2019 certainly is shaping up to be
THE YEAR OF THE LAMBSFOOT around my house too, Jack!
It's been a bit of a rough year financially for me as I had some health issues that kept me from working as much as years past and being self employed my entire adult life leaves me no one to fall back on in times like this. The reason I mention this is to say my knife purchases this year slowed down considerably but the knives I
was able to acquire have a lot of meaning and I spent more time with each one.
I was able to pick up a few epic knives with the help of very generous friends here at BF like the 77 Barlow Amber sawcut as well as Barry's Bloodwood 86 and although I am grateful for my friends help, those aren't under consideration here as I didn't carry them.
So, on to my runner-ups:
As Jack mentioned, our friend Charlie's journey in getting an American made Lambsfoot produced finally came to fruition this year and what a stunning knife it is! Certainly a worthy contender for KOTY but for me, it was another knife that took over my pocket.
Another knife worth serious consideration; Jack Black's Hartshead Barlow SFO sporting vintage Sambar Stag that Jack was able to secure for its use. Some of the finest Stag to come out of Wrights in recent years, to be sure. The classic Barlow bolster with a wonderful A. Wright & Sons stamp applied to its steel is fantastic in every way. The Hartshead Barlow blade etch is so deep it almost looks and feels like its stamped and the addition of the Sheffield or Yorkshire "Rose" in the etch is icing on the cake. Seriously cool knife and one I am very lucky and proud to have. But, it was not the knife that took over my pocket.
The first half of the year found me carrying last years Buck Forum knife almost everyday. It was a knife that surprised me as to how much I enjoyed carrying and using it. The grinds were a little thick and the stainless, while nice to have in a sweaty pocket, was not really my taste when it came time to sharpen. Being hard to raise a burr left me wondering when enough was enough. Still, it was happily carried, off and on, the first 6 months of the year.
Here it is, my runner up for KoTY, the 2018 Buck Forum knife.
The honor of "Knife of The Year" award goes to my Jack Black SFO Ironwood Lambsfoot.
This came to me sometime shortly after the 4th of July holiday and hasn't left my pocket since. I didn't expect to like it as much as I have, it just found its way in and won't leave!
I use it everyday at work for scoring lines and marking wood (Carpenter) as well as sharpening the large pencils I use daily. It has sharpened scores of pencils down to nubs over the last 6 months, opened many forms of packaging and been an all around useful tool that is absolutely beautiful to look at, hold and use with a thunderous snap that brings a smile to my face every time I open it.
As hard as it is to believe, I must mention that I
still have not needed to sharpen it! The tip still slices cleanly and further back on the blade still sharpens a pencil just fine. I could have sharpened it, but now, I'm just curious how long the edge may last. I am careful in what I let the edge touch and a quick wipe of the blade on my shirt after use (habit) has kept it looking rather new and without much patina at all. I like patina, this is just how it's worked out.
I have also found that it takes a nice photo, as evidenced by almost 5 pages of pics in my Imgur album!
-My 2019 Knife of The Year- Jack Black Guardians SFO in Ironwood-
Many thanks, Jack!
Sorry for the long post, I just kept adding to it over the last few days!
