Marbles Sowbelly D2

In all honesty this is a fantastic piece the quality is amazing and the fit and finish is likewise. You would do well to read the other reviews on this piece as one might just suggest that the one blade is warped. This is part of a traditional pocket knife’s design where you have two blades on the same track that would hit each other so they simply put a slight bend in one blade so it misses the other one and they all fit together perfectly. There’s no blade play or what you can call blade play when you bearing mind that the materials used are of such fine gauge yes I could wobble the blade back and fourth if I muscled the blade no problem as the materials are of a thin gauge between the blades. Not like a up to date modern knife that is built out of much stronger and thicker materials. But this is not in that category it is a fantastic old school slip joint that has had the benefit of the blade steel being upgraded to D2 a much longer lasting edge retention metal. All in all this is a. Banger of a knife which I would have no hesitation in purchasing again or telling someone else to buy. It’s a definite winner in my opinion.

Even if it came with a little blade rub between spey and sheepfoot blades, it is a 4.5 out of 5. Nice pull and fit and finish.

HH deserve 10 stars, brilliant to deal with. Ok, on to the knife. Play on the main and sheep’s foot blade, the sheep’s foot blade looks squint open and folded, so some blade rub, all blades had a basic edge on them but nothing to write home about. Scales, bolsters and pins are ok. Just the right tension on the springs and the half stop is excellent. I wanted a cheapo Whittler for my rucksack so I’ll sharpen it up on the Lansky sharpening system and see how it goes. For what it costs it’s ok but the Buck Stockman I bought last month is a far nicer knife and has a similar price, although softer steel, this knife once sharpened should make a good knife for carving little figures or sticks.

Extremely strong back springs, definitely a nail breaker which hopefully will loosen in time but I can live with. Very strange blade configuration, the sheepsfoot crosses over the spey so the blade's not straight. It doesn't detract from it in my estimation but it could to a purist. Usual good service from H&H

Firstly - excellent service from Heinnie as usual. No complaints there. This knife get 2* because it looks nice and does indeed appear to have d2 steel. However I've had two of these and both have had major issues. #1 - all blades had play but the main blade was very loose. #2 - unfortunately worse than the first. Sheepsfoot extremely loose, as was one scale and brass liner. So loose you could gently squeeze the knife and see it flex. I realise these are inexpensive, but even so the quality is not acceptable. Cheap knives can be great. I recently got a Real Steel Luna from HH - similar money, d2 steel and it's a really well-made little knife.

Absolutely love this knife as it embodies the qualities I've been looking for in a number of traditional style slipjoints I've bought. Great size, great weight, great finish, unobtrusive design, a fantastic strong back spring on the clippoint and nice smooth action on the Wharncliffe and Spey blades. Couldn't be happier and will probably get another one for the draw. Thanks HH for the top service and for being there! :-)

Took a chance on this knife , never heard of maker . What a pleasant surprise , a great start to my traditional penknife collection . Three blades to choose from , each have their particular use , which i like . The blades all came sharp , but 6 strokes with a ceramic rod and what a difference , all now have razor edges. Totally agree with previous reviewer , Elliot, he gave a very accurate and concise review of this knife , so nothing to add. Even during this pandemic H/H managed, from order at 10.00am Friday to receipt of knife 9.30 am following day , well done guys and gals great service , no change there then.

Overall this knife offeres very good build quality and fit and finish for the price, and including an excellent D2 tool steel. In short, just get it! Starting with the blades, all of which are non-locking and under three inches. All blades include a half stop aswell, which again, for the price is exceptional. The use of D2 tool steel for this price is also exceptional, it seems to be heat treated well, suprisingly hard for D2 and I'm sure it will hold an edge very well. In terms of sharpness, out the box, it easily slices paper, but it is not what I would call razor sharp, but a quick once over on a fine grit stone removed the burr on the factory edge and quickly brought it up to razor sharp. Each blade has finer finishes, which are more commonly found on knives ten times the price, with match strike nail nicks, and swedges on each blade also. The mirror finishes found on each blade is remarkably good and beats the like of the victorinox knives for mirror finish. The handles have two threaded bolsters, which again is more commonly found on much more expensive knives. Each boltster matches the blades mirror finish and matches up nicely to the handle covers. The black micarta is smoothly finished and the inclusion of the D2 sheild on the show side of the knife is a nice touch. In terms of the spine of the knife - the meeting between the liners and spacers between the spings is perfectly done, holding the knife up to a bright light reveals no gapping in the construction (very impressive for the price again). Only slight downside is the springs when the blades are in the half stop position are not flush to the back spine, but this does not hinder the function of the knife, it is more just a finish thing found on more expensive traditional slipjoints. However the springs are completely flush when the blades are opened or closed fully. In terms of "walk and talk" of the knife - the nail nicks are more than adequet for opening the knife and the action is smooth and polished. Springs provide a nice click and strong holding of the blade position. There is a small amount of blade rub between the spey blade and the sheeps foot blade, but honestly its not worth talking about at this price, and if anything it adds character to the blades over time. There was absolutely no blade play on any of the blades, and honestly I've had traditional knives multiple times the price that have come with some side-to-side wobble, so that was a nice surprise. Overall this knife could easily be double the price and I would still buy it - worth every penny for what you get, don't be put off by the made in China stamp, this knife sits well next to Solingen Germany made Boker traditionals. I would recommend this knife to traditional enthusiasts, and to those wanting to get into the traditional knife game without pulling out several hundred pounds.