Christy knife

C

CoffeeCat2112

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Over in the peanut cult thread, jackknife and Stich2442 explained to me what a Christy knife is. I fired up the google to read more about them, and it turns out they are still being made, on the original equipment, no less.

http://www.christycompany.net/

COMPANION-Out2.jpg


I've never heard of these before and just thought they were pretty neat.
 
That's funny I just put this up on the peanut thread.
THE HANDIEST POCKET KNIFE EVER DESIGNED
Today, Fremont, OH is known as “The Cutlery Capital of the World, and the 53-operation production line of the Christy Sliding Blade Pocket knife is operated and produced by machinist Hal R. Christy, son of Earl B. Christy. This 4th generation company continues to provide “the handiest pocket knife ever designed”.
 
I didn't want to get *too* off track over there, ha ha, plus I thought some more visibility might turn up some other members with them. :)
 
Back in the day when they came out, oh the 1930's I think, they were the original one hand knife. They got a bit of a rep because they were on sale in Navy exchanges and army PX's during the WW2 years. Sadly, time kind of passed them by, but they are a bit of history. I remember them from my childhood, as a semi common keychain knife that wasn't too expensive. The last several years of my father's life, arthritis in his hands caused him to stop carrying his peanut and take up the old Christy knife he had around.

They are kind of light construction by todays standards, but what you do get is a very thin blade that takes sharp edge and cuts like a box cutter. Dad gave one to my sister Anne and taught her how to have the keychain around her little finger and have it right in her hand out of sight. When Anne was in her early 20's, she turned the table on a would be rapist using her little Christy knife like dad showed her.

They are a neat cutlery artifact. Nice to know they are still going.

Carl.
 
My grandmother has carried one in her purse for I don't know how long. Fifty years, probably. I'd be willing to bet my grandfather bought it for her in the PX at Fort Hood, and he passed away in 1969.
 
OH my lord my grandma gave me one of those knives, she said she had been carrying it all her life....she opened the knife and gave me it (when i was a kid) and said i could keep it if i could figure out how to close it!! i cant believe they still make this
 
Christyjpg.jpg


They can be set up left handed, too. I carried one for a while in high school and, like the peanut, nobody gets intimidated by it. Most people thought it was the neatest thing since sliced bread, actually. Very thin, flexible (and replaceable!) blades.

Now that I think about it, why the heck aren't I carrying it today? (Today is a knife-in-loose-with-my-keys day, and it's perfect for that. Dunno what I was thinking this morning, I grabbed a cheap plastic-handled lockback instead.)
 
Those are neat, too. I also remember seeing them as advertising knives as a kid, but I never had one.
 
I had never seen one as well. Interesting knife for sure.
It will probably never beat my SAK as keyring knife, but it does look handy. And it's always nice to see this sort of things keeping up through decades.

Fausto
:cool:
 
4.5 year old thread recycling, I like it! I have never seen one of these knives before, I am going now to look them up...
 
I’m glad this got bumped. I need to pick one up as a part of knife history.
 
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