Description
These are hold-outs that I really liked due to the multi-color wood; but might as well let them go.
This is the Lion Steel Roundhead Jack, has Santos Wood handles and Titanium liners.  The blade steel is M390 and finish is Satin.
*Our opinion: Â The pull is a 5. Â The Lion Steel effort on this run as compared to their entire catalog is 8.
Maker : Lion Steel
Year : 2017
Handles : Santos Wood
Factory ID : CK0101
Pattern : Jack
Pet Name : Roundhead
Condition : New/Mint
Blade Steel : M390
Steen Hardness : 60-61HRC
Liners : Titanium
Bolsters : Titanuim
Blade Type : Spear
# Blades : 1
# Backsprings : 1
*Pull (1-10) :Â 5
Closed Length : 3 3/4 inches
Longest Blade : 2 15/16 inches
Longest Sharp : 2 5/8 inches
Overall Length : 6 11/16 inches
Weight : 2.05 ounces
Half Stops : Yes
Factory Box : Yes
Blade Finish : Satin
Country : Italy
*Factory Effort : 8
Notes: Custom slips are exhausted, thus these come knife only.
5 out of 5 Outstanding Knife
J. Woodend (verified owner) –
Everything about this knife is perfect. Love the shape. Love the size. Love the weight (light). Love the steel. Love the Titanium liners. But most of all, I love the walk and talk. I’ve never had a knife with better walk and talk. The included slip is great. CK and Lion Steel did an outstanding job on this series. This knife is so good I bought two, one each of Santos and Carbon Fiber. I am currently waiting delivery on the third, Stag. That’s how good I think this knife is.
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5 out of 5
Dirk Walls (verified owner) –
First reaction: I like it and will keep it.
The fit and finish is darn good. It does lack something that GEC made knives seem to have but whatever that quality is it is hard to describe and sort of ephemeral. The GEC knives have an artisanal quality that makes them stand out from other production slipjoints, to me anyways.
This knife is very well made but it doesn’t feel hand made, if that makes sense. Less of a future heirloom and more of a quality tool feel.
The edge is fine. Probably not sharp enough for some people (I’ll probably tinker with it myself) but if you popped it out of the box and immediately went to cut some stuff with it I’m sure it would do the job. But us people that buy knives with M390 steel often have different definitions of ‘sharp enough’ 😛
The factory grind on the blade is fine though. Looks pretty straight and even to me. I’m just eyeballing it though and my vision is getting worse every day.
The wood covers look ok. When it comes to wood covers I like the very black ebony but these work fine for this knife
.
It’s got the finger slot on both side of the blade which is cool for the lefties but I find I can pinch and pull it open very easily.
Which is maybe my only issue with the knife, I would have liked a little more snap. A stronger spring. It seems that the prototype that Mike had in his video several months ago had a stronger spring, just from the sound of it snapping open and closed.
It’s not going to open on it’s own or anything, it’s strong enough to do it’s job, just a personal preference.
Hopefully Lionsteel makes more slipjoints in the future. Either with CK or on their own.
This knife is a good deal, at least compared to other ‘modern steel’ type slipjoints being offered. For $100 (for this wood version) you get free priority shipping (really free), the excellent knife and the well made leather slip.
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5 out of 5 Modern/traditional folder
mikemcg9mm (verified owner) –
Awesome knife, fit and finish perfect, perfect centering, great walk and talk. Sharp out of the box. Would highly recommend.
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5 out of 5 Wins the Oscar for "Best Overall Knife" category
traumkommode (verified owner) –
I can’t wait for the clip point bladed version to be produced. This knife is exceptional. The build quality, the wood, the blade steel, the walk and talk – leaves one wanting for nothing. Well done, Mike and Moletta!
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5 out of 5 Excellent modern slip joint
SouthpawAj (verified owner) –
I love the traditional knife design & modern materials, makes the perfect edc. The dual sided pulls are a great feature for the slipjoint world for lefties. Looking forward to picking up another in carbon fiber.
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5 out of 5 Best value
Federico Baez (verified owner) –
Excellent Item, superb customer service & ultra fast shiping.
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5 out of 5 Sold out!
Bill Kearns (verified owner) –
Did not sell out as fast as a Northwoods or GEC North Field Barlow but that was because most didn’t know what to expect. Still all versions, wood, stag, horn, CF, except Abalone sold out in a few days. Its a great knife, perfect EDC size, made of Titanium with M390 blade. Flawless fit and finish. Hope this success leads to a re-issue. I preordered the stag and bought this wood handle version, but by the time I went back for the CF version they were gone.
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5 out of 5 Excellent knife!!! ???
Everett Parduhn (verified owner) –
Fit and finish is top notch, even grind on blade. Hair popping sharp out of the box!! Couldn’t suggest a better knife at the moment.
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5 out of 5 Great Modern Update to a Traditional Pocket Knife Pattern
Igloo (verified owner) –
This Lionsteel “Euro Barlow” with Santos Wood covers is a great knife. The walk and talk is fantastic right out of the box. In my opinion, the Lionsteel Roundhead is an ideally spec’d EDC knife. The blade and handle lengths are ideal. The titanium liners and bolsters keep this knife’s weight down. And, the M390 blade steel is a great choice for an EDC knife. Thanks for commissioning such a unique take on a Barlow pattern knife.
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5 out of 5 Traditional with modern materials
ndmiller (verified owner) –
Fit and finish as said before is excellent and the pull is perfect for a beginner in the traditional knife world. The Palo Santo wood (first knife with this wood) has exceptional character and beautiful as well.
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5 out of 5 Exceeded expectations!
dlewis78731 (verified owner) –
I bought this knife mostly on my curiosity about the M390 steel. The style of it also follows my aesthetic sense; I prefer single blade knives and the Barlow-ish style is classic, but with modern touches.
The longer I have this knife, the more it appeals to me. It’s carefully and thoughtfully made. For instance, it has nail nicks on both sides of the blade! I am not left handed, but this seems such an obvious improvement I am surprised not to have seen it before. Fit and finish is on a par with GEC.
Closed, the knife has a great profile, and you notice details like the rounded edges just about everywhere. In particular, the notch at the base of the blade, which is exposed when the knife is closed, has been rounded. This is something that will greatly reduce pocket wear, assuming it’s not always in a pocket slip. (Sometimes I clear a pocket of “scratchy stuff” so I can carry without a slip)
Opening the knife can be done by pinching and pulling, but that’s a little too difficult, so I always use the nick. I think that the pull is just right, firm but no chance of bending your nail, even right after a shower. The walk and talk is great, and the only criticism I can make (don’t laugh!) is that the closing sound is a little “hollow”? I think that is probably due to the use of titanium in the bolsters and liners.
I have sharpened mine, and it was interesting. The first impression is that it is slow going. You don’t see much metal being removed. I got the sense of a certain toughness as opposed to the usual brittleness feeling I get from most stainless. Continuing, it seems that yes, I am making more progress than my first impression gave me. I am using diamond abrasive btw. It is the same setup I use for all my pocketknives, so it is interesting to see the variations in results. In this case, the resulting edge is very comparable to what I get with the GEC carbon steel. I have not used the knife enough to really judge its edge holding abilities, but I expect it to be very good.
The knife also has a very good blade to handle ratio. Maybe not quite as good as the GEC #73, but I am not disappointed! I like that the overall blade length is just under 3″, which generally takes it out of the “weapon” category.
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