lockup was solid, achieved
when a side spring within he
bolster linings snaps shut
behind the heel of the blade.
When you want to fold it again,
just move the spring to one side.
Additional features include:- Length folded 4.45”/113mm
- Hollow-ground 3.27”/83mm
blade is 25mm” thick at
spine/heel - guthook option - T6 aluminum handle with a
slip resistant camo’ coating - Metal pocket clip so you
never lose your knife again - Collector’s stamp with a
dated dotted system that is
ideal for knife collectors. - Weight 86g
MULTI TOOLS
Not content with a full range
of sporting knives, Bear & Son
have a small range of high-
quality multi-tools which are
every inch the equal of top of
the range multi-tools from
brands famous for specialising
in that market.4 INCH BEAR JAWS LOCKING
COMPONENTS MULTI-TOOL
RRP $129
This is a full-sized, all
stainless steel construction,
general-purpose 18-function
tool. The 18 functions are:- 2 in 1 Pliers - Wire Cutters
- Electrical Crimper -
Standard Scale - Metric Scale - Serrated Sheepsfoot Blade
- 3 in 1 File - Bottle Opener
- Can Opener - Phillips
Screwdriver - Standard
Medium Screwdriver -
Standard Large Screwdriver - Lanyard Ring - Drop Point
Blade - Tool Lock. Includes :
Ballistic Nylon Sheath.
- Electrical Crimper -
BEAR JAWS SPORTSMEN RRP $99
Matt told me this tool has
already found considerable
favour with Victorian
waterfowl hunters, due to its
beautifully engineered, highly
effective shears. Again it is 4
1/2inch closed length and all
stainless construction. The
knife blade on this model
came out of the box shaving4 0 | SPORTING SHOOTER _ MAY 2018
WORKING
KNIVESedge equivalent to a larger knife
in a very compact and easily-
handled package, ideal for
skinning and finer cuts when
caping. It is known in the USA
as a good Every Day Carry
(EDC), despite it being a fixed
blade. Bear & Son, now make
this knife, along with others.
This Bear & Son model, while
being advertised in literature as
smaller than a classic Sharp
Finger, proved by my calipers to
be exactly the same dimensions
as the original. A few licks on a
fine ceramic rod after unboxing
got it slicing paper like a razor
and it held its edge well through
a bunch of routine tasks around
home. While it is a full tang
blade, the brass-riveted handle
stood proud of the tang by a few
mm all round and, differing
from the 44 year-old original
and it sports no lanyard hole. It
does come with a nice leather
shrink-formed sheath though.
Features include:
- Blade Material : 440 Stainless
Steel, hollow ground – 25mm
thick at spine/heel - Handle Material: Stag
Delrin® (a highly-crystalline
engineering thermoplastic
that industry leaders specify
for high load mechanical
applications) ie it should
outlast genuine stag for a
"coon's age". - Overall Length : 7.3"/185mm
- Blade Length: 3.55"/90.25mm
- Weight : 86g
A 21ST CENTURY FOLDER – THE
CAMOUFLAGE ALUMINIUM
SIDELINER, RRP $119
This single-bladed knife is
really lightweight, well sized
and is easily opened with one
hand. It has a thin cross section,
which makes it is a pleasure to
carry for a multitude of tasks:
it's another EDC knife, for sure.
The blade's outline could be
described and a hump-backed
clip point, the rear hump on the
spine accommodating a fair
sized through-and-through oval
slot, so the thumb can flip the
moderately spring-tensioned
blade open. This blade could
do duty as a field dressing blade- at a pinch – as long as no
levering between joints or other
heavy duty tasks were regularly
undertaken. A few mm of
sideplay at the blade's tip, but
this was quickly remedied by
tightening the torx-head bolt
holding the scales together. The
sharp incidentally. It features:- Cutting Shears - Standard
Scale - Metric Scale -
Serrated Sheepsfoot Blade- Fowl Hook -
StandardMedium
Screwdriver - Drop Point
Blade. Includes : Ballistic
Nylon Sheath
- Fowl Hook -
THE WRAP. Reviewing five
items manufactured at the
same American cutlery
company in these days where
everybody is trying to compete
with impossibly-low Asian
labour costs, I came away
quite impressed.
These products, notably the
multi-tools and the small
stockman knife, were tight,
well finished and superior to
many of their competitors
charging more for the
privilege. In two cases, fit and
finish were OK, but not
outstanding, but the sideplay
on the camo folder was
quickly remedied by
tightening the torx screws
holding the scales in place- no biggie.
The factory edges ground on
the blades were in a few cases
a minute's worth of ceramic
licks off a properly finished
and polished edge that
would slice paper, but highly
functional nonetheless. In
saying this, over the years,
I have found a few prestigious
established knifemakers
do not do any better in
that department.
What I realised was that
Bear and Son multi-tools are
up there with the best
available, while their sporting
knives were a pleasure to
review. Dealer enquiries:
C.R.Kennedy Email:
[email protected]
Ph: 0499 051 794
The upswept
blade design
has the length
of cutting edge
equivalent to a
larger knife.”
3
A detail of the shears on Bear Jaws Sportsmen
indicating close fit and fine finish. The shears
proved most impressive in operation.