which production slipjoint?

J

Jason Fry

Joined
Jun 5, 2008
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3,195
I've got the pick of a lot of production slipjoint folders. There's trapper patterns in Tree Brand and Hen and Rooster, a couple of Bulldog brand, a Puma, and a couple of Schatt and Morgan. I've looked them all over, but I'm a fixed blade maker, not a slipjoint collector. All of them have tiny things wrong with them that I can find with a critical eye, but all of them have things I like. They all look like 440 stainless. Any reason to prefer one of the brands over the other?
 
Case and Queen make also very good traditional slipjoints are more expensive but that shows in quality. Rough Riders are cheap but their quality is very good for the price point unbeatable. People in traditional forums have very much liked Rough Rider's. And rough rider makes a lot patterns.

You could also check Texas Jack pattern which is like trapper but speyblade is replaced by more useful penblade. Stockman pattern is excellent too and has 3 blades usually: clippoint, spey and sheepshoof. But if you have to buy a lot, Rough Rider is one with a lot patterns and handle options.
 
bulldog should have some in carbon (anything from 1075-1095) so does boker(tree brand) if you want better steel you can get a queen since most of them come in d2. Queen knifes usually are in serious need of sharpening but it pays off. nobody else i know of can give you a knife made in a first world country made with steel as good as d2 for $22 (the queen sobuster) and their normal line tops out at around $75 for something like a swing guard with the majority in the $50-$60 range.
 
I just posted a short review/comparison of five stockman style slipjoints from three manufacturers in the Review sub forum.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701615

I have two Queen knives. I love D2, but both came with incredibly bad edges.

I have a number of Case knives; Trappers, mini Copperlock, Stockman and others. Some of my Case knives have SS blades but I prefer the Case CV blade steel. It holds a good edge. isn't hard to sharpen and takes on a nice patina.

I have three Buck stockman knives. a 703, 303, and 301. They are all in 420HC, which I've been very pleased with. All my Bucks came razor sharp. I'm very impressed with the Quality of the Bucks and would have no qualms about using them hard.

I would have no reservation about buying more Case or Buck slipjoints. I may buy another Queen, but I'll do so knowing that I'll have to spend a lot of time trying to get a decent edge on it.
 
Another vote for Case CV. I love them. I've also had good luck with Hen and Rooster, but they aren't in the same category quality wise. Schatt and Morgan, Queen and Canal Street are all very nice. (Canal Street offers 440c and D2).
 
Case knives are very well made for the price. 30-40$ will get you bone handles in many colors, CV or Tru Sharp steel, and TONS of patterns. I dont own a Queen, but everyone says, just like Case, they are excellent knives for the prices.
If I was looking for a new slip joint right know, Id look long and hard at the Case Swayback in CV/Chesnut, and a Case Trapper in CV/yellow.
 
I say Great Eastern Cutlery. You have the option of high carbon steel in most models. Queen is made by Ontario and is good quality but is the typical factory produced slip joint. Go with Great Eastern and you won't be sorry.
 
I think that for quality of workmanship, Queen, including Schatt & Morgan, and the GEC companies are going to be the best. I don't have a Canal Street, but they might be another possibility.
 
Case has really improved their knives from ~10 years ago. The last several I've bought come with sharp blades, excellent fit/finish, good walk and talk, and some cool patterns and handle materials.
 
GEC is also an option if you like those very fat and wide blades, the Tidioutes and Northfields come with 1095, and GECs come in 440C, they make very great collector items and great work horses with the super strong snaps.
 
It depends on how much you want to spend. If price is not a problem, then I'd say check out the Case/Bose collaborations. I believe they've done a pattern a yr since '99. The '99-'07 have ATS-34 blades & bolsters, while the last 2 yrs have 154CM. Incredible slippies, but they do cost what some custom slippies will run you. You might find them for $200+, but I think they're typically $250-300+.

I'm not sure what kind of stainless steel the German made slippies are, but the German made carbon models should be somewhere around 1075-1095 & Case's CV models are very good, too.

If you want a good working knife, I'd strongly suggest checking out GEC. They do have a Barlow that's small (3"), but their other patterns are stout. They come in 1095 at 57-59 RC or 440C (At the same RC, IIRC). I've never had a 440C model, but their models in 1095 are excellent.

Queen's a good one for the $, too, in that most of them have D2 steel, but they don't seem to be too sharp from the factory. However, that can be fixed, while having "so-so" steel can't.
 
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