also share that experience, excellent knives. I have the MT5 & the JJSK1...

Now I definitely want to try their folders.
 
Llasi said:
Sorry, my mistake. Joker is low-quality domestic production.
JKR is the second Joker brand that is made in China.
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A little surprised by your comment, considering that you're from Spain, & they're supposed to be a renowned knife maker there. Could it be that line from Joker that is poorly made?

I have a single bowie from them, not the best fit & finish, but a solid knife. Sure, I can't judge from a single product.

Seems like their Nomad did pretty well, not only in Spain.
 
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