[leadin]This tough little fixed-blade is made by hand from a renowned knife-maker, fits in a pocket, and it has a price that won’t make you gag.[/leadin]
If you want a handmade knife, a good custom EDC fixed-blade is a great place to start. The Jarosz JFS is one of the most accessible, affordable, and useful custom knives I own.
Remarkably for a custom design, it costs just $130. This is substantially less money than you normally pay in a category that bridges craftsmanship and art with utility in a product that serves as a take-anywhere tool.
Jarosz JFS: EDC Fixed Blade Review
EDC fixed blades have been around for a while. They have, however, boomed in popularity as the knife industry as a whole has boomed.
The idea is simple — you get a small fixed blade that can live in your pocket for daily chores, but at the same time it can flex into a more hard-use role.
I have excised the word “tactical” from my vocabulary, except for its use in this disclaimer. I love the ESEE Candiru in this role, but for something that is a bit higher-end, the JFS is hard to ignore.
Blade and Handle
The blade is a simple drop point with a small but adequate handle. The scales are highly refined G10, and on my sample the blade is made of AEB-L steel and given an “acid camo” finish. The entire package is topped off with one of the sharpest edges I have ever seen.
Jesse Jarosz is known for his grinds, and that skill translates into this well-finished blade. The knife doesn’t come with a sheath, which is a real bummer, but there are many options out there. I had a custom sheath made of kydex which works very well, but the Knives Ship Free knife slip is a good off-the-shelf option.
Handmade Knife
The allure of the JFS, aside from its utility, is the fact that this is a handmade piece (blanks are machine cut, but every knife is finished by hand). Jarosz exploded on the knife scene a few years ago, winning best new maker at the annual Usual Suspect Network Gathering. Then Jarosz went on to sign a deal with Ka-Bar and has been selling regular small batches of his knives, folders and fixed blades, through his site.
The JFS is the smallest of his fixed blades and easily drops in a pocket, even when sheathed. I did a ton of hiking with my JFS over the last two months and it rode quite well in the KSF sheath and even better in an taco-style kydex sheath.
Its thin grind and simple handle allow it to flex into a wide variety of cutting roles, and its solid construction lets you take it places you’d never take a folder (on a hike into a sandy quarry, for example).
The JFS is a well made and well conceived knife and makes an excellent step up as a fixed-blade EDC.
Jarosz JFS
- Price: $129.95, Jarosz Knives
- Steel: AEB-L
- Blade Length: 2.5 inches
- Overall Length: 6.1 inches
- Weight: 2.76 ounces (without sheath)
- Made in the USA
