What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

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waynorth said:
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And thanks to Kootenay Joe for this lovely gift!!
Q.What makes a Good Traditional Barlow?
A. One given by a friend!!
And a nice one at that. This one has the earlier square-shouldered sawcut bone handles, and is in good, snappy condition! It's real Keen!:thumbup:
:D...
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Kudos to KJ for gifting that knockout KK to CC! :thumbup::thumbup:

- GT
 
I don't know if it's necessarily good or traditional, but it's definitely a Barlow. I know so because it says "Barlow" right there on the bolster. :D:D

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Didn't want to go through 500+ pages to see if one of these was already posted, so here goes anyway. Found this in 2015, 1999 Buck #331 Grandaddy Barlow, (5" closed, made in '99 only). An SFO from SMKW built by Camillus, only available from SMKW, never advertised by Buck. This one is NIB.

 
btb01 said:
I don't know if it's necessarily good or traditional, but it's definitely a Barlow. I know so because it says "Barlow" right there on the bolster. :D:D
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Truth in advertising, my friend, even when advertising! :p





I had to dig around the repairs/cleanup box for a few of these. Apologies for the lighting. :)





Like I said, a working-class knife. There's even a BarLow-29 thanks to the geniuses at Colonial. :D

Sonny14 said:
Didn't want to go through 500+ pages to see if one of these was already posted, so here goes anyway. Found this in 2015, 1999 Buck #331 Grandaddy Barlow, (5" closed, made in '99 only). An SFO from SMKW built by Camillus, only available from SMKW, never advertised by Buck. This one is NIB.
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Fantastic daddy Barlow, Sonny14, though weird to see the Buck stamp without a fabled pattern # underneath. If you ever get bored of that one, keep me in mind. :D
 
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Nice collection, TsarBomba! I have to admit, I bought this thing not expecting too much, what with the plastic covers and thin, clip-on bolsters. I just liked the way it looked, and it was dirt cheap. But after wiping the spots rust off the blades, cleaning the grit out of the joints and putting an edge back on it, I have to say, I like this knife a lot! This thing's definitely going to see some pocket time. :thumbup::D
 
Thanks. What did Heston say; "when you pry it out of my cold dead fingers" or something like that? Pretty much sums it up, this one ain't goin' nowhere other than into my grandson's inheritance.
They never stamped a model number on SFO's for some reason. Believe it or not they also made that GD Barlow in Yellow Sawcut Delrin and Jigged Bone, with and without blade etching; one of each of those would be nice finds too. Buck, (ala Camillus), also made a smaller version, the Buck#331 Barlow, (same time period, also an SFO). It's pretty unusual to see a Buck Barlow of any kind actually, as they never made them as a regular production item, only as special orders that one time. Very happy to have gotten the opportunity to own even just one of the versions, (though I am always looking for the others).

TsarBomba said:
Fantastic daddy Barlow, Sonny14, though weird to see the Buck stamp without a fabled pattern # underneath. If you ever get bored of that one, keep me in mind. :D
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This is now my third attempt to post a reply in this thread. BF, dost thou find displeasure in my words? :eek:

btb01 said:
Nice collection, TsarBomba! I have to admit, I bought this thing not expecting too much, what with the plastic covers and thin, clip-on bolsters. I just liked the way it looked, and it was dirt cheap. But after wiping the spots rust off the blades, cleaning the grit out of the joints and putting an edge back on it, I have to say, I like this knife a lot! This thing's definitely going to see some pocket time. :thumbup::D
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I think it's safe to say that for a long while these "lesser" Barlows dominated the pattern, which is why you see them all over the place even on the secondary market. The advertising component adds an extra layer to the collectability of them, and they don't cost an arm and a leg, so that's always a bonus.

Judging from the size and positioning of the etch on your Imperial, I'd guess that might be a Sperry New Holland advertising Barlow. I see them pop up from time to time and I figure one day I might run into one with an intact etch. I'd like to have a nice example, even if it's of a "cheap" Barlow. :D

Sonny14 said:
Thanks. What did Heston say; "when you pry it out of my cold dead fingers" or something like that? Pretty much sums it up, this one ain't goin' nowhere other than into my grandson's inheritance.
They never stamped a model number on SFO's for some reason. Believe it or not they also made that GD Barlow in Yellow Sawcut Delrin and Jigged Bone, with and without blade etching; one of each of those would be nice finds too. Buck, (ala Camillus), also made a smaller version, the Buck#331 Barlow, (same time period, also an SFO). It's pretty unusual to see a Buck Barlow of any kind actually, as they never made them as a regular production item, only as special orders that one time. Very happy to have gotten the opportunity to own even just one of the versions, (though I am always looking for the others).
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I can't blame you in the slightest. I'm always on the lookout for Camillus, and Bucks have recently piqued my interest, so this is a great find. Thanks for sharing it with us! :thumbup:

A new addition today. Even though it has a shield, I wonder if it fits the bill for the title of the thread...







I've had some difficulty dating it, and I can't be sure it isn't a Franken-Cat, but regardless of how original or old it is I think it will find a good home in my Barlow collection.
 
TsarBomba said:


I can't blame you in the slightest. I'm always on the lookout for Camillus, and Bucks have recently piqued my interest, so this is a great find. Thanks for sharing it with us! :thumbup:
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The focus of my collecting revolves around Camillus-made Bucks, (all 300 Series from 1971-1986, a few models into the mid '90's, and SFO's into the early 2000's). Personally I feel Camillus knives of any variety are a superb example of US industrial superiority, they certainly knew how to make a quality slip joint. If you look at them long enough you can tell a CC-made knife no matter what the brand is on the tang, they made knives for so many other companies. I also look for CC-made knives from other companies, currently focusing on Craftsman, (many clones of 300 Series), and I recently saw an Imperial that was very obviously CC-made. Ah the good 'ol days, sad to see them go, (their loyal union work force was too, they were basically SOL when CC went belly up).
 
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