Locking Jack Wolf Knives (with their slip joint brothers): The Knife Junkie Podcast (Episode 672)

What happens when one knife brand builds its entire identity around traditional American slip-joint patterns and then starts making locking, flipping versions of every single one? You get a collection that is hard to look away from. In Episode 672 of The Knife Junkie Podcast, host Bob DeMarco puts the full lineup of locking Jack Wolf Knives folders on camera, showing each one beside the slip-joint sibling that inspired it. Designer Ben Belkin has been at this for a while now, and seeing the whole collection together tells a story that no single knife can tell on its own.

Before getting to the main segment, Bob runs a pocket check featuring the Spyderco Military (the original, not the Military 2 he is thinking about buying), the Great Eastern Cutlery #15 Boy\'s Knife, the Brock Blades Magni XL in 3V steel, and the CRKT HZ6 (ESK) from designer James Williams.

Knife Life News covers four standout releases: the CRKT M16 nearly 30th anniversary edition at $48, the long-awaited TOPS Badger Creek at $300, the We Knife Notchline at $254, and the Civivi High Grass bird-and-trout fixed blade at $63. Bob also walks through the history of the Kephart knife in the show\'s \"First Tool\" segment, covering how Horace Kephart arrived at one of the most copied camp knife designs in history.

The State of the Collection introduces four recent additions: the Spyderco Native Chief in CPM-CruWear and Crucarta, the Spyderco Yojimbo 2 Breast Cancer Awareness Sprint Run in hot pink and black (exclusive at Knives Ship Free), the Fisher Blades Harvey PK compact fixed blade, and a preview of the brand new Jack Wolf Knives Feelbetter Jack, the knife that inspired the entire main segment and the May 2026 release from the brand.

The main segment walks through all seven locking Jack Wolf Knives models: the Gunslinger Jack (three runs), the Afterhours Jack, the Diamondback Jack (Bob\'s personal favorite in the whole lineup), the Primo Jack, the Bionic Jack, the Benny, and the Feelbetter Jack. Each locking folder appears alongside the slip-joint it came from, giving a rare look at how Belkin translated traditional patterns into modern locking folders without losing what made the originals worth building in the first place. Full-height hollow ground S90V blades, premium bolsters, and meticulous fit and finish across the board.

Whether you own a Jack Wolf Knives knife, have one on the wish list, or have just been hearing the name and wondering what the fuss is about, this episode will show you everything you need to know. Bob has carried and used these knives, not just collected them, and that comes through in every comparison on screen.

Find the list of all the knives shown in the show and links to the Knife Life News stories at https://theknifejunkie.com/672.

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