Old Timer 858OTB Genuine Bone Lumberjack Stockman Traditional Folding Pocket Knife with 3 Mirror-Polished High Carbon SS Blades, and Ergonomic Handle for EDC, Camping, Whittling, Hunting, and Outdoor

As a blacksmith who designs and crafts blades from raw materials, I have the knowledge and understanding to write this comprehensive review for others to see and understand.First, to review the knife itself;It is a FULL SIZE pocket knife, these older style traditional slip joint knives dont come much larger than this. It has quality craftsmanship and durable materials. The design is a time honored classic with a multitude of uses and applications. The fit and finish are excellent. This is the high end or "top tier" model, meaning it is made from premium materials like real bone and strong steel. It comes with a good edge from the factory, but as with 90% of knives it needs to be honed and refined in order to be truly sharp.On to a comprehensive breakdown;The handle slabs are made from real bone. This material is time tested and durable, but prone to cracking during assembly. This is normal and of little concern. Some have reviewed these knives and griped about some hairline cracks around the pins, or how the scales are different shades or textures from one side of the knife to the other......this is uncontrollable and those who complain about it are simply snobs with unrealistic expectations.The bolsters are made of brass plated nickel, not actual brass. This may sound like cheap nonsense, but it's actually a good thing. Nickel is very strong where brass is soft and easily gouged. Making the bolsters of nickel and then plating them in brass gives them both strength and aesthetic appeal.The pins that hold it all together and the liners that separate the blades and create the frame are made of solid brass. This is also good. Yes, I said brass was soft and nickel was stronger, but that is actually the point of using brass here. The softness of brass will prevent damage to the blades if the blades ever contact the liners, where nickel would ruin your edge and damage the blade from only one such contact. The brass pins also prevent damage as the knife goes through normal aging and regular thermal expansion. Nickel pins would have no flex or give, resulting in cracked handles and loose liners.The back springs are strong, high carbon steel that has gone through a tempering process....a complicated process of applying heat and then cooling several times to reach a "spring" level of flex and return, allowing the steel to flex during opening of a blade, then return to it's original shape and position once fully opened or closed without damage.The blades are 9cr18mov steel......this is where things can get very complex. This steel is excellent for this knife with intentions of properly using it for general purpose. It is a hybrid of high carbon and stainless chromoly steel, giving it rust resistance and solid edge retention with good rigidity or stiffness to the blade.....but at a price. To have steel hard enough to retain its edge through use, you sacrifice the flex. If you attempt to bend the blade, it will break. If you want a flexible blade you must sacrifice the hardness and long edge retention, meaning you will need to sharpen it more often.This is model 858OTB (model 858, Old Timer product line, Bone handles).If you want a more flexible blade or flawless looking handles, I suggest going with model 858OT....it is an identical design but utilises 7cr17mov steel, which is more flexible and not highly polished. It also has strong plastic handle slabs that do not crack during assembly and will be even toned and nicer to look at if perfection is your thing. If there is something else you would like to know, post your question and I'm sure Amazon will ask me........they generally do once I submit a review.

I love a good pocket knife. This one is very good quality, almost on par with a good knife from a good US maker. No gapping at all, blades were all sharp with even grinds. Good snap on all the blades, good strong but not too strong pull. No wobble. Perfect transitions to the bolsters. The mirror finish on the blades is really good. The knife is even fairly clean from the factory. The cons: there is a small blemish in the sawcut pattern on one of the scales (I want to carry and use the knife, rather than collect it, so not a problem for me). The edges on the scales are a little squared off for my taste, but easy to address with just a little fine (hand) sanding (took me 2 minutes, at most-- I just very slightly relieved the edges and it feels better in the hand now). I like the size of the knife in my hand, but it is pretty large for front pocket carry-- a lot bigger than the 8OT, which is already a good sized knife). I will mostly carry this one in a sheath. Note: the nickel silver bolsters seem to have a treatment or coating that makes them look like brass. It does buff off to leave a silver colored bolster.

I was worried for the price that this was going to be a disaster, but with Amazon I could send it back. I had read the reviews and watched some youtube videos and some were reporting breaking blades and thin blades. So I was expecting the worst and I almost cancelled the order. I am glad I didn't. The knife showed up, it is really nice. I love the larger size knife, it appears to be well made from what I can see, and it does not appear to have "thin blades" any more so than other knives I have handled and seen. I guess time will tell how it holds up, but It is a daily carry kind of thing and is in my pocket all the time.It is the larger size handle and blade that sold me to go this route instead of buying a Case or Bear and Son knife. Also when you order the TB which is the bone handle it has the better quality steel also compared to some of the other model Old Timer's I saw when shopping. I started off shopping for a Case or Bear, but when I couldn't find a larger knife I was about to give up when I stumbled on the Lumberjack model. I was also worried about all the talk about bad quality knives from China, but it appears this particular knife is a quality item from what I can see so far.If I have any issues I will certainly update this review, but I really like it so far and exceeded my albeit low expectations given some of the things people said, but it really is pretty nice. Give it a try and see for yourself. If you buy it from Amazon you can certainly send it back if you don't like it. I am pretty happy with this purchase so far and the price on these is pretty good.