SZCO Supplies Rite Edge : 4” Wood Handle Dual Blade Barlow Knife, Brown (210601)

Note: Not a Vine Voice related review. Keeping in mind that this knife is not the only Chinese version of the Barlow knife out there, it has a few features that make it work well for many purposes. The working parts are all stainless steel, including the bolsters, liners, blades, blade pivot pin and springs. The handle pins are brass and the handle scales are tapered wood (wider at the end than near the bolster). When I carve, my hands tend to get sweaty and plain unpolished wood is less slick than plastic or laminated wood. The handle has a brass lined lanyard hole. When closed, the ends of the blades are sunk below the bolsters (if you carve for any length of time this is a plus, since many makers leave the ends of the closed blade well above the handle to dig into your hand and cause blisters). The stainless liners are thicker than most of the other Chinese versions of this pattern. The blade pivot pin is stainless steel of a larger diameter than most versions of this design. Both of these details make for a sturdy knife. The blades come fairly sharp but will need to be honed for carving. The longer blade is good for roughing out a piece, while the small blade works well for details. The springs on my particular knife were good and the blades had no play. I would have the longer blade made a bit thicker, for greater comfort in resting the thumb on the spine, but for under ten bucks it makes a good knock around carver. The one I received has reddish brown wood, my friend ordered one and it has blonde wood handle scales.Update 2017: I have used this knife for three years now, and it still functions very well, just as it did when new. I have given several as gifts, and all have been great users. The model number for this knife is 210601. I have seen one of the Pakistan made knock offs, and they should indeed be avoided, as other reviewers have pointed out.Update 8/1/19: After four and a half years of daily work, one of the backsprings snapped on my little EDC Barlow. I am impressed that it made it so long, getting used nearly every day in some way.Update 2/10/21 Second knife has made it for a year and a half of daily use, so far without issues.Update 9/6/22 Second knife now on its third year, discovered the blades hold up to box cutting the recycling longer than I would have thought. It works better than most thicker bladed knives for this, which was a pleasant surprise.Update 12/7/22 Purchased a few for stocking stuffers again this year, I notice that profile the small blade has been modified to be a bit wider and is more of a Wharncliffe shape than a pen blade, the top curving down to a straight edge. Both are improvements for carving details.

I’ve bought this knife multiple times and given it as gifts, it is my go to pocket knife

Mostly used for normal pocket knife chores.

I've owned quite a few barlows the blade is on the softer side but that's good for working knives. And the main clip point blade reminds me a lot of an opinel with how well it slices and is great for food prep. The little pen blade is the stocker of the two and leans itself to harder task like cutting wire. And the handle is the best part with it flaring out it feels very secure and good in the hand. However, the backspring is to weak for heavy work and the knife does not have a half stop. This is the only problem I have with the knife and barlows usually have very stiff backsprings and half stops for safety reasons and longevity of the product this backspring is likely to snap with how weak it is overtime. I wish this knife had a better backspring and half stop it would be a great hard working barlow at an extremely affordable price. But this is a good stocking stuffer for light task like opening letters and boxes given that disadvantage. Overall I would recommend this knife

The knife is not all bad considering the price paid. However, there are a few bad flaws. No. 1: the knife is not 4 inches as advertised. It is about 3.5 inches. No. 2: the main clip point blade has no snap. No. 3: the knife is chock full of grit. The pen blade pivot was so full that it would not fully open. I lubed and worked pivots to get them to half way work. So, I’ll keep it as a beater knife. Honestly, that’s what I expected! I wouldn’t buy it again..

After reading the reviews, i decided to try it and if it was a dog, return it. As with many products from china, there will always be defective products mixed in with the good. As it so happens, the knife I got was a good representation, easily took a razor edge, which doesn’t hold for long, steels not that good, but good enough for the price, would recommend to a friend.

I was happy to find this brand since my father carried it with him everywhere for many years. I like to keep a pocket knife with me almost every day. I was happy to find that the blades were easy to open because I have arthritis issues in my hands. One morning as I was putting it into my jeans pocket, a piece of metal fell out of it. I thought it a bit strange so I opened the small blade and it would no longer snap & hold into place; it just flops up & down and won't hold in place. This makes that blade useless and dangerous to try and use. I am so disappointed. I wanted to carry a knife like my daddy carried.

I have 2 of these, the first bought in 2021 and the second 2025. The fit and finish is much worse, with scratchy opening. The wooden scales are thinner. The pins going through the scales missed the holes. I would have given the one from 2021 5 stars for value, but the quality isn't there anymore.