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How are the quality of puma knives?
- Thread starter lreed
- Start date
back in the early 80's i had a buck 110 and a puma. the puma was scary sharp right out of the box. I decided to buy one recently and was really disappointed at the poor edge the new one had. i put my own edge on with a set of arkansas whetstones. now it's a razor but for the money, new puma knives are terrible. look at other knives, there are plenty out there.
glockman99
RIP Dann, you were a good guy.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2000
- Messages
- 21,269
Somewhere close to 40 years ago I had a Puma White Hunter...THAT was a NICE knife...Nothing like the junk Puma's now-a-days...
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1
I agree with other on here, I have an older Puma 971 game warden folding knife with a wickedly sharp blade and a bone saw, it was hand made in Germany. My father gave to me when I was a kid in the mid 1970's, it was either made in the late 60's or early 70's. It is one of the best knifes I own, I love it. I don't know if the newer ones are still hand made in Germany like my knife but if you ever find one, buy it...
I was collecting Pumas late 70s,80s and 90s. I loved the lockbacks, brass bolsters, samber stag. But would get a folder with play in the blade on occassion. Especially the Medici, but never complained. I always bought my Puma knives from a gun shop in Sydney. Honestly I don't think their folders where the great quality they advertised in those days. The fixed blsde knives I really liked because of their strength and beauty. By my records I had 39 ''old school'' Pumas which have been mostly sold. I must say the old Pumas are beautiful knives but not perfect knives.
herisson
Apple slicing rocking chair dweller
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 4,754
You can still buy good knives from Puma but I admit it needs some serious picking... I can't understand their constant use of 440A (for over 20 years...) but the Solingen range (still made in Germany) holds some nice items if you like that kind of traditional german hunter knives. Their IP range (made in Spain) is very affordable and uses mostly 440C. Nothing stellar but good value and the spanish flavour adds a special appeal, IMHO. This little Bowie style knife is a great fixed EDC. I like it a lot. Massive stag scales and a nice (a tad thick for my taste) blade, but, hey, if I ever need to pry open a door...
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2003
- Messages
- 20,201
Lovely Prince, I've been trying to find one like that with the stag handles to buy. I have a couple of the similar model 470 with the stainless steel bolsters and green plastic handles, could always get them sharper than any other knife I owned. It was my EDC for many years. I preferred the 470 over the buck 110, as it was lighter, and thinner in the pocket, and always stayed sharper. My son has the Buck now.
I have an early 80's White Hunter, and a late 70's Trail Guide. I think I paid around $86 CDN for the WH when in university. The Trail guide I bought recently, and it cost a small fortune for NIB. Both of these knives have the Pumaster steel, which, although not stainless, had some sort of chrome finish which is still in virtually perfect shape after all these years. Both will take a razor sharp edge pretty easily.
Interestingly, I saw an early Chris Reeve knife on a video that was almost identical to the WH shape.
I have an early 80's White Hunter, and a late 70's Trail Guide. I think I paid around $86 CDN for the WH when in university. The Trail guide I bought recently, and it cost a small fortune for NIB. Both of these knives have the Pumaster steel, which, although not stainless, had some sort of chrome finish which is still in virtually perfect shape after all these years. Both will take a razor sharp edge pretty easily.
Interestingly, I saw an early Chris Reeve knife on a video that was almost identical to the WH shape.
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2003
- Messages
- 20,201
Pessimist!
Finally picked up a Prince. Year is 2001, but it is very nicely ground and finished, and locks up like a vault. Too nice to use, and expensive to boot, but was new in box, I couldn't resist!
lambertiana
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2000
- Messages
- 9,217
Pictures or it didn't happen.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
- Messages
- 1,109
I have one. Quality was Ok. A lot of their knives were being made in Spain.
Still like my vintage Puma knives: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/my-vintage-puma-collection.821762/
- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 9,740
I don't know about the quality of Puma knives now, but 30+ years ago they were highly regarded, although I never quite liked their White Hunter model -- it seemed clumsy for a hunting knife. A friend of mine in Bella Coola, the game warden, had a beautiful stag handled Puma folder his wife had bought for him in Victoria for $5 (it should have been $50, but she and the sales clerk agreed that must have been an error because no knife was worth that much
). He pretty well wrecked it by hammering it through a spruce root after he and his party got dumped on a coastal river after their boat hit a snag. He sent it back to Puma, which repaired it and sent it back with a stern note that the knife was not made for hammering through roots.
). He pretty well wrecked it by hammering it through a spruce root after he and his party got dumped on a coastal river after their boat hit a snag. He sent it back to Puma, which repaired it and sent it back with a stern note that the knife was not made for hammering through roots.I got this knife from a store about a week ago, and I haven't used it yet. The blade is 4" long and the knife is still in production. Just for curiosity, I googled "puma" and "bladeforums" and got this thread. Most of the comments are negative and honestly indicate they are based on hearsay. These comments do not provide many specifics, discuss mainly folders, and the verdict is forty years ago the brand was good but then went downhill.
The knife I bought has no visible flaws - flush tang and rivets with the olive wood scales, no cracks, the blade profile is same on each side, sharp, the tip is good. There was a sticker with an arrow an the other side of the blade pointing to the tiny mark left from the hardness testing. The knife looks good and feels good. Oh, and just to know, the blade is 3.75mm thick, not 4mm as advertised, but I like it this way.
The knife I bought has no visible flaws - flush tang and rivets with the olive wood scales, no cracks, the blade profile is same on each side, sharp, the tip is good. There was a sticker with an arrow an the other side of the blade pointing to the tiny mark left from the hardness testing. The knife looks good and feels good. Oh, and just to know, the blade is 3.75mm thick, not 4mm as advertised, but I like it this way.
That knife is Puma's IP (International Production) line which is now handled by Joker of Spain usually, and are good. The quality of the actual German made line has gone down compared to the 50's - 90's knives. Some of it can't be helped like stag quality, but some things like the fit and finish is off compared to those years too.
Puma's Chinese SGB line is all over the map quality wise too.