Imperial for specialists

[Âchillepattada]

Hello,

Question about this Barlow : is there a way to know if it's a Chinese or an American production ?



Thanks a lot

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[screened porch]

They used to say PROV RI on them.
But I think the modern Chinese Schrade/Imperials have real bolsters with pins through them like normal knives, rather than the shell handles.

Except I'm confusing myself. The Chinese Schrades have through-pins instead of Swinden key. I don't know about the shell handles.

 

[BrotherJim]

... or Ireland. If made in Ireland, "Ireland" will be stamped below "Imperial"
If made in the USA, "Prov. R.I." will be stamped below "Imperial" as @screened porch pointed out (Providence, Rhode Island)
Yours has nothing stamped below "Imperial" ... In which case, I would assume the country of origin to be China

For example: I have a Schrade Old Timer 8OT Stockman and the tang is stamped "Schrade" with no country of origin stamp to be found anywhere on the knife, such as a vintage Schrade knife would have.
I know for a fact my 8OT was made in China. The box it came in says so ... they just didn't stamp "China" anywhere on the knife, only the "Schrade" tang stamp mark side and "8OT" on the pile side main.

 

[5K Qs]

Here's a photo showing the tang stamp of an Imperial Barlow made in USA with the markings mentioned in the preceding two posts:


I don't have a photo of the stamp on a Chinese Imperial Barlow, but here's a photo of Chinese Imperial sowbelly stockman with a tang stamp that looks like the one on the Barlow in original post:


- GT

 

[afishhunter]

Unquestionably post 2004 Taylor Schrade or BTI Schrade Chinese manufacture.
1) Tang Stamp.
1956 to 1988 Manufacture has "PROV. RI. USA" on the tang stamp. 1988 to 2004 has the "Imperial Ireland" tang stamp. Production of all Imperial knives was moved to Ireland after the Providence, R.I. plant burned down in 1988. Apparently it cost less up front to purchase an established knife manufacturer in Ireland than to rebuild the R.I. plant.
Secondary costs, however were much greater. For some reason customers believed the knives made in Ireland were somehow inferior to the made in USA knives (they weren't/aren't), so Imperial sales dropped significantly.
Who knows? Perhaps if Imperial Schrade had rebuilt the R.I. plant, the bankruptcy would have been delayed, or not have happened at all?

2) The "biggie": Stainless steel blades.
ALL the Imperial Schrade USA produced shell construction knives (includes the 1988-2004 Ireland knives) have 1095 Carbon Steel blades. I'm pretty sure none of the Imperial knives had stainless steel blades until after the bankruptcy and production of Imperial knives was moved from Ireland to China.

EDIT:
I believe the use of stainless blades on the post 2004 Imperial and Old Timer lines is one of the Taylor/BTI anti fraud changes to prevent dishonest sellers from passing off a post bankruptcy offshore produced knife as a collector desirable Made in USA (and in the case of Imperial, the somewhat less desirable Ireland knives.)

 

[afishhunter]

I think the modern Chinese Schrade/Imperials have real bolsters with pins through them like normal knives, rather than the shell handles.

Taylor Schrade made, and BTI Schrade makes the shell handle Barlow. They also make a more expensive Barlow with real bolsters and covers.
When I bought my Taylor Imperial shell Barlow, it set me back all of $3.99. The Imperial Barlow with real bolsters was around $10 or $11 at the time.
(I bought it before Taylor sold out to BTI.)

 

[waynorth]

Question about this Barlow : is there a way to know if it's a Chinese or an American production ?

The tang stamp proves it is Chinese!