Today was a good day for traditional knife enthusiasts, as two long awaited slipjoints have burst onto the scene!
Advanced Knife Bro Stump Lifter
The Stump Lifter is a new slipjoint designed by Advanced Knife Bro. Advanced Knife Bro is one of the best knife reviewers on YouTube, with a unique dry wit that often garners salty comments. I’ve been watching his videos for years and have enjoyed watching him dive deeper into his enthusiasm for traditional knives and slip joints. He’s even a member of the Barlow Bearcat Club! The Stump Lifter is in collaboration with, and an exclusive for, Blade HQ. It is manufactured by QSP, a well regarded and widely used OEM for both modern knives and slipjoints (such as the Traditional Pocket Knives Ohio River Jacks). I got the green bone version and will do a video soon, so make sure you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel! All 3 versions are still available as of this writing at $120, and you can find them here.
Great Eastern Cutlery #15 TC Barlow
The #15 pattern is probably the most widely loved by Great Eastern Cutlery fans, especially in the TC Barlow iteration, so it was great news to see it on today’s production scheduled update! If you’re not familiar with the TC Barlow you can watch my video on the most recent run back in 2021. Now, not to lie by omission, they also included #15 Urban Jacks on that update. However, as a Barlow enthusiast, I am most excited about the new single blade sheepfoot #15 TC Barlow that is coming down the pipeline. Even better, it is shown to be slated to have “Tractor Green” sawcut bone for the covers (as well as an indication that there will be more handle options that are as yet undecided). I’m sure these will be a HOT ticket even among the normally difficult to buy GEC drops, so email your favorite dealers!
The Rider by CC is the latest in a string of incredible Special Factory Orders for Charlie Campagna by Great Eastern Cutlery, and a classic Harness Jack.
TLDR? Check out my video on the Rider by CC and the Harness Jack pattern here!
An article on the Harness Jack by Charlie from the OKCA Newsletter
What is Waynorth Cutlery?
Waynorth Cutlery is the brand created and owned by Charlie Campagna. It is named after his BladeForums username, “Waynorth”. So far only three knives have been graced by the Waynorth Cutlery tang stamps; “Waynorth” arched over “Cutlery” over “Buffalo, NY” and on the reverse the classic “OIL THE JOINTS”. Those knives are the Lambfoot (GEC #93 pattern), Blackjack (GEC #86 pattern), and now the Rider by CC (GEC #86 pattern). Although Charlie did have knives made by Queen while Bill Howard (now founder / owner of Great Eastern Cutlery) was head cutler there, all of the Waynorth branded knives have been made by GEC. The Rider by CC is Charlie’s newest special factory order, and is a Harness Jack.
Models with the Waynorth Cutlery tang stamps
What is a Harness Jack?
A Harness Jack is a classic pattern that typifies the historical draw of traditional knives. The Harness Jack is a jack knife, meaning both “blades” come from the same end of the handle, and includes a main blade and a leather punch (sometimes called an awl). The main blade is often a spear point, but can be a clip point like on the Rider by CC. The handle is often a swell end, where the handle widens from the pivot end to a rounded butt end, but can also be a sleeve board or equal end pattern. The secondary blade, a punch, is a triangular piercing tool with a sharpened edge. Like many traditional patterns, the Harness Jack is a tool that was created for a specific use that was more common in our past. For the Harness Jack that use was repairing leather goods, specifically horse tack. The Harness Jack was a popular pattern in the heyday of traditional pocket knives, around the turn of the 20th century. At that time almost everything ran on horse power; manufacturing machinery, farming equipment, and of course transportation. Additionally, more everyday goods were made of leather. So if your horse’s harness or your briefcase’s strap broke, it was extremely convenient to have a punch available to make a new hole and mend it enough to get through your day. There were a myriad of punch designs, and there was even several patents filed in the 1910s, probably to capitalize on World War 1 and the demand for tack and other leather goods it would cause. However, the pattern seems to have faded and basically died out in the 1930s. This timeframe coincides with the rise of the automobile and its becoming commonplace in everyday life, and therefore less need for horse tack. That said, the punch didn’t entirely disappear from the knife industry; Scout and Camp knives continued to include a punch, due to the higher likelihood that one would need to repair leather while recreating outdoors. So, like other patterns with historic uses (Trapper, Cotton Sampler, etc.), the Harness Jack harkens back to a different time and gives that feeling of historicity that is so integral to many collectors’ enjoyment of traditional knives.
An excerpt from a 1911 Schatt & Morgan catalog showing several Harness Jacks
What makes the Rider by CC special?
The Rider by CC brings Charlie’s designs full circle. Being that his main collection interest has been Harness Jacks and his first SFOs with Queen were Harness Jacks, it’s fitting that this latest is a classic example of the pattern. The Rider by CC also shares connections with two other of Charlie’s SFOs, the Texas Camp Knife and Blackjack. Charlie had a special version of the GEC #98 Texas Camp Knife made, and believe it or not the punch on the Rider by CC is the same as the one used on the #98 (which I forgot to mention in the above video, to my great frustration). The Blackjack was a Jumbo Jack SFO Charlie had made on a previous run of the #86 pattern, the same frame as the Rider by CC. The Rider by CC also has a special “Empire” shield, based upon a shield often used by Empire Knife Company. Empire is a brand that Charlie has also collected and has an incredible display of their many patterns, so the Rider by CC’s unique shield serves as a great reference to that side of Charlie’s collection. The Rider by CC is a quintessential Harness Jack that perfectly represents Charlie’s passion for traditional knives and his Waynorth Cutlery brand.
The identical forged punches on the #98 Texas Camp Knife and #86 Rider by CC, one with more use!
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Some knives boast innovations that add to the practicality, others showcase special features that add to the aesthetic, and then there’s the Imperial Trick Knife.
The Trick Knife is a single bladed non locking folding knife that was made with a rather unique feature. Within the blade well a space was cut in the liners that housed a small free moving bar. That bar moves up and down in its housing due to gravity as the knife is turned. Why? It gives the knife a “trick”; the blade can only be opened when the knife is upside down and can only be closed when the knife is upright.
An advertisement for a trick knife called “The Humbug Knife”
What is the purpose of this feature? Well, as the name suggests, it really only serves as a fun trick to challenge your friends. In fact, some original advertising even claimed that only the most calm tempered could open it without frustration the first time. There’s not much practical use of a knife locking closed and not open. That said, if you want to “secure” your knife against someone opening it without your leave (like, in my case, if you have a small child around) it could be a useful feature… at least until they figure out the trick.
Despite its endearing quirkiness, the trick mechanism seems to have been seen as pure novelty by the manufacturer. The blade tang is stamped with several patent numbers. The tang numbers correspond to patents for the construction of the handle, but I could find no patents related to the locking mechanism online. Also, these trick knives were often given away by companies as advertising knives with their logo etched on the handles, or sold cheaply with TV character graphics on the handles.
Patent drawing for the handle construction method used by Imperial, the bottom line of the tang stamp on the Trick Knife
Despite the fact that the trick mechanism isn’t overly practical and the trick knife was sold as a novelty, it’s a unique and interesting piece of cutlery history. It hearkens back to a golden age of the knife industry when there was widespread innovation, just like there is today. Just as with those of today, not all cutlery innovations of the past took hold. Even still, the Imperial Trick Knife oozes a certain endearing nostalgia that can’t be denied.
Thank you to Jerram for loaning this awesome piece of cutlery history, and congratulations on owning such a great heirloom!
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
The Big Chief is a classic American traditional pocket folding knife. Its sturdy build and unique design helps it to stand out from other knives throughout its long history. This article will discuss the Big Chief’s history, compare various iterations, and look to possible future renditions.
Titusville Era
The Big Chief design and mechanism was first created by Queen Cutlery in Titusville Pennsylvania. Queen Cutlery was a long time giant in the pocket knife industry, holding a respected place in the market (under various names) for over a hundred years. Queen produced a myriad of knife patterns, pretty much every type of pocket and hunting knife you can think of, under several in house brands and also manufactured for outside brands. The name “Big Chief” was one of those trademarks (more on this later) that Queen owned and used.
Queen Cutlery catalogue advertising graphic
So what is the Big Chief as created by Queen? The Big Chief is an integral handle slipjoint with a cast aluminum handle and a stainless steel blade. Both the integral handle and the stainless blade were innovative for their time. In fact, a patent was filed for the integral handle slipjoint design by inventor E. C. Erickson in 1955. When Queen began to use stainless steel it was still controversial and relatively new to the industry, so they decided to call it “Queen Steel”. Queen put these two new advancements in cutlery together to create the Big Chief; a large integral handled jack knife.
The original Big Chief, made in Titusville Pennsylvania by Queen
The integral handle allowed the knife to be extremely durable, with much less chance of loosening or breaking than most folding knives of the time. Most folding knives at that time used natural materials like wood or bone for the handle covers, and they were prone to cracking if dropped or used roughly. Not so with the solid aluminum handles of the Big Chief. The stainless steel blade meant that the Big Chief could be used without the user having to worry about cleaning the blade, whereas the simple carbon steels used on most knives of the time would rust quickly when left wet or dirty. The Big Chief was made as early as the late 1950’s, but I haven’t been able to track down the exact first year of production. Queen made several versions including one with a hawkbill blade, a serrated blade, a filet clip point, versions with an easy open notch, versions with a bail, and even a smaller version dubbed simply the “Chief”.
Patent drawing for integral handled slipjoint construction, such as used in the Big Chief
Unfortunately Queen went out of business at the beginning of 2018 and put the future of the Big Chief under doubt. Would this American classic die out with its creator?
A Confusing Start to a New Era
As part of its liquidation, all of Queen’s assets were sold off at auction. This included all the brands and trademarks owned by the company. Smoky Mountain Knife Works purchased the Queen and Queen City trademarks, and began to have knives made under those brands. Whereas Queen knives had always been made in the USA, Smoky Mountain Knife Works had Queen and Queen City branded knives manufactured both domestically and overseas. Eventually they released a “Big Chief” model. This new version of the Big Chief was made in China, which many traditional knife enthusiasts do not prefer (to put it lightly). SMKW’s Big Chief retained the stainless blade and general pattern shape. However, it did not use the patented integral handle construction; it had a more conventional construction with a normal backspring, two separate handle slabs, and even an adjustable pivot. All that said, Smoky Mountain Knife Works’ Big Chief did keep the sturdy, reliable, budget friendly spirit of the original intact. It’s a great user knife for the low price of $15.
SMKW Queen Big Chief, made in China with standard handle construction
However, there seems to have been some sort of mix up surrounding the ownership of the “Big Chief” trademark. As it turns out, Cooper Cutlery purchased some of the trademarks previously owned by Queen (as well as much of the machinery)… including the Big Chief. Cooper Cutlery, headed by Gilbert Cooper and his sons in Ohio, is a new outfit endeavoring to continue the great American tradition of pocket cutlery manufacturing. So, after a few runs of knives made under other brands they own, they released their own version of the Big Chief. Cooper Cutlery’s Big Chief had the previously mentioned hawkbill blade that was sometimes referred to as the diver’s version by Queen. Not only is Cooper Cutlery using the same machinery that Queen used, it also kept the traditional integral handle construction. Cooper Cutlery’s Big Chief also kept the budget friendly price, at around $40. Although twice as expensive as the Smoky Mountain Knife Works version, $40 is still about the rock bottom you can find an Americanmadetraditional slipjoint for in today’s market. Cooper Cutlery did not build these to be safe queens or collector pieces but rather to be thrown in a tool or tackle box like the Queen originals, and the build quality matches that intention.
Cooper Cutlery Big Chief, made in Winchester Ohio with integral handle construction
An Open Future
I hope the future holds more American made Big Chief knives. I’d love to see Cooper Cutlery expand their Big Chief line to include some of the versions Queen made. In particular, I think the normal clip point version and especially the smaller “Chief” version would be especially popular with today’s traditional knife users and collectors. Cooper Cutlery is in a process of learning the knife making trade and what the knife market wants, and I think the Big Chief line is a great space in which to build their experience. So here’s to a bright future for the Big Chief!
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So, you just bought yourself a shiny new knife and want to make sure it’s up to snuff. In this article I’ll describe the 6 points that I check when receiving a knife. These characteristics cover the bulk of what decides where a knife lands on the spectrum from abysmally terrible to mythically epic.
#1 Edge Exposure
Checking for edge exposure, most commonly in the form of a proud tip, is one of the first things I do when inspecting a knife. This is because it is a practical concern; if the edge is exposed you can accidentally cut yourself when reaching in your pocket for the knife etc. Most commonly on slipjoints, but also sometimes on modern knives, this issue rears its ugly head as a proud tip. A tip is proud when it sits above the blade well enough that it can be caught on a fingernail without actually opening the blade. This issue is all too common in my opinion, and those who watch my videos know I am hounded by proud tips on otherwise perfect GECs. Modern knives can also have proud tips, but I find it to be quite uncommon. However, modern knives, often having pass through handles (no backspring / a gap at the spine side of the blade well also), can sometimes have edge exposure along that spine side of the handle. This happens when the blade is too tall for the blade well and the edge sits close enough to the back of the handle that you can contact it when running a finger along the back of the handle. Both of these types of edge exposure have their fixes; a proud tip can often be alleviated by dropping the kick, and the edge can be sharpened back from the handle opening. However, I prefer not to have to modify my knives for them to be safe (even if actual injury is unlikely) so these issues are sometimes deal breakers.
#2 Edge Damage
Edge damage on a new knife is most commonly caused by blade rap, but can also be a defect in sharpening. Blade rap is when the edge hits some part of the handle upon closing. On slipjoints the edge often hits the backspring, especially at the spring pin hump, and on modern knives the edge sometimes hits the backspacer or a standoff. I would also consider the edge hitting the sides of the blade well blade rap, but that is covered more in depth by the next point. The edge hitting the backspring can cause varying levels of damage to the edge, from a barely perceptible flat area to a full on roll. No matter the amount of damage done, blade rap diminishes the utility of the knife and is a defect. That said, note that some traditional knife patterns, notably from France, are designed to have the edge rest on the backspring so as to eliminate the tip becoming proud through multiple sharpenings. Less commonly, some knives might come with edge damage not related to blade rap. This type of edge damage can be due to a poor sharpening job from the factory or from damage in shipping. As a knife’s purpose is to cut, the edge should arrive to the buyer without damage.
#3 Blade Centering
The title pretty much says it all here; is the blade centered in the blade well? Some people put a lot of emphasis on this point because they strongly prefer the aesthetics of a centered blade, which is fine if that matters to you. However, an uncentered blade can be indicative of other issues such as blade play (discussed in the next point), a bent or unevenly ground blade, or a warped handle. Those are more practical issues rather than aesthetic. Of course, if a blade is so off centered that it rubs on the handle liners or actually hits the edge on the liner upon closing that is a definite defect. The blade should not be defaced or the edge damaged every time the knife is closed.
#4 Lockup
Most modern folding knives lock, and the lock should function securely when received. The lock should hold the blade open without significant play, or movement, in any direction (for most lock types). You can test for blade play by opening the knife then grasping the blade from the spine side, being careful to keep your hand far from the edge, and try to wiggle the blade side to side and forward and back. Another test that many do is a spine whack test. A spine whack test is when you strike the spine of the locked blade against a hard surface, such as a piece of wood, to check that it doesn’t unlock. Many manufacturers discourage this test, and it is a test that should be done with the utmost care and emphasis on safety (NEVER hold the knife so your hand is in the way of the blade if it did fold) if done at all. Of course, non locking knives can’t be tested for lockup but you can still test for side to side blade play. Having secure lock up is an important aspect of a good knife, as poor lockup can range from irritating to downright dangerous.
#5 Action
Action is the term used for the actual opening and closing of a knife. Folding knife action has come a long way in the last decade or two. Now even extremely budget friendly knives often come with glassy smooth opening and closing. Many knives have ball bearing washers in their pivots which allow for very low friction. Some look for “drop closed smooth” meaning that the blade drops closed by its own weight when unlocked, while others prefer a more deliberate closing motion be required. What an ideal action looks like is up to each individual, but I think a knife’s action should both work practically and be enjoyable.
#6 Fit and Finish
Finally, the knife should be inspected for general fit and finish. So what is fit and finish? It’s the sum of how precisely the parts of the knife are fit together and how well each part is finished. This could include the meeting of the scales, or covers, of the handle with the bolsters or with the liners. It could include the evenness of the finish on the handle and blade; the lack or presence of machining marks etc. Fit and finish is another area where budget knives have made huge strides to close the gap with premium knives over the last few years. Most modern knives of $50 and up should have few if any obvious imperfections in the fitment of the parts and finish of the surfaces upon a cursory glance. That said, some knives are expected to have slight imperfections due to the nature of their manufacture. For example, many traditional slipjoint knives are expected to have minor flaws and individual character because they’re made using traditional methods. Even Great Eastern Cutlery, the premier American traditional knife manufacturer, knives are expected to have a slight deformation in a pin or gap around the shield every now and then. Ultimately, the level of fit and finish that one finds acceptable at each price point is a personal decision, but it is still worth considering.
BONUS; First Impression
There’s another characteristic of a knife that I think is worth considering but that didn’t make the list; the visceral first impression it gives you. Often, as a knife enthusiast, opening a knife and handling it for the first time will give you a strong feeling. Whether positive or negative, this feeling often has nothing to do with the objective qualities of the knife outlined above. Even though this first impression might not be based on any real practical characteristics, it’s still important to one’s enjoyment of a knife. We as knife enthusiasts deserve to be thrilled every time we get a new knife, so don’t ignore your first impression of a new purchase.
For those of us who make knives a hobby, we deserve to get a good value for our hard earned money. That’s why I think it’s important to check each knife you receive for these 6 key points of quality, and also to consider your first impression. If a knife passes all these checks, congratulations; you have yourself a great every day carry tool or collection piece in your new knife!
P.s. I used videos that touch heavily on the discussed characteristic here in lieu of pictures because I think they do a better job of showing the issue in a realistic manner.
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
