Best Barlow Knife

If you are in a hurry and you would like to know which Barlow knife is the best, then I would highly recommend the Rough Ryder Barlow.

The Barlow knives were first introduced during the early 1700s and still makes up a large portion of knives being held around the world. One of the biggest problems is that people sometimes cannot correctly identify a Barlow knife and buys a knife, which they think is genuinely a Barlow knife.

In this article, we will cut through all of the deceptions and will reveal to you once and for all how a Barlow knife should look like and what is its characteristics. There is a helpful guide at the end, which will reveal to you what a Barlow know is and what you should look for before buying such a knife. I have also given you a list of 5 of the best Barlow knives, and I will go into more depth.

Best Barlow Knife In 2019

Below is a short preview on the best Barlow knives for 2019. The knives will include the Rough Ryder Barlow which was my top recommended product, the Rite Edge Barlow which is budget friendly and the Boker Barlow which is of the highest quality but also the most expensive.

#1 Rough Ryder Barlow (Top Pick)

Best for: The Rough Ryder Barlow is a high-quality dual blade knife which has a good bolter and handle.

• Editors Rating: 10/10
• Blade Length: 1.75″ & 2.5″
• Handle: Jigged Bone Handles

The Rough Ryder Barlow is my top pick because of the following reasons. It has two pocket knife type blades which include a larger blade along with a smaller one as well. Both blades have an inlaid groove which makes it possible to open them with the help of your fingers. The shorter pen blade is 1.75,” and the larger clip point blade is 2.5” in length. The type of metal used to make these blades are 440A Stainless steel. The bolter is also made from Nickel and Silver which also has the Rough Ryder’s logo engraved into it. The handle is made from amber colored jigged bone. The knife is just over 3” long when closed which will fit easily into your pocket and will make an excellent gift.

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#2 Rite Edge (Budget Friendly)

Best for: If you want to save money while still buying a good quality barlow knife, then the Rite Edge knife is for you.

• Editors Rating: 7.5/10
• Blade Length: 1.6″ & 2.4″
• Handle: Wood

This knife from Rite Edge has two blades which consist of a smaller 1.6″ pen blade and also a larger 2.4″ clip blade. Both blades are made from stainless steel and can be folded into the handle. You will also find a nail mark on both blades which makes it easier to open with your fingers. The knife has a pretty decent metal bolster with the word “Barlow” engraved on it. The handle is made from wood (not sure which type) and is connected with brass handle pins. The liners inside the handle are also made from stainless steel. At the end of the handle, you will locate a lanyard hole in which to attach a lanyard.

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#3 Boker Barlow

Best for: If you want a premium knife and you do not mind the higher price tag, then the Boker Barlow is for you.

• Editors Rating: 9/10
• Blade Length: 2.6″
• Handle: Premium Grenadill Wood

This knife from Boker is a premium knife that only has one blade instead of two. The blade is made from 440C Stainless Steel and is 2.6″ long. The blade is also a clip point type blade and has a nail mark on the inside which can be used by your fingers to fold the blade open or to close it within the handle. The bolster is made from a combination of metals which include Nickel and Silver. The handle is made from premium Grenadill wood which is a dark-colored wood that is also expensive. The wooden handle is connected with the help of metal pins and has a tiny metal plate on it with Boker’s logo. The total weight is around 1.8 oz, and the size of the knife (closed) is 3.25″ which makes it an ideal pocket knife.

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#4 Old Timer Schrade

Best for: If you want the best Barlow knife from the Old Timer series which has a unique feel to them, then this knife is for you.

• Editors Rating: 8/10
• Blade Length: 2.3″
• Handle: Saw Cut Delrin handles

The Old Timer Schrade is another excellent example of a high-quality knife that will not let you down. It has two blades which consist of a larger clip point blade which has a length of 2.3” and also a smaller pen blade. Both blades are made from 7Cr17 High Carbon Stainless Steel and have nail marks on them. The bolter is made from a metal which consists of Nickel and Silver and has the name “Schrade” engraved on it. The handle is also made from Delrin, which is a type of plastic used for handles to bridge the gap between metal and plastic. The overall length of the knife when closed is 3.25,” which makes it small enough to carry in your pocket.

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#5 German Bull GB113RPB

Best for: If you want a Barlow knife which has a razor blade include then the German Bull GB113RPB is for you.

• Editors Rating: 9/10
• Blade Length: 2.76″
• Handle: Red Pick Bone

This knife has two blades which are different than all of the other ones mentioned here. The first blade is a clip point blade which is 2.76” long and the second blade is a razor blade which can be used to shaving. The German Bull is a company located in Germany and is known for its high-quality blades. The blades are made from stainless steel which is durable and will hold an edge. You will also find nail marks on both blades. It also makes use of a bolster which consists of Nickel and Silver. The handle is made from stag bone, which is red picked and has a small metal shield with the company’s logo inlay. This knife suits men best which need to shave on the go.

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The Ultimate Barlow Knife Guide

In this section, you will become more familiar with Barlow knives. You will learn what distinguishes a Barlow knife from the rest, the type of blades used and also the selection of handles you can expect to find.

The characteristics and appearance of a Barlow knife

The Barlow knife is a type of pocket knife which has at least one or two blades. The types of blades most commonly found are the pen and clip blade, which I will go into more depth in the next section. Barlow knives are best used as tools and are not classified as a weapon.

These knives are generally not that expensive, or everyone can afford one at least. If you want to see an example of expensive knives, read this guide on the most expensive pocket knives. The knife also contains a very prominent bolster that can be made from any metal. In this review, most of the bolters are made from a combination of Silver and Nickel.

The handle is also made in such a way which makes it a great folding knife. The materials used to make these handles can include wood and even bone.

The types of blades that you will find

The Barlow knife originally came out with one blade, but it is prevalent to see two blades which include the clip and pen blade. Some Barlow knives even have a razor blade included. Below, I will go into more detail on the different types of blades.

• Clip Blade. The clip blade is a very distinct look to it, which makes it different than all of the other blade types. This blade can also be called a Clip point blade. The name comes from the design where a large part of the blade is clipped off. It looks like the front section of the spine is clipped off where it meets inline with the tip of the blade. This part can either be concave or straight. The clip blade is also a larger blade of the Barlow knives and can range from 2.3” to 2.74” in length.
• Pen Blade. This blade is also the smallest blade in the Barlow knife series. Its name comes from the work the blade was intended to do. This blade was made to sharpen pencils and quills. It also has other uses such as opening letters and cleaning your nails. The shape is very similar to that of a drop point blade where the spine of the blade will have a curve downwards so that the point of the blade is in the middle. Most pen blades are less than 2” in length.
• Razor Blade. If you are always on the go and you tend to forget your razor blade at home, then you might love a Barlow knife which has a built-in razor blade. The German Bull GB113RPB is an excellent example of such a knife.

What the handles are made off

Most knife manufacturers spend endless hours trying to create the perfect blade but sometimes forget to invest enough time and money into the handles. In this section, I will cover the three main types of handles that you will get with Barlow knives.

• Bone Handles. The most common type of material used to make the handles of the Barlow knives listed here are made from bone. For example, jigged bone is a bone which has the surface cut to have a specific pattern or texture. The bones can also be colored to give it a certain appeal. The Rough Ryder Barlow and German Bull GB113RPB have handles made from bone. Native American knives can also have handles made from bone material.
• Wood. Wood is also a common material used to make almost any knife handle. You can use nearly any type of wood depending on its characteristics, colors, and patterns. The Boker Barlow has a handle made from Premium Grenadill wood which is quite expensive and of very high quality.
• Delrin. This material is a type of plastic that has properties very similar than that of metal. It is lightweight and also wear resistant. It can resist high temperatures and is an excellent material used to make knife handles. An example of a Delrin type handle is the Old Timer Schrade.

Similar knives that you might like

Barlo knives are great, but sometimes you want to explore other options as well. I have written several guides on other types of knives which you might find interesting.

• Best tanto knives
• Best Backpacking Knives
• Best stiletto knives
• Best OTF double action knives

Barlow Knives Comparison

Product Name	Blade Length	Handle	Editors Rating
1. Rough Ryder Barlow (Top Pick)	1.75″ & 2.5″	Jigged Bone Handles	10/10
2. Rite Edge (Budget Friendly)	1.6″ & 2.4″	Wood	7.5/10
3. Boker Barlow	2.6″	Premium Grenadill Wood	9/10
4. Old Timer Schrade	2.3″	Saw Cut Delrin handles	8/10
5. German Bull GB113RPB	2.76″	Red Pick Bone	9/10

Conclusion

Today you have learned which Barlow knives are the best and also received a guide on how to choose the best one. Which Barlow knife was your favorite?

Please leave a comment below and share with us your choice. You can also visit our collection of articles that are related to knives.