I have been lurking in this thread for a few weeks now, and it has become my favorite thread, by far. There are so many different amazing knives here that this thread should be published into a book. I have learned so much about old knives here, that it has led to an addiction.
I re-kindled my love affair with knives after pruning my olive trees and having lots to whittle with. I started off with some whittling knives, then found some unused old (actually late 1960's and 1970's) Case knives in an antique store. What immediately struck me was how well made these knives were. I bought some new Case knives, and although they too are well made, they are nothing like the older Case knives.
I discovered other great brands, like the absolutely phenomenal Winchester knives made by Queen in the 1980's and 1990's. I noticed that these knives, which I learned were modeled precisely after old Winchester knives, were far more robustly built than any of my Case knives. The snap was rock solid. The thickness and weight was amazing. These knives were built like tanks.
As I read through these threads I started hunting online sites for some of the brands shown here, mainly Robeson, Remington, and Winchester. I will never forget getting my first old Winchester, and marveling at the amazing quality of the knife. I now understand old collectors who say that they are not made like they used to be. It is a HUGE difference.
I decided I wanted to get some old knives to clean up to their former glory, so I could see them like they would have appeared when they were in their heyday, and start carrying them around. I had read that Robeson was considered the best knife made in the US (some say the world) back in the 1920's, 30's, and 40's. The first Robeson I got was from around 1939, and had one broken blade. I cleaned it up and sharpened the one blade, and was (and still am) astounded at how well it took an edge. It sits on my desk as a letter opener. I was amazed at how well made it was, and had to find more.
I was on "the bay" and found a nice Robeson jack with a ridiculously low "buy it now" price, and took the plunge. When I got it my mouth just dropped open. Here it is after some cleaning up:
Some research shows me that it was made between 1910 and 1920. The blades are nearly full. The pen blade had a bit of an issue near the tip, but I re-shaped it with a diamond stone. The walk and talk on this knife is simply astonishing. It has LOUD snaps at the half and full open positions, and snaps shut like a bear trap. The blades do not have even the slightest hint of wobble. I am quite certain I could pry open a car door with this knife. I have never seen anything that comes close to this level of quality and robustness. I have been carrying it and using it with impunity. It is around 100 years old and is likely to be around another 100 years.
A little more searching turned up a 1935 Remington in un-used condition. Here is a picture of that one:
I decided to wrap this one up (for now) and put it away. Finding a knife this old with the original EVERYTHING is not easy, and I simply cannot bring myself to mess it up. Besides, I have about 100 more knives I can carry.
I will post more knives later. Keep them coming, everyone. I loves me some knife porn!
