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The Grandfather of Fighting Knives Upgrades to a Super-Affordable Multi-Deploying Modern Mechanism

Artisan Cutlery’s innovative take on the classic American blade just happens to be great-looking and super-affordable too.

Close-up of a black folding knife blade with "ARTISAN" text and textured black handle on a red background.Artisan Cutlery
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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The tale may not be as old as time, but as it closes in on the two-century mark, its longevity cannot be questioned.

“It” being the epic 1927 Sandbar Fight, recounted here on GP and many other places, from which the legend of the Bowie knife emerged.

Hand holding a folding knife with a black blade and olive green textured handle over a wooden surface with a book and lamp in the background.
Old meets new when a silhouette boasting 200 years of history pairs up with a burgeoning knife mechanism.
Artisan Cutlery

Artisan Cutlery/CJRB’s dynamic new knife mechanism, meanwhile, is barely a year old. 

When the two come together, as in the Simoon Recoil Lock V2, you get the best of both worlds: vintage aesthetics and modern function in one surprisingly affordable package.

Taking liberties

It’s worth noting right off the bat that the Bowie knife has been pretty dramatically reimagined in recent years. 

After all, the original wielded by Jim Bowie himself was a large clip-point fixed blade measuring at least a foot in length and reinforced with a cross guard. 

Hand holding a black folding knife with a textured handle and a partially serrated blade.
Though not nearly as big as the historic Bowie, the Simoon carries a respectable open length of 7.99 inches.
Artisan Cutlery

Recent examples we have covered often convert the knife into a folder, occasionally retaining the cross guard but always rocking a large clip-point blade.

The Simoon clearly falls in the “liberal reinterpretation” camp, but the blade makes the cut: a 3.47-incher made of Artisan Cutlery’s proprietary AR-RPM steel, a budget-friendly option that can tackle most everyday tasks. 

Three folding knives with textured handles in green, blue, and black, placed on a wooden surface with books underneath.
The Simoon comes in three varieties: green and black-handled with a black PVD-coated blade and blue-handled with a stone-washed blade.
Artisan Cutlery

What’s really interesting here is the fact the brand chose to team such a throwback silhouette with the super-modern Recoil Lock V2.

This innovative mechanism combines the ubiquitous crossbar lock with lesser-known a Shark-Lock, which appears as a jimped tab on the back of the handle, above the crossbar.

Two close-up views of a black folding knife with a textured handle held in a hand wearing a tan tactical glove.
The blade can be deployed via thumb stud (left) or the jimped tab (right) which pulls back the crossbar lock. The crossbar lock can also be pulled directly to free the blade.
Artisan Cutlery

In conjunction, these components let you open and close the blade by pulling the crossbar itself with your thumb and forefinger or using the tab almost like a rear flipper: pulling it with your index finger pulls the crossbar itself, releasing the blade, then fully deploying it when you flick your wrist. 

As if that’s not enough, the Simoon has a third deployment option as well, the ambidextrous thumb studs at the base of the blade. 

Three closed folding knives with textured handles in green, black, and blue held in a hand.
The Simoon’s 4.53-inch handle fills the hand while the reversible clip makes pocket carry easy.
Artisan Cutlery

Rounding out the knife’s features are textured, ergonomic handle scales made of light but tough G10, a steel pocket clip and a total weight of 3.32 ounces. 

Stepping away from Bowie himself, here’s hoping its victims are more of the cardboard, twine and outdoor snack variety, rather than, you know, the human kind.

Availability and pricing

The Artisan Cutlery Simoon Recoil Lock V2 is available now for $50.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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