Author: admin

Posted on

The Trapper Pattern; You Know It When You See It

TL;DR? Check out the companion Knife Thoughts video on my YouTube channel at this link!

This article will be less of a review of a particular knife and more of an overall look at a general knife pattern; the Trapper. The Trapper pattern has a long history and has become well known, or at least recognizable, to most Americans who are familiar with pocket knives. Whether you’re a fan of the pattern and want to know some of its history and specific characteristics or if you have no idea what a Trapper is and are picturing a knife with two spring loaded jaws for capturing small critters, this article will tell you all you all you need to know about the Trapper!

The Case Large Trapper in Yellow Synthetic is a great exemplifier of the Pattern

First, the Trapper is a pattern with a somewhat obscure history. The claim is often put forward on knife blogs and forums that it’s a pattern that’s been used since the frontier days of America when rugged mountain men trudged into the unknown mountains to live out their lonesome and hard, but proud, lives trapping for furs and fortune. Obviously, a knife pattern called the Trapper must have originated from its namesake profession. Unfortunately for the romantics out there imagining Jim Bridger and John Colter comparing their personal Trapper knives in the 1800’s, the Trapper pattern as shown above is a 20th century invention. Like many traditional knife patterns, the Trapper evolved from older types of knives into its own unique pattern in the early 1900’s during the so called Golden Age of American cutlery. In the early decades of the 20th century there was a multitude of cutlery manufacturers that were staffed by cutlers transplanted from the old European knifemaking centers of England and Germany. These companies and cutlers took many older patterns that were brought from Europe and modified them into their own unique American patterns. The Trapper is a great example of that process. The predecessor to the Trapper was probably a slim dogleg jack with about a 4″ handle and a clip point main blade and pen secondary blade. This type of knife was made as far back as the 1880’s, and sometime in the ensuing 4 decades some companies changed the pen secondary to a full length spey blade to make a slimmer version of the classic Trapper as shown above. It seems the beefier trapper with two full length blades probably didn’t appear until the 1920’s. It was probably first made by either Case or Kabar. In this period many knife manufacturers made knives to be branded and sold by other companies. Even more confusingly, many companies, including Case and Kabar, were connected through family ties. These circumstances can make it difficult to pinpoint the genesis of a particular pattern. The Trapper remained a relatively minor pattern until after WWII. Since then pretty much any knife company that makes traditional slipjoints has produced one or more variations of the Trapper pattern, and it has become a mainstay of the American pocket knife market. Speaking of variations, what exactly is (or isn’t) a Trapper?

Camillus Remington Master Guide, Case Large Trapper, Queen Utility, Rough Ryder Trapper, GEC Northfield Improved Trapper, Great Eastern Cutlery Mustang

The Trapper pattern covers a huge range of sizes, blade shape combinations, and even handle shapes. The above picture is a great example the ways in which the size and handle shape of the trapper can vary. Although the Trapper pattern developed from a slim dogleg jack (like the Queen Utility third from the left), it can also have a banana shaped frame (like the Camillus made Remington Master Guide on the far left or the GEC Northfield Improved Trapper and Great Eastern Cutlery Mustang both on the far right), and is probably best known as a beefier dogleg jack (like the Rough Ryder Trapper third from the right) sometimes with a swell on the blade well side of the handle (like the Case Large Trapper second from the left). As you can see, the Trapper’s frame can be one of several different handle shapes with variations possible even within those general shapes. Also, although they tend to stay within the 3.5″ to 4.5″ range, Trappers can land anywhere from the Case Tiny Trapper at 2.375″ closed to the Remington Master Guide at about 5.375″ closed.

Spear and Pen, Clip and Spey, Clip and Spey, Clip and Wharncliffe

The Trapper pattern can also have just about any blade shape style and combination you can imagine. However, the classic configuration is two full size blades with one being a clip point and the other being a spey blade. The clip point is a great all around blade because it offers a pointy tip (although Case knives, like the one below, often come with rounded tips), a solid amount of curved edge, and some straight edge also. The spey blade is historically designed for use in castrating animals, as the abruptly curved belly and lack of a significant tip make it a good blade for slicing and push cuts but not good at piercing (wouldn’t want to stab your livestock when they start kicking, which they will do if you’re using the spey blade for its namesake…). It’s possible that the spey blade was added for outdoorsmen (hunters and TRAPPERS, get it) to use as a skinning blade with less chance of piercing the guts, but my guess would be that it was added just as a novelty to have two full length blades and without much more specific reason than that. Still, it does make for a useful blade combination as it can be nice having two full length blades. I tend to use the spey blade for food prep and the clip point for everything else. Like the shape and size of the handle, the blade shapes on knives considered to be Trappers can go far beyond the classic clip and spey. There’s the Slim Trapper with a single turkish (slender) clip point, the Pen Trapper with a main blade that is most often a clip or drop point but can sometimes be a spey or spear point with a small/secondary pen blade, the Improved Trapper with a clip point and wharncliffe blade, and the Single Blade Trapper with one main blade (usually a clip point, but it can also be a drop, spear, or spey).

  • Clip Point blade
  • Spey blade

So, what is a Trapper knife? Considering all the variations laid out above, it might seem that there’s no real definition of what is or isn’t a Trapper. Well, a Trapper definitely is a jack knife, meaning the blades fold out of one end (unlike a pen style multiblade knife, in which the blades open from different ends), and the end the blades come out of should definitely be smaller than the butt end of the handle. A Trapper definitely doesn’t have a straight edged blade, like a sheepfoot or wharncliffe, as its only main blade. Within those parameters, a wide array of knives can be considered Trappers. Kind of like some other things, it’s something that’s difficult to define but you know it when you see it. Another great way to know if a knife is a Trapper is if the company that made it calls it a Trapper!

A great knife to use while camping or to cut hot dog sticks for a fire

The Trapper pattern is somewhat nebulous, but even still it holds a significant place in the American cutlery tradition. Every kind of Trapper has been made, even at least one modern flipper opening version! If you like traditional pocket knives you’re sure to be able to find a Trapper that suits your particular aesthetic and practical tastes.

A couple single blade Trappers

If you’d like to get yourself a Trapper I have some suggestions. If you’d like the nicest production Trapper you can get currently, and don’t mind carbon (non-stainless) steel, you should go with the Great Eastern Cutlery #48 Slim Dog Leg. Great Eastern Cutlery made knives tend to sell out relatively quickly, but they’ve been doing larger runs to try to better meet demand and there are a good number of these left on dealers’ sites. You can find some at Blue Creek Cutlery, my most often patronized GEC dealer. Ken is a good guy and has good service, don’t hesitate to ask him any questions you have before purchase. You can also find some, including some other handle materials, at DLT Trading. Those Trappers from GEC are USA made in small batches in Titusville PA and heirloom quality but also great users. If you’d like a more modern stainless steel (although not a super steel, using 8cr13mov) and don’t mind your knife being made overseas, the Sowbelly Improved Trapper from A.G. Russell is also a great option. These have a little less character and might not be quite as well finished but they are still really well made and good looking knives, and they’re less expensive than the GECs. If you’d like a less expensive option than the GECs but want to stick with good ol’ Made In U.S.A. quality, Case knives are made in Bradford Pa and aren’t quite as well fitted or finished as GEC but still make great using knives (and many people also collect them). Case offers a multitude of Trapper options: Full Size Stainless Steel, Mini Stainless Steel, Large Stainless Steel Single Blade with Clip and Thumb Stud, Slimline with option for Stainless or Carbon Steel, Full Size Carbon Steel. Another good option that’s really easy on the wallet is going with a Rough Ryder. These are made overseas and sometimes have some issues, but they’re definitely high enough quality to make good users and often are really nice looking for the price, which is significantly lower than any of the above options. Smoky Mountain Knife Works owns the Rough Ryder brand and carries a wide variety of Trappers in different shapes, sizes, and handle materials. Finally, if the modern style trapper I mentioned piqued your interest you can the Boker Plus Urban Trapper at this link.

Some links in this article are affiliate links. That means that if you click them and purchase the product you won’t pay any more than you normally would, but I get a commission from the sale. This is just a way for you to support Knife Thoughts. Be sure to try my discount codes “KnifeThoughts” or “KT10”!

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

Posted on

Knife Thoughts: The Benchmade 940, a classic EDC for a reason, NOW WITH 100% MORE CONTROVERSY!

Purely by coincidence, this article is being released on the heels of a social media firestorm surrounding Benchmade. Earlier this week, I believe on Wednesday 2/20/19, Benchmade came under heavy scrutiny by the 2a / second amendment online community for its involvement in the destruction of guns for the Oregon City Police Department. Apparently some amount of firearms that were confiscated by and / or given to the department and slated for court ordered destruction were destroyed by Benchmade due to their having “specialty equipment”, through a partnership with the department. I mention this not to involve politics or my own beliefs regarding firearms and knives and their direct relation to the second amendment, but rather the opposite; I want to acknowledge the currently hot topic and assure my readers that this review was written before the issue arose and was in no way affected by it.

The Benchmade 940 in all its green glory

So, what is there to say about the Benchmade 940? It’s one of the most recommended and highly regarded every day carry knives on the market. It’s been one of Benchmade’s top sellers for almost twenty years since its release in 2000. You can find countless videos and articles recommending the 940 with nary a mention of any negative attributes. A knife with such a glowing reputation must really be one of the best, right?

It’s a slender knife as is well represented here

In a word; yes. But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here spending your time reading an article about a knife because you want to know the details. Well here… we… GO:

Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) TC Barlow, Benchmade 940, Spyderco Native 5

The Benchmade 940 was designed by Warren Osborne and has several of the features that since have become his signature. It features what Benchmade calls a reverse tanto blade shape, which is basically a drop point with a swedge that has an angle at about 45 degrees going from the spine to the edge. (Benchmade also makes a version of this knife with a clip point blade shape, which you can find on Amazon at this link) The steel is s30v, which was one of the first “super steels” and, although it has fallen out of vogue in the high end knife community, remains a great all around stainless steel that isn’t too difficult to sharpen, holds a working edge well, and is pretty corrosion resistant. The reverse tanto blade shape allows the 940 to retain most of the stock thickness most of the way to the tip, and therefore have more strength than a fully flat ground (or distal tapered) blade. It also makes the tip sit well within the frame of the handle, which is something I really like but isn’t mentioned often. This means that the knife can be sharpened many many times before the tip raises above the handle, requiring a blade replacement. The blade is thinly ground enough to work for most typical utility and edc cutting tasks but thick enough to handle some tougher tasks. It might not slice cardboard as effortlessly as a tall full flat ground Spyderco blade, but I’m also more comfortable cutting zip ties and other things that take more force with the 940 than with a thinner blade.

Lots of edge fit into a small frame

Speaking of the tallness (or lack thereof) of the 940’s blade, it is very slender from edge to spine. That lends itself well to the overall small package that the 940 presents in comparison to the edge and blade length of 3.375″. That’s a solid amount of usable edge fit into a (likewise very slender) 4.75″ handle with 3.5″ of usable grip length. Although that amount of grip space would be crowded if the handle turned up at the butt, because it has a down turn at the end of the handle it actually provides an ample hold. This handle is another example of how a simple design often offers better ergonomics than a more complicated attempt to fit the hand. The handle on the standard 940 is made of aluminum that has been anodized green with a purple backspacer. I personally like the feel of anodized aluminum and the look of the green and purple together but, again, aluminum is a material that has lost the favor of the knife community. For this reason Benchmade later came out with the 940-2 with a black g10 handle with green standoffs, which you can find on Amazon at this link. As an upgrade to both the handle and blade materials, Benchmade also released the 940-1 with a solid carbon fiber handle and s90v steel blade, which makes the knife lighter and (depending on your taste) fancier looking with better edge holding at a more premium price. (You can find the 940-1 on Amazon by following this link)

  • About a 3.75 finger grip
  • Green handles with purple backspacer

All of the versions of the 940 have partial steel liners, which are a requirement for any knife with Benchmade’s Axis lock. The Axis lock is an evolved version of the “bolt action” lock, and works by having an “Omega spring” (a sort of constant force spring made of round wire rather than flat steel) push a bar that is suspended by studs on either side of the handle behind the blade tang and therefore wedge it open. The Axis lock is unlocked by pulling both or either of the studs back. It as an easy to use and fully ambidextrous lock, and is one of the big attractions of Benchmade knives. It makes the knives very easy to open and close by simply pulling the lock back, making for a fairly fun fidget factor. Although I think it’s a quite rare issue, Omega springs have been known to fail and break making the lock unreliable. I don’t think this happens often enough to be an issue, and Benchmade will definitely fix it if it does happen to your knife, but I do think it makes it slightly less durable in the very long run than well made examples of other locks (back lock, liner lock, etc.).

Nested partial liners don’t add strength on an aluminum handled knife, but are necessary for the Axis lock

The 940 comes with a classic Benchmade clip, but I highly recommend calling or emailing Benchmade and requesting a deep carry clip as is pictured on my knife. I find that it carries deeper in the pocket and doesn’t significantly affect the ergonomics in use. Benchmade is normally happy to send a free clip upon request.

The deep carry clip reduces the visible handle above the pocket to almost nill

Speaking of Benchmade’s service, it’s one of the great values of this knife. Benchmade offers lifetime sharpening (which they call LifeSharp), cheap blade replacement, a general spa service, and a normally pretty reasonable turn around time. That can’t be said for all knife companies, and it’s something that can weigh heavily in favor of Benchmade if you’re looking for a knife to last you a lifetime. However, I do think it also factors into the price of the knife, so don’t be afraid to use that LifeSharp service!

Over the last few years Benchmade has come under some criticism for a lack of quality control, specifically with uneven grinds and off centered blades. Although my 940 is slightly off center it doesn’t touch the liner and hasn’t worsened since I adjusted the pivot. The grind seems even enough to my eye. I haven’t had any issues with lockup or action on any recent Benchmades. My 940 has no blade play in any directions and opens and closes smoothly with one hand.

Only ever so slightly off center

To come to the point where I might add something new to the 940 conversation, I think this knife’s slenderness is both its best and worst attribute. Its slim handle and blade make the 940 a breeze to carry and allow it to offer a really solid amount of cutting power in a small package. I think this ease of carry combined with the convenience of the Axis lock and security of Benchmade’s warranty are what have made the 940 such a star in the EDC knife world. However, such slenderness also has its downfalls. Because the blade rises so slightly out of the handle the thumb studs are close enough to the handle that it can sometimes be a tad difficult or awkward to open the knife quickly. Also, because the blade is short from edge to spine it does offer less belly and a thicker edge in comparison to some other models. Still, I think these are minor complaints that are far overshadowed by the positive attributes of the 940. You can get the Benchmade 940 for about $180 at this Amazon link. Although relatively pricey for the materials used, like all Benchmade knives it is made in the United States and backed by their highly trusted warranty. If you’re looking for a knife that you can put it your pocket and not notice until you need it, that you can rely on for almost any cutting task you’d run into in your daily life, and that can last you a lifetime the Benchmade 940 is a solid time tested and proven option.

All the links to Amazon in this article are Amazon Affiliate links. That means that if you click them and purchase the product you won’t pay any more than you normally would on Amazon, but I get a commission from the sale. This is just a way for you to support Knife Thoughts and allow me to procure more funding for the project and its knives.

I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts

Posted on

Rough Rider Pastel Assisted Flipper Folding Knife… LET YOUR COLORS SHINE!

TL;DR? Here’s a link to my Knife Thoughts video on this knife!!! Don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to my channel
Pretty similar in size to the Spyderco Native 5, but with more cutting edge

Rough Rider is a brand of knives owned and produced by Smokey Mountain Knife Works, but sold through many dealers both online and at brick and mortar stores. Recently SMKW announced that they would be changing the name back to Rough Ryder knives. Apparently this was the originally trademark, and they’ve decided to switch back to that spelling. Either way, the knife discussed in this article was produced under the “Rough Rider” spelling, so I’ll be using that terminology. Rough Rider is a brand that offers a wide variety of knives and knife related paraphernalia. Although most of their knives fall under the traditional umbrella with classic designs and materials, they also make modern folders and occasional novelty style knives. This knife falls squarely within those latter two categories: it is in no way traditional, and it flaunts the obscure theme of a pastel color palette.

I bought this knife for just that reason; it slaps you right in the face with its weirdness and bold refusal to look like the typical modern knife. It has all the normal features of a low price budget modern knife: spring assisted flipper opening (but still manual, don’t let anyone hassle you into believing this is a “switchblade” or automatic knife), liner lock, steel handles, pocket clip, and stainless steel blade. But instead of sticking with the status quo when it comes to finish and color it leaves behind the typical black plastic/g10 handles, black or silver clip, and plain satin or black coated blade and instead goes with a dazzling combination of a neon pink handle, sky blue blade, and canary yellow clip. You wouldn’t be wrong to call it garish, and that’s exactly what I like about this knife. The coatings seem relatively durable. They’re certainly not cerakote or diamond like coating levels of toughness, and I’m sure if you used this knife hard the coatings would scuff and scratch, but they seem to be about on the level of the blade coating on an Ontario Rat or Cold Steel Micro Recon.

Surprisingly good ergonomics, with a design that lock in your thumb and forefinger for a pinch grip

As for the practical design of this knife, I am pleasantly surprised. The blade is an amalgamation of a drop point, spear point, and leaf shape and seems to work pretty well for general use. It came sharpened evenly but with a burr, so it just needed a one over on a stone and light stropping. The blade is just under 3″ with usable edge right around 2.5″. The handle proved to be well designed. As you can see above the finger scallop and thumb ramp combine for a secure and comfortable pinch grip, and other grips are also comfortable due to the simple handle. If you’ve watched my videos you know I appreciate the ergonomics afforded by a simple handle shape and, although this isn’t a particularly large handle at about 3.375″ overall with 3.25″ of usable grip area, this knife is a good example of how even a small handle can be comfortable with a simple design.

Blade off center to the non clip side, but not rubbing liner

The construction of this knife has to be viewed within the price range it occupies. It came with a significantly off center blade with some play in the closed position, but it doesn’t touch the liner and has no blade play in the open position. The action is fine with consistently solid opening, if not as snappy as the average higher end assisted knife. The detent isn’t super crisp and has a little slop in the closed position, but seems to hold the blade safely within the handle frame. It is only set up for tip down carry, which for me isn’t a deal breaker but I know some have strong preferences in this area. Overall I would consider this slightly less well constructed than the average Chinese made Kershaw or Byrd knife, but still a more than usable knife especially for the price. Remember though that I’m making my conclusions from a sample size of one, so you might get one that’s better or worse than mine.

I got this from SMKW.com for $6.99 plus shipping (split with another knife) for a total cost of under $10. You can find this version by clicking here, or another version with a yellow blade pink handle and blue clip by clicking here.

Posted on

Knife Thoughts: Great Eastern Cutlery Northfield #06 Pemberton in Smooth White Bone

TL;DR??? Click HERE to watch the Knife Thoughts video on this knife

In 1865 John Stith Pemberton suffered a saber wound to the chest in the Battle of Columbus and subsequently became addicted to morphine. Searching for a replacement for the morphine he created a recipe for “Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”, a variation of a beverage combining alcohol and cocaine: cocaethylene. However, with social pressures against alcohol and looming temperance legislation in his resident city of Atlanta, he scrambled to create a new beverage without alcohol. Mostly through trial and error, with a little random luck, Coca-Cola was born. In the proceeding 150 years Coca-Cola has been adopted worldwide as the soft drink of choice, and one of the most recognizable symbols of that cultural empire is the classic Coke Bottle.

The classic Coca-Cola Bottle

The Coke Bottle traditional knife pattern was given its name in reference to the shape that it shares with the classic curves of the typical glass bottle used by and for Coca-Cola. Although there were probably knives made with this handle shape (more technically called an unequal end swell center jack) before such a bottle was used for Coca-Cola, the ubiquity of the brand and associated shape gave the pattern a unique name and lasting place in the wheelhouse of traditional knife manufacturers. So, to make it clear, a Coke Bottle pattern knife has two rounded ends, usually both ends having bolsters, with one end being smaller than the other and the blade or blades opening at the smaller end with a swell in the center of the handle.

The Great Eastern Cutlery Northfield #06 Pemberton in Smooth White Bone

That brings us to Great Eastern Cutlery’s #06 Pemberton pattern. The Pemberton is a SMALL Coke Bottle pattern knife measuring at about 2.75″ closed with a 2.125″ blade and 2″ cutting edge (on this wharncliffe model). It was first produced in 2013 in single blade clip point and two blade clip point and pen models in several handle materials. In the beginning of 2019 Great Eastern Cutlery is manufacturing another run, this time in a single wharncliffe blade model and a two blade spear point and small sheepfoot model (we’ll talk more about those blade shapes later). They’re making Northfield branded Pembertons in Smooth White Bone (like the subject of this article) and stag, and Tidioute branded knives with Muslin Micarta and Dark Blue Jigged Bone.

The Pemberton is dwarfed even by the medium sized #15 frame TC Barlow

This particular Pemberton is extremely well made; a great ambassador of the Northfield brand. The action is nice with a relatively strong pull for the size of the knife at about a 6 out of 10, and great walk and talk and snap both opening and closing. The top bolster is both threaded (the three lines) and pinched, which I both like the looks of and appreciate in a user because I feel it gives a teence of extra grip in a pinch hold (the most often used grip when cutting). The smooth white bone covers are beautiful, with a nice cream color and little flecks of black in the voids left by the bone capillaries, and very finely fitted to the liners and bolsters so that there are no gaps. The shield is also particularly well fitted on this knife, and I much prefer this “small badge” shield over the “Tidioute” shield used on the blue jigged bone models. This knife also doesn’t have any gaps between the backspring and liners. The backspring is flush with the liners in the fully open and fully closed positions, but not the half stop position (I don’t consider this an issue at all, though I mention it because I know some people like the backspring to be flush in all positions). The only slight manufacturing imperfection on this knife is that the blade is about a half a millimeter off center toward the pile side, but it is in no means a practical issue.

Centering slightly off to the left, no gaps

I’m also pleasantly surprised with the design of this knife. Although I have and enjoy some of GECs other under 3″ patterns, I was concerned that this knife might be too small in the hand to really use due to being a single blade (unlike my other sub 3″ GECs). However, I’ve found this knife to be comfortable in hand, affording a solid 3 finger grip, and easy to use for appropriate tasks. The wharncliffe blade, though small, provides enough cutting edge to do quick work of cutting paper, opening boxes, snipping strings, opening letters, and even breaking down cardboard. This isn’t a knife made for carving the Thanksgiving turkey or skinning and butchering a deer, but it offers a nice thinly ground straight edge in a small package for daily small cutting needs. Also, this knife came from the factory significantly sharper than most Great Eastern Cutlery made knives which was another pleasant surprise. Speaking of small, this thing disappears in your pocket. It’s small enough that it actually sits horizontally in the watch pocket of my jeans, so I’m sure this would be a good low profile option if you work in a less than knife positive environment or have to wear more formal work attire than I do. That said, my typical carry of this knife will probably most often include another larger knife in case I run into a bigger cutting need.

The Pemberton with a Zero Tolerance 0561, a much different knife

The main reason I got this knife is because it fits into two mini collections I have built. I typically focus on just buying knives that individually appeal to me, but I do sometimes make little groupings based on some characteristic. I will be writing another article on my collection of Great Eastern Cutlery small and large pattern pairings and their relation to the upcoming #97 Large Coke Bottle, so subscribe for updates on that. Here I just want to point out the common factor between my collection of under 3″ closed GECs.

GEC #22 Magnum, #06 Pemberton, and #18 Beagle Frames

These three knives are the #22 Magnum, #06 Pemberton, and #18 Beagle. The shared characteristic between these three patterns are their blades; not that they have the same blades obviously but that, according to an engineer at GEC named Randy whom I’ve spoken to at several of the Rendezvous gatherings, the blades represented on the three knives shown are designed to be able to be built into any of the three patterns. What that means is that GEC designed Clip Point, Pen, Wharncliffe, Spear Point, and Small Sheepfoot blades which can all fit into any of these three frames (not that they’re interchangeable once built). So far GEC has produced the #06 with all 5 of these blade shapes (having done Clip Point and Pen on the previous run and doing Wharncliffe, Spear Point and Small Sheepfoot on this run), the #18 with 3 (Wharncliffe, Spear Point and Small Sheepfoot), and the #22 in only 2, the two blade Clip Point and Pen (the #22 is one of GEC’s three patterns with the fewest total number manufactured). This type of engineering oddity might not appeal to all Great Eastern Cutlery collectors, let alone all knife enthusiasts, but I think it is pretty cool and a unique strategy that allows GEC to more easily produce a wide range of different knives without creating new tooling.

Clip Point and Pen, Wharncliffe, and Spear Point and Small Sheepfoot blades

Overall, I think Great Eastern Cutlery got the recipe just right on this Northfield #06 Pemberton. It’s a small knife with superb construction and a classic style that’s tough to deny. John Stith Pemberton advertised his French Coca Wine as beneficial for “all those whose sedentary employment causes nervous prostration” which I think probably covers the majority of us reading this, but I also think the #06 Pemberton (especially in this version with the Wharncliffe blade) would make a more than capable and stylish cutting tool for the daily tasks of our modern lives and sedentary works.

Posted on

Knife Thoughts: Running of the BULLS!!! Great Eastern Cutlery’s Sod Buster Patterns, the Farm & Field #71 Bullnose and #21 Bullbuster, Compared

Great Eastern Cutlery manufactures knives based on traditional patterns with classic materials and construction, and in that endeavor they’ve reproduced many of the most timeless knife designs. From the ever popular working man’s Barlow to the Congress made famous by its inclusion in President Lincoln’s personal goods, they’ve put their own spin on a myriad of classic American folding knife and fixed blade patterns. Their versions of the classic sod buster pattern show how they can breathe new life into an age old design.

The #71 Bullnose is relatively easy to pocket but stands out once in your hand with the bright orange delrin

Now, first off, neither of these knives are named after the sod buster pattern directly because a certain other cutlery company has trademarked the pattern name. The ethics of trademarking a general industry term aren’t the point of this article, but I just wanted to point out that that situation is why you won’t see or hear anyone at GEC refer to these as “sodbusters”. Instead, they’ve named the #71 and #21 patterns the Bull Nose and Bull Buster, respectively. Still, they are sod buster style knives because they have the simple handle with upswept butt, single skinner blade, and no frills construction that define the pattern.

Size comparison of the #71 Bull Nose and #21 Bull Buster with some familiar knives: Spyderco Native, GEC #15 TC Barlow, Case Trapper, and Benchmade 940

The #71 came first, with the original run being produced in 2012, and is the smaller of the two at around 3.875″ closed. Interestingly, the #71 pattern was first produced in O1 steel under what GEC initially called the Redneck Farm Tool brand. Similarly to the pattern name itself, apparently this was too close to being a trademark issue and they renamed the pattern and launched the Farm & Field brand. The #21 was first produced in 2014 and is a good bit larger at about 4.625″ closed.

Aside from the size, the design and construction of the two patterns are next to identical. Both have 1095 carbon steel, which has become the norm for the vast majority of GEC made knives. Both have steel liners and a lanyard hole. Both have a nail nick for opening, and mine have all been pinchable (able to be opened by pinching the blade with thumb and forefinger, rather than with the nail nick). Both are shadow patterns, meaning they have no bolsters. Being shadow patterns, they feature a bird’s eye pivot which is a metal collar into which the pivot pin is peened (hammered to form a press fit). The pivots on recent models are stamped “F&F USA” with two stars on each side, and the tangs are stamped “Farm & Field Tool USA” on the mark side and “GEC CAR” and the model number designation on the pile side. I have included a link to GEC’s model number / tang stamp chart above. As indicated in it, these knives both have what GEC refers to as a “skinner” blade. It seems they consider the skinner blade shape to be differentiated from their drop point blade shape by the more abrupt belly (upward curve toward the spine and tip), but both shapes hold the “5” blade designation on the tang stamp chart. Both have half stops. They’ve both been made in several handle materials, often including black delrin, orange delrin, and different types of micarta.

An example of a possible every day carry setup with the #71 BullNose

Both patterns also have similar Farm & Field Tool brand fit and finish. Farm & Field is Great Eastern Cutlery’s brand under which they produce knives made to be truly used as tools. Knives under the F&F brand are GEC’s most budget friendly knives. With this in mind, there are some differences in construction and fit and finish compared to GEC’s other brands. First off, the knives under this brand tend to have less expensive handle materials (like delrin and micarta vs bone and wood). The lack of bolsters requires fewer manufacturing processes and therefore also contributes to the lower prices. They also have less handle contouring and polishing. Both the #71 Bull Nose and #21 Bull Buster have thicker handles than most of GEC’s knives. Although this can make them more comfortable in the hand for tough cutting jobs, it’s also due to less finishing time spent on the handles. Certain things like small gaps between the backspring and liners, slight handle imperfections, or imperfect centering are also more likely to be considered acceptable on knives under the Farm & Field Tool brand.

That said, the Farm & Field Tool brand knives are still extremely well made knives. I’ve had several of each of the #71 and #21 patterns along with some other knives under the F&F brand, and they’ve all been generally really well built and ready for a lifetime of use. These two fit that description. The Bull Nose has a slight imperfection in the handle material next to the liner on the backspring, and the Bull Buster had a sliver of liner sticking out that eventually fell off on its own. The one practical issue I’ve had with these is one that, from the sounds of things on the forums etc., others have also encountered. The smaller #71 Bull Nose seems to sometimes suffer from blade rap. Blade rap is when the snap of the blade’s closing makes the edge bounce on the inside of the backspring, thereby damaging the edge (usually a roll in the edge). This edge damage by no means makes the entire blade unusable, but it does cause issues in cutting and can be extremely frustrating. That frustration is often compounded by the fact that the only way for the knife user to fix the issue is to sharpen the blade rap out, meaning they have to sharpen the edge down to the level where it no longer reaches the backspring upon closing. This process can be extremely time consuming and also can shorten the usable life of the knife, due to the removed steel. I had blade rap on a previous #71 that I had to sharpen out, but initially I thought that the two knives featured in this article were both free of blade rap. Unfortunately, actually while filming my linked YouTube video on these knives, I realized that the #71 did have blade rap. However, after two sharpenings with a diamond stone the edge damage and blade rap seems to be gone for good (at least on this knife). I think this issue tends to arise on the smaller #71 and not the larger #21 because the blade well offers less extra room in which the blade can travel as the knife closes.

As for the designs of these knives, I think they hit their mark well as simple but well made work knives. The handle on the Bull Nose is just large enough for me to get a full four finger hold of the knife in a hammer style grip, but is more than large enough for the more practical and more often used pinch style grip. The rounded butt of the handle also helps to secure the knife in this grip. Altogether, this makes for good ergonomics even if my (admittedly rather wide) hands wouldn’t hate another half inch or so of handle. Even with my large hands, the significantly larger Bull Buster offers more than enough grip area and feels spacious in any type of hold. The extra width of the handles, compared to most traditional knives, does make them a little less comfortable to carry in a back pocket (as I do), and this characteristic is especially evident on the larger Bull Buster. However, I think both can be carried easily enough to make them good every day carry options if you’d like something you can throw in your pocket and use and not worry about scuffing up. I appreciate the semi strong pull / backspring strengths on these knives, coming in at about a 6 or 7 out of 10, especially with the design intent of using them in a tougher role than most traditional knives. The skinner style blade shape is pretty good for general use and I doubt anyone will find too much practical fault with it, though I have to say I prefer the look and sharpenability of GEC’s normal drop point shape.

An example of a possible EDC gear setup with the #21 BullBuster

Overall, I would definitely recommend either of these knives if you want a low cost high utility user traditional knife made in America. Which you choose mostly depends on how big a knife you prefer, and whether you are okay with risking blade rap and the resulting necessary work to sharpen out the issue (it’s important to note also that I have only had blade rap on the 2018 Bull Noses, not the ones from previous runs). I think these are a great value at the price they cost, which is about $55 for the #71 Bull Nose and about $65 for the #21 Bull Buster. I also think that it’s great that GEC is able and willing to offer such well made high value knives while not compromising on their quality.

The Bull brothers with another of GEC’s most practical knives, the Tidioute #82 Possum Skinner in Micarta