James Brand Writes a New Chapter After 10 Years

A decade after the original’s release, James Brand has at long last released the official sequel to its flagship folder, the Chapter. The Chapter 2 hews close to the original’s signature look but makes subtle tweaks across the board to bring the design in line with the rest of James’s growing catalog.

Although many models have followed, the original Chapter set the tone for the entire James Brand, uh, brand. Its modern, clean look, inspired less by existing knife culture tropes and more by trends in general product design, made the Chapter stand out in a crowded market. In 2019, the company touched up the design for the first time; in an interview James Brand founder Ryan Coulter told us that, in his view, that revision was the Chapter 2. However the company held off from using that specific nomenclature – until now, with this 2024 revision.

Perhaps the biggest change overall on the Chapter 2 is its pocket clip. The original’s pocket clip was a divisive feature: not only was it tip down (by general consensus the less popular carry orientation), it was also quite large, like an oversized money clip. The Chapter 2 hits shelves with a much smaller, tip up, deep carry, machined titanium pocket clip instead. It’s now very similar to the clips, not only on many of its James Brand stablemates, but comparable folders from other manufacturers as well.

James also notes that the Chapter 2 has “more sophisticated lines,” but it’s safe to say that they did not stray far from the original’s memorable profile here. Same too with 2.6-inch blade, made from S35VN – the same steel that appeared on the 2019 revision; it opens with a thumb stud and is secured with a the titanium frame lock capped by a steel interface piece. All in all, the Chapter 2 should be a comfortable transition for users of the original who want to upgrade, or for anybody in the market for an upmarket EDC.

The Chapter 2 released on May 4th, in Stormtrooper white/black color combo; we wouldn’t be surprised if some other colorations followed eventually.

Knife in Featured Image: James Brand Chapter 2

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