Hens and Roosters

Razor

Razor

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 8, 1999
Messages
3,975
No, not chickens but knives,haha. I just bought a H&R canoe in red jigged bone and it came razor sharp. I mean you could hardly touch the blade. I wish all knives came this way. Also, I was blowned away buy the fit and finish. It was as good as a GE. I sure am going to buy some more of these knives. Does anybody else own or like these knives? They are not real expencsive.:)
 
Such an abused name. Originally a mark of the Germany Bertram Co. that according to AG Russell and others made some of the finest production slip joints ever. Russell even bought them out of bankruptcy I believe. Then there are the Frank Busters made by Olbertz I believe to a pretty high standard. Yours is Chinese?
 
I have some older Hen and Roosters, but no new ones. I like the old ones a lot. I think the new ones are made by Robert Klass so the quality would be there. I may have to give one a try.
 
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Sadly, MarkPinTX may be right - possible Chinese construction. This is a quote from the collectorknives.net "Hen & Rooster" section:

"Folks, we have been seeing some Hen and Rooster knives lately that just don't look right! They are not etched, stamped, or assembled like those we are accustomed. The tang has also changed to say "Germany Steel" instead of "Bertram Cutlery". WE WILL NOT BE SELLING THE ONES MARKED LIKE THIS. We want to be able to know exactly what we are selling, and although these may be perfectly fine, we are just not willing to risk our reputation on them. Shop comfortably."

Don't flip out and think you've been snookered - some good knives are coming out of China these days. Just do a little homework on knives you want to buy and come here for opinions. The "Bernard Levine" sub-forum is a good place to go for identification and information too.

If you're happy with the knife you have, enjoy it.
 
tennessee226 said:
I think the new ones are made by Robert Klaus so the quality would be there.
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Sounds like an OK knife, but if they carry the Robert Klaas stamp I'm afraid that means very little to me personally one way or another. RK allow their name to be used by other manufacturers, and have no say whatsoever in the quality of the product or the materials used, they simply license their name, an example being their Black Angus and Brown Mule Sodbusters, which have been made in both China and Italy, with specifications and materials set by a US dealer. For a cutlery manufacturer of some past repute to allow their name to be used without any control over what it is being used on, and to accept their knives being sold dishonestly (the examples I gave above are still being sold as being made from 'Solingen High Carbon Steel') is not a good sign of integrity in my opinion.
 
Jack................


I was going to mention the same thing....between your post and Ed's I think we are seeing very few large manufactures still producing slip joints in Germany
 
Boggs said:
Jack................


I was going to mention the same thing....between your post and Ed's I think we are seeing very few large manufactures still producing slip joints in Germany
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Yes, it's a real shame to see Jim.
 
The last I heard, Jim Frost was having the last of the German made parts assembled in Chinee.
 
I didn't mean to disparage your knife at all. As Ed said, there are some pretty fine and likable knives coming from China these days. And actually I regret using the term abused. Unlike most brands that have changed hands (possible exception being Schrade) H&R has done so with a frequency and recency that makes it a very imprecise term to refer to a knife.
 
Razor said:
No, not chickens but knives,haha. I just bought a H&R canoe in red jigged bone and it came razor sharp. I mean you could hardly touch the blade. I wish all knives came this way. Also, I was blowned away buy the fit and finish. It was as good as a GE. I sure am going to buy some more of these knives. Does anybody else own or like these knives? They are not real expencsive.:)
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We want pictures! :)
 
rma100 said:
The last I heard, Jim Frost was having the last of the German made parts assembled in Chinee.
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Kinda funny that this should come up today. When I picked up our mail this afternoon, there was a flyer from a well known knife company advertising Hen & Rooster Knives. The thing is that they said the blades were made in Soligen Germany, and then listed the other parts (bolsters, liners, etc.) BUT no mention of where it was made (read assembled). If it was made in Germany, it seems their add would have said so.

Leads me to believe you are right Bob - at least that the knives are no longer assembled in Germany.

Oh, that company is also advertising genuine USA made Schrade fixed blade knives BUT in small print it says the knives are made from parts bought at the Schrade auction when Schrade went out of business and that the knives are assembled off-shore. Further it states that the slabs are non-USA made.

We gotta pay attention when buying knvies these days.
 
I've been wanting to get a stag Hen and rooster congress for a while, but I don't know what era I should search for. Are all the older Hen and roosters good quality? some seem to go for a pretty penny sometimes.
 
Just got a Hen and Rooster whittler earlier this week. The tang stamps just say German Stainless - Hand Made. Solid little knife, no matter where it came from. No blade play, no rubbing (if you open the main first), well finished for the price (one noticeable gap on the big end of the tapered backsprings, which are flush opened and closed), good red bone (walnut jigging) and strong snap on all blades. It'll do.
 
I have yet to post, as I spend most of my time on E-Bay trying to find Hen and Rooster Fixed Blades.I am probably nearing the 50 mark as far as collecting different patterns go, and have found these to be EXCELLENT knives, especially for the seemingly lower than others price. Although touted as being "German made knives" on their t.v. show, I find that many of mine are stamped "toledo spain". They all say Soligen Stainless Steel,and they hold an edge for a good long time. Their sheaths are some of the best I have seen on mass produced knives, and theirchoice of Stag is really impressive. They also make 4 patterns in a rubberized or zytel handle,and thesemake for GREAT working knives (still having the fine grade of leather sheaths,only done in black) that can be bought for around $30 depending on where you buy them. Try one out, I think you'll be very happy with your purchase!
 
Ryan Sumner said:
I've been wanting to get a stag Hen and rooster congress for a while, but I don't know what era I should search for. Are all the older Hen and roosters good quality? some seem to go for a pretty penny sometimes.
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Mike has one H&R stag congress for sale on his website. Looks like a real nice one at an affordable price. Bertram made.
Check it out here. 1st knife on line 4.
http://www.collectorknives.net/henandroosterknives.html

I'm assuming you're located in the USA.

I just ordered an H&R whittler from him. You can't go wrong ordering from Mike.
 
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