Recommendation? Single Blade Pen Knife

Railsplitter

Railsplitter

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Oct 31, 2010
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The upcoming GEC #14 release has really sparked my interest. I've got a couple of #14's reserved but I'm looking for something to hold me over until I get mine.

Here's what I'm looking for:

1. 3 - 3 1/4 inches closed. (2 7/8 is too small and 3 3/8 is too big)
2. Prefer stainless steel but carbon steel is fine if I like the knife otherwise.
3. Single Clip blade.
4. Must be a slip joint. No lockbacks, liner locks, etc.
5. A pinned shield would be nice but it's not a deal breaker. No shield is fine too.
6. Open to just about any handle material.
7. New or vintage.
8. Prefer Made in the U.S.A. but that's not a deal breaker either.
9. $60 or less.

Aside from the price, I've just described a couple of knives that I already own. The are both customs but I want something more rough and tumble, so to speak.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
It's not American made, but the Buck 379 (Solo) fits a lot of those categories.

ETA: The Case Small Texas Toothpick is 3" closed, as well. It feels smaller than that, but does seem to pack quite a bit of blade. The long, thin clip point is almost surgical.
 
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The Böker Solingen made barlow is about the same size as the #14. Mine is in 440c and has grenadill wood covers.
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Great suggestions so far. Thanks guys!

dammyippon, can you pinch the blade open on that Boker? Not a requirement but I'm curious.
 
I was in the same boat (minus the customs) looking for a knife w/ those criteria.

I found this S+M Gunstock, single clip, 154CM..but, I belive it's closer to 3 3/8. I'd measure but I liked it so much I've sent along to glennbad w/ another for some fancy pants..

Cant remember if I paid $65 or $75... it's solid...liked it much better than I tought. But if that 1/4" is a deal breaker?

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Good luck on the hunt!
 
Railsplitter said:
Aside from the price, I've just described a couple of knives that I already own. The are both customs but I want something more rough and tumble, so to speak.
Click to expand...

Well, I feel a bit foolish now. I had looked over my collection before posting and somehow I looked right past this Little Bay.:oops: It's already paid for too.:D As foolish as I'm feeling right now, I'm still open for suggestions as I would still like to get something that I don't already own.

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Railsplitter said:
The upcoming GEC #14 release has really sparked my interest. I've got a couple of #14's reserved but I'm looking for something to hold me over until I get mine.

Here's what I'm looking for:

1. 3 - 3 1/4 inches closed. (2 7/8 is too small and 3 3/8 is too big)
2. Prefer stainless steel but carbon steel is fine if I like the knife otherwise.
3. Single Clip blade.
4. Must be a slip joint. No lockbacks, liner locks, etc.
5. A pinned shield would be nice but it's not a deal breaker. No shield is fine too.
6. Open to just about any handle material.
7. New or vintage.
8. Prefer Made in the U.S.A. but that's not a deal breaker either.
9. $60 or less.

Aside from the price, I've just described a couple of knives that I already own. The are both customs but I want something more rough and tumble, so to speak.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Buck 704 Maverick? No longer made, but really nice......
 
Railsplitter said:
Well, I feel a bit foolish now. I had looked over my collection before posting and somehow I looked right past this Little Bay.:oops: It's already paid for too.:D As foolish as I'm feeling right now, I'm still open for suggestions as I would still like to get something that I don't already own.

View attachment 955679
Click to expand...
You're not the only one. I was racking my brain trying to find something that fit your specs. I looked online and used mine as a jumping off point and still missed the Little Bay. Too bad you eliminated lockbacks because Queen made one that was perfect. This is a Northwoods version.
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joeradza said:
You're not the only one. I was racking my brain trying to find something that fit your specs. I looked online and used mine as a jumping off point and still missed the Little Bay. Too bad you eliminated lockbacks because Queen made one that was perfect. This is a Northwoods version.
View attachment 955700
Click to expand...

Thanks Alan. At the knife show I attended yesterday, Ryan Daniels had a Queen just like yours in some kind of wood. I didn't ask but I think it was Zebra Wood. Nice little lockback.
 
22-rimfire said:
Does that mean Queen is back in business now?
Click to expand...

I'm afraid not. Ryan is still selling some Queen, S&M, and Tuna Valley knives at knife shows but he's getting most of them from buying collections. He still likes knives so he's doing what he can to stay active in the knife world. He had some other brands too.

This was the second show that I've seen Ryan at since Queen closed and I've read that he has attended other shows since then too.
 
I've just about decided to go with the Boker Barlow mentioned above. It will be about 5 more hours before I make the purchase and I'm still open for suggestions in the meantime.

Thanks everybody!
 
As I mentioned above, I decided on the Boker Barlow that dammyippon dammyippon suggested in post #3. It arrived today so I thought I would share my initial thoughts and some photos I took on this overcast day.

It tops out at the maximum limit of two of the requirements in my original post. It's right at 3 1/4 inches closed and the price was just a few cents less than my maximum limit. Pull is about an 8 on the pull scale and because of that it's mildly difficult to pinch open. There's enough steel there to grab onto and I can pinch it open with moderate effort but I don't think I could do it if my fingers were the least bit damp or sweaty.
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Fit & finish is very good although not perfect. In my first pic above you can see a slight wave in the bolster near the front of the knife. This is only present on the mark side bolster.
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The wood is very smooth to the touch and all the pins, as well as the shield, are nicely flush with the handle slabs.
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For some reason I didn't expect the shield to be pinned but much to my surprise, it is! (shows my lack of experience with the German made Boker lineup)
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The edges of the tang are slightly rounded off. Apparently, to minimize the risk of wearing a hole in the pocket. I like this feature a lot and it's rarely seen on new knives in my experience.
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Blade is off center when closed but it doesn't touch the liners. I've reached my picture limit for this post but I'll include the blade centering pic in a post following this one. The action is crisp and snappy at open, half stop, and closed and the 440C blade is tight with no play at all.

For the price I paid for this knife I'm very pleased overall. There isn't anything about the knife that I dislike to any major degree but there's plenty that I do like. In fact, I'm more impressed than I expected to be.

Thanks for reading.
 
Victorinox used to make the Sentry but discontinued it
Brought it back now as the Excelsior or something like that,
Check their website
 
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