EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Two years ago, when I first got into this EDC hobby, I had never heard of RoseCraft Blades.
At the time, I joked that my Holy Trinity of knives was Buck, Victorinox and Cold Steel.
After two years of collecting knives, I am now fully aware of RoseCraft or RC as they are often called.
They aren’t moving into that hallowed territory of Buck and the others — yet — but they are definitely on my radar now.
RoseCraft, a Tennessee-based knife company, makes modern and traditional knives, and it has gained a strong reputation for its traditional slip-joint knives that are made with a modern twist.
RoseCraft Otter Creek Barlow with a leather slip by Red Bear Knife and Tool. Photo by Dave Burge/KTSM
To be honest, I have never owned a RoseCraft. They are usually in the $50 to $60 range and that tends to be a bit out of my comfort zone as far as price. But I might just have to save up a bit and take the plunge.
Anyway, my good friend JB at Big Red EDC recently sent me one of RoseCraft’s most recent creations – the Otter Creek Barlow — to check out and review as loaner.
Note: RoseCraft likes to name its knives after bodies of water in Tennessee where it is based. It does manufacture its knives overseas, mostly China, but has a reputation for having amazing quality control. More on that later.
The Otter Creek Barlow has yellow sandalwood covers and a brushed steel bolster (the elongated metal cover at one end that is the main distinguishing feature of a Barlow).
The knife is 3 ¼ inches closed and has a 2.9-inch clip-point blade.
It weighs just 2.7 ounces.
But the numbers don’t tell the story.
Its fit, finish and craftsmanship are exquisite. It also has an amazing half-stop and great snap when you shut the blade.
It also has a “otter paw” on its bolster and its wood covers or handles are just gorgeous.
The RoseCraft website says that no two of its knives with natural covers are ever the same.
As for the blade, it is razor-sharp right from the factory and is super “slicey.”
All in all, it is a great knife.
My big complaint is the blade is hard to open and I am afraid of tearing one of my fingernails when opening it up.
Other than that, it is darn near perfect.
JB over at Big Red EDC has made some videos about the quality fit-and-finish that RoseCraft has become known for. When the company puts its “seconds” on sale — knives that don’t meet RC’s exacting standards — he has highlighted some of these knives, asking if you can find the imperfections. Truthfully, I can never tell what made these knives into “seconds.”
It’s a testament to RC’s craftsmanship and quality control.
As for the price, the Otter Creek Barlow is currently listed at $58.99 on the RoseCraft website. It was still listed as being in stock as of this writing. It was sold out over at TraditionalPocketKnives.com, which is an authorized RoseCraft dealer.
While it is clearly not a budget knife, there are a lot of knives out there that go for much higher prices that don’t come close to an RC in workmanship.
RoseCraft Otter Creek Barlow with slips by Red Beard Knife and Tool, Randy’s WSG and Sanctified Leather.
If you order directly from the RoseCraft Blades’ website, you can use the code “bigrededc” to save 10 percent.
While you are at it, check out Big Red EDC on YouTube. I like to kid that he should really call his channel North Star EDC, because he is my navigational guide to knives, flashlights and other EDC gear.
As for how I have been carrying the Otter Creek Barlow, I have recently received three new leather slips, all as gifts from friends in the knife community – a brown leather slip from Red Beard Knife and Tool, a red leather slip with black skeleton silhouettes from Randy’s WSG and a super sturdy brown leather slip from Sanctified Leather that is embossed with its trademark cross and some USA and flag stamps.
The latter came from my new friend Bryan at Bryan’s Knives. I have listed him in my glossary of helpful and fun YouTube channels but have never given him a full shout-out.
He makes wonderful content, with an emphasis on traditional knives, including Buck. Bryan also recently sent me a Rough Rider Desert Fox Copperhead, which matches three other RR knives that I have.
I had never told him about my affinity for the Desert Fox motif (orange and brown micarta with a fox emblem), so it was a wonderful cosmic coincidence. It is also my first copperhead knife. Look for a future column on this knife and other items I have gotten in the mail recently.
In the meantime, if you haven’t checked them out, go visit both Bryan’s Knives and Randy’s WSG on YouTube. They both make fantastic content. Randy’s forte is older, more budget friendly knives, just wonderful stuff. He is also a whiz leather crafter.
As for Red Beard Knife and Tool, my new friend Ed makes great leather products, and the slip I got from him is simple but well constructed and totally functional. But that is just a sidelight. I recently got one of his fixed-blade knives, called an RB-4, from mutual friend Jesse McJames, aka the Alien Outlaw.
I will be checking out this knife over the next couple of weeks and will be doing a column on this one coming up in the near future too.
If you are interested in the RoseCraft Otter Creek Barlow, you can click here.
Here are some of my favorite YouTube channels, leading off with ones that are mentioned in this column.
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