- Joined
- Aug 23, 2004
- Messages
- 382
No dissertation on pre-Leatherman multi tools would be complete without some considerable discussion of the Barnett Plier-Knife. Also commonly referred to as the HHH knife, this tool was patented on November 20, 1900 by James C. Lewis of Tracey, California. It was then apparently built for, and marketed by, a surprisingly large number of companies. Many hardware wholesale houses distributed them, as did national retail mail order firms such as Sears & Roebuck Company. The most common stamping I have seen is O. Barnett Tool Co., Newark, New Jersey, along with the Trade HHH Mark logo on the knife blade itself.
Oscar Barnetts tool was certainly not a gimmick, trinket, or toy. Of the fifty or so examples Ive seen over the years, every single one shows considerable signs of use. Some are certainly in better condition than others, but not one has been mint. This tool was designed to be used, and used they were. I interpret this as quite a testimonial for the design. The Barnett Tool is slim, ergonomic, easy to carry as an ordinary pocket knife, yet eminently more capable.
The tool measures 4-1/8 inches long, and comes equipped with handles of jigged bone. In addition to the pliers and clip point knife blade, there is also a very useful awl blade. The plier handle itself doubles as a hoof pick, while the protruding center plate of the tool is cut and shaped to form a standard screwdriver blade. The wire cutter portion of the plier jaws is more than adequate for dealing with common barbed wire or bailing wire. All-in-all, a very well thought out and versatile tool.
There has been some debate about exactly how long the various manufacturers produced Barnett Tools. Advertisements I have still show new ones available into the late 1910s. As would be expected, there was some minor evolution to the design during these fifteen-plus years of production. Sometime along the way, light checkering was added to the plier jaws for a better grip, the groove pattern in the jaws themselves were altered, and the plier handle / hoof pick was beefed up and strengthened. Other subtle variations include a wide variety of stampings on the base of the plier handle and knife blade, and a bail for those turn-of-the-century horsemen who preferred to secure their tool with a lanyard.
Even though the Barnett Plier Knife was patented at the end of the 19th century, it was by no means the very first multi tool. However, it WAS the first multi tool to be mass produced, widely distributed, and generally available to everyone at a modest price. Selling for the princely sum of $1.25 when first introduced a hundred years ago, typical prices today range from $150 to $200. And while certainly more pricey than they were a few years ago, the Barnett Tool is not what I consider to be uncommon. At any given moment, there is generally one or more available for sale on eBay.
If you are as fascinated with old tools as I am, you just might want to consider acquiring one of these great-granddaddies of the multi tool family.
~Bob
Oscar Barnetts tool was certainly not a gimmick, trinket, or toy. Of the fifty or so examples Ive seen over the years, every single one shows considerable signs of use. Some are certainly in better condition than others, but not one has been mint. This tool was designed to be used, and used they were. I interpret this as quite a testimonial for the design. The Barnett Tool is slim, ergonomic, easy to carry as an ordinary pocket knife, yet eminently more capable.
The tool measures 4-1/8 inches long, and comes equipped with handles of jigged bone. In addition to the pliers and clip point knife blade, there is also a very useful awl blade. The plier handle itself doubles as a hoof pick, while the protruding center plate of the tool is cut and shaped to form a standard screwdriver blade. The wire cutter portion of the plier jaws is more than adequate for dealing with common barbed wire or bailing wire. All-in-all, a very well thought out and versatile tool.
There has been some debate about exactly how long the various manufacturers produced Barnett Tools. Advertisements I have still show new ones available into the late 1910s. As would be expected, there was some minor evolution to the design during these fifteen-plus years of production. Sometime along the way, light checkering was added to the plier jaws for a better grip, the groove pattern in the jaws themselves were altered, and the plier handle / hoof pick was beefed up and strengthened. Other subtle variations include a wide variety of stampings on the base of the plier handle and knife blade, and a bail for those turn-of-the-century horsemen who preferred to secure their tool with a lanyard.
Even though the Barnett Plier Knife was patented at the end of the 19th century, it was by no means the very first multi tool. However, it WAS the first multi tool to be mass produced, widely distributed, and generally available to everyone at a modest price. Selling for the princely sum of $1.25 when first introduced a hundred years ago, typical prices today range from $150 to $200. And while certainly more pricey than they were a few years ago, the Barnett Tool is not what I consider to be uncommon. At any given moment, there is generally one or more available for sale on eBay.
If you are as fascinated with old tools as I am, you just might want to consider acquiring one of these great-granddaddies of the multi tool family.
~Bob
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