Like a phoenix? CSC is reborn...

[Laurelbb]

I’m thrilled they’re making another stab at it. Pre-ordered a boys knife. I have one of the org gold ones, and it’s sweet! Looking forward to getting a mate for it, so to speak. That corn husk pinch back looks fantastic too.

 

[Ernie1980]

I like the look of the rams horn knife! Hopefully they will do another run so I can pick one up.

 

[Lostball]

Got my preorder in on a Cocobolo Boys Knife. What can I say.....Cocobolo and 154cm.... I'm in!!!!

 

[glennbad]

Gotta say, that wildebeest bone is dead sexy!

 

[Jolipapa]

The more manufacturers the better. Only 12 (or less) of each is not much... Or is it a simple test?

 

[tmd_87]

I will eventually have to pick one of their models up! Hoping for good reviews and good business for them.

 

[JohnDF]

I wish them luck too. The more the merrier I say.

 

[Leslie Tomville]

View attachment 948385

Some of you guys are being pretty tough on this new start up. I would imagine it is quite an undertaking. I began collecting traditional folders after CSC ended production, but I have read that they were very good knives. Can someone who knows the history explain the brand, who is behind it, and their roots? It seems like the market could use some good old fashioned competition. We might all benefit. I am not ready to buy one yet but will be watching closely.

BTW @Jack Black , doesn’t this ram’s horn boy’s knife look a lot like a Lambsfoot? Is sure looks close to being one although they referred to it as a wharncliff. Could CSC beat GEC in producting the first American Lambsfoot?

 

[Boggs]

Leslie ..
this is the beginning of its new history
http://knifenews.com/canal-street-cutlery-back-in-business-after-2015-closure/

There previous history can be found via google search... ok I won’t be a jerk...here’s past
https://www.chuckhawks.com/csc_knives.htm

 

[Will Power]

If things go well and they can get into some kind of significant production after testing the waters, I actually feel they should think carefully about their shield. Many people in the past, myself included, questioned the desirability of this coin shield, it doesn't do the patterns any favours and is rather cheap looking I'm afraid. Far better to follow the excellent GEC example of having many shields which suit different patterns, some of which could be deeply stamped with' Canal Street' where feasible. They made a Barlow with an engraved bolster instead of stamped and it looked like a poor shortcut, these kind of details are vital for a premium maker.

 

[Boggs]

That’s simply the surface...behind the scenes Rigid Knives was looking to up there game with quality pieces or maybe just looking to help out a brand new manufacture or friend and approached a upstart ....Canal Street Cutlery to produce a line of slipjoints which would carry the Rigid name... it was a one time run but setting the coarse.

 

[Norcaldude]

Some of you guys are being pretty tough on this new start up.

Comments compiled from earlier posts in this thread of people being 'pretty tough' on CSC. I didn't bother grabbing all the comments from people who are saying they have already pre-ordered or want to order a knife from them.

"what a very pleasant surprise"
"While they may be out of my range for the time being, this makes me happy. To come back from tragedy,to carry on their dream, is very good."
"Awesome news! Very glad to see this, I hope they can make a decent run at it with this new business model."
"I wish them the best of luck in their re-creation."
"I’ll buy one!"
"That's awesome news! "
"Very exciting time for CSC"
"Awesome indeed! "
"what welcome news!"
"GREAT NEWS! Wishing all involved every success."
"That is a good surprise..."
"I wish them luck"
"This is amazing! CSC was (and now I guess still is) my favorite maker of traditional knives."
"I wish them luck."
"Great news! I wish CSC all the best."
"Excellent news, good luck to them"
"Good news"
"I wish them the best of luck"
"Very nice!"
"Best news I’ve heard in some time"
"Great news! Hopefully they can keep it going and grow"
"I’m thrilled they’re making another stab at it."
"I wish them luck too. The more the merrier I say."

 

[Leslie Tomville]

Good grief Norcaldude, all I was referring to were their issues with ramping up production, getting orders filled, etc. You read way too much into my comment. This is just a friendly discussion, not a debate. I am very happy to see them get up and going.

Will Power , I completely agree about the shield.

 

[Pàdruig]

This thread caught my eye a couple of days ago and like others, I am quite thrilled with the idea that not only is the company making a comeback, but it is CSC, a much loved company from everything that I have read. I think we should all be thrilled that a company that we all thought was long gone is making a go of it again, even if it is in a limited capacity.

With that said, I do have some concerns...

I believe the answer is no across the board. I had a Cannitler that the shield fell out of. Fortunately, it happened inside my house and I was able to find it and glue it back on.

Based on the knives available for pre-order, I have a couple of criticisms. The first one is their shield.

I know that the Coin(?) shield is a "classic" for them and that they are simply bringing it back but I do not care for it. It looks a bit cheap and the fact that it appears to be glued on rather than pinned really only furthers that impression.

they really nice, if i had more than just the one, id consider putting one in my pocket. i do believe however their blade to handle ratio is a little off. their boys knives has a slightly shorter blade compared to the gec 15

The second criticism is in regards to what mrknife has mentioned. The blade to handle ratio is funky. Now it could be the angle that the pictures were taken but regardless, it gives the impression of a blade that is a bit short for its handle. Considering that their Boys Knife pattern is one that I favor, it is a bit off-putting to have the aesthetics be a bit of a turn off right out of the gate...

Of course, this is mostly a bit of critical speculation on my part and I eagerly await being shown otherwise. I want them to succeed and I want to buy their knives if they prove to pass muster but that will remain to be seen.


I have some thoughts regarding the article that was shared above.

***The following quotes are taken from the Knife News article posted above***

Canal Street Cutlery is back after closing its doors in 2015. Now going under the name Canal Street Cutlery Co-Op, it will focus on making very small batches of high quality traditional knives.

Fantastic news and as I mentioned earlier, this should be cause for much excitement. We need more cutlers and I really hope this is the beginning of something special.

Before it closed, CSC was fulfilling large contracts for forums and other organizations. Now, it will limit its output to small batch runs of less than 100 pieces. The company plans to start with patterns from its former catalog: the Pinch lockback, Moonpie two-blade Trapper, and the Boy’s Knife. The Boy’s Knife will be available with either a clip point or a wharncliffe blade.

I came around here after Canal Street had already shut their doors so I do not have any personal experience with their knives or their patterns. I have, however, enjoyed seeing the forum knives that they have made when they get posted here. It sounds like they are going to be producing some patterns that are familiar to those of you who know their knives better than I do. How does their Boy's Knife compare to GEC's 15? In terms of its dimensions and overall performance? This has me curious due to my concerns stated earlier in this post.

It could be argued that the market has never been more cutthroat, but Basham doesn’t see it that way.”I don’t think there’s much competition. These are small batch runs of a high quality, better made knives than any other American company.” Wally Gardiner, Founder of CSC, and his group of less than 10 cutlers are making each knife to lofty standards, at a methodical pace, turning out only 4 – 6 knives a day.

This is where the article makes me raise my eyebrows a bit. I don't care about buzzwords like "small batch", "lofty standards", or "better made knives than _____". Inferior companies, the world around, make the same claims and it usually leaves a sour feeling in my gut. May not be the case with them as they have a good reputation but still, this may just speak to my lack of experience with them.

On to some further highlights.

In addition to 1095 steel, several models will be offered in 154CM stainless.

I think this should be cause for many of our members to celebrate. With Queen now shuttered for who knows how long, perhaps forever, good stainless options are few and far between if you do not count Case. Despite offering a solid stainless like 154CM, I still like that they will be making knives in 1095 as well.

The small batch mentality also allows Gardiner and co. to experiment with covers, taking advantage of unusual materials not available in large enough quantities for bigger makers to implement.

I think this is quite exciting. One of the complaints that I have heard about GEC in recent times is that they aren't doing enough exotic or even just "different" handle materials, staying within the realm of safe and going with what everyone knows. I only hope that this won't simply serve to drive up the cost substantially. The $100 slipjoint market is a very nice niche and I am not so sure I would want to deviate from that.

Gardiner also aims to tweak classic patterns for the modern user and collector. “He wants to bring back traditional patterns you don’t see anymore, with a modern twist on them,” Basham says.

This has me cautiously curious but I will wait to see what they come up with before i get too excited about it.

“Wally is all about quality, quality, quality. Canal Street is his baby, he’s adamant about top-notch knives.”

If this is true, then I look forward to seeing what they offer in the not so distant future. Should be exciting times for us all.

 

[Laurelbb]

totally agree about the shield, it almost kept me from pre-ordering. here's side by side of tortie 15 on the left, CSC boys knife on right (no shield due to it likely being a factory overrun, according to Eric). no half stop on the CSC but/and it's really nice.

 

[Laurelbb]

Edit - I hope they offer the Wharncliffe blade with an alternate handle material if they don't have any more of the ram's horn.

the stag boys knife is a wharncliff; still some for sale last i checked.

 

[Will Power]

Excellent overview Dylan, very objective in approach.

The choice of steels is a positive thing for me, they previously offered D2 and another stainless on the Moon Pie Trapper. All stainless construction and a lack of brass (except the shield...) is a good thing too. But I certainly do disapprove of that universal medallion shield it is a cheap looking thing.

They sent their knives in posh sorts of boxes with paperwork and a velvet carry bag which suggested boutique knife to me rather than carry item. Fans of a soft pull and light snap appreciated their knives, so if you like a strong pull then maybe not. New ones may be different though , let's judge then. I gave away a nice fixed blade of theirs in D2 many years ago in a GAW it might be quite a sought after item now amongst collectors I also traded a D2 Trapper with a member, it was one of those very soft sprung knives, not my taste but somebody else's. The Boy's Knife equivalent of theirs started as a limited edition in Stag and all stainless. Again it came in an impressively fancy box, the Stag was fairly OK and the blade is quite a lot shorter than the GEC 15. Mine had a very sunk spring on open, not at all flush, very sharp unpleasant edges to the liners when handling it and this was unacceptable at a high price with premium pretensions. It had decent snap and was well sprung though.

I still have the Moon Pie Trapper but it sees little carry, the Forum 15 knife is a very good item indeed, if their latest production is based on this then they will be on the right course no question. I can't remember people carrying or showing CS knives very much in the past apart from the Forum Knife - which was their last knife unfortunately. They will do well provided they implement rigorous QC but only if, saying and doing must be the same thing.

 

[mnblade]

Many people in the past, myself included, questioned the desirability of this coin shield, it doesn't do the patterns any favours and is rather cheap looking I'm afraid.

Yep. I'm rooting for them ..... but man, do I hate that round, gold-colored "shield."

-- Mark

 

[Old Engineer]

I have never owned a Canal Street knife , so I can not comment on their quality as many of you can . I have seen a few that I did consider , but by then I was into Northfields. I tried to go back onto the link to re-read what the specific numbers were about how many they could produce and was not successful , but did find another article about it and they were saying " less than 5 cutlers " producing 5 to 6 knives per day " . IMO at that rate they will eventually have charge nearly the price of a Custom Knife in order to make a living . I think that if I want one , I had better order one that is currently on a shelf somewhere . I really do wish them the very best of good will and hope that they can make a go of it because the Customer is the one who gains from Good Competition .

Harry

 

[Pàdruig]

totally agree about the shield, it almost kept me from pre-ordering. here's side by side of tortie 15 on the left, CSC boys knife on right (no shield due to it likely being a factory overrun, according to Eric). no half stop on the CSC but/and it's really nice.

View attachment 948448 View attachment 948449

Thank you for that side by side comparison, very helpful indeed. The knife does not appear to be quite so disproportionate in your picture as they do in the picture provided by the vendor. Still though, in a knife pattern that is already pushing itself on the small side, a shorter blade isn't necessarily a good thing for me. Now if they gave this pattern a secondary blade, then we would surely be talking...

I do think that if your knife in the picture had a shield, particularly the coin/medallion shield, it would look far less pleasant. Just my opinion, of course.

Excellent overview Dylan, very objective in approach.

The choice of steels is a positive thing for me, they previously offered D2 and another stainless on the Moon Pie Trapper. All stainless construction and a lack of brass (except the shield...) is a good thing too. But I certainly do disapprove of that universal medallion shield it is a cheap looking thing.

They sent their knives in posh sorts of boxes with paperwork and a velvet carry bag which suggested boutique knife to me rather than carry item. Fans of a soft pull and light snap appreciated their knives, so if you like a strong pull then maybe not. New ones may be different though , let's judge then. I gave away a nice fixed blade of theirs in D2 many years ago in a GAW it might be quite a sought after item now amongst collectors I also traded a D2 Trapper with a member, it was one of those very soft sprung knives, not my taste but somebody else's. The Boy's Knife equivalent of theirs started as a limited edition in Stag and all stainless. Again it came in an impressively fancy box, the Stag was fairly OK and the blade is quite a lot shorter than the GEC 15. Mine had a very sunk spring on open, not at all flush, very sharp unpleasant edges to the liners when handling it and this was unacceptable at a high price with premium pretensions. It had decent snap and was well sprung though.

I still have the Moon Pie Trapper but it sees little carry, the Forum 15 knife is a very good item indeed, if their latest production is based on this then they will be on the right course no question. I can't remember people carrying or showing CS knives very much in the past apart from the Forum Knife - which was their last knife unfortunately. They will do well provided they implement rigorous QC but only if, saying and doing must be the same thing.

Thank you so much for the bit of history and experience, Will. Let us hope that with their rather small band of cutlers, supposed high standards, and lofty aspirations, that they will indeed produce a very fine knife. With their limited production, I suspect that they should be able to apply very rigorous QC standards but we will not find out until folks start getting knives in their hands.

I imagine that a lot of folks here who have CSC knives from the past probably are keeping them safe and stored away due to their collectible nature. Nevertheless, I would certainly love to see some of their past productions. Surely there is a thread here? I will have to apply the search function.