Knife Review: Bear and Son White Bone Bowie Knife

The Bear and Son White Bone Bowie Knife

Bear & Son started back in 1991, but it was originally named Parker Cutlery Co., which was founded by James F Parker in the late 1960s. James Parker worked on several companies in the knife business, but eventually hired Ken Griffey to work for Parker Cutlery in the mid-1980s. In 1990, Parker Cutlery was liquidated. One of their biggest assets was the Jacksonville factory, which Ken Griffey and his partners purchased.

These three men started a new knife business the next year under the name of Bear MGC. Their website describes the next point in time as, “A series of twists and turns, including a time when the firm actually was owned by Swiss Army Brands.” Eventually, the company emerged, renamed as Bear & Son Cutlery, with Ken Griffey still in charge.

To this day, this company remains a private family firm. Ken Griffey is still the president and his wife and son are Vice Presidents.

The company says, “A rich family tradition in knife making: We have a skilled and experienced work force capable of performing many of the extra hand operations that go into the making of our products. The Bear & Son Cutlery factory is unique. It is full self-contained. While some companies only assemble parts brought from various suppliers and put their names on the product, we do everything in-house from building our own blanking dies to heat treating, grinding and assembly, and hand finishing our products. These steps ensure that Bear & Son Cutlery is of excellent quality and a real value for both the dealer and consumer.

This commitment to excellence has just improved due to rich family tradition in knife making craftsmanship not only by management, but also our experienced work force. Our customers and consumers can look for even more new and exciting products as a result. Our ongoing commitment is to make them in America and make them affordable. We want everyone to be able to afford what we are proud to make!”

Today we will be discussing the Bear & Son White Bone Bowie Knife.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife has been made out of a high carbon stainless steel. When it comes to knife blade materials, there are really two different types of steel that can be used. There is either the high carbon sort or the stainless steel sort. This is a stainless steel knife, but for a stainless steel, it does have more carbon than you would generally be used to. That being said, it is not going to have as much carbon as a high carbon knife would, because it is still a stainless steel. Stainless steel blades have at least 12% chromium. The chromium is going to do two things for the blade: it is going to help the blade resist rust and corrosion, but it is also going to make the stainless steel softer than a high carbon knife. The softness is going to make the blade easier to sharpen, but it is also going to make the blade lose their edge more quickly than a fully high carbon blade. Stainless steel blades are usually more durable than a high carbon knife. This means that they are going to be tougher and able to take on harder tasks. However, it also means that it is not going to be as hard. Since this stainless steel does have a higher amount of carbon, it’s going to have a very good balance between hardness and toughness. The higher amounts of carbon are going to add the strength and hardness to the blade that will help this Bowie knife keep an edge for longer amounts of time than a purely stainless steel knife would. It also is going to make the steel a little more affordable, which will make the overall cost of the knife more affordable.

The blade has been finished with a satin finish, which is the most popular blade finish that you are going to find on the market today. This finish is going to give the knife a very traditional look that is not going to go out of style. It is also going to pair perfectly with the bone handle. The satin finish is created when the manufacturer of the blade repeatedly sands the blade in one direction with an increasing level of a fine abrasive. This abrasive is normally a sandpaper. The look that is created is one that has the bevels of the blade showcased as well as the satin finish showing off the fine lines of the steel. The satin finish does increase the corrosion resistance of the blade slightly. It also cuts down on glares and reflections slightly.

The blade has been carved into a clip point blade shape. The clip point is an all-purpose blade shape that is built to excel at piercing. It is also one of the most popular blade shapes that is in use today. Also, one of the most common places to find a clip point blade shape is on a Bowie knife such as this one. The shape is formed with the back edge of the knife that runs straight from the handle before stopping about halfway through the blade. At this point, it turns and curves down to the point of the knife. This area looks as if it has been cut out, or clipped out, and is referred to as the clip, which is where this knife shape got its name from. The clip creates a lowered point, which is going to give the knife more control when you are using it. This allows you to perform fine detail work with this Bowie knife. And because the tip is controllable, sharper, and thinner at the spine, the clip point is going to excel at stabbing. This is because there is less drag during insertion and even a faster withdrawal. One of the other reasons that this is such a versatile knife is because there is a large belly that allows the knife to easily slice. There is only one real disadvantage to the knife blade shape: because of the narrow tip, it is prone to breaking or being weak.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of genuine smooth white bone. This is a natural handle material that has been used since when knives began. This material is also still popular when it comes to knife collectors. The bone is derived from naturally decease animals, but the most common and cost effective bone that is used today is the abundant cow bone. Sometimes, the bone is even carved out of antlers or horns. Some of the pros to this knife handle material is that it is inexpensive and traditional. However, this material also has its cons. Bone does not have lot of grip, which does make it somewhat slippery for heavy-duty usage. Plus, bone is a porous material, which does make it a little more prone to cracking or even deformation. Plus, it is not going to stand up to the elements, such as temperature, light, and moisture as well as some of the modern materials.

The handle on this knife is extremely simple. There is a huge finger guar that extends from both sides of the handle in between the handle and the knife blade. This is going to prevent you from slipping or getting cut on such a large and shape blade. Other than that, the handle is a simple rectangle with a curved butt. For heavy duty uses, the handle shape is ideal.

The Mechanism:

This Bowie knife is a fixed blade, which makes it more capable of heavy duty tasks. A fixed blade is a knife that does not have a mechanism. The blade is fixed in place and is not going to fold into the handle. When it comes to usage, a fixed blade is more capable of taking on those harder tasks, because the blade is more likely to be longer, thicker and thus more durable. This also means that the blade is less likely to snap or break. When it comes to maintenance, a fixed blade is definitely easy to take care of. You do not have to worry about a spring or a hinge like you do on a folding knife. Also, you do not have to worry about keeping the inner parts clean, because nothing is going to get to the inner parts. Really all you are going to have to do is wipe down the blade and handle and oil them occasionally to keep them in pristine shape. A fixed blade is also going to be easier to bring into play because all you have to do is pull the knife out of the sheath and you are ready to go. You don’t have to pull it out of your pocket, deploy the blade, and then you’re ready. For survival tasks, a fixed blade is the way to go.

However, there are a few drawbacks. For this knife, since it is an outdoors knife, these drawbacks aren’t too much of a concern. For starters, a fixed blade is not going to be easy to conceal. A fixed blade is also going to be heavier and bulkier, which is harder to transport or have with you at all times, especially a fixed blade as big as this one.

The Sheath:

This fixed blade does come with a leather sheath. Because this is a fixed blade, the blade is not going to be folded into the handle. Instead, to protect this knife, you will place it inside of a sheath. A good knife sheath is going to keep your blade form getting scratched while you take it with you on any of your adventures. It is also going to give you instant access to your knife and helps to prevent losing it.

A leather sheath is one of the more traditional materials that is used to make a knife sheath. This material is considered to be strong, tough, and rugged. Because it is a little bit more flexible, it is not going to break like plastic can. Plus, if the stitches happen to come undone, they can be easily re-sewn by you. Not only does a leather sheath feel good, it looks good. It gives you a more traditional and old-timey feel. And, if you properly care for it, the leather will only look better as it ages. One of the other major benefits to a leather sheath is that once the leather is broken in, your knife will have a custom fit forever. This means that it is going to be more snug and thus more secure and more protected. And, since this is more of a hunting or outdoors knife, the leather sheath is completely silent. You can easily pull the knife out or put it back in without it making a side.

Of course, leather is also going to have its disadvantages. For starters, it is not waterproof or heat proof. Exposing leather often to water or even extreme heat can lead to the oils drying out and then your sheath can be prone to cracking. This can be prevented if you oil your sheath occasionally because it will seal all of those oils inside of the material.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at a large 8.25 inches long. The handle measures in at 6.125 inches long. The overall length of this Bowie knife is a whopping 14.375 inches long. This knife was made in the United States of America, so you can feel proud to own, carry, and use the knife.

Conclusion:

The Bear & Son Smooth White Bone Bowie Knife is a classic bowie knife. Built with a high quality stainless steel blade, bone handle and a brass blade guard, this is a great knife for anyone looking for a classic. Comes with a quality leather sheath. You can pick up this knife today at BladeOps.