James Knives or The James Brand

$200 for a Chinese-made slipjoint?! LMAO NO. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We all know nobody who works at "The James Brand" is an actual maker.

If I want another modern slipjoint, I'll buy from a company that does them right. Lionsteel and Viper are good examples. At least they're actual knife guys, not a bunch of marketing majors who are all about trying to sell me some flannel hipster "lifestyle".
 
I hear ya Quiet Quiet , but I did try a JE Made slipjoint, and I gotta say, it was really nice. I was very surprised how well made it was compared to GEC, but I suppose it is a different class of knife.

I think I might need to get one of these Wayland models in the name of science and report my findings here.
 
wickettedge said:
I hear ya Quiet Quiet , but I did try a JE Made slipjoint, and I gotta say, it was really nice. I was very surprised how well made it was compared to GEC, but I suppose it is a different class of knife.

I think I might need to get one of these Wayland models in the name of science and report my findings here.
Click to expand...

Hey, no issues from me over it. I just have a strong aversion to marketing, and being marketed to. :D I freely admit the bias. I hope you'll enjoy your new knife.

Not to mention, I found the James "Brand"'s ad-copy super cringe. "Created in Portland, Oregon in 2012 by a group of designers and adventurers, The James Brand makes everyday knives for those who aren’t content consuming other people’s stories, and who don’t wait around for other people to fix things."

Every part of that is both hilarious, and an admission of how dumb they think people are. "People who aren't content consuming other peoples' stories, we want them to buy our products, and consume our stories by giving us money. Not OTHER peoples' stories, please consume OUR stories. Pay us for our totally outsourced products."
 
Yeah, I looked at some of their stuff and decided that it wasn’t worth the asking price.

Although, that was at their beginning. I am sure they have more stuff to offer now.
 
Quiet said:
Created in Portland, Oregon in 2012 by a group of designers and adventurers, The James Brand makes everyday knives for those who aren’t content consuming other people’s stories, and who don’t wait around for other people to fix things.
Click to expand...

Quiet Quiet yeah that is a very odd message. Also, they are a little fast and loose with the word "created." Someone in China would most likely disagree...
 
I had a Folsom a few years back and it was a fine knife, if maybe a pricey. I, as well, am not so chuffed with their marketing, in a way it's similar to Cold Steel, just in the opposite extreme. In any case, if it gets knives in the pockets of hipsters, this is a good thing.
wickettedge said:
I think I might need to get one of these Wayland models in the name of science and report my findings here.
Click to expand...
I would be interested in hearing your findings. You absolutely should buy one. :cool:
 
Bastler said:
I would be interested in hearing your findings. You absolutely should buy one. :cool:
Click to expand...

Ok, this is happening, in the name of science!

Also Bastler Bastler excellent point about it being the inverse of Cold Steel, never thought of it that way, but you make a lot of sense.
 
Cool knives for cool bros.

At least that's the vibe I get from them.

Also Glade BQ endorses them alot, and they've got a very cool knife bro attitude (KC has a classier knife bro attitude).

For that price, get QuietCarry instead.
 
Quiet said:
Hey, no issues from me over it. I just have a strong aversion to marketing, and being marketed to. :D I freely admit the bias. I hope you'll enjoy your new knife.

Not to mention, I found the James "Brand"'s ad-copy super cringe. "Created in Portland, Oregon in 2012 by a group of designers and adventurers, The James Brand makes everyday knives for those who aren’t content consuming other people’s stories, and who don’t wait around for other people to fix things."

Every part of that is both hilarious, and an admission of how dumb they think people are. "People who aren't content consuming other peoples' stories, we want them to buy our products, and consume our stories by giving us money. Not OTHER peoples' stories, please consume OUR stories. Pay us for our totally outsourced products."
Click to expand...

That's how it seems everyone is marketing now. Get our stuff, it's part of the lifestyle you want! No, thanks. I'll just do my own thing and buy what I want. And that is not the James Brand.
 
Easy_rider said:
the handle doesnt seem to be comfy for the big hand, does it?
Click to expand...
Surprisingly it feels great for my XL hands. I have no idea how. But I like the handle ergos.
There are scales available for this knife. both aftermarket and from factory. Agftermarket handles run about $20 and I plan on getting some.
I just bought this because the bright color contrast makes it easier to find if I drop and lose it.
And I got a deal for $90 free shipping. New condition. The ones with handles run about $110 to $120
Sometimes you can get one on auction for $45 to $50
Blades come in Satin, plain, and Black Ionbond coating.
Lifetime warranty. And a well respected company on this very forum.
Handles are 4 inches long. Blade is 3 inches.
 
As the vast majority have alluded, I agree that the James Brand lives up to their namesake. Branding. Some companies offer a terrific product, then stifle themselves by not knowing how to reach their target market. Conversely, other companies, particularly in today's social media-driven world, appear to be marketing companies with potential investors behind them first and foremost. Personally, I believe they have all the markings of the latter.

I'm sure they build a decent knife, as they know the social media ramifications that will ensue if they're churning out literal junk. I've not seen on in hand before, so I honestly can't speak from personal experience. What I do know is that when a company is fresh and without history or loyal clients, today's approach seems to be "creating" a compelling story. Something along the lines of: "After years of scouring the globe in a relentless pursuit for the perfect (fill in the blank), I/we gave up and decided to make it ourselves. You'll be glad we did."

The clean lines shared by most of their knives look good to me, but I don't nibble when it comes to manufactured hype. But, hey, maybe I'm missing out. It's a cruel urban jungle out there. ;-)
 
Dergyll said:
Cool knives for cool bros.

At least that's the vibe I get from them.

Also Glade BQ endorses them alot, and they've got a very cool knife bro attitude (KC has a classier knife bro attitude).

For that price, get QuietCarry instead.
Click to expand...
I don't think I understood anything in this post
 
lasermd said:
...
I'm sure they the company in China they hired to make them can build a decent knife, as they know the social media ramifications that will ensue if they're churning out literal junk. I've not seen on in hand before, so I honestly can't speak from personal experience. What I do know is that when a company is fresh and without history or loyal clients, today's approach seems to be "creating" a compelling story. Something along the lines of: "After years of scouring the globe in a relentless pursuit for the perfect (fill in the blank), I/we gave up and decided to make it ourselves. You'll be glad we did."

The clean lines shared by most of their knives look good to me, but I don't nibble when it comes to manufactured hype. But, hey, maybe I'm missing out. It's a cruel urban jungle out there. ;-)
Click to expand...

Fixed!

There probably won't be any social media ramifications for churning out junk, because their target audience doesn't know the difference anyway, or likely even care. :D What they're selling a "lifestyle trinket," and the knife is just the vector to the real end. The actual goal is to re-sell item X, for which they may have paid something like $5 per unit, for $200 each. The only thing they're "making" is a brand marketing campaign to get that to happen. That's why I give a thumbs down to the whole thing.
 
I spoke to some guys about these knives at the last Dutch Knife Exhibition and they were surprisingly positive. I handled a few of the knives, and I gotta say, they're not bad. They're pretty decent knives overall and the designs are refreshing. The marketing is very grating to me, but I can understand why they are taking that approach, as it is an opening in the market. However, the price is quite high for what you get. Even though they are quite decent, I would say they're not exactly on the level of Spyderco or Benchmade yet, but their prices are. And if you do settle on a Chinese knife, there are some good Chinese brands such as Kizer that'll give you even better quality for half the price.
 
Last edited:
Well, I can't speak to the QUALITY of the knives....

.... But I can, and will, say that the general vibe I get off of their advertising and branding REEKS of Portland hipster douche-fumes.
 
Alright, so I got the James Brand Wayland in. Let the hot takes ensue.

I ordered the rosewood and as you can see, it is a big one. For size comparisons, I've lined up a GEC Ancient Barlow 15, a GEC 77 Barlow, a Lionsteel Dom, and the James Brand Wayland.

View attachment 1541320

First impressions: Very clean lines, a very modern design. I like that it's a bit wider side. It does feel good in the hand due to that. It really hits the same spot as the GEC 86. The wood looks nice and even though it is modern, it doesn't feel futuristic. Very minimalist. When side-by-side with the Dom, one is led to ask if Lionsteel got a bulk discount on hardware at the Italian Home Depot. Che cosa?!

Opening the knife is easiest to do using a pinch, and the blade cutout on both sides makes it easy to do.

The action feels really similar to the other modern slipjoints I've handled. Namely Lionsteel and JE Made. I'd say it is on the stiff side, very snappy, solid in the open position, centered, and it has no play in any direction. These are descriptions you can't say about all, or even most, GEC knives. Shots fired.

On the flip side...

View attachment 1541321

To me, it is weird that the mark on the bolster and the branding on the blade are both on the back of the knife. I would have expected the company mark to be on the front side bolster, and not the back. I suppose this is a clean aesthetic look they are going for, but when lined up here, it definitely looks out of place. If you are a lefty, then you might not even notice.

Ok, that's it for initial impressions, hope you enjoyed them and I'll add some more thoughts and comments as I carry it for a bit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top