Each year, Case releases one pattern from its vault. 2018 was the year of the Doctor’s Knife, and 2019 is going to be all about the Case Barlow. If you’re reading this article, odds are good you know what a Barlow is: a traditional pocketknife with a single long bolster and a teardrop shaped handle. It has one long blade, occasionally a shorter secondary blade, and rarely a third blade. Maybe you’ve even read Mark Twain’s Huck Finn where Huck notoriously brags about his “real Barlow.”
What is a “real Barlow”? When you start tracing the history on the Barlow pattern, you find it’s much like researching the history on any pocketknife. It’s frustrating. There are three notable names when it comes to Barlows – Obadiah Barlow – the presumed creator of the Barlow pattern, John Russell Company with the “Russell Barlow”, and the Furness family who exported inexpensive Barlows in the late 1800s and into the 1900s.
Which Barlow is the “real Barlow” of Huck Finn fame? Your guess is as good as ours. The Case Barlow may not have been the “real” Barlow from that legendary work of fiction but it’s certainly a great Barlow. Case has dipped not only into an old traditional, possibly even notorious pattern they’ve reproduced some of the most beloved handle materials.
The Case Blue Rogers Corn Cob Jigged Bone Barlow is a single Tru-Sharp spear point Barlow. It has a blue corn cob jigged bone handle with a stamped nickel silver bolster.
Case Blue Rogers Corn Cob Jigged Bone Barlow Details
- Tru-Sharp Surgical Steel, Mirror Polished
- 2.125″ Spear Point
- Rogers Corn Cob Jigged Bone Handles
- Brass Pins and Liner
- Nickel Silver Bolster
- 3.375″ Closed
- 5.5″ Overall
- Made in the USA
The Case Smooth Antique Bone Barlow is another single Tru-Sharp spear point Barlow. It has a smooth antique bone handle that has enough variation in it that it almost looks like wood. It has a nickel silver bolster and a bomb shield.
Case Smooth Antique Bone Barlow Details
- Tru-Sharp Surgical Steel, Mirror Polished
- 2.125″ Spear Point
- Smooth Antique Bone Handles
- Brass Pins and Liner
- Nickel Silver Bolster
- 3.375″ Closed
- 5.5″ Overall
- Made in the USA
The Case Yellow Synthetic Barlow is a two blade Barlow with a 2.125″ Tru-Sharp surgical steel spear point and a 1.5″ pen blade. It has classic yellow synthetic handles and a standard nickel silver Case shield.
Case Yellow Synthetic Barlow Details
- Tru-Sharp Surgical Steel, Mirror Polished
- 2.125″ Spear Point
- Yellow Synthetic Handles
- Brass Pins and Liner
- Nickel Silver Bolster
- 3.375″ Closed
- 5.5″ Overall
- Made in the USA
Make sure you get your outstanding Case Barlow because they’re only out of the vault for 2019. If you’re interested in these knives, click any link in the article or simply click the button below.
All images courtesy of Smoky Mountain Knife Works – smkw.com.
