James Brand Releases U.S. Made Kline Folder

Big news for James Brand this week: after a small soft launch earlier this year, the company just fully released the Kline, its first U.S.-made folder. The Kline is a rugged mid-sized workhorse that checks a lot of boxes in terms of mechanics and materials.

James has never made an enormous folder, but the Kline is larger than most in terms of its dimensions. The broad drop point measures 3.4 inches in length, plenty of real estate for the bigger chores but still compact enough to be used for mundane EDC without any fuss or raising any eyebrows. The Kline is a thumb stud opener, with a pivot running on phosphor bronze washers – another indicator of this knife’s purpose as a sturdy, reliable cutting tool.

Given that the Kline is kind of a statement piece from James, it’s no surprise they’ve chosen to go with the Slid Lock mechanism they debuted on the Carter in 2019. They also made the blade from CPM MagnaCut, the powder metallurgy super steel from Larrin Thomas that is the most talked about steel of the year.

An ample, uncluttered handle houses that blade when it’s closed, and the human hand when it’s open. There’s a squarish finger guard to prevent forward slippage, and the scales, made from slabs of black or green Micarta, provide all the additional necessary traction for a work knife. The Slide Lock’s ambidextrous nature is built upon by a reversible, removable deep carry pocket clip; this one is 100% certified southpaw friendly and weighs 4 oz. on the nose.

As mentioned above, the Kline is the first U.S. made folder released from James. The company has come a long way since its inception nearly ten years ago in 2013. After a bit of a slow start, with just two releases between ’13 and ’16, James picked up the pace, both in terms of the speed of its releases as well as their diversity. The Kline joins a line that now keychain knives, an outdoors fixed blade, and the Palmer, a techy utility knife.

The Kline is available now.

Knife in Featured Image: James Brand Kline

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