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James Brand Outfits Utility Blade with Slide Lock Mechanism

October 27, 2022

James Brand is hopping onto the replaceable blade utility train with the Palmer. The Palmer has many of the usual features of the format, but emphasizes portability and comes with a patent pending blade slide mechanism.

You probably know the basics of the utility blade – heck, you probably knew the basics even before you became a knife enthusiasts and entered the fabled realms of super steels, frame locks, and sculpted titanium pocket clips. The Palmer doesn’t mess with those basics, with a chassis that houses the nearly universal replaceable blade we all know and love. James Brand has never made anything particularly aggressive in their years on the market, but they point out that the Palmer is really more of a tool than a knife, something that pretty much anybody would be able to use and carry without compunction, but with the details an enthusiast can appreciate.

The Palmer’s slide lock mechanism allows for one-handed deployment and tool-free blade replacement

The most pertinent enthusiast-grade detail is the sliding lock mechanism, the first patent pending design from James. Deployment works intuitively enough: press the button down and slide all the way forward to expose the blade for work; do the same in reverse for closing. This mechanism also allows for tool-free replacement of the blade by sliding the button 2/3rds of the way forward, which disengages the interior lock; then it’s simply a matter of removing the old blade, inserting a new one, and sliding the mechanism back into the fully closed position (you can check out a video by James on the device here).

The rest of the relevant specs are literally and figuratively short and sweet, with a compact, rectangular handle made from aluminum and available in six different colors ranging from functional black to eye-popping coral. There is no clip on this 2.5 oz. cutie, but it’s small enough to tuck into a watch pocket and does have a lanyard hole.

The Palmer, in all six flavors, is available now.

Knife in Featured Image: James Brand Palmer

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