Ixl?

TX907

TX907

Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
378
Did a little searching here and on the Internet, but can't find too much on these knives.

A shop around here has a few of what appear to be older knives of these - several styles including barlows. I was looking at a stag barlow, but one side was much thicker than the other and one side was very black. Not very appealing, so I passed.

They also had a barlow with what looked like black wood for the handles. It has "Oil The Joints" and pretty rough looking fit and finish. Even the blade looks kinda roughly done. That said, I kinda like the old look and the big sheepsfoot blade.

Any other info or suggestions on these knives?
 
The I*XL trademark dates back to the 1780s. This was the trademark of George Wostenholm & Son Sheffield until 1971 when the business was bought by Jos Rodgers and then Richards in 1975. I*XL knives were made in Japan in the 1980s and now back in Sheffield since the 1990s by a company called the Eggington Group. The original Wostenholms were of high quality. The knives you describe may be the more recent incarnations or maybe beat-up older knives. Without any pics it would be impossible to say.
 
Any "honest" (true) IXL would be a REAL find now matter how mismatched the handle material. :D If the price seems reasonable, I would buy them simply to rescue them from getting into the hands of someone that doesn't appreciate what they are...a piece of cutlery history.
 
Here's what little I know.

The IXL is the Wostenholm brand from Sheffield England. It you do internet searches, use Wostenholm as the key word and IXL as an additional keyword.

They were in business from Mid 1800's to the 1960's or so. I have the exact dates somewhere. They were like most sheffield makers, they did some wonderful work during the golden age and then some work that is not so good toward the end.

You have to be careful in looking for Wostenholm knives as in the 1970's and 80's, Parker did many Wostenholm reporductions and many were from Japan. Keep a sharp eye because these repros have a "look" to them that allows you to recognize them right off.

Wostenholm is and was a very well respected name in the knife industry for many years. I collect their horseman's knives and a few other styles. If you can get a Wostenholm I-XL in good condition, it makes a great EDC still toay.

Do some more searching and see what you come up with. If I can fill in any blanks, I'll try. Good luck. I hope you find one you can fall in love with.

Keep Care,

Pappy
 
They had one that looked like the IXL pictured here:

ixl.jpg


The stag was similar, so I am guessing it is from the same time period. The "Oil The Joints" model was a lot rougher looking. Probably a lot cheaper model, so I am not sure if it was from the same time frame.
 
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