Another cutlery bites the dust?

Codger_64

Codger_64

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I know this is the Schrade Collector's forum, but I believe this news is somewhat relevant since this company did produce some Schrade pattern derivatives, most notably the Sharpfinger knives with various branding (Outdoor Life, Harley Davidson, Rigid), and I believe some Schrade patterns for Taylor Cutlery such as the X-Timer series of fixed blades.

After a week or so of chasing rumors of a chapter 13 reorganization bankruptcy filing, finally I have confirmation from two seperate sources of what was in fact a chapter 11 dissolution filing for United Cutlery. United Cutlery has declared bankruptcy and is going to be dissolved/sold according to a post by Kit Rae on a fantasy knife forum five days ago.

UC did file chapter 11 last Monday. I resigned as UC's product development director several months ago to pursue my own design business. I had been with them for 20 years and felt it was time to move on, though another one of my reasons was the direction the company was going. It was once a great company to work for and we did a lot of good projects there.

A few weeks ago UC laid off the entire PD staff, so it looks like any new projects are dead. They filed chapter 11 last week. There may be a chance they can reorganize and get bought by another company, though the LOTR license is gone.
__________________
Kit Rae
Kit Rae Design Studio LLC
www.kitrae.net

http://www.ucforums.com/showthread.php?t=3781&page=2

United Cutlery was started by four partners. Originally begun as a design and importing company in the sporting cutlery industry. As United markets grew, they started producing and distributing products under the United brand.

United Cutlery Brands was founded in 1984 by Kevin Pipes and John Parker (SMKW), David Hall and Phil Martin of Blue Ridge Knives. David Hall ran the operation. Hall bought out the last of the partners in 2000 and is now sole owner. Tomahawk is their sourcing division finding, importing and wholsaling knives from overseas. Arrowhead is their manufacturing division in East Tennessee. Arrowhead's President is Jim Hamilton. They use the latest CNC milling machines, laser cutters to cut blanks etc. The factory began running full tilt in August of 2003. They purchased some of the machinery from the ISC liquidation in late 2004.

I believe Kit Rae was one of the first employees. Kit was an artist and designer from the start, I believe, designing not only knives but the packaging artwork. He began doing collaborations with Gil Hibben, including the production versions of his Rambo knives. Over the years, Kit leaned more and more toward his own fantasy designs, a lot rooted in the Tolkien "Lord Of The RIngs" books influence. In about 1997, the success of his designs led Mr. Hall to add the Kit Rae knives as a seperate branded line.

You can spot Kit's knives in the television shows Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Millennium, The X-Files, Baylon 5, Crusade, Space Rangers, White Dwarf, Lexx, Good Vs Evil, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Witchblade, America's Most Wanted, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And in the movies The Lightening Incident, Gladiator, Natural Born Killers, From Dusk Til Dawn, Solo, Heavy Metal 2000, The Perfect Weapon, Timecop, Hideaway, Mr. Nice Guy, Jury Duty, Spawn, The Fifth Element, End of Days, Star Trek Generations, Dogma, Wishmaster 4, Queen of the Damned, Star Trek: Nemesis.

I am not a big fan of this type knife, but it is, afterall, knife history now, and Kit is a major player in the genre. He refers to his knives as " edged fantasy art". And that is as good of a description as any.

Codger
 
Interesting info, Mike. I think we all have seen these type of knives and laughed or raised our eyebrows. Heck, some of us even had knives like this in our foolish youth. Some of the stuff is "cutting" edge art design.

It's sad to see any knife company go under. The PC crowd is slowly winning their battle to outlaw knives.

Heck, kids can't even play tag at schools anymore, it's dangerous...:rolleyes:

If this keeps up, we'll end up fighting wars with pool floaties...

Glenn
 
Although I've never been a big UC fan, they have been around for a while and, if nothing else, they are the devil we know. They did alot of pioneering to increase cheap imports from Paki and China, and we all know how thats working out. I guess after a time, even UC couldn't really compete in the flooded, cheap import market that they helped create. Tough to make a buck on even the imports when you can buy 200 knives for 200$ TV shopping , doesn't leave much margin for profit, even for UC.
 
As with first Colonial, then Imperial Schrade, and also now with Camillus, while cheap imports played a role, there were a lot of other influences at play. I know it makes us feel better to blame:

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But I am reminded of the words of that great American philosopher Walt Kelly:

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Codger
 
OTguy said:
They did alot of pioneering to increase cheap imports from Paki and China, and we all know how thats working out. I guess after a time, even UC couldn't really compete in the flooded, cheap import market that they helped create.
Click to expand...

Ironic is it not?
"Hoisted with his own petard!" - Wm Shakespeare
 
I do hope the Arrowhead production facility can remain in operation. Otherwise, I'm with Rat Finkenstein.

-Bob
 
Whether I am a customer/fan of a particular cutlery and their products or not, I do hate to see any company go down that produces knives here in the U.S.

Arrowhead did make knives here, and the ones I have personally handled were well made knives. No, not high end like Canal Street is making, but some good using knives at reasonable prices. And they directly employed skilled American workers to make them.

Codger
 
Well said Codger.:thumbup:
I have to agree with you. While I have not collected United products, they are an American company & I am kinda partial to the home teams. I would rather see their products made here in the USA than in China.

It seems that a lot of those companies associated with Parker/Frost/Blue Ridge/SMKW have gone under (is far as I know BRK & SMKW are doing fine), but the knife companies haven't fared as well. I wonder what the reason for that is?

Just my $.02,
Dale
 
Arrowhead did make knives here...
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I did a bit of browsing at the major online knife dealers today and couldn't find anything from "Arrowhead". Also, a Google search showed that Arrowhead Cutlery sells only kitchen knives and has a Tampa, Florida address.
http://www.arrowheadcutlery.com/
Are United/Arrowhead knives for sale anywhere currently?

Another aspect of the loss, I recall seeing at AG Russell's some time ago a set of high quality traditional Rigid knives that were made in the USA. I see they're still in stock at AG's, but the United website has no information on that venture. So maybe it's something that United never followed through with?

-Bob
 
http://www.unitedcutlery.com/about/arrowhead.cfm

Rigid Knives was originally an Arkansas based cutlery that A.G. purchased in an effort to salvage the company and name. It was short lived, IIRC. United bought the name. And Stanley. Colt. Uzi. Harley Davidson. Outdoor Life. Ford. United States Army Ranger Association.
 
Codger, you are right about meeting the enemy. Its a pervasive mind set among many US citizens about cost, quality, and disposability. We demand ever lower prices, buisnesses respond by finding lower priced goods with lower quality. We use a item a few times, it breaks or wears out and we say " I ain't gonna pay 10$ for a knife that don't hold up, I'll just buy a bunch for 2.50 apiece and when they break, I'll just throw it away." Insert any item for the word knife in that phrase, clothing, shoes, appliances and the story will be similar. Its a cycle that will go on until we demand, with our dollars(the only language buisness understands) a product made here, by US citizens, that will last long enough to say you got your money's worth out of it. I don't see it happening, but its the only way saving most US manufactuing will work.
 
I had a service call this week on a pool built by a competator. He beat me on the $14,500 bid by a grand. He was cheaper, and that was all the customer saw. What I saw was a pool with dead spots in the corners and on the stair where bugs and leaves floated because the circulation system was placed haphazardly. A lot of that stuff had waterlogged and sunken because there was only one skimmer, not two to take the debris from the surface. I was to install a cover but the contractor concreted in the mounting cups for the ladder and handrails, so they could not be removed. I had to use a foam pad to kneel on the deck because the concrete finish was so rough it hurt. The pump and filter were an offbrand I refuse to use because they give poor service, and are hard to get parts for. The salt-to-chlorine generator was likewise. The pipes coming into the system used one valve on the suction side, none on the return. One valve. I use eight. But the homeowner saved a grand. And works his butt off to keep the pool clean and free of algae. But they saved a grand. I could have used the same materials and methods and beat him by a grand. But I don't play that game.

Codger
 
I also notice that the article tries to paint United Cutlery as a maker of the finest quality knives. If only this was true, they wouldn't have been crushed by the "crappy cheap import knife" trend they spearheaded.

Ironic, isn't it?
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
I also notice that the article tries to paint United Cutlery as a maker of the finest quality knives. If only this was true, they wouldn't have been crushed by the "crappy cheap import knife" trend they spearheaded.

Ironic, isn't it?
Click to expand...

No, United did not start the import knife trend. The fantasy knife trend, maybe. Knives have been imported here since the country was settled. The 1800's were a heyday for imports. The early/mid 1900's saw a flood of imports, as did the 1950's when Europe and Asia were recovering from WWII. Almost every American cutlery imports a portion of it's line now. And some of it is quite good. And not just the Japanese knives. Arrowhead made knives here, and employed Americans. Yes, United also imported knives of a different genre.

Codger
 
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