PUMA - current production quality and attention to detail?

rhino

rhino

Joined
Dec 30, 2000
Messages
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Has anyone bought a new Puma knife recently?

I just got one of their lightweight folders #P231265 (very similar to a Buck Model 422, the original Bucklite). It's super light weight and seems to be decently made (except for the backspring not matching with the with the blade top), but it has essentially no cutting edge. You can tell that someone kissed the edge on a belt grinder, but they either didn't care or messed up, and didn't do it enough to bring the bevels on each side together on the edge.

It's easy enough to fix, especially since I reprofile almost all of my knives' primary edges anyway, but it's a surprise and a disappointment coming from an old name like Puma.

I like the knife enough to keep it, but it's not even sharp enough to use as a letter opener!
 
Puma quality has been lousy since the company was sold in the early eighties. (when they produced some of the best factory knives in the world - I'm fortunate to own several old Puma's in the green and yellow boxes)
I bought a little 4 Star folder a couple of years ago off ebay and the qualty was downright pitiful - uneven grinds - lousy fit and finish - dull as a butter knife. I advise everyone to steer clear of Puma.
 
I got a large Medici swing guard folder about a year ago. It's a nice knife, but as you said the attention to detail is lacking.

The top bolster is finished unevenly and the overall fit of all the parts is sloppy.

But I like the design and if you don't examine it too closely it's not bad looking.
 
I've had terrible luck with my puma purchases,poor fit finish,none came sharp as you mentioned,backplay in the blades,on one lockback,a sergent the right side of the frame stuck out about a 1/16" farther than the left,and a duke I bought self destructed so to speak,the spring either came loose or cleanly broke the day I bought it.

For some reason I bought a fixed blade after all of this,one of the rubber handles ones.I forget the name but it turned out to be made in china,I knew they made knives in china but this wasn't marked as such.Anyway the handle is very flexible rubber,and it only has a half tang so if you cut more than paper with it the handle flexes badly in you hand.

I also owned a puma 4 star,major,and a stag bowie,the bowie is the only puma I have owned that was even reasonable exeptable.

I don't know why I tried as many as I did but the last will be the last puma I purchase.:mad:

Ok I'll calm down now:o
 
Spotty, with the more $$$ models usually better.

I have a well made Puma Tac, Rattler, Praraie Skeleton Knife, General and a Puma Survival. All were very sharp except the Survival and General.

I have a Trail Guide and a Rescue Tool that both came with a chipped edge.

Try to handle the one you are interested in before buying if possible. I want to like their knives, but they can be a risk.
 
The stag handle folders at Cabela's are horrible---nothing more than Pakistani junk----and even more insulting considering the high prices they wanted for them---$80 and $90 respectively.

OUCH!!
 
Thanks for the responses, guys. It's unfortunate the situation is so bad, kind of like what has happened to the Schrade brands. I got it from Sportsman's Guide while I was ordering some other stuff. I was short of the amount I needed to use a coupon, so I foolishly added the Puma to the shopping cart because it looked like a decent knife for a little under $20.

The blade etching has the Puma logo, then:

light P231265
GERMANY 07/RC

I know it doesn't matter at this point, but what are the chances it was made in Germany and not China? It's tough for me to imagine a German craftsman doing such a poor job on an edge, but maybe I'm naive.

I spent a few hours with the ol' diamonds reprofiling the primary edge last night. The last inch (toward the point) took the most time, and I seem to have lost the pointiness of the point in the process. It's a decent cutting tool now, and perhaps the lightest knife of its size that I have.

I also added my own dumba** mistake to the process. After I got it sharpened properly, I found one of my old one armed bandits (it was on an old Gerber Magnum LST) and put it on this Puma. I put it on a little too close to the handle (when it's open), so it wouldn't open all the way. I moved it a little toward the point end, but I stripped the screw while I was doing it. Subsequent testing showed me that I had moved is ALMOST far enough. But it's on there to stay (unless I drill out the screw), so I used the Magnum LST to shave a bit of the FRN of the handle away until the blade could lock into place properly.

So now, I have a "custom" Puma. :D
 
It's been a long time since I've read a positive PUMA review. Sad.

My last Puma was one of the Puma IP fixed blades, olive wood handle, very inexpensive, made in Spain. It's actually a relatively nice product.

-Bob
 
the Puma of today is trash compared to the old ones....most likely made in China under license from Puma.....
 
I just posted on the thread "stag handled folder" praising the heck out of my Puma Duke. I didn't know people had such quality problems with their Pumas but I was impressed with my knife's fit and finish and the blade was very sharp out of the box. Maybe I was just lucky...
 
comoha said:
I just posted on the thread "stag handled folder" praising the heck out of my Puma Duke. I didn't know people had such quality problems with their Pumas but I was impressed with my knife's fit and finish and the blade was very sharp out of the box. Maybe I was just lucky...
Click to expand...

I actually wanted to buy one of those until I got my Medici.

Good to hear you like yours.
 
I think I had one exactly like this new knife, but I lost it a few years ago. I remember the edge on it was excellent when I got it. If I ever find it again, I'll be able to compare the two.

While I reprofiling the edge, I noticed how uneven the primary hollow grinds are from side to side. With the same shallow angle, of have about a 116 inch bevel on the "good" side, and the other I had to grind until I was removing metal at the top of the swedge/clip. Oi!
 
Old Puma knives= :thumbup: :)

New Puma "knives" = :barf: :thumbdn:

Whoever's running that company now, has no idea of what quality control is and seems to be only thinking about mass production and quick money.
 
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