Tag: american

The 3 Best USA-Made Barlow Knives

Use Your Barlow Every Day
Use Your Barlow Every Day

When people ask me about the barlow knives, I ask them to let me know which “barlow” they want to know about. The word barlow has 2 meanings. The first meaning is the name of an American company that used to make pocket knives, tape measures, and key chains. They were all high quality, and made in  America. USA-made items were very popular, and still are. The Barlow company was sold to another company in 2007 approximately. Then that company was sold to a third company shortly after.

The second meaning of “barlow” is a style of pocket knife that dates back to the 1600’s in England. This is the knife that George Washington used. It still gets a ton of Google searches today.

It is these barlow knives that I am showing you today. These have 2 stainless steel blades, a slightly teardrop-shaped handle, and a large metal bolster.

 

Green Barlow custom knives Kutmaster Green Barlow Knife 15-24779gbe

A Barlow knife as a gift to your employees for appreciation of their service Kutmaster Barlow Knife 15-24789WL

BC5281 Bear & Son Barlow Stag Bone BC5281

 

What Will Buck Knives Be Like in 100 Years?

110b.jpg Buck Folding Hunter Lockback Knife 110

Funny you should ask. How can you predict the future of anything? Here are some basic techniques that knife predictors might use:

  1. To see what a knife will look like in 100 years from now, lets see what it looked like 100 years AGO.
  2. Then look at the changes that were made, and when they were made. Did most of the changes occur in the last 10 years? If so, then you could expect more changes to come at a faster rate. If changes occurred every 10 years for the last 100 years, then you could expect the same steady rate of change in the next 100 trips around the sun.
  3. See the health of the knife company, and how well they respond to the needs of its customers.

What will Buck Knives be like in 2116? To try and answer that, let’s follow the 3 steps shown above…

  1. I can’t find a picture of the original Buck knife, made in 1902 by Hoyt Buck, the founder. If you can, please post it here.
  2. Buck Knives have changed gradually over the last 100 years. At the halfway mark, the son of Hoyt, Al Buck, incorporated “Buck Knives“.  In 1963-1964, Al designed and started to manufacture the famous 110 Buck Folding Hunter knife. At 4 7/8” closed, this knife has been the flagship of all pocket knives. It made the name “buck knife” a household name. When someone would say that name, they would mean a good pocket knife.  Al’s son Chuck and his wife, Lori worked at the plant, too, since 1978. Then in 1999 CJ took over the company. His father, Chuck died in 2015. So CJ is the great grandson of the originator, Hoyt Buck.

    301.jpg Buck USA Stockman Knife 301

    You can say that the next hundred years may continue to show a steady development of methods, design, and products to keep Buck knives the major US pocket knife company.

    722gray.jpg Buck® Spitfire 722

  3. How does this knife company respond to the needs of its customers? Starting with the founder, Hoyt Buck, he was looking for a way to temper steel. A better steel would be able to receive and hold a sharper edge. He had the American people in mind. Chuck responded to the customers in 1963 when they wanted a hunting knife that would fold. Not only fold, but lock in the open position, so you wouldn’t hurt yourself. This 110 Buck Folding Hunter knife was the best thing since sliced bread. So point 3 gets a passing grade for Buck. Most Buck knives are USA made.

    buck nobleman knife Buck Nobleman Linerlock Knife 327

    But in response to the economic cries of its customers, Buck does import some fine pocket knives. Camo (camouflage) has become very popular, so Buck responded with a few camo handles and even orange camo handles. Tactical knives are now taking center stage in the pocket knife collectors. Buck has designed some great example of that.

    284CM.jpg Buck® Nano Bantam Camo 284cmo

    Buck® Folding Orange Camo Omni Hunter 395CM9 Buck® Folding Orange Camo Omni Hunter 395CM9

What Will Buck Knives Be Like in 100 Years? My best guess would be more of the tactical style, and survival style of knives. However, for those who reminisce, Buck will always produce the 110 Buck Folding Hunter knife that has survived over 50 years. It is the flagship of all pocket knives.

870-S Buck® Silver “Bones” Pocket Knife 870-S

870-TS Buck® “Bones” – Tiger Stripe 870-TS

 

The USA’s 3 Best Pocket Knives

Without a doubt, the best-selling USA-made pocket knives are the Buck Folding Hunter 110, the Case Executive Lockback 7200, and the Kershaw Scallion Knife, Camo 1620. These are the best pocket knives to have laser engraved with your logo and give to your best clients. Your customers will absolutely love these 3 knives because they are American made, and because they are made by companies with a strong US tradition of quality.

 

110b.jpg Buck Folding Hunter Lockback Knife 110

The Buck 110 was first made 50 years ago, and is still a top seller. It is the perfect size, shape, and material. It’s as American as apple pie.

zippo clone Case Executive Lockback 7200

Case has been making knives since 1889 deep in the hills of Bradford PA. Each knife is still made by hand by master craftsmen.

1620-engraved-camo-scallion-smooth Kershaw “Scallion” Knife, Camo 1620

Kershaw, a proud US knife company was founded in 1974. They are a real newcomer, but have established a remarkable reputation with their USA-made knives. They also have some of the models made overseas to their exacting specifications.