I’ve Never Seen the Quintessential American Knife Look This Good (and EDC-Friendly) at This Price

CJRB updates the legendary, nearly 200-year-old fixed blade with a folding mechanism that reaches even further back.

Close-up of a folding knife showing the junction between the blade and the handle. The blade is metallic with a satin finish and has "CR3" engraved near the handle. The handle features a textured black grip and a smooth brown section secured with a silver screw. The knife rests on a wooden surface.

Published August 21, 2025

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As we’ve documented on these pages before, the Bowie knife — made famous by James “Jim” Bowie on a Mississippi sandbar in 1827 — is about as American as a knife can get.

Though the fighting knife featured in the infamous “Sandbar Fight” was the sort of large fixed blade Crocodile Dundee would not turn up his nose at, recent years have seen a number of brands cop the name and look for more affordable, often folding EDC-ready options.

Folding knife with a stonewashed blade and a black textured handle featuring metallic gray bolsters. The blade has a distinctive angular tip and a long groove near the spine. The knife is placed on a wooden surface with pine cones and a round wooden slice in the background. — The new Bowie Pyrite has four variants, including this one with a handle made of aluminum and black G10.

Some of my personal favorites include Vosteed’s Quokka, Kansept’s Bison and CJRB’s Bowie Pyrite, which just got a fresh look, mechanism and price tag that immediately elevates it to the top of the list.

So let us take a closer look at the brand’s new Bowie Pyrite Slipjoint, shall we?

Bowie, unlocked

So, what is this thing? A $67 spinoff of CJRB’s most popular design, the Pyrite, which is currently available in literally dozens of variants.

That said, it’s just the second Bowie knife-styled edition. The follow-up to the button-lock edition the brand released earlier this year, it notably swaps out that modern mechanism for one that dates back to medieval England.

Two folding knives with stonewashed stainless steel blades and copper bolsters are displayed on a wooden surface. One knife has a black handle, and the other has a dark brown wooden handle. Both knives have a thumb groove on the blade and are positioned side by side. A pine cone is placed nearby on a wooden cutting board. — The two copper and wood-handled treatments are this knife’s most classic looking — and elusive.

Though a slipjoint is not nearly as secure – its nonlocking nature means firm pressure on the spine can close it — this substitution has some underrated upsides.

For one thing, it opens up access. As we’ve noted in the past, slipjoints are legal in some places where locking folders are not.

For another, it streamlines the aesthetic: with just the single pivot screw visible at the center of the knife, the overall look is cleaner and closer to that of the OG Bowie knife, sans cross guard.

Two folding knives are shown on a wooden surface. The knife on the left has a black blade with a matte finish and a green textured handle. The knife on the right is closed, featuring a black and metallic handle with a silver pocket clip and a partially visible blade. — With black PVD-coated blade and green G10 handle scales, this Bowie Pyrite takes on a marked tactical edge.

Adding to that classic appearance are the copper and wood handles on two of the four variants.

Sadly, those two are currently out of stock, but I would not be surprised if they return.

Form meets function

Another unique and compelling quality all four variants share is the two-tone manner in which the handle materials manifest.

The two aforementioned ones have copper bolsters and butts with a wood inlay; the other two sub those materials for more modern aluminum and grippy G10.

Folding knife with a stonewashed blade and a handle featuring copper and dark wood inlays, resting on a wooden surface. The knife is partially open, showing the blade and handle details. A pine cone is visible in the background. — Here you can see the bolster and butt are one piece of metal, while the wood is actually an inset.

Otherwise, the slipjoint knife is pretty similar to its button-lock brethren. Pivoting on a ceramic ball bearing 3.11-inch clip-point blade with a deep fuller (or blood groove) that looks about as badass as classic Bowies.

Said blade is made of Artisan Cutlery/CJRB’s proprietary AR-RPM9, an affordable knife steel known for its edge retention, corrosion resistance and sharpening ease.

Rounding things out is a steel pocket clip that is reversible for ambidextrous carry.

Four folding knives with different handle designs are arranged side by side on a wooden surface. The first knife has a black blade and an olive green handle with black accents. The second and third knives have silver blades with copper bolsters; the second has a dark wood handle, and the third has a reddish wood handle. The fourth knife has a silver blade with a gray bolster and a black textured handle. Two pine cones are placed above the knives on a wooden board. — The four new Bowies in all their two-tone handled, badass bladed glory.

Dimension-wise, the whole unit weighs 3.99 ounces and measures 7.32 inches long. That may be a little smaller than what you’d want in, say a riverbed battle, but it’s just what you need for handy, head-turning everyday carry.

The CJRB Bowie Pyrite Slipjoint is available now for $67.

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.