When we first wrote about the Old Bear knives, we could only see the stainless steel versions. Now, you can get the Antonini Knives Old Bear Carbon Steel knives with either olive or walnut handles. As you can see by the video above, these knives are made with a ton of manual labor from a highly experienced manufacturer. You can get any one of these knives for about $20 or less.

These beautifully finished knives have smooth, clean lines and a fantastic finish. It’s seriously hard to decide which has the better look, the Olive or Walnut handles. The walnut will likely age to a deep, dark chocolate brown. The olive handles have a ton of highly variegated grain that make them just beautiful.

The clip point C67 carbon steel blade has a salt-etched Old Bear logo and has been stone sharpened to razor sharpness. It smoothly and easily opens with a nail nick. Each knife has a locking collar switch that secures it in either the  open or the closed position.  Antonini Knives explains it like this, “The ‘Old Bear’” knife comes with no-return spring meaning its blade locking system features a solid safety ring that fixes the handle in open and closed position.”

We took the large version out to the garden, and we must admit the locking mechanism is easy, even with gloves. It was also razor sharp straight out of the box. It cut beautifully, and opened easily. Overall, it’s a great knife that performs significantly out of its price range.

Antonini Knives Old Bear Small

  • C67 Carbon Steel, Old Bear Blade Etch
  • 2.75” Clip Point
  • Hand Finished, Oil Treated Wood Handle – Olive or Walnut
  • Locking Safety Ring
  • 4” Closed
  • 6.75” Overall
  • Made in Italy

Antonini Knives Old Bear Medium

  • C67 Carbon Steel, Old Bear Blade Etch
  • 3.188” Clip Point
  • Hand Finished, Oil Treated Wood Handle – Olive or Walnut
  • Locking Safety Ring
  • 4.375” Closed
  • 7.5” Overall
  • Made in Italy

Antonini Knives Old Bear Large

  • C67 Carbon Steel, Old Bear Blade Etch
  • 3.625” Clip Point
  • Hand Finished, Oil Treated Wood Handle – Olive or Walnut
  • Locking Safety Ring
  • 4.75” Closed
  • 8.25” Overall
  • Made in Italy

Antonini Knives Old Bear XL

  • C67 Carbon Steel, Old Bear Blade Etch
  • 4” Clip Point
  • Hand Finished, Oil Treated Wood Handle – Olive or Walnut
  • Locking Safety Ring
  • 5.125” Closed
  • 9” Overall
  • Made in Italy

The knives in the Antonini Knives Old Bear Carbon Steel series are gorgeous, old world knives that are well crafted and affordable. 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.