Who makes the best slip joint?

D

Dr sharp

Joined
Oct 20, 2003
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299
I like the look of the old slip joints. I was wondering who is the chris reeve of the slip joint world? Also does anyone have an absolute favorite slip joint?
 
That my friend is an extreme difficult question to answer! I happen to love slippies too.
 
Not sure, I'm sure there are some great custom makers out there, but for something by a production company it's hard to beat Queen for the money. They have many styles available with D2 steel so you can actually put their slip joints to hard use. Most other slip joints on the market are made lower quality steel and won't hold an edge nearly as well if you intend to use them.

Then there's always Swiss Army Knives, but they may not have the look you're going for. :)
 
Don Morrow, or Bill Ruple both make the best slip joints in the world in my opinion. You can visit their web site and see some of the great works of art these guys make. http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showforum.php?fid/43/

As far as production folders go:

I'd rank Queen number one, followed by Bull Dog followed by Case followed by MooreMaker. I'm not sure Mooremaker actually makes their knives though but what I've seen of them is pretty good working mans knives of great fit and function. Some like the Marbles folders and some from NorthWoods are high quality just like the Schatt and Morgan but these are made by Queen as I recall. Which explains the quality.

In my opinion the older Case knives are better than anything any of the above companies are making right now. By older I'd say pre 1979.

One last note. The Swiss Army knife by Victorinox is technically a slip joint, and it is a very high quality one at that. Don't forget to look at those also. My partner on my homepage does some real magic with those by breathing new life and class into them with embellishment I have never seen the equal of anywhere. Check out his work at the link in the profile if you want to see some Mercedes quality SAKs.
 
I suggest you head over to the traditional folders and fixed blades forum. There are lots of slippie enthusiasts who post there and theres a wealth of information on this subject.

I also recommend this forum:

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/index.php

As with all questions like this, you likely get as many answers as there are posters. I daresay you don't see the disparities in price and quality among slipjoints that you do among "tactical" or "high speed" knives. Among the highest quality production slipjoints will run you around $100.

Collectibility as opposed to quality or materials seems to be what drives price. Typically you don't see prices rivalling a Sebenza or Strider unless the knife is old, rare, and collectable.

If you want to drop a wad on a collectable custom slipjoint, I'd say you can't go wrong with a Cripple Creek as long as it was made by Bob Cargill.

If you want a great user, I'd recommend a Queen with D2 blades or a Moore Maker, which as 1095 steel blades. Neither of these is likely to appreciate in value, but you won't find better production quality slipjoints in my opinion.
 
You like the look of old slip joints? Why not get an old one?

New York Knife Co., Schrade Cut. Co., Ulster and a number of others made great knives.
 
There are a few good slipjoint makers, some mentioned in the previous posts, but the top guys these days are Tony and Reese Bose (father and son), Dan Burke, and Terry Davis for old timey slip joints. Here's pics of one of my favorites.
 

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Never used one, but I'm pretty interested in the UK Pen knife from Spyderco.

It may be the first..uh...tactical...slipjoint..

SC_94GP_LARGE.jpg


Also, I imagine the choil will greatly enhance the safety.
 
If you want a custom slipjoint you wont go wrong with any of these makers.
John Howser, Gary Crowder, Tony & Reese Bose, Richard Rogers and Bill Ruple.
 
ralph.merlino said:
If you want a custom slipjoint you wont go wrong with any of these makers.
John Howser, Gary Crowder, Tony & Reese Bose, Richard Rogers and Bill Ruple.
Click to expand...

A great start and I would have to add Jack Davenport, Joel Chamblin, Terry Davis (mentioned before), Gene Shadley, Dan Burke (mentioned before), Ryuichi Kawarmura and C. Grey Taylor.

As far as the "Chris Reeve" of the slipjoint world for me, no doubt at all that it is Tony Bose. Although you will not have any dissapointment from the likes of those above either.

My favorite factory knives at the moment are either antiques or current stuff by Queen (Schatt & Morgan also) and Canal Street Cutlery. As was mentioned don't over look the old ones in good shape. Many are great knives that can be picked up for next to nothing. I am carrying one today that is around 100 years old that I purchased for less than 10 bucks. The fit and finish is better than any factory multi blade knife I have seen made in at least 30 years and the action of both blades is also better.
 
In addition to their fine factory models, Queen has a couple of "custom collaborations" with Dan Burke. Very fine knives.

I second Bastid's post. I have found a couple of amazing multiblade knives made 100 - 50 years ago. I had to clean and sharpen some of the blades, but they are really fine knives. Of course, if you look you can find some of these in mint condition, but you will have to cough up for those.

Looking for fine old knives in flea markets and antique shops is a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it.:D

oops, when mentioning custom slipjoint makers, in addition to all those excellent folks mentioned above, how did we forget Warren Osborne?
 
I think for production slipjoints it's Queen. They make the better brands like Schatt & Morgan, Mooremaker, and the older Winchesters. Oh yeah, and I believe they make the parts that Canal Street assembles and finishes into very high-quality slipjoints.
 
I am a big fan of Case knives with cv blades. The #18 stockman is a favorite as is the #54 trapper. The swiss army knife is a great choice. I always have one on me.
 
If you want the Chris Reeve of slipjoints, get something by Bill Ruple.

If you're looking for high-quality production slippies, get something from Case (make sure you get CV blades), Queen (or Schatt & Morgan, Queen's higher-end brand), Boker Tree Brand, German Eye Brand, or Bulldog.

Welcome to the world of slipjoints!

Peace.
Alex.
 
Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of all the custom makers mentioned and am pretty close friends with some. ;)
 
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