It's really sad to see this happen with a knife manufacturer that made such fine knives in the past. I have several (6) "green box" Pumas that are all of excellent quality. The newest of these is 1988 or 1989 production. Even though they did not use a "high" grade steel, they did a very good job with the heat treat. In fact, one of these folders outperformed my BM 556 (440C, and BM claims 58-60 Rc) in a recent cardboard cutting test I did. My brother has had similar results with his Pumas, in that they do better than many knives out there.
I have purchased two Pumas in the last few years, which would fall under Puma's "new" manufacturing philosophy. They are definitely of lower quality in terms of fit and finish, although one of them, the Duke, was still a nice knife. I have not tested the steel to see how they compare with the older ones. But then again their prices have come down a lot as well.
I have purchased two Pumas in the last few years, which would fall under Puma's "new" manufacturing philosophy. They are definitely of lower quality in terms of fit and finish, although one of them, the Duke, was still a nice knife. I have not tested the steel to see how they compare with the older ones. But then again their prices have come down a lot as well.