Le Thiers Par Le Fidele

[cchu518]

Knocks on wood, I hope that most reading don't ever have negative run ins with police officers!

 

[Jolipapa]

You can't name a Thiers knife "Thiers" if you don't belong to the Thiers society and respect its strict regulations. As said they retained the lessons of the Laguiole being not protected.
This makes a good introduction for "AOC" (Appellation d'Origine Controlée" and "AOP" (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) for wine, cheese aso, so often copied...
A guarantee you get a genuine product, not necessarily (though it is hoped for, of course) the best, but that means it has been made/produced the way it has to and where it has to with no external component/product.
Now the next time you see a wine named "village" try to remember this... This does not mean (in terms of quality/taste) much unless there's Beaujolais or Touraine standing before...
This is not simply a way to protect the local industry, but also to protect the potential buyer against fakes and a guarantee that the product is genuine.

 

[Bartleby]

You can't name a Thiers knife "Thiers" if you don't belong to the Thiers society and respect its strict regulations. As said they retained the lessons of the Laguiole being not protected.
This makes a good introduction for "AOC" (Appellation d'Origine Controlée" and "AOP" (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) for wine, cheese aso, so often copied...
A guarantee you get a genuine product, not necessarily (though it is hoped for, of course) the best, but that means it has been made/produced the way it has to and where it has to with no external component/product.
Now the next time you see a wine named "village" try to remember this... This does not mean (in terms of quality/taste) much unless there's Beaujolais or Touraine standing before...
This is not simply a way to protect the local industry, but also to protect the potential buyer against fakes and a guarantee that the product is genuine.

This did not work out as well for Laguiole, as one encounters the name on non-French products designed for tourists. Luckily, I was steered away from these objects by my friend and guide. A great difference in quality between the genuine article and the copies.

 

[Jolipapa]

This did not work out as well for Laguiole, as one encounters the name on non-French products designed for tourists. Luckily, I was steered away from these objects by my friend and guide. A great difference in quality between the genuine article and the copies.

:thumbup: That's right what I said, the problem with Laguiole is that they stopped making the knife between #1950 and #1990, that was built in Thiers (like most former regional knives), then they started to make it in Laguiole again, and for a while there was a "mini-war" between the 2 cities.
Now the problem has changed because a businessman has patented the name for certain products (mostly made in China, but no folding knife) and the city claimed an AOC for the local cheese, which they were granted, but again not for the knife. Thus you can find Lags made in Thiers (with which a gentleman agreement was found), Germany, Spain, Pakistan...

 

[Will Power]

At the end of the day, there's only one true Lag and it has to come from France

Anything else is counterfeit :barf:

Renaud Aubry en ébene

 

[Jolipapa]

Will, both knives are gorgeous!

 

[stabman]

If this was really happening on Lags, don't you think that since they build them they would NOT have fixed it??? I am ready to change my mind as soon as I'll see an example but of the very few I 've seen so far, none had such a flaw...Urban legends have tough lives sometimes...
Further, I'll remember that in France it is considered as rogue manners to snap a knife... with or without kick...

Mine does it.
Bashes about a third of an inch of edge if it closes under its own spring power.
I won't show a picture, because I have sharpened the massive dent out for the third time, and don't feel like doing it again.

It has a very strong spring, and the last time it happened, I was trying to close it slowly, but the blade slipped from my fingers.
"Snap!" went the blade, and my neighbours probably heard my cry of "Nooooo!!!!", as I knew it meant another 20 minutes of fixing the blade.

Strangely, my cheap Pakistan made Laguiole does not do this...but the bee that was poorly welded on the spring fell off of it.

I also discovered with my French made Laguiole that I am not a fan of buffalo horn.

 

[cchu518]

What now I'm now confused is this a smear campaign against Laguiole or a cover-up? The plot thickens! [emoji5]

Either way I'm very pleased with the aesthetics and in hand use of these European slipjoints!

 

[stabman]

What now I'm now confused is this a smear campaign against Laguiole or a cover-up? The plot thickens! [emoji5]

Either way I'm very pleased with the aesthetics and in hand use of these European slipjoints!

I've seen in some other threads that it is common enough, but that some brands have absolutely fixed the issue.
Enough people don't care though, so the ones that do bash the spring keep being made.

But if you want one that doesn't bash the edge into the spring, do the research.
I wish I had, because the design is nice.

 

[cchu518]

I've seen in some other threads that it is common enough, but that some brands have absolutely fixed the issue.
Enough people don't care though, so the ones that do bash the spring keep being made.

But if you want one that doesn't bash the edge into the spring, do the research.
I wish I had, because the design is nice.

I do too it reminds of a giant Texas toothpick pattern! Aka half of a muskrat lol. I ordered my first muskrat an improved version not too long ago, love it.

 

[stabman]

Here's another style of French knife that bashes the edge:

I have it sharpened out there, but the tip area--slightly less than 1cm of it--ends up bashing into the rear...spacer, I guess you could call it.
I thought "Oh, that can't be right. They must have made it too tall; I will sand it down and fix that."

Nope! The blade just sat down deeper in the handle to hit that area.
I close it gently, but if you wiggle the blade while closed, you can hear it scrape over that area...and then you can see the area of edge that is worn away next time you open it. Yay!

I bought that one in person in Paris, so I guess I have no one to blame but me. I was in hurry to get going and get to Dieppe and back (I had a total of 26 hours in France from landing to departure), but I should have taken a bit longer to examine it.

 

[Bartleby]

:thumbup: That's right what I said, the problem with Laguiole is that they stopped making the knife between #1950 and #1990, that was built in Thiers (like most former regional knives), then they started to make it in Laguiole again, and for a while there was a "mini-war" between the 2 cities.
Now the problem has changed because a businessman has patented the name for certain products (mostly made in China, but no folding knife) and the city claimed an AOC for the local cheese, which they were granted, but again not for the knife. Thus you can find Lags made in Thiers (with which a gentleman agreement was found), Germany, Spain, Pakistan...

During my visit, when I asked about Laguioles, I had been told that for a while the Laguiole was not as popular post-war, as it was fairly large for carrying in more modern clothing. I was informed it had at some point appeared in a television production and became a cultural icon. A lot of people own one, but few are used and carried. While a lot of people carry an Opinel knife, which is also true in the USA now. After getting a Laguiole as on my to do list for the trip, my friend steered me to the Le Thiers pattern as being well made made using traditional methods, sturdy yet not too heavy. It has made perhaps a better souvenir of the trip, as it is something that I carry and use often.