💥Blast from the Past💥 (unofficial nostalgic older knife thread)

[A.L.]

Vintage Al Mar 4x4 Tool Mate from the '80's.
Very hard to find nowadays, especially in unused condition and with original box.

I’ve often drooled on these. Not the most practical probably but very cool piece of multitool history.

 

[RPZIP]

I’ve often drooled on these. Not the most practical probably but very cool piece of multitool history.

LIke other Al Mar items of the times appears very well made, finished and fitted.

Current Al Mar offerings are but a shadow of those days. Wish I had had the foresight to accumulate a few more than the one 3" SERE folder I bought.

 

[John A. Larsen]

French Foreign Legion dagger from the '60's or '70's by French manufacturer Begon.
Present from an old friend of mine who served in the Legion during the 1980's.

You have some amazing knives! Photos are great! John

 

[RPZIP]

You have some amazing knives! Photos are great! John

Seconded. What a collection!

 

[r8shell]

That’s impressive! Everything I carried in my teens has horrible blade scratches from bad sharpening. They’re all sharp, but look like 10 miles of bad road.

I resemble that remark!
I carried this little Sabre penknife all the time in middle and high school. I didn't really learn how to sharpen a knife until many years later.

 

[DA170]

This blade started my crazy journey into this hobby, A gift from a close family friend! Said he won it at a car show in San Diego early 2000s. My wife made the sheath for it!

 

[not2sharp]

This is what I carried in HS just a few …hmm…half-a-century ago. It was a Valor Brand Trapper from the early 70s.


N2s

 

[Triton]

French Foreign Legion dagger from the '60's or '70's by French manufacturer Begon.
Present from an old friend of mine who served in the Legion during the 1980's.

That one is very cool!

 

[Bill Siegle]

Here is another that some of us will remember. The MCR-11 was Taylor's knock of of the original Cold Steel Tanto. They were made in Japan by Seto. I acquired this one in 1983.

IIRC, Cold Steel ran an immediate ad in Blade Magazine showing a broken MCR-11 and warning people to avoid imitations. (they later ran a very similar ad against the Buck 184 Buckmaster)

View attachment 3049829

n2s

I had one of those when I was a kid. I was chopping a branch with it when the dab of epoxy holding the tang let go. My Dad never noticed it flying by him……..thankfully!!!!!! I later gave it a 2 Ton epoxy fix but couldn’t trust it for much afterwards.

 

[jfk1110]

Man, I wish I was around and had spending money back when Gerber was making cool stuff like this.

Right, I remember all the cool knives out there as a.kid and teen......Gerber was primo and then SOG showed up and impressed everyone......Al Mar was da BOMB..

Vintage Al Mar 4x4 Tool Mate from the '80's.
Very hard to find nowadays, especially in unused condition and with original box.

Your collection brings back my youthful wants.dreams...........Love seeing all the stuff I drooled.over as.a.kid

 

[RPZIP]

This blade started my crazy journey into this hobby, A gift from a close family friend! Said he won it at a car show in San Diego early 2000s. My wife made the sheath for it!
View attachment 3050117View attachment 3050118View attachment 3050119

That is gorgeous! And practical. Your wife did a beautiful job on the sheath! What a treasure!

 

[kwackster]

Blackjack 1.7, probably from the '80's or '90's, and a quality replica of the Randall Model 1.
The main difference with those is the convex grind.

 

[kwackster]

Puma 6376 Bowie, made in October 1978.
This is their intermediate sized Bowie model, situated between the smaller 6396 Bowie and the largest 6356 Bowie models.
The 6376 Bowie however has the best proportions imo, and these old school ones were handmade by skilled German craftsmen & women who took a lot of pride in their work.


6356

 

[evergreensSequoiaseucalyptusandOaks]

 

[kwackster]

A BenchMark Carolina Hunter from March 1982, complete with original box & papers
It's a well made hunting knife with nice details like the ergonomically shaped handle, a soldered guard and the wild duck shield on the back.
The brochure states that the handle material on this model was either cocobolo wood, stag, or black Micarta, but the box says that my knife has a handle made from mesquite wood.
The thick leather sheath looks & feels like a custom job, but it is original to the knife.

 

[jfk1110]

A BenchMark Carolina Hunter from March 1982, complete with original box & papers
It's a well made hunting knife with nice details like the ergonomically shaped handle, a soldered guard and the wild duck shield on the back.
The brochure states that the handle material on this model was either cocobolo wood, stag, or black Micarta, but the box says that my knife has a handle made from mesquite wood.
The thick leather sheath looks & feels like a custom job, but it is original to the knife.

That's a beauty

 

[kwackster]

As a model the Buck 124 Frontiersman was manufactured from 1967 until 1997, my example (still without a year code) was made between 1982 and 1985.
Still new and complete with original box & papers.

 

[kwackster]

Herbertz lockback folder from the '80's with clip-point blade, brass bolsters & wooden inlays.
Still new in original box.













Only the size is a bit awkward
From top to bottom: Herbertz lockback, Strider GB, Spyderco Military





From what i could find on the internets these knives were actually made in Japan for the German Herbertz brand by good Japanese craftsmen.
The knives were made in very small series to be sold as display models to dealers who carried the Herbertz brand, and the price in the '80's was about 600 Dutch guilders.
Although fit for the hand of a giant the knife is sharp & very well made, and without even a hint of play in the lock.

Specs:

Length open: 39,5 cm
Length closed: 22,3 cm
Blade length: 17,7 cm
Blade thickness: 5,2 mm
Steel: unknown stainless
Handle material: thick brass with wooden inlays.
Weight: 697 grams

 

[kwackster]

The G96 brand was imported into the US throughout the '70's and '80's by the American Jet Aer Corporation based in Patterson, New Jersey.
Knives were "based" on existing models from brands like Buck and Rigid, and they were sold through ads in well known outdoor magazines as a cheaper alternative for their A-brand counterparts.
The knives themselves were made in Japan, but in contrast to their lower price level the steel quality was actually very good: quite a few users reported that the knives performed better than the originals.

This is my G96 Polaris 5000, a lockback folder, possibly inspired by the Buck 500 model.
The factory edge was reasonably sharp but quite uneven, so i put on a new 30 degrees inclusive edge with my Wicked Edge sharpener.
The steel is both hard & wear resistent, and even though the blade is hollow ground, it took about 2 hours to get an even and hairwhittling edge.





















Specs:

Length open: 18,7 cm
Length closed: 10,9 cm
Blade length: 8,0 cm
Blade thickness: max 3,0 mm (ricasso)
Steel: probably ATS-34
Handle material: Pakkawood & nickelsilver bolsters on brass liners
Locktype: Lockback
Weight: 157 grams

 

[Triton]

As a model the Buck 124 Frontiersman was manufactured from 1967 until 1997, my example (still without a year code) was made between 1982 and 1985.
Still new and complete with original box & papers.

Love that knife!