BlackJack Mamba, Bark River EVO 1?

[JWhite12180]

Hey everyone,

I've recently discovered an older design that I absolutely love, but have a couple of questions for anyone who owns or has handled one. The knife is the BlackJack Mamba, but information seems a bit spotty on it. It seems like it was produced in the 80's and 90's, then was discontinued. From what I can tell, the design was then taken to Bark River and they changed the name to the EVO 1. That knife was apparently a special edition and was discontinued after the initial run. From there it seems this knife was lost to the ether but I see a company that makes it called BlackJack Knives International. I'm not really sure if this is the same Blackjack knives that made it initially or a new company that took the name. I question it because these knives are being sold for a price lower than what I would expect, so I wonder if its a cheap chinese knockoff trying to get sales due to name recognition. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I just want to be sure I'm getting a legitimate Blackjack. Also, anyone who owns or has handled one please sound off what you think of it. It looks great, but it's always hard to tell without having one in hand.

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[SOLEIL]

BlackJack Knives International makes sub-par junk compared to the original Blackjack Knives. You can find a real Mamba on the bay but it will be pricey.

 

[JWhite12180]

BlackJack Knives International makes sub-par junk compared to the original Blackjack Knives. You can find a real Mamba on the bay but it will be pricey.

Are you aware of any other readily available designs that are comparable to the mamba?

 

[jlauffer]

There were a few versions. The original from the late 80's, which was ~15" long with an ~8" blade
View attachment 1237149

There was also the smaller 7L with a 7" blade
View attachment 1237150

Then there was the newer Mamba II that had a ~9" blade with a slightly different shape. This version can still be found...a quick search of eBay found 3 different BIN listings, each with multiple available
View attachment 1237151

 

[JWhite12180]

So, I was able to find "blackjack classic" (made in the USA) found on BHQ. Apparently they are the same parent company as "Blackjack Intl" (made in pakistan). I'm assuming that the blades out of Blackjack classic are higher quality though. I am sort of assuming they are similar to the how spyderco has their byrd line as a lower cost alternative. Any thoughts? I would really like to pick one of these up, but I'm hesitant to drop that kind of money without knowing what sort of quality I can expect.

 

[YPR]

I believe the Blackjack name is owned by Blue Ridge just like the Marbles brand. I know with Marbles they do some USA made products and a bunch of foreign stuff, I would assume they do the same with Blackjack. Those Mamba IIs were made by Bark River for Blue Ridge.