This hobby is addictive!!

GEC makes a fine barlow, but several other companies make mighty nice ones as well. Schrade, Boker, Case, Queen, Canal St., Camillus, etc. As far as the old ones go, my favorites are the made in USA bokers and Case barlows.
 
Let's talk about the knives guys. Not where to buy them.
 
steve-in-kville said:
Sorry about the original thread title. As mentioned, I've been here since 2001 I think. Was big into knives, then got washed out when the economy took a dive about 5 years ago. Starting to get back on my feet again and want to get a knife collection going. The traditional genre just strikes a cord with me, not sure why.
Click to expand...

These old classic traditional pocket knives are very enticing with their uniqueness and beauty. To me they're fun to carry and admire - a beautiful yet very useful tool for everyday life's tasks and chores. It's become a passion that's never grown cold. Every morning starts out with coffee, a bagel or toast and this Forum.

Today it's this duo... A GEC #33 Conductor in Gabon Ebony and a Case Peanut in chestnut bone :)
35D24B5A-DA35-47B1-8FF3-4B979D423BD9_zpsjhlods1y.jpg
 
As it so happens I'm carrying a GEC Barlow today from their first incarnation.

 
^^^ I do like that #25 Barlow, it's just always caught my eye. I've never had one but I do like them.
 
This is where I am getting confused.... is GEC a type of barlow, or a maker of barlows? For as simple as this knife is, it sure gets complicated in a hurry!
 
GEC makes a line of Barlows in their Tidioute brand/line (the TC Barlow that you see here so often) that are a Special Factory Order (SFO) made by one of our members here Charlie Campagna "waynorth". He commissions them to be made by GEC according to his specs. I believe Charlie, as an expert and long-time collector of Barlows, had them made with all the very best qualities of the Barlows of the late 1800's to early 1900's by the best English makers of that day - sort of the heyday of traditional pocket knives when quality and materials/workmanship were outstandingly good.

Another SFO Barlow line is being processed as we speak (by another one of our vendors/sponsors here on the Forum) based on the #77 pattern under GEC's Northfield name. These will be available around January'ish so keep an eye out for those.
 
steve-in-kville said:
This is where I am getting confused.... is GEC a type of barlow, or a maker of barlows? For as simple as this knife is, it sure gets complicated in a hurry!
Click to expand...
GEC is Great Eastern Cutlery. GEC is a knife manufacturer in Titusville, PA that produces knives under 4 labels. As someone else more fully explained, those are Tidioute Cutlery, Northfield Un-X-Ld Cutlery, GEC cutlery, and Farm & Field Tools. They also do Special Factory Order runs. This is what the TC barlows are as they have been SFOs by Waynorth/Mr. Campagna (except one run, the 2014 rendezvous knife, I believe). The recent #77 Barlows were also SFOs. However, like the #25 pictured above, GEC has made Barlows in regular production runs as well.
 
steve-in-kville said:
Understand the concern, but I kinda need to know that stuff, too. This is a pretty big mile stone getting back into knives again. I need all the info I can get!
Click to expand...

I wish you good luck in finding the info you need. The forum guidelines are still what we go by. This is a non commercial forum for the discussion of traditional knives.

This list is made up of dealers that support this site, http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ional-Folders-amp-Fixed-Blades-quot-Sub-Forum. I'd spend some time and look there first.

If someone wants to give you a heads up on where to go, they are welcome to do it via Visitor Message or email.
 
You know, where to buy was something that took a bit of time and exploration. The list that Peregin provided is a good place to start. But I basically settled on 4-5 dealers that have stuff I like generally (traditional and modern) and have links stored in my computer. I go there first.

The Charlow barlows are a reasonable re-creation of the most common design and very very appealing both in variety and quality. It took me a while to figure out where I could obtain such even with all the chit chat here. Other than these that are special ordered, I don't think GEC makes a traditional barlow. I tend to prefer a slightly larger slip joint and generally speaking the barlows tend to be in the 3.5" overall length area which is very traditional where as I prefer 4-4.25" overall length. The Big Daddy Barlows are interesting, but way too big to be practical to use. I have a couple of them. The one that I found to use is the Northwoods Madison which a hybrid design and I believe sold out at this point. Actually love this knife.
 
Last edited:
Peregrin said:
I wish you good luck in finding the info you need. The forum guidelines are still what we go by. This is a non commercial forum for the discussion of traditional knives.

This list is made up of dealers that support this site, http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ional-Folders-amp-Fixed-Blades-quot-Sub-Forum. I'd spend some time and look there first.

If someone wants to give you a heads up on where to go, they are welcome to do it via Visitor Message or email.
Click to expand...


Understood. Not tryin' to buck authority.
 
Steve - one of the rules of the Traditionals forum is that we focus on discussion of the knives, their use, their history, their significance to the hobby, our enjoyment of them - but NOT about where to buy them. The goal is to avoid the forum becoming overly commercialized.

That may mean that, while many here know exactly where a newcomer should start out shopping, we really aren't allowed to tell you, other than via PM, e-mail, or visitor messages. So that may mean you will have to do some researching on your own until you find dealers and sources that you like to work with.

The Bladeforums member dealer list is here. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1089879-Paid-Dealer-Members-List

Unfortunately you would have to visit each one to see if they sell knives you are interested in. You can also use the manufacturer's web sites which often have links to the dealers.

There are several BF dealer members who post in this forum regularly. You can recognize them by their names which are in green text. I recommend any or all of them as your first choices when looking for knives.

Great Eastern Cutlery, Queen Cutlery, and Case (wrcase.com) list their dealers on their web sites. Canal Street Cutlery does not, though they do sell direct.

You can often find vintage, discontinued, or used knives through the Exchange forum here or one of the large online auction sites.

Edit - I see that Gary beat me to the punch while I was composing this.
 
arizonaranchman said:
GEC makes a line of Barlows in their Tidioute brand/line (the TC Barlow that you see here so often) that are a Special Factory Order (SFO) made by one of our members here Charlie Campagna "waynorth". He commissions them to be made by GEC according to his specs. I believe Charlie, as an expert and long-time collector of Barlows, had them made with all the very best qualities of the Barlows of the late 1800's to early 1900's by the best English makers of that day - sort of the heyday of traditional pocket knives when quality and materials/workmanship were outstandingly good.

Another SFO Barlow line is being processed as we speak (by another one of our vendors/sponsors here on the Forum) based on the #77 pattern under GEC's Northfield name. These will be available around January'ish so keep an eye out for those.
Click to expand...

Okay, makes more scense now, thanks!!
 
jc57 said:
Steve - one of the rules of the Traditionals forum is that we focus on discussion of the knives, their use, their history, their significance to the hobby, our enjoyment of them - but NOT about where to buy them. The goal is to avoid the forum becoming overly commercialized.

That may mean that, while many here know exactly where a newcomer should start out shopping, we really aren't allowed to tell you, other than via PM, e-mail, or visitor messages. So that may mean you will have to do some researching on your own until you find dealers and sources that you like to work with.

The Bladeforums member dealer list is here. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1089879-Paid-Dealer-Members-List

There are several BF dealer members who post in this forum regularly. You can recognize them by their names which are in green text. I recommend all of them as your first choices when looking for knives.

Unfortunately you would have to visit each one to see if they sell knives you are interested in. You can also use the manufacturer's web sites which often have links to the dealers.

Great Eastern Cutlery, Queen Cutlery, and Case (wrcase.com) list their dealers on their web sites. Canal Street Cutlery does not, though they do sell direct.

You can often find vintage, discontinued, or used knives through the Exchange forum here or one of the large online auction sites.

For vintage or out of production knives, the Exchange forum here is a good source, as are the large on-line auction sites.
Click to expand...

I'm starting to pick up on this. I just haven't been exposed to this sub-forum and I am realizing things are way different than the rest of BFC. Not saying its good or bad, but I respect the guidelines here. Makes sense to me.
 
I think maybe a step back is needed. A primer on basic terms, if you will.

The traditional knife world is not like the modern knife world.

No one (basically) owns a pattern. Barlows, cattle knives, stockman, teardrop jack, peanut, dogleg jack, eureka jack, sodbuster, and so on.

Take the sodbuster. GEC makes one, as does Case, Kissing Crane, and several others. Lots of custom makers too, notably Kerry Hampton who calls his version a KnutBuster. I know for a fact it is almost identical to a Case Sodbuster.

Barlow is another pattern. Great Eastern Cutlery makes one, Kabar did, Russell, Case did, Imperial made a whole bunch. A Barlow is a long bolster, swell end jack frame. Certain sizes are larger and are called Granddaddy Barlows. GEC's version is made on their #15 frame, which is a swell end jack frame. They make one with a short bolster and call it a boy's knife. The boy's knife is technically just a swell end jack.


No one has a patent or trademark on an overall design. I speak generally, I'm sure there are some somewhere.
This would be akin to Kershaw making a Leek, but also CRKT, Case, TOPS, etc. But, Kershaw is the only one able to make a Leek because it is their design.

Certain words mean certain things. Jack usually means two blades on one end/pivot. Pen usually means one on either end, two pivots, and sometimes sharing a spring. Stockman is a three blade knife on a serpentine frame, within a larger category of cattle knives, which are usually three blades on an equal end frame. Serpentine frames are in a very slight s shape, dog legs are like them but one end is bigger than the other.

Barehead refers to one bolster at the pivot end with none at the butt. Capped can refer to a bolster at both ends. Shadow pattern is the use of no bolsters at all. When it has a bigger looking pivot than the rest of the pins, it is called a bird's eye, and can sometimes be a different colored pivot pin than the surrounding washer, making it look like an eye.

The materials that are scales on a fixed blade are called covers on a traditional knife. The thin brass/nickel silver/stainless or nonstainless steel pieces next to the blade and spring are often called liners, but more correctly called scales. Bolsters are the big chunks of metal at the ends.

Then there are specialized patterns. Electrician knives for example. Sometimes they are called TL-29s, after the military destination of the pattern. They are actually a swell end jack with a locking screwdriver secondary. Congress patterns have four blades, two on either end of the frame.

Go to Case's website and peruse the patterns there. Then read a bunch here. You'll figure it out, it just takes time.
 
Don't feel bad. It took me probably 3-4 months of random shopping from different sources until I settled on a set of dealers that were trustworthy and had decent prices. I actually had to PM someone to find out the secret handshake for ordering some of the SFOs (special factory orders) that I saw popping up but could never find in online stores.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top