The two-bladed trapper pocketknife has been a common pattern for many American knife companies for generations. Bear and Son -- in business since 2003 -- aims to make the same thing, but better.
Compare the Bear and Son slip joint Trapper to other versions and you'll notice one big difference in construction. Other companies pin handle slabs to the knife body with three brass rivets; Bear and Son uses one. That's pretty bold, and requires a perfect fit of all components. The other differences are more subtle. Bear and Son puts more metal in the nickel silver bolsters than you'll find in other brands of the Trapper style, and the profiles of the blades are sharper. Creating that finer point shows an extra effort and inspires confidence in the parts you can't see.
Four-and-1/8 inches in closed length, the knife keeps the standard blade choices for the trapper -- a clip point for piercing and a spey blade for slicing. That's a critical combination for anyone running a trapline, but it's also a handy tool set for everyday chores in the civilized world. Each of the high carbon stainless steel blades is shaped for strength and hollow ground for easy maintenance of the razor edge.
The raw materials for the knife's rosewood handle slabs came from South America, but all parts of the knife were manufactured and assembled onsite at the Bear and Son factory in Jacksonville, Alabama.
For the Stockman version of the Bear and Son slip joint pocketknife, see the Large Stockman 3-Blade Knife.