Knife dealers from the past.

CPP said:
That’s the one! We’re you able to open the handle to get at the spring?
Click to expand...
Yes, there's two screws in each bolster. Once the bolsters are off , it comes apart.
But I couldn't do anything with it , so I put it back together.
 
There was a company called Northwest Safari back in the 90s. They carried some of the early tacticals. I remember one in particular called the Jumpmaster that I always lusted for, but I can't remember who made it. I wonder if they just faded out or became something else?
 
Kilroy1107 said:
The Edge Company Catalog mail order 1980s. Located in Vermont. They sold knives and Switch blades and out the front spring knives in legal kit form back then. I guess to bypass the laws of that time. I probably still have a OTF and a side opening knife somewhere at home. They were cheaply made. But to me they were just a novelty of the times.

Click to expand...
Edge Co, Cutlery Shoppe, and Atlanta Cutlery were the main ones I remember getting catalogs for in the mid 90s when I got started. Actually went to Edge Co in Brattleboro VT once (my job at the time had me in the area), but didn't buy anything. I distinctly remember trying to order a set of 4 steel "playing cards" that were sharp all the way around, and they wouldn't ship them to MA.:(

Before that, as a kid in the 80s, it was all about Asian World of Martial Arts. We used to make our own order forms and send them in with made-up prices for stuff (lower than what was actually in the catalog), and most of the time they would honor it! But one time we tried to order throwing stars for like $0.25 each and they wouldn't do it.
 
I have a pile of old pre-internet stuff includ almost all of the Edge Co. Catalogs.

A quick few overview shots:

VapHyIC.jpg



Adxjnh7.jpg



wEUbfPa.jpg



r5t00Un.jpg



ZKla8r3.jpg



C1R6Hff.jpg
 
saxon said:
There was a company called Northwest Safari back in the 90s. They carried some of the early tacticals. I remember one in particular called the Jumpmaster that I always lusted for, but I can't remember who made it. I wonder if they just faded out or became something else?
Click to expand...

NW Safari was Erik Remmen's company. He had that company and did police / martial arts training. Later, he mainly focused on the training portion. I think he's mostly retired now. If you really wanted to know who made the knife, Spyderco might have contact info for Remmen, as he did a lot of training with them, and had an early Spyderco self defense course "Clip It Course" back in the day.

For some reason I think the maker might've been Steve Huey, an early tactical maker from the north west, NW Safari, did a lot of work with western US makers. Or maybe Vallotan.

​

 
Last edited:
Here are some of The Edge Company kit form offerings of mine from the 80s. A crude Mexico origin leather lanyard pull open kit knife. A OTF retractable in and out kit knife.
 

Attachments

  • 20220915_211307.jpg
    20220915_211307.jpg
    597.8 KB · Views: 7
  • 20220915_211336.jpg
    20220915_211336.jpg
    525.8 KB · Views: 7
  • 20220915_211501.jpg
    20220915_211501.jpg
    601 KB · Views: 7
Way back before fire was discovered.....well...maybe not that far back, but, it was before they came out with zip codes ---we (us kids) used to drool over the mysteries the back pages of the outdoor magazines held and wondered:

- Does Len Company in New York really carry Italian Stilettos?
- Can you kill a bad guy with a Western Haig?
- WTH are "rubber sundries" and what do you use them for?
- Does any of the stuff from Johnson Smith work?

Good times back then....good times.
jjg6319 said:
Josh at PVK. I think he is still around but it is PVK Vegas now.
Click to expand...
Seems like he passed away a year ago. This forum - well it doesn't owe him anything really but - Mike Turber and Josh Burbank did co-run the Rec Dot Knives website and forum together back in 1996/7 and Bladeforums came about when those two each went their separate way.
 
Alberta Ed said:
Besides LL Bean, which used to advertise fishing and hunting gear before it went all fashion conscious (they do still make good jackets), there was Herter's Catalogue, which I used to memorize. Herter wrote all his own copy. You can still find some vintage Herter's Catalogues on-line. This was back in the Dark Ages when you had to walk across the room to change TV channels, so I'm dating myself.
Click to expand...
"Worlds Finest"
 
Arizona Custom Knives, back when they were in AZ (go figure...)

Karen Sadow and I used to swap recipes; great people in the early days for me. The website wasn't updated as frequently as the flyers went out, and it was always a pleasure to get one of these in the mail! About six or seven pages of text and several more of pictures.

Below is a sample from '98 and '01

View attachment 1935147

View attachment 1935148

View attachment 1935149

View attachment 1935151

View attachment 1935152

View attachment 1935154

View attachment 1935155
 
I remember that a mall in Indianapolis had a Cutlery World store. I got to go there once (I wasn't driving yet) and it amazed me. I couldn't afford anything, but I did get my first issue of Blade there. Think it was American Blade back then.

Anyone remember Edge of the World at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top