Arthur Wright & Son, Sheffield: Quality of six knives received in 2022 - happy customer

L

Luke_Chambers

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Jan 10, 2022
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There is quite a number of posts here on the quality control at A. Wright & Son. I decided to give it a try, so on 28-Mar-2022 I ordered 4 knives, from 2 different dealers, all from recent production. The first dealer has shipped on 22-Apr-2022, today I've picked up the knives. I must say that I’ve been very pleasantly surprised, but let the knives speak for themselves:

1.) Lambfoot Blade Pocket Knife Ebony Handle, carbon steel blade
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- The matching of nickel silver bolsters to brass liners to ebony scales is flawless.
- There is a tiny gap between back spring and bolsters, and a slightly larger gap at the end of the back spring. None of which is of concern to me.
- There is no blade play in closed position or open position. In closed position, the blade is a little bit off-centered, but not touching the liners. The grind is nice (anyway, I re-grind all pocket knifes with a Lansky sharpening set).
- The blade-pull (after lubricating -> 10 x opening and closing -> cleaning -> repeat) is a 7/10. There is no half stop.
Overall: This is a very, very nice knife that is going straight into my EDC stable. Very pleased. At 37 $ (excluding shipping and duty) it feels like stealing.

2.) Spearpoint Blade Pocket Knife Stag Handle, Carbon Steel Blade
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- The matching of nickel silver bolsters to brass liners to stag scales is flawless. The stag is beautiful and well-matched.
- There is a tiny gap between back spring and bolsters, and a slightly larger gap at the end of the back spring. None of which is so large as to be of concern to me.
- There is no blade play in closed or open position. The blade is well centered. The grind is nice (and is going to be touched-up with the Lansky). What I don’t like: The kick has been touched by the grinding wheel. The angle between the blade-spine and the back of the handle in my opinion should be smaller.
- The blade-pull (after cleaning) is a 7/10, no half stop.
Overall: This is a nice knife and I’m pleased with it. At 56 $ (excluding shipping and duty) it is very, very good value for money.

I’m very much looking forward now to receiving the other two knives.
 
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Why does the downward cant of the blade bother you on the Spear, but not on the Lambsfoot?
To me it's balance between esthetics and usability... a slight downward cant of the blade makes it much easier to get into the cutting surface.
 
But your Lambsfoot doesn't have that profile either... it is noticeably canted downwards like your Spear.
 
It is a question of aesthetics and balance, the Spear knife is not Swayback or Pruner like the Lambfoot so cant or downward droop is going to look worse on it. Spears are more symmetric whereas Lambfoot are tapering. Good Stag on that example I'd say. Most GEC Spear knives and also Blackbox Winchesters display much less cant, being in a straighter line from the spring and they look better for it. There is a fix for this but I forget the exact details, it may involve filing the spring or is it the spine?
Here's a Blackbox example of Swell Centre with a good straight lineup.

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Both of the examples you show look like very decent knives, not just for the money but as knives for owning and liking, the badly cut off springs can soon be fixed with a small diamond file, some early GEC 73s had this and some German Bökers too, annoying yes but easy to take care of. It is very useful that you have provided your own experience of these knives without any axe to grind, nice to hear of the other side of the medal too.

Thanks, Will
 
I'd love it if someone could let me know where I could order those for those prices. An email to KnifeThoughts at Gmail or PM (IDK if I still can use PMs) would be great.

These look really incredible and are lower priced than I've seen similar knives from them here in the US.
 
L.H.S said:
I'd love it if someone could let me know where I could order those for those prices. An email to KnifeThoughts at Gmail or PM (IDK if I still can use PMs) would be great.

These look really incredible and are lower priced than I've seen similar knives from them here in the US.
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Try Google, the company name and town.
 
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My problem with A. Wright & Sons knives is that they are fingernail busters. It is so hard to open them, I can't imagine using them for everyday carry. I would be irritated every time I used them. The pull is so hard and releases so fast, my heart always skips a beat when I'm opening them and I pull my hand back, afraid of cutting myself. Maybe I would get used to the feel of them, but it would take a while, and it wouldn't be fun.
 
Before this goes places it shouldn't, please keep the discussion about the knives. Price discussions, dealer references and other purchasing details don't belong here. Thanks.
 
B1GSHOT said:
My problem with A. Wright & Sons knives is that they are fingernail busters. It is so hard to open them, I can't imagine using them for everyday carry. I would be irritated every time I used them. The pull is so hard and releases so fast, my heart always skips a beat when I'm opening them and I pull my hand back, afraid of cutting myself. Maybe I would get used to the feel of them, but it would take a while, and it wouldn't be fun.
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Agreed. I had one of their farmer's knives in sheepfoot, and it was almost impossible to open with the nail nick. But what really bothered me was the gator snap when closing that beast. It was a serious accident waiting to happen, so I tried to stretch and weaken the spring, but ended up ruining the knife. I also have one of their lambfoot stag knives, and it's perfect in all ways. My only complaint...the tang stamp reads Handmade Sheffield England, not A Wright etc. The deadly farmer's knife had the A Wright stamp however, and both were purchased from the same shop.
 
I really like the size of my spear point, it is hard to open and close, and I have to watch out for my fingers, so keep working the action and a little silicon spray, but it is a good example of good fit and finish and I will get it to a point where it will be ok for EDC.
 
cbach8tw said:
I really like the size of my spear point, it is hard to open and close, and I have to watch out for my fingers, so keep working the action and a little silicon spray, but it is a good example of good fit and finish and I will get it to a point where it will be ok for EDC.
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Hopefully you're right. But I had my farmer's knife for almost a year, and I tried all the little tricks to loosen it up and make opening easier. Examples....wrapping the blade in an old towel and opening/closing 50 or so times....leaving the blade half or 3/4 open when not carried....lubricants....nothing calmed it down.
 
B1GSHOT said:
My problem with A. Wright & Sons knives is that they are fingernail busters. It is so hard to open them, I can't imagine using them for everyday carry. I would be irritated every time I used them. The pull is so hard and releases so fast, my heart always skips a beat when I'm opening them and I pull my hand back, afraid of cutting myself. Maybe I would get used to the feel of them, but it would take a while, and it wouldn't be fun.
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My experience is limited to 5, of which only one clip, that I sold because it was impossible for me to open, though it was very well made. The guy who got it is quite happy with it!
The Jack Black SFO (right) is a strong boy, but nevertheless it opens with a little persuasion.

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The remaining three including the last arrived, the Hartshead are very well mannered and open whitout problem. (why did I let the blue go 😼).

HH.jpg
 
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