A. Wright & Son, Sheffield, still open for business?

[Capt. Carl]

I’m glad for this thread. I was looking to order some as i love the lambsfoot shape. Sad to hear about the company.

I hope i can snag one of the gec 88s. Or waynorth commissions another run of lambsfoots.

 

[kamagong]

Well, I guess I should enjoy the ones I have!

Sound plan, that's what I'm going to do.

This is definitely one of those "They don't make 'em like they used to!" kind of deals.

 

[Jack Black]

I’m glad for this thread. I was looking to order some as i love the lambsfoot shape. Sad to hear about the company.

I hope i can snag one of the gec 88s. Or waynorth commissions another run of lambsfoots.

Definitely something you want to buy in person, if you can, or from a trusted dealer

I hope you can pick up a Lambsfoot

 

[choombak]

This thread ain't complete without a picture.

UPDATE: This is the second picture, I realized the first one was posted on page 1. Haha.

 

[JohnDF]

 

[Luke_Chambers]

I've just ordered 4 knives of them, via two different dealers. 3 Lambsfeet (stag, ebony, ebony) and 1 spear point (stag).
After all, AW&S is quite the last folding knife maker in Sheffield.
The retail price is so low, if 2 out of 4 were decent, then I'm going to be more than satisfied. If 1 out of 4 was at least decent, then I could live with that. I've had some sad experiences with one of the local (Solingen) knife makers; now in receivership. If 4 out of 4 were bad, then I'd keep the worst knife in my collection as a memento to the decline and decadence of a once proud industry.
Anyway, a bad cutting edge that is something I can fix.

 

[cudgee]

1 spear point (stag).

Hope you get one as good as this one. .

 

[Luke_Chambers]

Hope you get one as good as this one. .

That's a real beauty . The Bolsters seem to have a nice reddish hue. Could be that the alloy started out as brass, then was melted and re-melted so often that much of the original zinc content was lost.

 

[sitflyer]

Anyway, a bad cutting edge that is something I can fix.

I picked up a "second" from Jack a couple years ago. The antler had a tiny crack that is stable, but the funniest part is that there was no edge at all on the blade. This actually pleased me as I got to put my own edge on the blade from the start.

 

[Modoc ED]

that there was no edge at all on the blade. This actually pleased me as I got to put my own edge on the blade from the start.

Probably easier to put your own edge on it than correct a bad edge someone else did.

 

[cudgee]

Probably easier to put your own edge on it than correct a bad edge someone else did.

It's always easier to build something from scratch rather than fix someone's mistakes.

 

[cudgee]

The Bolsters seem to have a nice reddish hue.

I think that's the reflection off my shirt, sorry.

 

[sitflyer]

Probably easier to put your own edge on it than correct a bad edge someone else did.

I looked at it as a clean slate, ready to put my own mark upon it, it was very satisfying and a unique experience in a new knife bonding kind of way.

 

[Luke_Chambers]

I think that's the reflection off my shirt, sorry.

You're a redshirt? Better not go to the movies, then.

 

[Jack Black]

The edges on Wright's standard line were certainly never anything great. Usually, they'd cut OK, but I never had any complaints about the minimal sharpening, because it was a lot better than having the blade ruined by hideous edges like this

 

[hornetguy]

It's sad to see Sheffield knives going so far afield... I had the same experience with my first (and only) Michael May knife. I heard good things about his work, and ordered one.... and it arrived looking much like that A Wright apprentice put it together. I did a report on it with pics back when I got it, and it still hasn't been carried...
I console myself thinking, "well, the blade grind was completely one sided, and the edge was terrible, but at least it was expensive.... " and, to be fair, the wood handles were nicely done.

 

[Heimdall82]

I had a A. Wright Buffalo lambfoot that i sold some months ago and realized i missed it... it was pretty decent (even as a nail breaker) just ordered a new one last week in stag to replace it... now i'm worried! hahaha

Looks like i'm gonna go for a custom Lambfoot if i really want a good one (read "usable pocket jewelry") since GEC's lambsfoot are hard to get (and almost the price of a custom) and there's not a lot of choice for lambsfoot blades.

Thanks for the info, even if it's not great news

 

[Jack Black]

I had a A. Wright Buffalo lambfoot that i sold some months ago and realized i missed it... it was pretty decent (even as a nail breaker) just ordered a new one last week in stag to replace it... now i'm worried! hahaha

Looks like i'm gonna go for a custom Lambfoot if i really want a good one (read "usable pocket jewelry") since GEC's lambsfoot are hard to get (and almost the price of a custom) and there's not a lot of choice for lambsfoot blades.

Thanks for the info, even if it's not great news

I'd miss my Lambsfoot too! Hope you get a decent one, some dealers seem to have better stock than others, because they have better QC when receiving their orders from the factory

 

[EngrSorenson]

Boy, I'm sorry to hear about things going this way for A. Wright & Son.
By all accounts at the top of their game they produced some great cutlery.

 

[Jack Black]

Boy, I'm sorry to hear about things going this way for A. Wright & Son.
By all accounts at the top of their game they produced some great cutlery.

They're a relatively recent firm, which have had various owners, but for the most part they produced inexpensive working knives of variable quality I think. They were never considered to be one of the top notch cutlers, and only ever a small firm, but by the time they were established Sheffield's heyday was long over, and even the once-great cutlery houses were not producing knives of the quality they once had. I had a lot of work with my SFOs, but also some luck, in securing a talented cutler, who enjoyed producing knives of better quality