What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

LastRodeo said:
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Ravishing red bone, Mike!! :thumbsup::cool::thumbsup:

Will Power said:
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Here's my nomination, a German made Russell Green River Works.Carbon and steel bolster, fine W&T and tight build.

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I'm sure glad you're posting that striking Russell again recently, Will!! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Augie said:
Added the clip blade from the same seller, kind of neat having 2 vintage Barlows with the same advertising.

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Augie, to me that's an amazing pair!! Incredibly cool!! :cool::cool::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
(I was old enough to know our phone number in 1955, and we had a 7-digit number by then - actually 2 letters and 5 digits.)

- GT
 
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I have found lots of barlows that I enjoy, but the one on the left is absolutely the most fun to carry of any. What makes good traditional barlow? How about chunky brass bolsters, a sheepsfoot blade, handles made from Yorkshire Maple, and a pattern designed by Trevor Ablett? This one was made by Michael May in Sheffield using one of the patterns he obtained from Trevor Ablett. Somehow, its asymmetrical shape feels just right in your hand or pocket. It is the perfect weight and size. I find myself grabbing it more often than any other knife.
 
Augie said:
Added the clip blade from the same seller, kind of neat having 2 vintage Barlows with the same advertising.

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Really nice examples of Barlow advertisers at their best! I often wonder the circumstances behind giving these away. I have a few New Holland knives, which I always guessed were given out with a test ride of a tractor. Certainly a different world back in the day. Can't imagine anyone giving away the current crop of Barlows as advertising!
 
When Barlows were given away as advertising, a nicely finished Pen knife in good materials cost 5 to 10 times as much as the Barlow!!! The prices have come a lot close together, with Barlows often costing more! But the quality is there also - at least in North American production.
 
It truly is amazing that North American companies like Camillus, Ulster, Schrade, and Utica were able to produce decently finished and durable knives from quality materials of this pattern for 1/5th-1/10th the cost of their other wares, many of them lasting through a lifetime of hard usage.
 
Bartleby said:
It truly is amazing that North American companies like Camillus, Ulster, Schrade, and Utica were able to produce decently finished and durable knives from quality materials of this pattern for 1/5th-1/10th the cost of their other wares, many of them lasting through a lifetime of hard usage.
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At some point, I wonder if the Barlow was thought of as a loss-leader; to borrow more modern terminology!:)

Chief said:
Even the queen drools when she admires this knife! :)

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Not photoshopped, the drool reflection was by chance.
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:D:D

I concede defeat! Besides being a beautiful knife, the patina puts John's knife over the edge!!
:):)

P.S. Nice coins!!:thumbsup: (despite the drool!!:rolleyes:):D
 
waynorth said:
At some point, I wonder if the Barlow was thought of as a loss-leader; to borrow more modern terminology!
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Not likely, if the idea behind a "loss leader" is to introduce a product cheaply to generate interest in people buying a better finished upgrade on the next sale. Considering most folks only had one knife at a time when they were popular, a lot of people stuck with the Barlow pattern throughout their working lives. In my working class family, Christmas often meant a new knife, usually to replace the broken, lost or used up knife from the previous year or so. Barlows combined the magic ingredients of being inexpensive (at times even free) as well as being durable.

I suppose there would be brand loyalty involved when it was time to get the Sunday go to meeting knife, or a fob knife, or some other sort of fancier executive type knife if you worked above the shop floor, so perhaps there was an incentive to make them on a "loss leader" basis.

As advertising, in the 30's through at least the 60's, I would think one would want one's company name associated with a rugged and dependable product that was used often and gave complete satisfaction in use as well as pride of ownership. The Barlow design was perhaps chosen so often because of the possibility of stamping the large bolster (as both Sears and New Holland did), and later on, heat embossing the large flat handles (As Augie's excellent Camillus pair so amply demonstrates).
 
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Beautiful Red Soup, jsdistin!!!!
Nice to see it being used and enjoyed!!!!:)

Nice Lloyd, Rob!!:thumbsup:
 
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