Bear & Son Cutlery2-5/8-inch Blade, Heritage Walnut Barlow, 1095 Carbon Stainless Steel, Walnut Wood Handle, Nickel Silver Bolsters & Polished Hollow Ground Blades (C2281)

Very good craftsmanship for a classic style of pocket knife. Out of the box, It needed sharpening. But a few strokes on ceramic stones and it was slicing paper. It appears that manufacturers are not shipping folders as sharp as they can be. The blades are difficult to open. I assume this is due to close manufacturing tolerances. A little oil and usage may loosen them. In the meantime it has beautiful walnut handles and is a great addition to a collection.

Very good quality, especially at this price point! Ridiculously cheap when you see what you are getting. I was skeptical but the item appears well made. No gaps around the pins, bolsters, etc. Blades well finished. If you seek a high quality knife for daily use or a decently priced collectible for yourself or as a gift, this is a great company. They do carbon steel right and the blades hold an edge well. Just remember to oil the blades as carbon steel, while easy to get scary sharp, also rusts more easily than stainless. I highly recommend this item. The build quality suggests that this is a lifetime tool. And in case of trouble, it comes with a lifetime warranty as well. Just buy it!

* Attention to detail is excellent.* Wood scales are perfectly finished.* Carbon steel blades are polished.* Carbon steel blades are easily sharpened.* Perfect size for small whittling projects.* Both blades have half stops in the interest of safety.* Great value for the price.

arrived with a few blemishes and extremely difficult to open. lubricated and sharpened a bit. still a bit stiff but not particularly difficult to open. very sturdy. i like it quite a bit, exactly what i was looking for. would recommend this knife

Knife looks nice closed but I exchanged the first one because the small blade was so stiff that it was nearly impossible to open. The grind on the large blade was not great but with a little work would have been OK. The replacement I received had the same issue with the small blade. Opening it was extremely difficult, to the point of making it not worth the effort. I almost kept it anyway but the large blade was poorly ground and very unevenly ground at the tip. That is just too many issues for a knife at this price point so I am returning the second one as well and getting a refund. Very disappointing.

First off, I am not new to Bear and Son's Knives, this one makes my 5th knife from them. I used to have a couple Barlow knives from the 70's and 80's when I was a kid, but over the years I have either lost them or they walked off. I've been eyeballing Barlow knives for a few years just wanting to add one to my collection. I wanted one either made in the USA, Germany or Japan. Like I said, I have purchased 4 other Bear and Son's knives and have been pleased. The price is right and they are made in the USA. I have countless Case knives and they are quite up to the standard of Case, but are solid knives. The other knives I purchased from Bear were sharp as scalpels brand new, this Barlow knife was very dull, wouldn't even slice a piece of paper. I took about 30 minutes, but got it where it needed to be. So, keep in mind you will need to sharpen it. Overall, for what I paid, it's one of the better knife purchases I have ever made. Give them a chance, I will probably carry this piece a couple times a week and use it like you should. This is not a show piece, this is a pocket knife that will be used and I am very happy with the purchase.

Bear and son are almost the entirely package. I have a few of their knives. Pretty happy but they do have fit and finish issues. The other thing is they come dull. I am always happy to buy American but the QC is found wanting. I look at what Buck gives you for 30 dollars and ask why can't they match the edge and finish. It aught to be better. Not a deal breaker but a little disappointed

Good hardness decent build quality no big gaps only a small one right where the handle and blade meet. Overall this is the best mass produced American made barlow and a side note the walnut handle I received looks much nicer than shown on the product page.