Art Ullis Folding Hunter

[eisman]

I live just outside of the City of Tacoma, WA. There have been several knife companies located in and around the Puget Sound Area, but very few of those marked their knives as such, and fewer marketed "traditional" style. Tim Wegner's BladeTech is a good example.

Art Ullis is often called a cutlery importer, and that was a part of his business, but correctly his was a Sporting Goods Importer, the main business being (as far as I can tell) in fishing rods and lures. You can still find these around, but rarely in good shape, and the collectors of those items could probably enlarge on what information I have picked up from talking with locals who go back a ways. Art Ullis went out of business in the late 1970's.

I've been keeping an eye out for good knives with his trademark, but they are rather scarce. (I'm also looking for a catalog if anyone has one.) All the knives I've found are of German (folders, hunting fixed blades, kitchen cutlery) or Swedish (pukka and fillet) manufacture, although I've had people tell me he also used Japan. I've found lures marked "Japan" but no knives.

I recently acquired this large (4.5" closed) folding hunter which appears unused. It was dropped on it's tip, and as far as I can tell that was enough for the previous owner to put it away unused.

This is a well made knife, marked as "Hammer Forged" and "Solingen Germany". The blade have clean grinds, there's no play, and the pull is around a 6-7. The fit and finish is very good, comparable to any manufactured knife from the late 60's - 70's.

 

[315]

Having worked in Tacoma the last 28 years I think that’s kinda cool I didn’t grow up here but know several people that did. I’ll have to ask around to see if any remember the name. Did he have an actual store front or was he just a reseller of his branded items?

 

[eisman]

Having worked in the industry (Hunting and Fishing gear) I'm pretty sure he was a small to mid sized salesman/distributor. I cannot find any record of a storefront. Most of those guys had connections in various countries and either imported direct or had stuff made with their name on it. Probably a small warehouse and 1-2 outside sales reps (on commission) who were usually guys that fronted several lines at once. When I was doing that I had commercial plastics, hobby kits from Hong Kong, machine tools and gun parts from Germany, and anything else I thought I could sell.

 

[John A. Larsen]

I have run across several different Art Ullis knives and given them to a good friend, but I have never seen a knife as nice as the one that you found, nice! John

 

[tltt]

Last listing I can find for Art Ullis is from a 1981 fishing gear directory -

Art Ullis, Inc. 3721 S. Lawrence, P.O. Box 11303 Tacoma, WA 9841 1 Tel.: (206) 474-5118
John J. Ullis, President.
Primary Market Areas: Pacific Northwest. Products: Knives; Reels, fishing

There is still a John J Ullis listed in Washington, his facebook also comes up easily searching the name too. Perhaps you might drop him a note.

That last address is indeed a smaller industry building.

The knife itself looks like an Eye Brand / Schlieper contract.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Very cool, I've got an Art Ullis fishing knife with gutting spoon made by Mora as close as I could figure.

In my experience with this I'd say they didn't import junk.

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

There was a time (70's) when most of the small independent hardware stores here in SW Washington carried displays from either Ullis or Coast Cutlery (Portland). I met the owner's son at the Eugene OKCA show in the 80's selling out the remainder of his father's cutlery inventory.

 

[eisman]

So I recently found another Art Ullis knife in very good condition. This is a rather basic knife, with cast scales, in a pattern that's not uncommon. I've seen a number of these, and always liked the "tools" theme, but this is the first I've found with this etching on the side.

i feel like I should know the trademark (which looks like a feeler gauge set) but can't recall it. Any help with IDing that gratefully accepted.

 

[eisman]

Here's another Art Ullis branded German made knife. Really nice horn scales on this near mint Trapper.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I'm even more confident now that they didn't contract low quality knives.
You've got a great collection going and they all appear to be fine quality, I'm glad I sent that Ullis fishing knife I had to you.

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

Price and quality wise their folders were kind of mid-level. Better than the common Japanese knives of the period but probably not up to Case, Ka-Bar, Western or Queen then.