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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?
- Thread starter waynorth
- Start date
btb01
Gold Member
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- Jul 26, 2008
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- 7,719
Copperhead Sawcut came in yesterday, so I figured I oughta share a pic of all four.
I was able to reserve three of them, and then I lucked into the Copperhead when they dropped on another site. Kind of sad I missed out on the Yellow Heart wood (they look awesome!), but I don't think I can complain.
Here are some front and back of the Copperhead showing the Ragg bone. This one has a nice flat sawcut mark side which I really like, and a little bit of Ragg on one edge on the pile side.
I think this one might be my favorite for one specific reason. Around a year ago, I had never heard of GEC and only owned a few traditionals. Although I've been a member of this forum for several years (I think I signed up way back when while looking up some info on Benchmade knives, I don't remember), I wasn't active and had never posted. I found my way to the porch while looking for some info on an old stockman that belonged to my grandpa, and I received some useful insight from several members here. After that I started poking around the traditionals forum a little bit, and at some point came across this photo, which I saved to my phone because I was so enamored with the knife.
Again, at this point I knew nothing about GEC (or that these were even made by GEC, as all I had to go off of was Tidioute on the tang stamp and the TC bolster). So I started researching, and learned about Great Eastern Cutlery, and their various lines (Tidioute, Northfield, etc.), and the more I learned the more I really wanted one of these TC Barlows. Of course, in my research I quickly discovered that no one seemed to have any of these for sale. Somewhere in there I found Charlie's email address, and (still not very active on this forum at that point, and not knowing that he was a participating member here) I sent him an email to ask about the TCs (I included the photo above, telling him that I really liked that knife in particular). I received a very nice response from Charlie telling me that the knife I liked was one of the very first TCs, and that it would probably be difficult to find one. He gave me some pointers on keeping up with upcoming releases, and some contacts for dealers who sold his SFOs.
Although I wasn't able to get the TC I was after at that point, my research had opened me up to the whole world of traditional knives that GEC was producing, and before long I had a few #15 Boy's Knives, and a Beer Scout, and a couple #77s and, well, it sort of snowballed from there, with both GEC knives and other traditionals I discovered as I became more active here on the porch. And that's why I think this Copperhead is my favorite of these #14 Barlows, because it's the slightly smaller version of the exact knife that got me started on GEC and traditional knives, and brought me to this forum and all the wonderful people and information found here. So thank you, Charlie, and thanks to Bill and everyone at GEC, and thanks to all the forum members here that make this place awesome. Cheers, guys!
I was able to reserve three of them, and then I lucked into the Copperhead when they dropped on another site. Kind of sad I missed out on the Yellow Heart wood (they look awesome!), but I don't think I can complain.
Here are some front and back of the Copperhead showing the Ragg bone. This one has a nice flat sawcut mark side which I really like, and a little bit of Ragg on one edge on the pile side.
I think this one might be my favorite for one specific reason. Around a year ago, I had never heard of GEC and only owned a few traditionals. Although I've been a member of this forum for several years (I think I signed up way back when while looking up some info on Benchmade knives, I don't remember), I wasn't active and had never posted. I found my way to the porch while looking for some info on an old stockman that belonged to my grandpa, and I received some useful insight from several members here. After that I started poking around the traditionals forum a little bit, and at some point came across this photo, which I saved to my phone because I was so enamored with the knife.
Again, at this point I knew nothing about GEC (or that these were even made by GEC, as all I had to go off of was Tidioute on the tang stamp and the TC bolster). So I started researching, and learned about Great Eastern Cutlery, and their various lines (Tidioute, Northfield, etc.), and the more I learned the more I really wanted one of these TC Barlows. Of course, in my research I quickly discovered that no one seemed to have any of these for sale. Somewhere in there I found Charlie's email address, and (still not very active on this forum at that point, and not knowing that he was a participating member here) I sent him an email to ask about the TCs (I included the photo above, telling him that I really liked that knife in particular). I received a very nice response from Charlie telling me that the knife I liked was one of the very first TCs, and that it would probably be difficult to find one. He gave me some pointers on keeping up with upcoming releases, and some contacts for dealers who sold his SFOs.
Although I wasn't able to get the TC I was after at that point, my research had opened me up to the whole world of traditional knives that GEC was producing, and before long I had a few #15 Boy's Knives, and a Beer Scout, and a couple #77s and, well, it sort of snowballed from there, with both GEC knives and other traditionals I discovered as I became more active here on the porch. And that's why I think this Copperhead is my favorite of these #14 Barlows, because it's the slightly smaller version of the exact knife that got me started on GEC and traditional knives, and brought me to this forum and all the wonderful people and information found here. So thank you, Charlie, and thanks to Bill and everyone at GEC, and thanks to all the forum members here that make this place awesome. Cheers, guys!
Last edited:
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Btb01 great looking 14 collection...Great story to go along with it
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New trade addition. Walnut spear. 
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- Mar 20, 2015
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Here's the whole 1-blade family.
Bill ran short of Yellow Heart wood, so put some Ebony on a few - with apologies, not enough to go around! 5 1-blades and 6 2-blades.
No dealers got them.
I think the sawcut bone varieties were the best match for these Lick Creeks, but that ivory bone is calling my name! Gorgeous knives all!
-Jordan
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2016
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- 661
Nice capture, Stonebeard!
Here is a comparison of Barlow sizes. There are some Barlows from the late 1800s here along with two Lick Creeks!
Thanks Charlie. Beautiful collection both old and very new and a great comparison :thumbup:
Copperhead Sawcut came in yesterday, so I figured I oughta share a pic of all four.
btb01 very nice knives and a great story:thumbup:
New trade addition. Walnut spear.
Beautiful walnut TC BigBiscuit. Congrats!!
You win. That's amazing. What's the other side look like?I got a gnarly one
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- Apr 7, 2015
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I got a gnarly one
That Ragg looks like Charred bark!!!:thumbup:
waynorth
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Nov 19, 2005
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- 32,947
Sooooo, I was just looking through my oldest Barlows to find examples for these recent comparison pics, and I came across these, and the name "Ragg Stagg" came to mind!!
I put a Ragg Bone in the second pic for comparison!
Whudda ya think??
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- Feb 9, 2015
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Very nice!I got a gnarly one
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I got a gnarly one
Gnarly, indeed! :thumbup::thumbup:
waynorth
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
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- 32,947
Sounds like they missed the etches!
We won't be able to check until Tuesday.
Anyone else in the same boat??