What's so great about Barlows?

A
afishhunter said:
Long lived porch members.
The Barlow pattern dates to 1670, https://coolmaterial.com/feature/barlow-knife-history/ and has always been popular.
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I said fashionable. I am aware of how old the pattern is. Many traditional patterns are old and many are popular. Barlows however are fashionable.
Barlows are so fashionable that they changed the lexicon. Any straight jack is a Barlow to a good many folks now, before long anything vaguely traditional will called a barlow. I lay credit at Charlie's feet for that, if his very desirable SFOs hadn't caught on then the traditional world would look quite different now. Brought a lot of attention to this little corner of knife collecting.
 
Shield your eyes from this horrific sight.

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I love the looks of the iconic Barlow, but I have grown to most favor smaller patterns lately and that probably why I only own one.

So,what exactly is it that you dislike about the Barlow and what pattern do you prefer more ?
 
I think the longer bolster looks good, I think the variety of different bolster stamps are cool, I like barehead knives, and I like sawcut covers which tend to be common on Barlows. I also like the fact that, to me, a barlow just looks like a classic traditional pocket knife.
 
mrknife said:
is there a liner in between that? I think the knife that most resembles that is one of the barlows collector knives offer, they recently released a second version with a metal scale.
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I'm not sure if properly called a (cut down) liner or spacer.
Handle slab/ liner or spacer/ back spring/ liner or spacer/ back spring/ liner or spacer/ handle slab.
Knife is a Marbles MR278. The construction is identical to a Camillus (and other Government Contractors such as Western) "Demo Knife".
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Jiki said:
I prefer a standard Jack myself. Nothing wrong with barlows, I have a few. I just like the look of a Jack knife.

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Not to hijack the thread, but...those S and M heritage jacks are so darn cool. I watched them for a long time as they slowly disappeared off of dealers shelves, but I never could bring myself to buy one because of the mixed reviews. Seeing those 3 lined up there makes me regret not getting one. Now, back to the Barlows....
 
Hickory n steel said:
I love the looks of the iconic Barlow, but I have grown to most favor smaller patterns lately and that probably why I only own one.

So,what exactly is it that you dislike about the Barlow and what pattern do you prefer more ?
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Most Barlows I have seen were UGLY cheap plastic handles and nothing special about them. I tend towards Stockman with three blades since it provides more variety. Of course "you guys" insist on showing me some nice looking Barlow knives :-)

Resisting the pretty Barlows.....
 
huntnfishin said:
Not to hijack but a quick question. Does that long bolster add strength?
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I'm not sure. Allegedly, that is the traditional/historical reasoning behind the long bolster.
However, you still have the full length liners. Personally, I suspect if they do add any strength, it is insignificant when compared to a "normal" length bolster on a knife with pinned construction and full length liners, like a jack knife (refer to post number 25) or stockman.
I believe the back spring(s) and liners petty much prevent the knife from bending/flexing lengthwise.

I am probably mistaken, though. :)
 
Boker makes what they refer to as a Barlow without the longer bolster. I think you can find it listed on many dealers sites as a Boker Prime Barlow. Same size as a Case Barlow I believe but it also has upgraded steel. N690.

Makes me think of the current run of the GEC Boys knife and the GEC Barlow.

,,,Mike in Canada
 
Dr-Mabuse said:
Yeah I'm right there with you. I keep trying them and I keep letting them go. I really don't like the way the long straight bolster feels in hand either.
I think they became fashionable because they're of particular interest to a couple of upstanding porch members.
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You may be correct , but I was collecting Barlow Knives before I even knew about the TC Barlows . In fact I found about the TCs because I was collecting Barlows . AND a Jack Knife is not necessarily a Barlow .

Harry
 
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