I have never owned a leather pattern knife before. Up until now, I have been using this kind of crappy folding knife I got from Home Depot for something completely unrelated to leather work. It has done the job, but isn’t ideal.
My First Ibex Ironworks Knife
Last year, I purchased an amazing skiving knife from Ibex Ironworks after following their Instagram page for quite some time. Long story short, the knife was a game changer. How I didn’t think to replace my not-so-good skiving knife that I got off of Amazon when I first started leather working is beyond me.
That skiving knife was so good, I made a video reviewing it, as well as putting it on my list of 5 Leatherwork Tools I can’t Live Without.
To this day, it is still one of the best leather tools that I own and was well worth the price. It’s one of those “buy it once” type items where if you get a high quality one, you won’t need to ever upgrade down the line.
How I Got The Leather Pattern Knife
When Ibex reached out to me asking if I wanted to partner up and review their leather pattern knife, I was ecstatic and jumped at the opportunity. I knew the knife was going to be unreal and I was excited to show it to my subscribers.
It arrived at my door 2 days later and I ripped into it (carefully, in my leather shop, with the cameras rolling because content). I was greeted by the familiar black Ibex Ironworks packaging. Inside was a mean-looking, razor-sharp leather pattern knife.
My first impression in the video is legitimate. Once I started cutting leather with it, I found that I was pressing as hard as I would with the cheaper knife I had been using which was unnecessary. It cut through the leather even better than their skiving knife. I’m thinking that my old Home Depot “pattern knife” is now retired.
I have never used a pattern knife or a head knife/round knife before and I feel there’s a bit of a learning curve, but I love the rounded shape of the blade. It makes it so that you can roll it over the leather and cut straight lines just as good as if you used a straight edge.
Where to Buy a Knife from Ibex Ironworks
If yyou’re looking to buy a knife from Ibex, whether it’s a skiving knife, pattern knife, or something else; head over to their website and see what they have in stock:
It is also a good idea to follow their Instagram page as they sometimes post custom knives they’re working on or cool available knives.
The Full Pattern Knife Review
I’m going to work with this knife for a while and put it through its paces. Overall, my first impression is that this knife is brilliant. It’s obvious that it is high quality and a tool worthy of being in your arsenal, but I like to have time to test things out and learn before I do a full review of it.
It’s also a different experience using a pattern knife. You use it a bit differently, so I’m going to need to get used to the new method of cutting.
I’d also like to see how long it holds its edge and where this knife excels/doesn’t do so well.
I’ll have a full review up soon.
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