Al Mar 1980 Folding Knife

Jandlcustoms

Jandlcustoms

Joined
Jul 5, 2018
Messages
105
So I am in the market for a nice folding knife. I have my fixed blade on order and it is a loveless chute knife and should be done in the next couple weeks. I looked around for custom folders but didn't find any that I liked and the ones I do like are 5K and up which is about 4K more than I am ready to spend. ANYWAYS.....

Searching around I came across an Al Mar Folding Knife. While it is from 1980 it is supposed to be in perfect condition and seems somewhat historic. So I have two questions:

How much should a knife like this be worth?
Is it a quality knife or just a collectors piece?

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Pilsner said:
Can’t tell you how much it’s worth, but it is both a quality knife and a collectors’ item. :)

As a buyer, if I got this in mint condition I wouldn’t want to use it, but that’s just me.
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I wouldn't use it for anything too hard just basic edc knife use. My only hold up is paying 700 for an almost 40 year old knife that I cannot find much info about
 
I have the original Al Mar SERE. It's a solid folder and good locking mechanism. Part of the scale by a cross pin is buggered up and even with that imperfection I was offered $500 for it. I still have it...it has sentimental value. The original sheath is a heavy duty beast as well. Check with some of the higher-end knife shops to get some estimates of its value. I would agree though that if it's in excellent condition, it would be hard to use...



ROCK6
 
Look through some old Fighting Knives etc magazines. There was plenty on it when they came out. They aren't that big of deal on the collector market as a lot were made.
 
Al Mar makes fine knives. I'm pretty sure the older vintages are even nicer than the contemporary offerings.
 
My only other question I guess before I buy it....I saw another post where a guy broke his while using it for chopping. Obviously I will not be using it for chopping as it’s not designed to do so. However, he said the pin was sheared off by the brass in the knife because the pins are not hardened. Is that something I need to worry about or proactively replace before it breaks or just use it as I normally would and fix it when the time comes?
 
Jandlcustoms said:
My only other question I guess before I buy it....I saw another post where a guy broke his while using it for chopping. Obviously I will not be using it for chopping as it’s not designed to do so. However, he said the pin was sheared off by the brass in the knife because the pins are not hardened. Is that something I need to worry about or proactively replace before it breaks or just use it as I normally would and fix it when the time comes?
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The guy to whom you refer has been banned from Bladeforums for spouting nonsense. He chopped into hard wood, frozen hard wood, with a folder. Folders are not designed for chopping in that way. He was a prize buffoon.
 
Pilsner said:
The guy to whom you refer has been banned from Bladeforums for spouting nonsense. He chopped into hard wood, frozen hard wood, with a folder. Folders are not designed for chopping in that way. He was a prize buffoon.
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This ^ any blade can be destroyed if used incorrectly.
 
Some people just don't understand how to treat a knife. Every tool has a purpose.
I think I am going to purchase it tomorrow morning. Now I'll just have to sell a few knives to recoup the cash!
 
691B577F-D0BC-44CE-B616-B3F38D1A6306.jpeg I actually found the same knife but it comes still in the box brand new and it also comes with a leather sheath? I haven’t seen this in anything so far. Can anyone shed some light?
 
My only hint that it is aged is the leather looks aged but that could easily be a stain or a number of things
 
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