The New West KnifeWorks Saddleback Glory Pocket Knife: A Gentleman’s Companion

Not all pocket knives are created equal. Some cut corners to keep the price down, while others are a nice blend of features and price, making them the best EDC knives. Then, there are those that strive to rise above the field and be a better knife. In this review, we’ll be looking at the latest version of the Saddleback Glory, a folding knife from New West KnifeWorks, to see if it has what it takes to be amazing.

What is it?

The Saddleback Glory is a pocket knife with a back flipper opener and a liner lock. It features a modified drop point blade made of S35VN steel with a satin finish.

The Saddleback Glory: A Gentleman’s Pocket Knife

What’s Included?

The following items are included:

• Knife
• Felt case
• Band-Aid
• Care and warranty card
• Advertisement postcard

Tech Specs

• Weight: 3 oz
• Total Length: 7 1/8 in
• Blade Length: 2 3/4 in
• Blade Material: CPM S35VN
• Blade Style: Modified drop point
• Blade Grind: Flat
• Blade Finish: Satin
• Blade Hardness: 58-60 HRC
• Handle Material: G10
• Handle Color: Huckleberry
• Frame Material: Titanium
• Pocket Clip: Not reversible, titanium
• Carry Position: Tip up

Design and Features

New West advertises their Saddleback knives as having “the bones to be put to hard use when things get ‘western’”. But that’s not what this knife is at all. It’s a gentleman’s knife.

A gentleman’s knife is sleeker and lighter than the typical EDC pocket knife. It’s made of finer materials, meant to be discreet, and yet exudes a taste of class. That’s a better description of what the Saddleback is, and on their “about page” they describe the knife as a “Gentleman’s Flipper folder”.

The handle has a beautiful, multi-colored design and tapers off gracefully at the back. The blade likewise is slim and tapers off to the point. It’s a light, sleek, and elegant-looking knife, one that I’m far more likely to slip into a suit pocket when heading out to a night on the town than I am to take outside to help with yard work.

Assembly, Installation, and Setup

The knife came wrapped in a newspaper paper that provided articles about other knives sold by New West, an interesting and thoughtful way to package it. The knife was protected in a very simple, thick, felt knife pouch, suitable for protecting it when I toss it into a drawer with a bunch of other items.

The handle has a tricolor pattern that flows from brown to blue to purple and then back. While the purple and blue look good together, I don’t think the brown quite fits. As the name of the pattern is Huckleberry, I suppose that the purple and blue represent the fruit while the brown represents the branches. If this isn’t your favorite color, the Saddleback comes in a variety of other colors and materials, and one is sure to catch your eye.

The pocket clip is made of titanium, and it is not very deep. I personally prefer a much deeper clip, as I do not like to show off the fact that I am carrying a pocket knife when I am out and about. It may be that New West assumes owners will want to show off their beautiful knife.

The frame of the knife, like the clip, is made of titanium, and is thus both very light and very strong. At 3 oz, the Saddleback is certainly a very light knife.

The lock is a liner lock. There is no play at all in the knife when it is in the locked position. There is a small groove in the liner that gives a little extra room to help your finger or thumb push the liner back out of the way. It works great.

The blade is made of S35VN steel. This is a high-end steel known for edge retention, toughness, and corrosion resistance. The downside is that it is challenging to sharpen.

I tested the knife around the house by opening boxes and peeling apples, and after a successful day of fishing in the Gulf Stream, my father tested the knife by filleting some yellow fin tuna steaks. (Yes, I know, a pocket knife isn’t the right tool for this job; it was just a target of opportunity. My father used a fillet knife for most of this work.) In all cases, the knife cut smoothly and evenly.

The shape of the blade is similar to the very common drop point. New West calls this a saddleback design, due to the presence of the small ridge where the thumb is held on the top of the knife. This improves the grip, though I would prefer some grippy jimping here instead. For a gentleman’s knife, the lack of jimping is ok.

New West states on their website that “one-handed opening and closing and a clip are essentials for an everyday use pocket knife.” The Saddleback is opened with a back flipper, my favorite type of opener. Unfortunately, the flipper is very small, perhaps in keeping with being a gentleman’s knife.

When I use the flipper to deploy the blade, it only opens about half of the way. In order to completely deploy the knife, I must give my wrist a strong flick while flipping it. The tension of the detent ball on the liner lock is too strong. Similarly, when the liner lock is disengaged, the tension prevents the blade from closing on its own, even when gently shaking it. I have to use my finger to close the knife.

While this knife looks good and is well-made, it has a serious flaw. When the knife is closed, the tip of the blade is right at the surface of the liner. Every other pocket knife that I own has the tip of the blade set slightly below the surface of the liner.

The location of the tip of Saddleback is a safety hazard, because it is possible to rub one’s finger along the edge of the liner and have it catch on the tip of the blade. (I can actually pull the knife out this way.) If the knife is clipped to my pants pocket, which is in the tip up position, it is possible for me to catch my finger on the knife when I reach in to pick it up; if this happened, I could easily slice my finger open on the sharp blade.

Finally, let me address the elephant in the room: Why is this knife so expensive? What makes it cost nearly $500, when there are many good knives out there that are a third to a fourth of its cost?

Broadly speaking, there are several factors that can make a knife more expensive:

• Quality materials
• Careful craftsmanship, higher tolerances, unique design features
• Made in the USA
• Brand recognition

Is this knife worth the cost? Personally, I don’t think so. While it’s made of great materials, a knife at this price point should not have any flaws or issues.

What I like about the New West Saddleback knife:

• Sleek design
• Premium materials
• Made in the USA

What needs to be improved:

• Redesign to remove the fatal flaw of the blade tip location
• Adjust the detent strength so that knife deploys smoothly without flicking
• Alter the clip to be deep carry

Final thoughts:

The New West Saddleback Glory is a gentleman’s pocket knife that has a modified drop point blade, a back flipper, and a liner lock. It’s made of high-quality materials, like G10 for the handle, S35VN for the blade, and titanium for the frame and lock. The knife was sharp out of the box and performed well with every task I gave it. The knife does, however, have a flaw where it’s possible to catch my finger on the tip of the blade when I reach into my pocket for the knife. I cannot endorse any gadget that might hurt someone, so I can’t recommend that you purchase this knife.

Price: $470 Where to buy: New West’s online store Source: The sample for this review was provided free of charge by New West. New West did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.