- Joined
- Aug 27, 2004
- Messages
- 2,523
I posted this on the original thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317889 , but figured it might get lost, so I thought I would bring it to the top. Here it is:
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I contacted Bear & Son Cutlery and informed them they were getting beat up pretty bad here, and offered them a chance to reply.
Below is an email that they sent me:
Thank you for the information. The trademark was never meant to deceive
anyone!
When we like all the manufactures looked for a replacement for Stag Horn.
When released a series called Genuine Red Stag Bone. Later we continued to
look for other replacements. After about 2 years we worked with our
supplier from India (who had supplied the Stag Horn), he brought to us a
Bone that was jigged and dyed to look like Stag Horn. We then called it
"Genuine India Stag Bone" there was a lot of thought put into this name.
The reasons are simply and made sense:
1. Many of the other manufactures turned to a plastic handle. For example,
Schrade called their handle "Staglon". Thus, we wanted our customer to
understand it was real bone not plastic. So just as we us on all our bone
handles we put the word "Genuine" in the front.
2. We wanted people to understand that it was a replacement for "Stag".
So we used the word stag in the description.
3. The bone is coming from India. Thus, the "India" in the trademark. We
put where it was coming from for 2 reasons:
A. It is larger than the shin bone from a cow so it would fit our
Bowie. Cows do not get big enough to provide a bone for the 5" handle on
our Bowie. Also, all bone is imported because we feed our cattle so many
growth hormones that their bones are brittle and thin.
B. It cost more than the plain shin bone that we get from South
America for our other bone uses.
4. We wanted the word "Bone" in the name to make sure that no one
misunderstands that this was Bone not Horn.
Case uses the term "Stag Bone". Both Case and Bear have worked hard to
insure that our customers understand the difference in the Horn and Bone.
The only people in this industry that is is the business of deception is the
imports that put American names on knives and then have "China" Etched on
the back of the blade so the consumer will not know from looking at the
package that the knife is an import. The few 100% American made companies
take more feedback because of the way we market items and the consumer
should be upset with the loss of American jobs from non-tariffed imports
with good names that they have come to respect as being American made. If
anyone has a question about how bad the imports have hurt this industry ask
the 300 employees from Schrade that lost their jobs because of Imports
putting Schrade out of business in July of this year!
I think that if those people in the forums looked at the top 10 knife
companies they would be much more upset about the import problem and what it
is doing to the American Industries that this country built and is now
slowly declining.
As for the employee that the member spoke to, she is paid to answer the
phone and perform office duties. She should not have made any comments
about what she doesn't know and like all employees they sometimes do not
handle everything as they should.
Please feel free to pass this information to the forum. I wish I had
access to reply, because I don't believe we have in anyway done anything
that is deceptive!
Thanks,
Bear & Son Cutlery
Cutlery that is Proud to be "Made in the USA"
---------------------------
I contacted Bear & Son Cutlery and informed them they were getting beat up pretty bad here, and offered them a chance to reply.
Below is an email that they sent me:
Thank you for the information. The trademark was never meant to deceive
anyone!
When we like all the manufactures looked for a replacement for Stag Horn.
When released a series called Genuine Red Stag Bone. Later we continued to
look for other replacements. After about 2 years we worked with our
supplier from India (who had supplied the Stag Horn), he brought to us a
Bone that was jigged and dyed to look like Stag Horn. We then called it
"Genuine India Stag Bone" there was a lot of thought put into this name.
The reasons are simply and made sense:
1. Many of the other manufactures turned to a plastic handle. For example,
Schrade called their handle "Staglon". Thus, we wanted our customer to
understand it was real bone not plastic. So just as we us on all our bone
handles we put the word "Genuine" in the front.
2. We wanted people to understand that it was a replacement for "Stag".
So we used the word stag in the description.
3. The bone is coming from India. Thus, the "India" in the trademark. We
put where it was coming from for 2 reasons:
A. It is larger than the shin bone from a cow so it would fit our
Bowie. Cows do not get big enough to provide a bone for the 5" handle on
our Bowie. Also, all bone is imported because we feed our cattle so many
growth hormones that their bones are brittle and thin.
B. It cost more than the plain shin bone that we get from South
America for our other bone uses.
4. We wanted the word "Bone" in the name to make sure that no one
misunderstands that this was Bone not Horn.
Case uses the term "Stag Bone". Both Case and Bear have worked hard to
insure that our customers understand the difference in the Horn and Bone.
The only people in this industry that is is the business of deception is the
imports that put American names on knives and then have "China" Etched on
the back of the blade so the consumer will not know from looking at the
package that the knife is an import. The few 100% American made companies
take more feedback because of the way we market items and the consumer
should be upset with the loss of American jobs from non-tariffed imports
with good names that they have come to respect as being American made. If
anyone has a question about how bad the imports have hurt this industry ask
the 300 employees from Schrade that lost their jobs because of Imports
putting Schrade out of business in July of this year!
I think that if those people in the forums looked at the top 10 knife
companies they would be much more upset about the import problem and what it
is doing to the American Industries that this country built and is now
slowly declining.
As for the employee that the member spoke to, she is paid to answer the
phone and perform office duties. She should not have made any comments
about what she doesn't know and like all employees they sometimes do not
handle everything as they should.
Please feel free to pass this information to the forum. I wish I had
access to reply, because I don't believe we have in anyway done anything
that is deceptive!
Thanks,
Bear & Son Cutlery
Cutlery that is Proud to be "Made in the USA"
We have selectively bred cattle to have finer bones for a long, long time. This way the buyer is getting more steak than scrap.
I had a small Bear pocket knife, a small stockman style with bone handles. It was a nice knife. Nice enough for someone to steal it. Whine about the handle description all you want, they're right about one thing, it's no different than supposed American knives with Japan or Taiwan stamped on the blade where you can't see it or failing to mention in their ad or description that the knife is imported. I used to be a Gerber fan, bought the last one in a blister pack. Never would have bought it if I'd seen the Taiwan on the blade. That's the same reason I won't buy a Kershaw, Cold Steel, or another SOG either.