List of remaining US traditional knife makers?.....

PocketKnifeJimmy

PocketKnifeJimmy

Joined
Aug 4, 2013
Messages
3,989
I know that many names are just that, names, not makers. Here are the true USA makers (non custom) that I know of...
Case
GEC
Queen
Buck
Utica
Bear & Son
Canal Street

Any others that I have missed? Thanks :-)
 
Last edited:
I currently have specimens from all the ones I listed above.... except Bear and Son. I may add something of theirs, but won't buy sight unseen... I have read way too many negatives to attempt ordering one online.
 
Colonial makes some traditional patterns, I believe it's in the US.
 
Oh, okay.... thanks. I did see one recently in a post on this forum, but it was made by Canal Street for them. I just believed they only contracted out with their trad pocket knives, did not realize they actually made some themselves :-)
 
Well that may well be, I was just going by makers that listed traditional style knives as "US Made". I don't know what the actual outsourcing deals are behind the scenes.

Edit... well I dug around a bit and apparently the Ka-bar folders are made by Canal Street.
 
Last edited:
The "reclaimed American chestnut" handles is the dead giveaway. Plus the shape on that spey blade on their trapper is identical to the Canal Street version of the same knife.
 
brownshoe said:
Colonial makes some traditional patterns, I believe it's in the US.
Click to expand...

Colonial has not been very forthcoming about that. I know that Thomas Linton has asked Steve Paolantonio where their knives are made and did not get a straight answer. So until Mr. Paolantonio (who is a member here) clears that up...
 
MerryMadMonk said:
Colonial has not been very forthcoming about that. I know that Thomas Linton has asked Steve Paolantonio where their knives are made and did not get a straight answer. So until Mr. Paolantonio (who is a member here) clears that up...
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up :-)

Just did a little homework on the new Colonial makers... found too many comments regarding f&f being sub par... and to many open questions regarding where much of their materials used to make their "US" made knives comes from. I do shy away from such firms... so I guess no modern Colonial will be added to my collection of usa made traditional pocket knives ;-)
 
Last edited:
The more I poke around looking at the Ka-bar traditionals, the more it looks like they outsource all over the place. They've got some of the Union Cutlery variety in D2 steel (and we know that means Queen made it), and their Sunfish looks an awful lot like a Case Elephant toe, and is listed as using "1095 Cro Van" steel, which is another Case indicator.
 
Glad their outsourcing is to other US firms :-) As for D2 steel, Canal Street also uses that on some of their knives.... and KaBar has/is using it on some of their fixed bladed knives (but my basic fixed KaBar knife being of standard 1095).
 
The one I mentioned as probably being made by Queen is a folding hunter style with a swing guard. The frame itself is identical to Queens single-blade folding hunter, the only thing unique about it is the little notch on the bolster to mate up with a protrusion on the swing guard when the blade is open.

And yes, it does seem that all of the Dog's Head variety are coming from Canal Street, you can compare CS current production models side by side and they are all the same except for the shield, and some of the handle and bolster materials.

Nothing wrong with outsourcing designs, just takes them out of the category of being a US traditional "maker."
 
Yes, Sir... I totally agree! Nothing wrong with one US company paying another US company to make products and keep US workers working! :-) But, I really do see that actual makers are few in the USA... And I mean very few, wow!
 
jc57 said:
The more I poke around looking at the Ka-bar traditionals, the more it looks like they outsource all over the place. They've got some of the Union Cutlery variety in D2 steel (and we know that means Queen made it), and their Sunfish looks an awful lot like a Case Elephant toe, and is listed as using "1095 Cro Van" steel, which is another Case indicator.
Click to expand...

Uhm, their 1095CV is in a large quantity of their own designs, as well as their Becker line-up. It's in house production. Iirc, some of the people working at Ka-Bar's 1095 have worked at camillus a long time ago. They got the HT right where it should be for the steel.

I don't know if they assemble their folding knives in their own factory, but I'm thinking they definitely make the 1095.
If you want to know for sure, just ask for it in the Tech Talk With Tooj thread (sticky in the Ka-Bar subforum here on BFC).

I once bought an older Ka-Bar 1026 Jack knife and asked for the steel used, and then I got this reply.
So you see, they used to make 'em in Olean, then they outsourced it to Camillus, but I don't know if they do it in house at the moment or partially, or...

Just go over to their subforum and ask, if you really wanna know.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top