The Wayland

The Wayland is TJB's interpretation of the Barlow, the epitome of the American "folding knife." Created over three centuries ago in England and perfected in America, the Barlow quickly became Americans' preferred blade, regardless of class or creed. The Barlow's traditional pattern—long bolster, teardrop-shaped handle, and clip point blade—made it the ideal EDC tool. A knife so perfect that Presidents Washington and Lincoln never left home without theirs, and Mark Twain felt called to mention the tool in two of his iconic works. If ever a knife belonged to the people, it was the Barlow.

TJB's take on this classic slip-joint knife features a minimal design aesthetic and premium materials. The Wayland is based on the classic Barlow pattern: rounded end, sheepsfoot blade shape (historically this was more of a clip point), large bolsters and center-line symmetry through the scales. This sets up both a clear and challenging brief. The rules of engagement are clear, but what can we do to make interpret the Barlow in a way that is right for us? For one thing, we tried to clean up all of the hardware. We cleaned it up so much that it is, in fact, not visible at all. We also leveraged some of our favorite high-end materials like rosewood, titanium and S35VN steel. The goal is a modern look and feel, with great materials but a very clear lineage to the original Barlow concept.

The Wayland's three-inch Sheepsfoot blade is composed of CPM-S35VN stainless steel, creating a durable knife capable of avoiding accidental point-piercing mishaps—making it perfect for whittling, slicing a chunk out of an apple, or assisting on a rescue mission. The classic non-locking slip joint design produces the smooth "walk and talk" one expects from a well-built tool.

This “hold” concept gave us the chance to have some more fun with color, as that is always one of the things that is challenging in the pocket knife space: the general materials palette doesn’t allow for much exploration, but injected “holds” could really open things up.

The Wayland is available in three scale options: Rosewood, Micarta, and G10. This gives the knife some aesthetic range, from classic to blacked out. So, if your EDC style leans toward the classic or if you. are firmly rooted in the present-day, The Wayland has an options for you.

While The Wayland may be more refined than some of our other offerings, To quote Tom Sawyer, it "is a 'sure-enough' Barlow," making it a knife worthy of the title, "the Peoples' knife."