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- Aug 9, 2006
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Blackjack 125
I took delivery of this knife a few days ago – it is Blackjack Knives latest offering, the Model 125. The knife is described as a heavy hunter. Overall length is 9.5 inches and weight is seven and a half ounces. The 125 replaces the Trailguide in the Blackjack model range. The “Classic” series of Blackjack knives are made by Bark River but they don’t own the brand or sell the knives. I understand that Blue Ridge currently owns the brand. There is a parallel line of Blackjacks that I think are termed the “Performance” series – these are sourced from Asia and sell for much less.
Some details about this knife:
The blade
The A2 steel blade is 5 inches. Thickness is a stated .215 inches but tapers back to a much thinner profile along the spine. I’m not sure to what degree this might inhibit batoning – it is not something that I would do with a knife that much so it doesn’t worry me but could be an issue for some. There is still plenty of metal on the spine near the guard but it thins out a lot towards the tip. There is no jimping on the spine.
One side of the blade is marked with the words “Blackjack Knives” on one line with “Classic Blades” underneath. The other side is marked “A-2 Tool Steel” with “Made in the USA” underneath.
The blade is fully convexed. The straighter part of the edge was extremely sharp out of the box but the last inch or so as it curves up to the tip was no where near as sharp.
The 125 sitting between the Model 5 (top) and Trailguide (bottom)
The grip
The grip has an oval/rounded profile that tapers back to a thicker butt. The grip material in this case is natural canvas micarta. Blackjack offers different colours of micarta as well as stag and stacked leather options. It was a tough call to go with the chosen option or stacked leather as I liked both – still not certain I made the right decision but probably would have felt the same if I had gone for the leather – you know how it is when you have a choice. The grip feels good in my hand – comfortable and secure. I have large hands and often find knife grips too short but not so here.
The guard and butt are polished alloy. They look good but scratch very easily. I bought this knife as a user so it doesn’t worry me unduly. I might sand the alloy back to a matte finish rather than keep it shiny. The thing that I don’t like about the grip is the overuse of spacers – it’s a subjective thing but in my opinion is overdone.
Other Blackjacks I own (except for a saber grip model) have an exposed nut on the tang. On the 125 the nut is recessed into the butt. Not sure why. Also at variance with my other Blackjacks is the lack of a lanyard hole. Maybe it has to do with the recessed tang nut.
The butt of the 125 (right) compared with the exposed nut on the Model 5
The sheath
The supplied sheath is brown leather. It is solid and functional but not as well finished as the knife. The belt loop is huge and would accommodate the widest military belt or most backpack hipbelts. It doesn’t carry that well on a narrow pants belt – slides up and down and along the belt very easily. Workmanship on the leather is ok but there are some cosmetic flaws – small overcuts etc. The leather does not seem to be sealed and it darkened up considerably when I put a coat of Kiwi neutral boot polish on it. As delivered the sheath is a very tight fit. It will no doubt loosen with time as the leather stretches but still takes 2 hands to sheath and unsheath the blade. I prefer a higher riding sheath with a different method of securing the blade and will probably look for a custom sheath eventually.
Summing Up
The Blackjack Classics have been referred to as “poor man’s Randalls”. The Randall design origins are obvious but I don’t know if Blackjacks are truly aimed at the poor. The Blackjacks are not cheap knives but do offer a considerable saving over market rates for Randalls. More importantly they are readily available rather than subject to a 4 or 5 year wait. The trade off is that you don’t get to specify custom options like you can when ordering a Randall and they don’t have Randall’s investment potential. As to whether they are as good as or inferior to Randalls is an argument that I will stay out of. I own both and think both are excellent knives.
I have only had the knife for a few days and haven’t really given it a good workout. I will spare you the gratuitous shots of it slicing tomatoes or sticks. It has had a bit of use in the garden and kitchen – it cuts things well – what more can I say. Edge holding hasn’t been tested but my experience with other Blackjacks has been very positive. The thickness of the blade will limit it in some applications but I suspect that it will be a good all rounder.
Workmanship on the 125 is excellent – I could not detect any flaws in fit, finish, grind etc. I like this knife – it is a nice combination of classical look and feel with modern materials. I think it will be a great bush knife but that’s just my personal opinion. The sheath could be better and I don’t like the over use of grip spacers but can’t think of any other criticisms.
I took delivery of this knife a few days ago – it is Blackjack Knives latest offering, the Model 125. The knife is described as a heavy hunter. Overall length is 9.5 inches and weight is seven and a half ounces. The 125 replaces the Trailguide in the Blackjack model range. The “Classic” series of Blackjack knives are made by Bark River but they don’t own the brand or sell the knives. I understand that Blue Ridge currently owns the brand. There is a parallel line of Blackjacks that I think are termed the “Performance” series – these are sourced from Asia and sell for much less.
Some details about this knife:
The blade
The A2 steel blade is 5 inches. Thickness is a stated .215 inches but tapers back to a much thinner profile along the spine. I’m not sure to what degree this might inhibit batoning – it is not something that I would do with a knife that much so it doesn’t worry me but could be an issue for some. There is still plenty of metal on the spine near the guard but it thins out a lot towards the tip. There is no jimping on the spine.
One side of the blade is marked with the words “Blackjack Knives” on one line with “Classic Blades” underneath. The other side is marked “A-2 Tool Steel” with “Made in the USA” underneath.
The blade is fully convexed. The straighter part of the edge was extremely sharp out of the box but the last inch or so as it curves up to the tip was no where near as sharp.
The 125 sitting between the Model 5 (top) and Trailguide (bottom)
The grip
The grip has an oval/rounded profile that tapers back to a thicker butt. The grip material in this case is natural canvas micarta. Blackjack offers different colours of micarta as well as stag and stacked leather options. It was a tough call to go with the chosen option or stacked leather as I liked both – still not certain I made the right decision but probably would have felt the same if I had gone for the leather – you know how it is when you have a choice. The grip feels good in my hand – comfortable and secure. I have large hands and often find knife grips too short but not so here.
The guard and butt are polished alloy. They look good but scratch very easily. I bought this knife as a user so it doesn’t worry me unduly. I might sand the alloy back to a matte finish rather than keep it shiny. The thing that I don’t like about the grip is the overuse of spacers – it’s a subjective thing but in my opinion is overdone.
Other Blackjacks I own (except for a saber grip model) have an exposed nut on the tang. On the 125 the nut is recessed into the butt. Not sure why. Also at variance with my other Blackjacks is the lack of a lanyard hole. Maybe it has to do with the recessed tang nut.
The butt of the 125 (right) compared with the exposed nut on the Model 5
The sheath
The supplied sheath is brown leather. It is solid and functional but not as well finished as the knife. The belt loop is huge and would accommodate the widest military belt or most backpack hipbelts. It doesn’t carry that well on a narrow pants belt – slides up and down and along the belt very easily. Workmanship on the leather is ok but there are some cosmetic flaws – small overcuts etc. The leather does not seem to be sealed and it darkened up considerably when I put a coat of Kiwi neutral boot polish on it. As delivered the sheath is a very tight fit. It will no doubt loosen with time as the leather stretches but still takes 2 hands to sheath and unsheath the blade. I prefer a higher riding sheath with a different method of securing the blade and will probably look for a custom sheath eventually.
Summing Up
The Blackjack Classics have been referred to as “poor man’s Randalls”. The Randall design origins are obvious but I don’t know if Blackjacks are truly aimed at the poor. The Blackjacks are not cheap knives but do offer a considerable saving over market rates for Randalls. More importantly they are readily available rather than subject to a 4 or 5 year wait. The trade off is that you don’t get to specify custom options like you can when ordering a Randall and they don’t have Randall’s investment potential. As to whether they are as good as or inferior to Randalls is an argument that I will stay out of. I own both and think both are excellent knives.
I have only had the knife for a few days and haven’t really given it a good workout. I will spare you the gratuitous shots of it slicing tomatoes or sticks. It has had a bit of use in the garden and kitchen – it cuts things well – what more can I say. Edge holding hasn’t been tested but my experience with other Blackjacks has been very positive. The thickness of the blade will limit it in some applications but I suspect that it will be a good all rounder.
Workmanship on the 125 is excellent – I could not detect any flaws in fit, finish, grind etc. I like this knife – it is a nice combination of classical look and feel with modern materials. I think it will be a great bush knife but that’s just my personal opinion. The sheath could be better and I don’t like the over use of grip spacers but can’t think of any other criticisms.
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