Pretty and Gritty: Artisan Cutlery Holm Folding Knife Review

Christmas was filled with laughter, cheer, and a knock on the door from the FedEx guy — and he wasn’t delivering my “Jelly of the Month Club” package. Instead, he came bearing a box from Artisan Cutlery containing the Holm, one of the most elegantly finished knives I’ve seen in quite some time.

Known for its affordable knives and common materials, Artisan Cutlery continues to grab my attention with its launches. And this iteration of the Holm really caught my eye: Barlow styling, stainless steel bolsters mixed with Micarta, and a button lock with a secondary lock. However, the biggest surprise here was the use of ultrapremium S90V steel.

Either way, after the excitement of the holidays wound down and things got back to normal, I found myself admiring the Holm as a reliable EDC knife. The look, feel, performance — and exceptional S90V — really impressed me.

In short: With a retail price of $150, the Micarta and S90V version of the Artisan Cutlery Holm proves that premium can also be practical. Where other brands could charge double for a knife with these materials and build, Artisan priced it to make a top-notch knife accessible to more people.

Shopping for the perfect folder? Check out the GearJunkie guide to the Best Pocket Knives!

Artisan Cutlery Holm Review

Design & Features

Barlow knives are an anchor to our past. They have both heritage and culture baked into the fabric of their being. Artisan did an excellent job maintaining the classic Barlow tapered shape while retaining the other indicators — like the juxtaposition between the bolsters and handle scales.

All in all, Artisan offers 10 versions of the Holm, Barlow-style folding knife. Six sport Artisan’s own AR-RPM9 blade steel and ring in under $80. The remaining five options sport the ultrapremium S90V blade steel. I received the Micarta and S90V variant, which goes for $150.

Micarta provides excellent grip and patinas really well over time. Like S35VN and S45VN, S90V excels in corrosion resistance and edge retention. But with S90V, you get a sharper edge that hangs around for a longer period of time. That being the case, it’s a little more difficult to sharpen, so it’s a good thing that you don’t have to do it much.

Where Artisan takes the Holm off in a different direction is with the addition of a button lock, deep-carry pocket clip, and exaggerated Wharncliffe blade. These features are all modern, but still complementary. In fact, the original Barlow style of knives was a slip joint-style knife, so they lacked any lock at all.

Not only does the Holm have a lock, but it also has a lock for the lock. More on that in a minute.

Artisan Holm: First Impressions

Opening up the box on Christmas Eve and seeing this knife added to the magic of the day. Barlow-style knives remind me of my grandfather, the hero I never met. I imagine him slicing an apple out in the orchard and wiping sweat off his brow after a hard day of picking fruit to sell at my family’s store two houses over.

The fit and feel of the Holm in my hand was natural, right from the jump. Its opening action felt smooth and clean. In fact, those ball bearings are dialed in so well that when you press the lock button to close the knife, it drops down and fully closes. I can see looking down into the knife that there are a lot of machined tolerances that work together to keep it operating as well as it does.

Stonewashed stainless steel and worn Micarta always look good together. However, the real eye-catcher on the Holm is the exaggerated Wharncliffe blade, complete with fuller. The blade sweeps up from the back to front, reminiscent of a scimitar. Though the increase is gradual, the benefit is a fatter belly on the blade right as the edge starts to turn up to meet the point.

An extra tidbit I noticed after some use was its dexterity with gloves on. Artisan milled a relief into each bolster that provides increased clearance to the thumb stud. It’s a small detail that aids in the overall function of the knife.

Many knives are made to be ambidextrous, but the balance between visual and physical cues is worth noting here.

In the Field

When a knife rattles, it kind of freaks me out. What’s loose? What’s falling apart? In the case of the Holm, the rattling comes from the security lock button. When it’s not locked, it’s loose and that can prove a little annoying.

However, since the primary lock button sits higher than the top surface of the bolster, you could end up pressing it and closing the knife accidentally under hard use.

Because I’ve used this knife for more than a month, I am aware that the lock button protrudes. But for someone just starting their relationship with the Holm, the security button may come in handy.

My first few days with the Holm were spent breaking down post-holiday boxes. I took my kids on a short vacation to the Postcard Cabins — a tiny cabin in the middle of the woods. I used the Holm to prepare kindling and spread butter on English muffins. Its lowered tip and fatter belly make it great for spreading anything you want to put on bread.

From there, the knife became my EDC, in part because it is wicked fidget-friendly.

Now a month later, the knife needed a little cleaning, but the blade was still sharp as a scalpel. That’s impressive, considering I filled my 90-gallon recycling bin three times with cardboard the Holm processed.

Conclusion: Who’s It For?

While Artisan offers 10 iterations of the Holm, the Micarta and S90V variant proves that a knife with premium materials and construction can still be a practical, everyday tool.

Where S35VN and even S45VN steels remain common on the market from a variety of brands, S90V stands in another echelon of steel — usually at prohibitive prices for many. But this version of the Holm costs less than $150 at retail.

That said, the Holm is a steal for anyone looking for a well-made EDC knife that excels in both form and function. It has a great balance between size and weight, which makes it a joy to carry and deploy.