Custom Rigid knives made by Buck knife Employee

honesttom

honesttom

Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
585
I found these on ebay and thought the history/info is interesting, the fingergrooves on the folder remind me of a couple old FG 110's i have and some i have seen, i've always wondered if my old 110 fg's were done by an employee or by someone in their garage. I know Joe H. has mentioned before about some early FG being done by employees. Check them out. Read the item description. I really like some of the blade designs, stag handles would look great.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-Rigid-Kn...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item230591fff2
 
honesttom said:
I found these on ebay and thought the history/info is interesting, the fingergrooves on the folder remind me of a couple old FG 110's i have and some i have seen, i've always wondered if my old 110 fg's were done by an employee or by someone in their garage. I know Joe H. has mentioned before about some early FG being done by employees. Check them out. Read the item description. I really like some of the blade designs, stag handles would look great.


http://cgi.ebay.com/Custom-Rigid-Kn...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item230591fff2
Click to expand...

HT,
These were made in stag also, but not many. I have one of the Rigid folders, they are way beefier than a 110! IMHO these are way over priced.

jb4570
 
Interesting story. The grinds do look like the Bucks of the era; hollow, convex combo. Big, blocky, heavy looking knives.
 
I can't get the link to work, but I have a Rigid Apache folder that I bought between 1976 and 1979 that looks like the description. Also a heavy Bowie and a drop point hunter. The drop point is actually sleek with nice nickel/silver bolsters---but the others are big and blocky, as described above.

DancesWithKnives
 
Those are cool looking, looks like the Kalingazized all the types of fixed blades available at the time
 
OK, now the links are working for me. Looking at the photo in the first post, I have the Bowie on the upper right and the folder on the lower left. I've used them both so they are not in pristine shape but still very good.

Your comment about the Kalinga influence is well taken. However, when you pick up a big Rigid, it makes the Kalinga seem sleek and stylish in comparison. The Rigids have very heavy, squared off grips. The grip on my Bowie would need a lot of sanding to be comfortable.

DancesWithKnives
 
9 customs for $1500....thats $166 apiece. whats the going value of one of them by themself? BTW, thanks for the share, i wasnt aware of the connection.
 
DWK2 said:
OK, now the links are working for me. Looking at the photo in the first post, I have the Bowie on the upper right and the folder on the lower left. I've used them both so they are not in pristine shape but still very good.

Your comment about the Kalinga influence is well taken. However, when you pick up a big Rigid, it makes the Kalinga seem sleek and stylish in comparison. The Rigids have very heavy, squared off grips. The grip on my Bowie would need a lot of sanding to be comfortable.

DancesWithKnives
Click to expand...

They give me the Kalinga impression primarily cause nearly all have a more upswept blade tip than normal(except big skinner) but also the gaurd is kalingaish(hey thats a new word-call webster:p)
 
You are correct---there's a definite Kalingazoidal influence. My only Rigid that is not Kalingoid in nature is a little drop point skinner with nickel/silver bolsters that isn't featured in the collection for sale.

DancesWithKnives
 
Thanks for the thread. I didn't know about the Buck/Rigid connection.

Very interesting.

A novice seller recently sent me one by mistake (instead of a NIB Three-Dotter). So I had the opportunity to examine one.

Not impressed.

Sturdy and drop-dead ugly.
 
The fixed blades had Kalingacidal tendencies but were not as comfortable in the hand. The Apache folder doesn't feel too bad to use but it seems to weigh almost as much as two 110s.

Rigid also made a few truly massive 18-24" knives in Bowie and Arkansas Toothpick configurations that weighed several pounds. I think the Bowie was made from close to 1/2" stock. Probably designed for the Kalingon Empire.

DancesWithKnives
 
BG42EDGE said:
Thanks for the thread. I didn't know about the Buck/Rigid connection.

Very interesting.

A novice seller recently sent me one by mistake (instead of a NIB Three-Dotter). So I had the opportunity to examine one.

Not impressed.

Sturdy and drop-dead ugly.
Click to expand...

Post a photo of the one you got sent BG I'd like to see it. Remeber these are the old school Rigid knives. All of the current ones are POS china crap, made under the Rigid name!
jb4570
 
I sent the knife back already, JB......I was a little worried when I got this huge, ugly, bizarre knife instead of my NIB Three-Dotter.

Then I looked and found they (the Rigids) were going on e-Bay for three times what I had paid for the Three-Dotter, so I was pretty sure I was going to get a happy outcome.

Anyhow, it was not my cuppa tea. Everything did work out ok and I got my Three-Dotter, BTW.
 
gee:foot:
ok as no one else has poped up with information
..yada yada ;;;:foot:
:foot:
EDIT !!
this post suggested i thought they may have used some
buck blanks in their blades!!
THEY DID NOT USE BUCK BLADES!
the design of their lock backs was such that they
could not use buck blades!
 
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Sold for $1,000. or $111.11 each not counting display case case.

May be strong knives and well built, but not for me.
 
334dave said:
gee:thumbdn:
ok as no one else has poped up with information
i will not reviell were i got my information
but it is from more then two sources

yes the one dude worked at buck
many of the knives look like buck knives for a reason
as i think the soft blanks were stolen from buck
i an not saying that all the knives the dudes made were stolen blanks
but that i think that a good part of them were..
i know that the 112 size used to interchange with a 112 blade&frame

the one dude was told that it was known that he was selling knives i
n his on venture and it was known that a lot of the knives
looked like they were modified buck blades..

he was told that he needed to make a choice to work for his self or for buck
he said he would work for buck .. a mouth or so later or so he was let go ..
it is my personal belief that he was caught steeling blank blades and was
let go for cause..
now they seem to make a good knife but as youa'l observed
the designs for their main line knives appear to be stolen from buck
again this is my own belife from were i talk to folks
not transcrip from some book
read my sig line ...
Click to expand...

Don Collum, Bill Duff, & Dean Parks of Rigid Knives, in Santee CA were in direct comption with Buck at the time they were in operation. So it comes as no big suprise to me that there would be a lot of negitive comments about Rigid from the Buck side of the world. Rigid was making knives for quite some time, so I highly doubt that they were using Buck's soft blanks to make their company's knives, besides their knives were much bigger & thicker than Buck's knives. I never saw a 112 sized Rigid knife, please post a photo if one exists form the Collum, Duff, Parks era I'd like to see one.

I know that a lot of the folks who have worked for Buck over the years left the plant with knives they made for themselves (lunch box specials). Just ask ITE he finds many odd knives that left the factory with former employees and he buys some of them. So could it be that some lunch box knives were made prior leaving Buck's employment (maybe)? Again I doubt they would have been able to take enough materials to start their own shop.

Almost all knives from competitors look similar. All slippy's look the same to me, and many fixed blades look very similar, but other than wood & brass I don't think that Rigid's design's were stolen from Buck. Take a look at the Buck display from this time & compair it to the Rigid display from this time, sweeping tips & hollow grind just like a lot of the knives from this time, but thats it, Rigid and Buck knives look way different.

Rigid made quality knives at this time and I like them a lot. However, the Rigid knives were just eye candy IMHO as they were just to big to be practical in the field. Rigid Knives (1970 - 1980) went under just like many knife company's have. Now the Rigid name is stamped on overseas crap (to bad). That vintage Rigid set on ebay sold for 1K just like I thought it would, if I was wealthy I would have bought them;) $110 each not bad.

Thank god our Buck operation is still around to make our favorite knives:thumbup:
jb4570
 
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jb4570 said:
Don Collum, Bill Duff, & Dean Parks of Rigid Knives, in Santee CA were in direct comption with Buck at the time they were in operation. So it comes as no big suprise to me that there would be a lot of negitive comments about Rigid from the Buck side of the world. Rigid was making knives for quite some time, so I highly doubt that they were using Buck's soft blanks to make their company's knives, besides their knives were much bigger & thicker than Buck's knives. I never saw a 112 sized Rigid knife, please post a photo if one exists form the Collum, Duff, Parks era I'd like to see one.

... Again I doubt they would have been able to take enough materials to start their own shop.

Almost all knives from competitors look similar. All slippy's look the same to me, and many fixed blades look very similar, but other than wood & brass I don't think that Rigid's design's were stolen from Buck. Take a look at the Buck display from this time & compair it to the Rigid display from this time, sweeping tips & hollow grind just like a lot of the knives from this time, but thats it, Rigid and Buck knives look way different.

Rigid made quality knives at this time and I like them a lot. However, the Rigid knives were just eye candy...Now the Rigid name is stamped on overseas crap ...

Thank god our Buck operation is still around to make our favorite knives:thumbup:
jb4570
Click to expand...

well 334 wont say were he got his information
but i found this with google from here.. form your own judgment
(name deleated)Hi all,
I have a knife made by the old Rigid Knives (before the name was resurrected by United Cutlery) called "Black Feather." I think it was made some time in the early or mid 1980s.
The blade looks exactly like the blade on a Buck 112 Ranger (of that approximate vintage) with the same grind lines and such. The grip is made of black Micarta with no bolsters or liners. It's a very slick, well made little knife.
My question is, is the similarity to the Buck 112 just a coincidence, or is there some connection between Buck and that original incarnation of Rigid?
Also, if anyone knows any details about the Black Feather, I'd love to hear them such as what the blade steel might be and how common they are.
Thanks!
Larry Oden:
I was once told that a former Buck employee started Rigid knives. If that is so, it would explain the similarity you have noticed. Can anyone verify or add to this?
Joe Houser:
The guy who started Rigid used to work for us at Buck. This was way back, before i started in 1985. It was my understanding that he just loved to make knives and often did, on company time. Chuck finally told him he had to choose between his hobby or his job and the rest is history.
Vern Taylor:
Joe is right; but keep in mind that Chuck is about the most forgiving and the most gracious man I know (he learned it from his dad). I can't tell "the rest of the story" on an open forum.
Suffice it to say that your knife might actually have a BUCK blade in it.
I WAS there in '75 (and '65)

Rigid Knives was originally started by Bill Duff and Don Colaman formally of Buck Knives, Don passed away several years ago, But bill is still making knives up in Virginia City Nv. Address is
P.O. Box 694 Virginia City Nv. 89440
Ph.# 702-847-0566. Area code could have changed

i will leave you to your own beliefs
 
sharp dude said:
well 334 wont say were he got his information
but i found this with google from here.. form your own judgment
(name deleated)Hi all,
I have a knife made by the old Rigid Knives (before the name was resurrected by United Cutlery) called "Black Feather." I think it was made some time in the early or mid 1980s.The blade looks exactly like the blade on a Buck 112 Ranger (of that approximate vintage) with the same grind lines and such. The grip is made of black Micarta with no bolsters or liners. It's a very slick, well made little knife.
My question is, is the similarity to the Buck 112 just a coincidence, or is there some connection between Buck and that original incarnation of Rigid?
Also, if anyone knows any details about the Black Feather, I'd love to hear them such as what the blade steel might be and how common they are.
Thanks!
Larry Oden:
I was once told that a former Buck employee started Rigid knives. If that is so, it would explain the similarity you have noticed. Can anyone verify or add to this?
Joe Houser:
The guy who started Rigid used to work for us at Buck. This was way back, before i started in 1985. It was my understanding that he just loved to make knives and often did, on company time. Chuck finally told him he had to choose between his hobby or his job and the rest is history.
Vern Taylor:
Joe is right; but keep in mind that Chuck is about the most forgiving and the most gracious man I know (he learned it from his dad). I can't tell "the rest of the story" on an open forum.
Suffice it to say that your knife might actually have a BUCK blade in it.
I WAS there in '75 (and '65)/SIZE]
Rigid Knives was originally started by Bill Duff and Don Colaman formally of Buck Knives, Don passed away several years ago, But bill is still making knives up in Virginia City Nv. Address is
P.O. Box 694 Virginia City Nv. 89440
Ph.# 702-847-0566. Area code could have changed

i will leave you to your own beliefs
Click to expand...


It's nice to see you around Dude & Sharp as ever,

Here is the thread link you took your info from:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127289&highlight=Rigid

These guys did not own the Rigid company in the mid 80's, They had it from 1970 - 1980 (do a little more looking to see who owned it after 1980). I stand by what I said, the Buck camp would not and did not like the competition (who would). Bad blood, I'm sure there was and still is. Like I said I'm sure a lot of lunch box knives have been made and sold by Buck employee's over the years.

If these guys had stolen enough Blanks to keep their shop open for 10 years, they must of taken a warehouse full of the stuff ', not likely. Buck knives are some of the most copied knives ever made, are they not? The knives in the OP's linked auction don't look like they were made from any production Bucks blanks from that time!
Like I said, compare the Buck knife display -VS- the Rigid display from that time! (The display photo's were copied from the book "The Gun Digest Book of Knives", by B. R. Hughes and Jack Lewis, Copyright 1973, The Fixed blade layout was copied from "Blade's Guide To Knives & Their Values", KP books, 2005)


Ok I found this Rigid on the bay and will post a link for Rigid/112 comparison. The Rigid looks like a cross of Buck & Schrade lock backs.
The Rigid knife
2 1/4" blade
3 3/8" closed
5 7/8" overall
The Buck 112
3" blade
4 1/2" closed
7 1/4" overall
http://cgi.ebay.com/RIGID-USA-VINTA...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4ceddb966a
jb4570
 
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hi JB 4570
btw did you see thge email 300 sent on what a 4570 can do? speachless..

thanks for the link to what sharpe was quoteing from ..
i will copy and save that and this for referance in the future
i had some one tell me of that once but mostly

edit :
please see other post by me on this thread..
 
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