How are PUMA knives?

H

huh

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Jan 2, 2002
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I've been seeing PUMA knives with high prices, but know nothing about this brand. Can someone tell me something about this brand? Many of the PUMA knives have "HAND MADE" on their blades, are they really handmade? And what does the "four star" mean? Thanks a lot!
 
I have several Pumas with plans to buy others. Except for the Scout mine all have stag scales and are in a traditional style with brass guards. I don't like the guardless "New Generation" series which is an attempt to give the Puma line a contemporary look.

Puma is one of the better mid-price ($100-300) production brands. The blades are finely machined and the stag well-fitted. In additon most knives are furnished with a leather sheath. One thing I notice (on recent production anyway) is that the short side of the guard has some roughness where it was cut, but I don't consider that to be a serious shortcoming.

I don't know what distinguishes the 4-Stars from other Pumas. All the 4-Stars I've seen have been folders which I have little interest in, so I haven't examined them very closely. Once in a great while I will see a folder that I must have, but I'm interested mainly in large heavy fixed blades.

I don't know how much handwork goes into each Puma, but I haven't seen any knife made by them that looks like it was stamped from a roll of sheet metal (some Bokers do). There are slight differences between knives of the same model number, so I would guess that the amount of handwork is considerable.

More information on the Puma line can be found at http://pumaknives.de.
 
Thanks for the info on puma's fixed blades. Maybe I should buy one in the near future, puma's bowie looks pretty good. Currently I am looking at a "four star" stag folder. How is the blade material of puma knives? And as which american brand will you rate puma's quality?
 
Ive owned only three pumas ever. The first was an original white hunter, the second was a lockback I purchased while stationed at Rheinmain AB Germany in the late 80's early 90's. I have to say they were both wonderful knives.

The third I purchased earlier this summer. It was a puma handtec with stag inlay. Well I was excited until I opened the box and the inlay was half attached by a piece of hot glue to the handle. well it was a disappointent!! I promply sent to back to where I purchased it. The Place I bought it from told me they had had a problem with puma, and some other companies hot glueing inlays into the handles.:eek:
 
The chemical compositions of the steels Puma uses are listed at their website.

My knives are made from a stainless called W-Nr 1.4116 (which the Puma site inexplicably refers to as "DIN 4116"). This is equivalent to DIN x50CrMoV15 which is what Wusthof uses in their kitchen knives. I cannot find an ASTM steel with a similar composition, but 1.4116 doesn't seem to have any remarkable properties.
 
Originally posted by Silver Puss
My knives are made from a stainless called W-Nr 1.4116 (which the Puma site inexplicably refers to as "DIN 4116"). This is equivalent to DIN x50CrMoV15 which is what Wusthof uses in their kitchen knives. I cannot find an ASTM steel with a similar composition, but 1.4116 doesn't seem to have any remarkable properties.
Click to expand...

The "DIN" descriptions are German industry norms.

Puma makes money off their (IMO nowadays undeserved) reputation as a first class hunting knife company (mainly for the non-knife knuts among hunters - at least in Germany there are plenty of those). Puma offers good knives at very high prices.

Just take a look at the "Puma System" while viewing the above-mentioned website. Do you really think carrying one handle and three interchangeably usable blades/saws etc. is a great idea?

Or what about those mini-integral knives they offer? Those are three-finger-knives made from 440 B.
Three of them come without any handle material: pure integrals...they cost 250 Euros, ´nuff said.
 
I've owned a couple of the Puma 4-Star mini folders. Very well made, and good quality materials. The handles are not "glued on", rather they are pinned. Great little gentlemanly type knives that have decent steel, and tight lock-up. I would recommend the mini 4-Stars, but not at any higher than $25-35 that they can be found for on ebay. My favorite is the pearl handled one. Got a great deal on them a few years ago, 2 for $40!!!:eek: Gave one to my brother, kept the other.

He still carries his (mine has been traded), and keeps it nice and sharp. I would have never thought pearl was so tough.

DD
 
Puma knives used to be great. Prices have always been high, but recently the quality has slipped way down to the point where the prices are not justified. I mean, some Puma knives I have seen lately have been very sloppy. Also, some of the new designs with the plastic handles are very ugly.
 
The answer to your question depends on which Puma knife you are looking at. I think the 4 star are generally pretty good. I have the fixed blade, and at one time had the folder.

As was stated above, the quality has gone down in recent years, at least on some of their more recent designs. Puma has been offering "low cost" versions. They priced themselves out of the market in the mid 80s, and are now trying to get back in.

I have several Pumas from the early 80s and they are all high quality, semi-production. The steel was hot rolled and then hot forged, and heat treated well, and will outperform any of the 440 or AUS series. You can still get this level, to some degree, with various models they make. Just make sure that the particular knife you are looking at has an individual hardness test (Rockwell test mark on the blade). In general, the knives with pinned stag handles are good, but they can get expensive. These are the "traditional" hunting blades they make, not the newer laser cut varieties. Some of them are also available with wood handles.

The 4 star folder is a nice one, and also comes in a wood handle. Just make sure it has the individual hardness test.
 
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