- Joined
- Aug 9, 2006
- Messages
- 718
I recently took delivery of these 2 Sheffield made folders. The first is a Barlow by A Wright and the second, by Trevor Ablett, is described as a “clip point pocket knife”.
The knives were purchased from the respective English websites that the makers sell through. I am not sure of the forum policy re direct links but you can find them easily enough if you Google the maker’s names. Both sites are set up for easy on-line ordering.
The Wright knives are sold post free for international deliveries, using the offset of not having to charge VAT. The Ablett site charges for postage, though the cost is not excessive.
The Ablett knife was delivered in a cardboard gift box with a signed certificate by the maker. The Wright was wrapped in bubble plastic inside a plain envelope. Both knives were delivered quickly from the UK to Australia.
The prices were modest – both around 20 pounds.
The Knives
The A Wright piece arrived first. It is the ‘base’ working model in the line and no options are available. The grip is Rosewood, the hardware is brass and the blade carbon steel. The grip has gold lettering proclaiming its Barlow form – much of the lettering was worn off with a week’s light handling. The blade has a fairly course matte finish. Grind lines were good but it was exceptionally blunt. These knives are mostly hand made and it shows. I would like to say workmanship was wonderful but there are quite a few cosmetic blemishes in the grip and bolster area. Symmetry is not perfect and things are a bit rough where the brass pins in the grip have been sanded. Nothing serious but this is not old world craftsmanship at its best.
The rosewood grip is chunky for a small knife but provides a nice solid hold when working.
The blade was tight to open and needed a good flush with WD40 to get rid of some black gunk. After some lube and plenty of working the blade it freed up pretty well. The backspring is very strong – this blade stays in the open and the closed positions very securely. It has a man size nail nick to assist with opening and it was appreciated.
As mentioned the blade was not sharp as delivered and I was surprised at the amount of work I had to put into getting a good edge. Once that was achieved all was fine.
Next the Ablett. This is another base model working knife, though scale material options are available. I chose water buffalo horn. Bolsters are brass and the blade is carbon steel. The finish on this knife was better. The blade was highly polished and the opening action a little smoother. The knife was not very sharp, though better than the Wright. There were cracks in the horn scales around some of the pins and the horn was not particularly high quality. The knife is quite thin and would be well suited for pocket carry.
The Ablett markings are etched and would likely polish off before long. The Wright markings are stamped.
The Wright is thick in the grip narrowing toward the bolster. The Ablett is a slim knife and would pocket carry well.
Some of my comments might appear critical but I can only report what I see. For someone who wants impeccable workmanship and razor sharp edges out of the box they might not be the best choice.
These are honest working knives and come without frills. Some shortcuts have been taken in non critical parts of their construction. I got them as users and have no regrets. They are solid knives and the shortcomings do not affect function or safety. Both have strong backsprings and once the work is done on the blade they take a good edge and touch up easily. As a skinner, the Wright in particular would be hard to beat on small thin skinned game.
Both Wright and Ablett offer a good range of folders and some of them look to be quite up market. Both offer stag grip options and different blade styles. I can’t say if the fit and finish is higher on those models but I am sure I will eventually get some and find out. Anyone who appreciates traditional knives should buy one of these Sheffield folders and help keep these guys in business.
The knives were purchased from the respective English websites that the makers sell through. I am not sure of the forum policy re direct links but you can find them easily enough if you Google the maker’s names. Both sites are set up for easy on-line ordering.
The Wright knives are sold post free for international deliveries, using the offset of not having to charge VAT. The Ablett site charges for postage, though the cost is not excessive.
The Ablett knife was delivered in a cardboard gift box with a signed certificate by the maker. The Wright was wrapped in bubble plastic inside a plain envelope. Both knives were delivered quickly from the UK to Australia.
The prices were modest – both around 20 pounds.
The Knives
The A Wright piece arrived first. It is the ‘base’ working model in the line and no options are available. The grip is Rosewood, the hardware is brass and the blade carbon steel. The grip has gold lettering proclaiming its Barlow form – much of the lettering was worn off with a week’s light handling. The blade has a fairly course matte finish. Grind lines were good but it was exceptionally blunt. These knives are mostly hand made and it shows. I would like to say workmanship was wonderful but there are quite a few cosmetic blemishes in the grip and bolster area. Symmetry is not perfect and things are a bit rough where the brass pins in the grip have been sanded. Nothing serious but this is not old world craftsmanship at its best.
The rosewood grip is chunky for a small knife but provides a nice solid hold when working.
The blade was tight to open and needed a good flush with WD40 to get rid of some black gunk. After some lube and plenty of working the blade it freed up pretty well. The backspring is very strong – this blade stays in the open and the closed positions very securely. It has a man size nail nick to assist with opening and it was appreciated.
As mentioned the blade was not sharp as delivered and I was surprised at the amount of work I had to put into getting a good edge. Once that was achieved all was fine.
Next the Ablett. This is another base model working knife, though scale material options are available. I chose water buffalo horn. Bolsters are brass and the blade is carbon steel. The finish on this knife was better. The blade was highly polished and the opening action a little smoother. The knife was not very sharp, though better than the Wright. There were cracks in the horn scales around some of the pins and the horn was not particularly high quality. The knife is quite thin and would be well suited for pocket carry.
The Ablett markings are etched and would likely polish off before long. The Wright markings are stamped.
The Wright is thick in the grip narrowing toward the bolster. The Ablett is a slim knife and would pocket carry well.
Some of my comments might appear critical but I can only report what I see. For someone who wants impeccable workmanship and razor sharp edges out of the box they might not be the best choice.
These are honest working knives and come without frills. Some shortcuts have been taken in non critical parts of their construction. I got them as users and have no regrets. They are solid knives and the shortcomings do not affect function or safety. Both have strong backsprings and once the work is done on the blade they take a good edge and touch up easily. As a skinner, the Wright in particular would be hard to beat on small thin skinned game.
Both Wright and Ablett offer a good range of folders and some of them look to be quite up market. Both offer stag grip options and different blade styles. I can’t say if the fit and finish is higher on those models but I am sure I will eventually get some and find out. Anyone who appreciates traditional knives should buy one of these Sheffield folders and help keep these guys in business.
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