Anyone remember the late '80s tactical folders?

cbxer55 said:
I remember them. Never could convince myself to buy one of them. I remember Smokey Mountain Knife Works selling them in their catalog.
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I bought one on close-out at KMart. Interesting concept at the time but lousy execution with super thin blade and liner. I replaced it eventually with a Boker Brend that really wasn't much better.
 
I had forgotten about the Pumas and only knew of the Al Mar by reputation, you know, same as a Randall. Never actually saw one. Comes to that, still haven't. :)

Thanks for reminding me that Spyderco had started up during that same time period. Was the Police their first? I'm not a Spyderco fan, my girlfriend is. I'm trying to get educated, but I see on Amazon that the history of Spyderco book is like $450 and I honestly don't need that much education. :) :) :)

Cold Steel, it seems to me, started around that same time. What models were they producing? Did they start with the Recon 1? Was it something else?

Oh, and Benchmade was out there somewhere, I'm sure, but I never heard of them until way after I was out, so I'm wondering if they marketed to the military guys at all.

I mean, I spent time at Ranger Joe's drooling over the knife cabinet, too, but I don't recall a Benchmade at all. Though, to be fair, I'm getting old and my memory isn't what it was.
 
Bugout Bill said:
How much did higher end knives cost back in the day? Were knife prices always this high?
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Knives used to be a lot cheaper. IIRC, Cold Steel started the "expensive knife" trend with their Master Tanto, which I think was the first production knife over $100. Could be wrong here and there.
 
Kwon Kwang said:
Knives used to be a lot cheaper. IIRC, Cold Steel started the "expensive knife" trend with their Master Tanto, which I think was the first production knife over $100. Could be wrong here and there.
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What did Benchmade's sell for? Were they always up there in price?
 
Spyderco's first knife in the format we know em in, clip carried one hand opening serrated blade, was the Worker. The Police I believe was their second one of this type. Could be wrong though.
 
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The first knife I had that could be called a tactical folder was an EKA marketed as the Normark Big Swede in the late 70s. It had a 4" stainless clip point blade, a black plastic handle, and a fold-out brass lanyard ring. As I remember, it was a pretty good cutter; an OK knife that I thought was a lot better than my Dad & Grandpa's slipjoints.
It was my EDC until I got a Buck 112.
 
I had that Normark too. It was a great knife but I lost it to a police officer who must have needed it more than me. Hehe
 
;)Back in the eighties, the only folding knives I was aware of we're traditional slippies, Buck 110's and their like, and balisongs. Of course there were el cheapo flea market knives.

I only discovered "modern folders in the 90's. then began the sickness. ;)
 
Ahh the late 80s was when I got into knives! It was the first year of high school and my friend showed me a butterfly knife aka balisong and it went downhill from there :)

I remember drooling over a fully serrated Spyderco Endura, featured in a big ad in Soldier of Fortune magazine.

The only other folder that was really unusual was called a "tiger" knife, which was a lock back folder with a sub - hilt type guard and finger guard

tiger-folding-lock%20knife-KK651-50_LRG.jpg


I also bought Jeff Imada's "The Balisong Manual" and the Advanced one.

The industry has come a long way!
 
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GronK said:
I had several Gerbers in good steel, Gator, EZ Out, etc. with pouches, then my first with liner lock and opening stud, the POS Schrade Cliphanger, the worst folder ever made.
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LOL. I have a Cliphanger that I received as a gift, but that wasn't until after 1990. They were marketed heavily in Backpacker and other magazines.

I'm pretty sure the Gator was released in the 1980s, but I didn't buy one until 1990-ish. Not sure when the EZ Out was released.
 
The first real tactical folders I remember were Spydercos in magazine ads in the 80's. I saw one at a gun & knife show but couldn't afford one until my first Endura in 92. I don't recall when my first Benchmade was bought. It was a Panther in Gin 1. After the Spyderco maybe? I used mostly stainless lockbacks, or Carbon steel slippies before then. Carbon steel lockbacks were about impossible to find for a while.

Joe
 
Great thread!
I carried a Gerber LST with Micarta handles and an AG Russel Sting.
When I got a Spyderco Endura, the knife fever hit and is now, finally, subsiding. lol!
 
I remember Al Mar, Pacific Cutlery (to become Benchmade), SOG, Puma, Kershaw (when Pete Kershaw owned the company), and early Spyderco. Browning and Uncle Henry made Buck-like lockbacks. Had a few models of all of them back then.
 
cbxer55 said:
Spyderco's first knife in the format we know em in, clip carried one hand opening serrated blade, was the Worker. The Police I believe was their second on f this type. Could be wrong though.
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I think that you are correct. I too think that the Worker was the first. I was drawn to the Police when it came out and bought one along with one of the Sharpmakers so I could sharpen its serrated edge. I still have it. It is old and beaten and sharpened to death and its lock gave out finally, but it is still my first.
 
Was not in the Army at that time, but I did live near Fort Ord. Most of the soldiers I saw were carrying a Buck 110/112. During that time frame I was into Butterfly knives and carried a Pacific Cutlery Balisong with a Jody Samson ground blade. Really wish I still had that one. My favorite fixed blade was a Gerber Mark 1. Other than those most of my knives were slipjoints of some sort.
 
Daniel L said:
The only other folder that was really unusual was called a "tiger" knife, which was a lock back folder with a sub - hilt type guard and finger guard

tiger-folding-lock%20knife-KK651-50_LRG.jpg
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I remember how many of us kids had Tiger Knives on the playground back in mid-80's Calgary. :)
Everyone had a knife pretty much, but we punched each other in the face...with a spicing of groin kicks thrown in.
Ah, the 80's. :D
 
Halfneck said:
Was not in the Army at that time, but I did live near Fort Ord. Most of the soldiers I saw were carrying a Buck 110/112. During that time frame I was into Butterfly knives and carried a Pacific Cutlery Balisong with a Jody Samson ground blade. Really wish I still had that one. My favorite fixed blade was a Gerber Mark 1. Other than those most of my knives were slipjoints of some sort.
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I carried a Gerber Mk 1, myself at that time, taped upside down to the left shoulder of my web gear. Also had a folding Gerber of some unknown model in my right front pocket and one of those stainless steel boyscout kinds of knives (blade, awl, bottle opener/screwdriver, and can-opener) tucked in a boot top. Ah, the infantry.... :)
 
GronK said:
I had several Gerbers in good steel, Gator, EZ Out, etc. with pouches, then my first with liner lock and opening stud, the POS Schrade Cliphanger, the worst folder ever made.
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I'm not buying it. My First Production EZ Out says "1995". :D
 
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