New Knife Company- Jack Wolf Knives

[beezwax]

Looks good! I like the use of modern materials on classic designs. List prices are imho a little too high but given they’re all out of stock it appears that’s not the case.

I don't think any of them have actually started shipping or selling yet, website is still under construction. I'm a member of multiple FB knife groups that he regularly shares to, he has an absolutely astonishing personal collection. I like some of these design drawings and the materials, but I think he's going to struggle for sales at this price point. For $275 I would choose a Lionsteel in EACH hand with change left for a six-pack any day

 

[beezwax]

I'm actually fidgeting with a titanium Peña X-Series Front Flipper Trapper right now, and I love this thing. But a Peña X-Series slip joint would run at least $100 cheaper for something fairly similar made by the same company.

Was just thinking the same-- priced like a Pena X front flipper, but with less demanding (cheaper) construction. Gonna be a hard sell I think.

 

[Dadpool]

Was just thinking the same-- priced like a Pena X front flipper, but with less demanding (cheaper) construction. Gonna be a hard sell I think.

And without the benefit of a being designed by a well-known maker, to boot.

If they have Reate doing the manufacturing, I'm surprised they're not mentioning that on the site. That would be a big plus and a step towards justifying the price point, IMO.

 

[tmd_87]

I don't think any of them have actually started shipping or selling yet, website is still under construction. I'm a member of multiple FB knife groups that he regularly shares to, he has an absolutely astonishing personal collection. I like some of these design drawings and the materials, but I think he's going to struggle for sales at this price point. For $275 I would choose a Lionsteel in EACH hand with change left for a six-pack any day

Yep!!! Lionsteel makes a phenomenal product for a great price.

 

[tmd_87]

Shields... They need to start putting shields on these modern interpretations.
I didn't bother to click on the link, the moderns aren't my cup of tea. But the designs look good and hopefully the actual knives will look good too. Can never go wrong with more knife makers.

Shields would be a really great addition on modern interpretations of classics!

 

[beezwax]

I don't want to jump on the bandwagon and bash a new company, but those prices seem "aspirational." The illustrations look great but I never saw a description of where they will be made. Are they just working with Lionsteel/Viper to make new models? That would be fine, even great, as long as it's clearly explained. Or are they being made in Scottsdale?

I suspect they will be made in Scottsdale in the same way that Northwoods 1.0 were "made" in Gladstone, MI.

 

[southpaw357]

Hello gentlemen, I am Benjamin Belkin, the owner, operator, and designer of Jack Wolf Knives. First and foremost I am a slip joint fanatic, a collector and lover of GEC & the No. 15 pattern (amongst others), and also a collector of customs from Pena, Dowell, Romano, and Ryu Kawamura. I truly appreciate all the dialogue here and I want you to know that anybody can reach out to me at anytime. I don't visit here as much as I used to because I seem to be consumed by Facebook & Instagram. But you can PM me here, you can DM me on FB or IG, or you can email me at the support email found on my website www.jackwolfknives.com .

I understand people's concern with the pricing; however considering manufacturing & packaging costs, current second hand pricing and general availability of quality slip joints, I believe my target price is reasonable. The market, ultimately, will decide that. I can confirm these are being made by Reate and will update my website accordingly.

I hope you will find that these knives are a step above some other options in the market. They feature bead blasted titanium liners with integral fluted bolsters, polished titanium hardware, m390 hollow ground blades that are ground by hand, and micarta covers (amongst other impervious materials I am considering). The spring will be flush in all 3 positions. If you have seen a Pena X-Series front flipper trapper, then you are familiar with the quality in machining and craftsmanship that Reate is able to produce. Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing ill to say about any of the slip joints on the market. I love them all, and truly respect the knives and the makers/businessmen that I am competing with.

I should have my first set of prototypes (the first 5 knives I designed) in a few weeks. I secured a table at Blade Show, #16C, to exhibit my prototypes and gain feedback from knife users such as yourselves. If you plan to be there, please stop by and say hello. Once they are in hand, I am going to update my website and social media with high resolution photography, so you can get a better idea of what I'm working on.

As far as shields go, this is a top priority on my list. If I can sort that out with the factory to my liking, you expect that down the pike.

I would love it if you would follow me on instagram at @bennyb357 which is my personal account; I have been posting photos of a different GEC daily for the past several months as I ramp up Jack Wolf Knives which is truly my dream project. My business instagram is @jackwolfknives if you would like to follow there too. Anybody who follows me, I follow back.

Lastly, I will sign up as a paying manufacturer on this website. I am happy to support Blade Forums as I have made a lot of friends here and scored some killer slip joints from the exchange to boot.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Belkin
Jack Wolf Knives

 

[Stelth]

Not interested.

 

[oldmanwilly]

Is this company a BF paying dealer?

Good point. Should there be a link posted without a dealer membership?

 

[Old Biker]

All I see is single blade knives. I prefer my slip joint knives to be multi blade knives, like stockman, congress, and whittler patterns.

O.B.

 

[tmd_87]

Hello gentlemen, I am Benjamin Belkin, the owner, operator, and designer of Jack Wolf Knives. First and foremost I am a slip joint fanatic, a collector and lover of GEC & the No. 15 pattern (amongst others), and also a collector of customs from Pena, Dowell, Romano, and Ryu Kawamura. I truly appreciate all the dialogue here and I want you to know that anybody can reach out to me at anytime. I don't visit here as much as I used to because I seem to be consumed by Facebook & Instagram. But you can PM me here, you can DM me on FB or IG, or you can email me at the support email found on my website www.jackwolfknives.com .

I understand people's concern with the pricing; however considering manufacturing & packaging costs, current second hand pricing and general availability of quality slip joints, I believe my target price is reasonable. The market, ultimately, will decide that. I can confirm these are being made by Reate and will update my website accordingly.

I hope you will find that these knives are a step above some other options in the market. They feature bead blasted titanium liners with integral fluted bolsters, polished titanium hardware, m390 hollow ground blades that are ground by hand, and micarta covers (amongst other impervious materials I am considering). The spring will be flush in all 3 positions. If you have seen a Pena X-Series front flipper trapper, then you are familiar with the quality in machining and craftsmanship that Reate is able to produce. Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing ill to say about any of the slip joints on the market. I love them all, and truly respect the knives and the makers/businessmen that I am competing with.

I should have my first set of prototypes (the first 5 knives I designed) in a few weeks. I secured a table at Blade Show, #16C, to exhibit my prototypes and gain feedback from knife users such as yourselves. If you plan to be there, please stop by and say hello. Once they are in hand, I am going to update my website and social media with high resolution photography, so you can get a better idea of what I'm working on.

As far as shields go, this is a top priority on my list. If I can sort that out with the factory to my liking, you expect that down the pike.

I would love it if you would follow me on instagram at @bennyb357 which is my personal account; I have been posting photos of a different GEC daily for the past several months as I ramp up Jack Wolf Knives which is truly my dream project. My business instagram is @jackwolfknives if you would like to follow there too. Anybody who follows me, I follow back.

Lastly, I will sign up as a paying manufacturer on this website. I am happy to support Blade Forums as I have made a lot of friends here and scored some killer slip joints from the exchange to boot.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Belkin
Jack Wolf Knives

Thanks for the reply Benjamin!

 

[Matt_WY]

Good luck to you Benjamin! Reate builds a real nice slip joint based on the Pena example I own. Walk and talk is about perfect. I like that you’re going with bolsters and liners. I would like to see bone and wood handles as an option along with shields. I have no problem with modern traditionals, just like them to have some of the visual appeal along with the benefits of modern construction and steel.

 

[beezwax]

View attachment 1553099
Good luck to you Benjamin! Reate builds a real nice slip joint based on the Pena example I own. Walk and talk is about perfect. I like that you’re going with bolsters and liners. I would like to see bone and wood handles as an option along with shields. I have no problem with modern traditionals, just like them to have some of the visual appeal along with the benefits of modern construction and steel.

Bone [+1] Wood [+1] Shields [+1]

 

[JohnDF]

As far as shields go, this is a top priority on my list.

That would certainly set them apart.

 

[southpaw357]

Thanks for the reply Benjamin!

My pleasure sir, thank you for starting the discussion!

 

[southpaw357]

View attachment 1553099
Good luck to you Benjamin! Reate builds a real nice slip joint based on the Pena example I own. Walk and talk is about perfect. I like that you’re going with bolsters and liners. I would like to see bone and wood handles as an option along with shields. I have no problem with modern traditionals, just like them to have some of the visual appeal along with the benefits of modern construction and steel.

Thank you sir!!

in regards to bone and wood: I live in AZ and I have had a couple nightmare scenarios here. As you know it is dry as an oven in these parts. Had one custom with Ivory tighten up so much that it yanked on the pins and locked up the knife completely. We were able to salvage that one fortunately. I had two other customs from a different maker who lives in a tropical climate crack and shrink so bad when they got to AZ, it pulled the liners off the back springs like you wouldn't believe. the maker had to remove the covers on both and I had him replace with Micarta. They were stored in my safe when this happened. I have also experienced cracking at pins with other natural materials.

It is for these reasons I am gun shy to start off with natural materials, as my knives will be fulfilled from Arizona. Plus I am not a knife maker and therefore I am not equipped to deal with an entire failed batch by hand. Lastly, I think the modern traditional vibe makes sense to have Micarta. That being said, I DO NOT want to abandon natural materials entirely. Rather, I need to do extensive testing with the factory's available materials to see if I can be comfortable with the shrink/swell risk. I understand that stabilized materials resist shrinking and swelling, so with this in mind, testing will ensue once I get going, and if I am fortunate enough to be successful in this venture.

Regards, Benjamin

 

[Jack Wolf Knives]

Good point. Should there be a link posted without a dealer membership?

I now have a paid dealer account for the Company.

 

[beezwax]

southpaw357 I don't live in a desert state but our winter air has extremely low humidity-- recently I took a fairly expensive slipjoint out of my knife case, had sat unused for several years but I had finally decided to put it into rotation, only to discover when I pulled it out that the bone covers had split and separated from the liners in multiple places. Pretty disappointing and I can certainly understand your hesitation to take on that kind of risk as the seller. But I still love bone handles so I hope you can get a solution figured out

 

[Jack Wolf Knives]

southpaw357 I don't live in a desert state but our winter air has extremely low humidity-- recently I took a fairly expensive slipjoint out of my knife case, had sat unused for several years but I had finally decided to put it into rotation, only to discover when I pulled it out that the bone covers had split and separated from the liners in multiple places. Pretty disappointing and I can certainly understand your hesitation to take on that kind of risk as the seller. But I still love bone handles so I hope you can get a solution figured out

I am sorry for your loss! Please allow me to pour out a little liquor from my 40 of OE in memory of our fallen brethren!

 

[JTB_5]

Someone needs to manufacture knife humidors.

I have a bittersweet feeling about your new company, Benjamin. It is exciting to see traditional slip joint knife patterns becoming popular and tapping into the possibilities that modern technology and materials afford. But having held both modern traditional knives and older knives manufactured with the older equipment, there is just something unique and desirable about the old traditional knives that I've yet to see captured in the modern versions. Perhaps it is the human factor--human "tolerances" make for a different product than a machined version, it seems. Or maybe it is a result of the materials. I couldn't say with any knowledge or certainty, but I do experience a difference that I think is more than some sort of nostalgia (I'm not an older fellow who "remembers the good old days" so much as a younger fellow who has become enthusiastic about older knives).

If you and Reate can somehow capture the spirit of traditional knife making while using the newer materials, then what a happy marriage it will be. If not, I still think the modern knife market will be greatly enhanced by your offerings.