Hammer Brand?

[afishhunter]

I understand that the Hammer Brand was /is part of the Imperial Schrade family of knives (and now part of the Taylor - Schrade family of knives).

My question is, where in the lineup do they fit?
Imperial is the "economy" nothing fancy "working man's" knife.
Old Timer is (in my opinion) a fancier "working man's" knife.
The Uncle Henry, being the fanciest, with the highest polish on the bolsters, more of a manager's/supervisor's working knife. (Yes, as with cars, there is some overlap.)

I have one Hammer Brand knife, a Taylor made, 4 blade canoe.
Real jigged bone covers, well fitted sheild shaped shield, mirror polish on the blades and the nickle silver bolsters, making it somewhat fancier than an Uncle Henry, which did not have the mirror polished blades (at least not on the ones I had)
Generally speaking, was/is the Hammer Brand one step above the Uncle Henry?

 

[supratentorial]

...Generally speaking, was/is the Hammer Brand one step above the Uncle Henry?

What "was" and what "is" are very different. Hammer Brand was first used by New York Knife Co until the early 30s. Imperial (which started out separate from Schrade) bought the name and used it on a line of inexpensive knives. I'm not sure who currently owns the rights to the name... I thought it was Kevin Pipes, not Taylor, but I may be wrong. Did the name change ownership again? The names Imperial, Schrade, Old Timer, and Uncle Henry now belong to Taylor Brands. Basically, companies have done what Imperial did long ago (in the late 1930s). They bought an old name and used it on a line of inexpensive knives. It's interesting how opinions change over time. There used to be a LOT of negativity about the use of the old names on new knives. But people don't seem to mind anymore. I can't comment on individual differences between the new knives. It may have something to do with which manufacturer is making the knives for Kevin Pipes and/or Taylor Brands.

 

[afishhunter]

I presume Hammer Brand is one of the Taylor Brands, since that is on the box, and the Schrade warranty/"instruction manual" was in the box, with the knife. A quickie Google. (ok, it was really Bing) search said Hammer Brand was part of the old Imperial - Schrade family of knives, along with quite a few others, like NYKC, Ulster, and I forget what others, off the top of my head.
I thought Hammer Brand was one of the German makes, but I was wrong.

 

[supratentorial]

I think you presume correctly. I thought Kevin Pipes (SMKW) was using NYKco and Hammer Brand but I wasn't sure. Maybe he did in the past. If it says Taylor Brands on the box then that's what it is. Regarding the original brands, the history is too long to summarize in a post but there are some good books. Levine's Guide is the one that I recommend. I generally don't follow reproductions and Taylor history but I wouldn't doubt that there may have been some German made reproductions as well. There are a lot of US and foreign made reproductions of old knives as well as new knives stamped with old names.

 

[supratentorial]

Here is an original 85+ year old Hammer Brand Knife made by New York Knife Co

Nice Robeson Pocketeze with jigged bone. Looks to be in great shape. Here is a cigar jack in jigged bone with blade etch still visible. New York knife / Hammer Brand.

 

[RickT57]

The Hammer candy stripe toothpick switchblades were popular.Someone dear to me had one.

 

[Mort Canard]

I have a modern Hammer Brand Barlow that has "Taylor Brands LLC" on the box and is made in China. The logo claims that they have been made since 1852 but that goes back quite a few owners of the brand. The handle is pick bone and the knife has a high polish with an etched main blade. The fit and finish are decent and are about what I have come to expect from the Taylor Brands Schrades. My records indicate that the knife was bought for less than a ten-spot off the auction site.

I will try to post a pic in the next couple of days.

 

[afishhunter]

I have a modern Hammer Brand Barlow that has "Taylor Brands LLC" on the box and is made in China. The logo claims that they have been made since 1852 but that goes back quite a few owners of the brand. The handle is pick bone and the knife has a high polish with an etched main blade. The fit and finish are decent and are about what I have come to expect from the Taylor Brands Schrades. My records indicate that the knife was bought for less than a ten-spot off the auction site.

I will try to post a pic in the next couple of days.

The fit and finish on my 4 blade canoe is pretty good, not perfect, but acceptable. There is a minor gap between the pile side liner and spring, does not affect the usability, so not a big deal (especially for the price) the cover/bolster junctions are gapless, the pins are all flush. None of the blades have any wobble, fairly well centered; no blade rub, at any rate, they are also sharp enough to shave arm hair with no drag or pulling, and the grind on all the blades are even. The red dye on the covers is even mark side to pile side.
Overall, I'd say it should make a good EDC, and it will probably out last me.
Oh, and the shield is flush, not proud or recessed.

 

[Mort Canard]

This is my Hammer Brand Barlow. (from Taylor Brands) As I remember the price was very comparable to a Rough Rider Barlow.

The knife has brass liners and pretty well executed jigged bone handles. The bolsters are a golden color and lighter than the liners which leads me to wonder if they are plated. I do like the threaded bolsters but am not all that enamored of the swept handle. I think I would have prefered the traditional straight Barlow style handle. Still, lotta knife at the price point. :thumbup: