Pipe Knives?

K Williams

K Williams

Joined
Nov 17, 1998
Messages
3,295
Are there any American traditional knife companies that make pipe knives similar to the Laguiole pipe knife? The closest designs that I've found are the doctor's knives from Queen and Case.
 
Good question! I've been looking for one for a gift for some time now.
 
i started a thread awhile back about traditionals for pipe smokers and the doctors knife was the overwhelming consensus. though the peanut was a crowd favorite too. i still need to track me down a doctors knife...
 
I'm surprised to see this thread has had no more posts. Surely there must be some US pipe knives, they were 'common as muck' over here at one time.
 
I can't think of any US manufacturer that has them currently. I can't even think of any US manufacturer that USED to make them. I've only seen sheffields and other european ones.
 
Jack Black said:
I'm surprised to see this thread has had no more posts. Surely there must be some US pipe knives, they were 'common as muck' over here at one time.
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When I was asking this question awhile back, it was you who graciously stepped in and held a pipe tool giveaway! I'm just as surprised as you that no one has made a dedicated pipe knife in the US. Maybe someone will dig something up...
 
I have been looking for a pipe knife for a few years over here in California with no luck at all. Never even seen one for sale.
 
Being a life long pipe smoker, and son of a life long pipe smoker, I don't recall any U.S. made pipe knives. The only ones I've seen are the old well made ones from Europe, and the 'other' ones from a far eastern country. I've seen all manor of things used as pipe tampers, to include fired shell casing, end of a golf pencil, end of a large nail, twig, finger. I have very distinct memories of both my dad and Uncle Paul using their pocket knives small pen blades to empty and scrape the bowls after a smoke. Many of the pen blades on old timers pocket knives were dulled for use as a pipe reamer.

These days all I see are the pipe tools made overseas. I'd like to see a modern well made pipe knife. Or maybe one day I'll get one of those classy old English lobster pens that are made for that purpose.

Carl.
 
Toddwalla said:
When I was asking this question awhile back, it was you who graciously stepped in and held a pipe tool giveaway! I'm just as surprised as you that no one has made a dedicated pipe knife in the US. Maybe someone will dig something up...
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I'm hoping for one by Great Eastern Cutlery...
 
This would be a cool BF knife, but almost no one would vote for it. So instead of getting a MFR to build a hard to find pattern we'll end up with something you can get in a dozen variations already. (If we ever do another BF knife.)
 
I'm really astonished that no US manufacturer appears to have made a pipe tool, definitely a gap in the market, but a shrinking market. They're still stocked by all the tobacconists here. I used to see a lot of older ones, but they seem to have dried up a bit recently. I'll snap up any I spy though and put them on one side ;)
 
I'm at work now, but I will get out my pipe knife and take some photos soon.

I always used a Case Baby Doc, which works great but doesn't have a spike for reaming out the stem-end of the pipe.

Now I have a Rodgers Pipe Knife made in Sheffield. Works great, and has sweet mismatched stag scales. But the fit and finish is poor with big gaps between the stag, liners, and springs. But it still looks cool and works great.
 
Great to see that Scott, a very nice-looking pipe knife :)
 
Doc, that's a very beautiful pipe knife!!:thumbup::thumbup:

And to add, some very very nice stag on it. Unfortunately, I think pipe smoking is very rapidly become just another one of those things, a victim of the 'new' times. I used to have a couple of old friends that shared my enthusiasm for a pipe, but both Bill and Hoppy are gone now. I'm the only pipe smoker I know of in my circle, and it seems to be a shrinking circle at that.

I guess pipe knives are like the doctors knives now, reminders of a time long gone, when a specialized pocket knife was a tool of the trade for certain folks, because of a hobby or profession.
 
There are a few on the big auction site, not much though. Some Kay woodie pipe knives are marked NY USA, others are marked Japan. One Kay woodie pipe site mentioned that the knives used to be made in the USA. Who knows. :o

Regards

Robin
 
jackknife said:
Doc, that's a very beautiful pipe knife!!:thumbup::thumbup:

And to add, some very very nice stag on it. Unfortunately, I think pipe smoking is very rapidly become just another one of those things, a victim of the 'new' times. I used to have a couple of old friends that shared my enthusiasm for a pipe, but both Bill and Hoppy are gone now. I'm the only pipe smoker I know of in my circle, and it seems to be a shrinking circle at that.

I guess pipe knives are like the doctors knives now, reminders of a time long gone, when a specialized pocket knife was a tool of the trade for certain folks, because of a hobby or profession.
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Jackknife, pipe smoking is a fad (trend?) amongst the college students and 20-something hipsters, like it skipped a generation. From what I read, sales of pipes are going up.

If we are fortunate, this little wave of enthusiasm will lead to a small run of pipe knives from an American company. Maybe someone will do a SFO?!
 
I've never seen a knife with pipe tools, only pipe tools with maybe a dull chisel-edge reamer blade. (Half and half, yellobole.)
 
Seems strange that Case does not make one and as far as I know never has. Being owned by Zippo would seem to make it a good fit. Maybe a matched set with a lighter.
 
Dr. Scott said:
Finally getting back to this thread...I hope we can keep it going. :)

DFF46EC5-653F-4786-B323-84E7E69E7305_zpstquabrvq.jpg
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I was hoping to win one like that off the auction site the other day, but got outbid at the last. If it was you, congratulations - sorry about the bid war. :D
 
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