Oakedge Milford Rosewood Barlow Pass & Review

[TripleF]

Scott, count on me if you need another volunteer, I'll send you a pm with my address. thanks, Terry

You're in Terry!!

[TripleF]

To the others involved in the Review/Pass.....I've had the idea to post our reviews at the same time on the same day.
My thought is we couldn't be led to expect something that may not be.

What say you all....Jerry....Jody....Wade....Terry....Tom?

[TripleF]

Here we go fellas.....

I'm sending to Jerry today! Jerry when done could you mail to Wade, he's relocating at the end of June!

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The packaging is quite impressive......

Let us know when she arrives please!

[Jody744]

To the others involved in the Review/Pass.....I've had the idea to post our reviews at the same time on the same day.
My thought is we couldn't be led to expect something that may not be.

What say you all....Jerry....Jody....Wade....Terry....Tom?

So hold our review until everyone is done?

[TripleF]

To the others involved in the Review/Pass.....I've had the idea to post our reviews at the same time on the same day.
My thought is we couldn't be led to expect something that may not be.

What say you all....Jerry....Jody....Wade....Terry....Tom?

So hold our review until everyone is done?

That's what I'm thinking.....to try. Maybe post a pic or 2 while using it.

Waiting for other replies.....

[terryl308]

Scott, ok with me, just let me know when you want a review and photo's posted. I'll let you know when I get the knife. thanks for now, Terry

[TripleF]

Jerry has the knife!!

Yeah, I think we'll just post as we go....ok fellas.!

[Colonel26]

Sounds good to me Scott!

[jerryd6818]

It came in yesterday. The first thing I noticed was a strong spring and a stiff opening blade. The spring is not nail breaking strong but close to it. What saves it is a deeper than average nail nick. The knife came to me very sharp but I have the feeling that was Scott's doing.

The next thing I noticed was a big beefy blade, sporting a larger than average clip to a very sharp pointed tip. My first thought was, "you would need to be careful with that tip because it looks like it would be easy to break off if you were not careful how you used it".

The back spring sits level with the liners and frame with the blade in the open position.

But with the blade closed, it does not sit flush but slightly depressed. Makes me wonder if they're all like this or if it's just this one.

I don't recall seeing a knife whose back spring stopped short of enclosing the bottom pin. Odd.

I'll carry this for a couple of days, report back, then send it on to it's next stop, Colonel26. You can suspect to see it the first part of next week, Cuz.

[Colonel26]

10-4. I'm looking forward to it. Especially since I'm not a Barlow guy. I really want to like them. I've just never been able to. I'm hoping this will be the one.

[TripleF]

I as well noticed the spring "fit" wasn't flush with the liners.....and there's a teenee weenee gap on one side.

I reported to the company that there tang stamp does nothing for identifying their product.

I did give that edge a work over. There was an original ground edge that had deep grooves (see below).


And had a difficult time cutting cardboard (see below for both examples).

I was able to get it to the point where the edge was acceptable to me.

[Jody744]

Ok, so I finally read the entire title to this thread. I was wondering how Scott came up with the name "Millie", just figured it hearkened to days gone by of poodle skirts and Jerry Lee Lewis on the jukebox...
Milford Barlow, from across the pond. Our family joined Milford Baptist Church in Marietta, GA when I was in school, my mother was just recently recognized for 25 years as their pianist! I will do some weird testing, as Sheffield knives are built to use, for working class, at affordable prices. My typical edc routine includes a GEC 15 sfo, a vic alox pioneer, and maybe a custom. I also have a Bear and Son barlow somewhere. Looking forward to this, as I am behind on getting a lambsfoot from sheffield.

[Colonel26]

It's here! Just in time to help me work on the mower and check on the bees. I'll have to work on this edge some, but she's about to go to work!

[Colonel26]

I packed it yesterday while fooling with a half running mower and mowing part of my yard. The extent of its cutting was to cut a kill jug in half to catch some oil I drained from the mower.

Last night I spent some time working on the edge with an Arkansas stone. On the positive side this steel takes a really nice edge. There is quite a bit of difference in the thickness of the blade stock from the tang to the point. So what was a nice long sloping bevel at the tip was a very steep abrupt angle by the tang. It also still had quite a bit of burr on the tang end. So I took some of that shoulder down on the bevel and polished the burr down and now it's good and even AND SHARP.

I'll try to put it through its paces over the next couple of days and see how the edge holds up.

Overall, I'm actually liking it pretty good thus far.

[TripleF]

Thanks for tightening up that edge.....it was very rigid when I got it!

[Colonel26]

Thanks for tightening up that edge.....it was very rigid when I got it!

You ain't just whistling Dixie either. This steel is pretty darn hard too.

[royal0014]

Millie arrived here this morning. Didn't know she was headed this way!

Initial impression is fair. I like the wood having some texture to it, instead of being so slick.
Fit and finish is ok; the walk 'n talk is kind of stiff and a little gritty imo.
Others have tweaked on the cutting edge, some maybe I'll spend a few minutes
on the pivoting ...

[TripleF]

WOW, this rascal's movin' at Bandit speed!!!

Only one pic Wade?

[Colonel26]

I have more pics, and my thoughts. But I was thinking we were saving our impressions and posting them all at once at the end. If that isn't the case, let me me know and I'll post my thoughts.

[TripleF]

I have more pics, and my thoughts. But I was thinking we were saving our impressions and posting them all at once at the end. If that isn't the case, let me me know and I'll post my thoughts.

Yeah I thought we might, but purty tough to coordinate all involved to be online at the same time....

Let 'er fly Wade!!!

[Colonel26]

Well it's been a few days, but I recorded my thoughts so I'll post my notes and then sum it up.


Initial impressions:
1. Very nice presentation and packaging.
2. Well made knife with decent heft for size.
3. A lot of blade in a small package. I like the shape of the clip blade.
4. The swedge is wonderful, very nice touch.

Pros:
1. Solid construction. No wobble.
2. Very good pull.
3. Very good snap when closing.
4. Carbon steel.
5. Steel takes a very good edge.
6. Wood covers are very nicely rounded and thinned. No sharp edges felt in the hand. Fit my hand well for a smaller knife.
7. Wonderful swedge.

Negatives:
1. Was not very sharp when it arrived.
2. The bevel was not good and even as of its been sharpened freehand at different angles. I'm not sure if it came from the factory like that. It cleaned up nicely on an Arkansas stone.
3. Minimal gaps between the inner scales and the back spring. Some pin point light coming through. No more than most production knives. Completely acceptable.
4. Only one blade.

Final thoughts:

Over all for a user this is a very good knife. It fits the hand well for what I consider a little knife. It really could use a second blade though in my opinion. The wood covers were nice, wood is not not my cup of tea, but they were nice. The walk was a bit gritty, I loved the spring tension, but at this price point I would expect a bit more smoothness. Also, for the price, I would expect the tang to be flush with the liners in the closed position. I mean a $15 chicom Rough Rider is, this one should be too.

Please don't take my "for the price" comments to mean that I think this is a bad knife, it is a well built knife for sure. The list price is a real deal too, and if the final price were the same as the list price those little aesthetic things might not bother me as bad. But by the time shipping is thrown in, we are at the CASEish price range. If I am going to be paying the same amount I'll take the one with better fit and finish all other things being equal.

IMO these could be very good selling, sought after knives. Quality is definitely there, and did I mention and awesome swedege!!!!! But fit and finish needs to be tweaked some. Just remember that with the shipping charges you are stepping up a level in the market. I may be willing to accept some crudeness in he $30 price range, but north of $40 I expect some refinement. Just my opinion.

Here are the best pics I took. Cutting some burlap for the bee smoker, and about to trim some comb off the queen cage I removed from the new colony of bees. By the way, I introduced Parker to the joys of chewing bee comb. Lol. I also whittled with it, and it did well. No pics of that though.

[Colonel26]

Wait, I found another pic. I cut this milk jog to make a pan to catch some motor oil out of my mower.

[TripleF]

Great job Wade! Thanks!

On the way to you Terry!!

[terryl308]

Got it today, will write up a review and photo later today, who gets it next? Terry

[terryl308]

Pro: Aggressive cuts
Nice beefy blade and I like the pointed tip on the blade.
Rosewood is nice
Nice box
Price is acceptable

Con: Main spring to a little too stiff for me.
Back spring doesn't enclose the bottom pin?
Not the best F&F (a little blade rub)

over all, a pretty good knife for the money. I made a bunch of cuts on 8 ounce leather with out any noticeable loss of edge. Not sure what the factory edge was like but someone before me touched up the edge (good job!)