Smith & Wesson knives

jbib said:
Would it be fair to say that based on experience that the same high quality Smith & Wesson demands from their firearms they demand from knives made on their label?
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They are a gun company. They make great guns. They have high demands for their guns...

That being said they don't care about their knives.

To be fair saying that they don't care would be an understatement, because they don't give a shit about garbage their logo is stamped on.

They're so bad that it's perhaps better to buy a counterfreit of their product than their actual product - as you'd probd get a better knife that way.
 
I hear you all. Perhaps a better question would be at their price point is the quality better?
 
IIRC S&W has Schrade making their knives, which is a once-great American brand that now makes junk.

Gun companies don't really make knives, they just strike deals with existing knife companies to make some money off their branding. If they do it with a good company, it can turn out well. Sig Sauer has some nice stuff made for them by Hogue, and HK had a line with Benchmade (now they've switched to Hogue as well). Wilson Combat has had some really nice stuff made with Chris Reeve. The only gun company actually making knives I can think of right now is Glock.
 
You need a score card to follow the history of Smith & Wesson knives. I'll start in 2016-

Once upon a time Taylor Brands had a licensing agreement with Smith & Wesson to make S&W brand knives. But according to the Smith & Wesson corporate website, in 2016 Smith & Wesson's accessories division, Battenfeld Technologies, purchased Taylor Brands to produce S&W brand knives as part of the official S&W brand accessory line. Link- https://ir.smith-wesson.com/news-re...battenfeld-technologies-acquire-taylor-brands

Also according to the S&W corporate website, in 2020 S&W announced the formation of what they called a "spin-off" company called American Outdoor Brands, to sell S&W accessories (including S&W brand knives). If you go to the official Smith & Wesson accessory website and scroll to the bottom you will see American Outdoor Brands listed. Link- https://ir.smith-wesson.com/news-re...ds-inc-completes-spin-american-outdoor-brands

Although American Outdoor Brands is technically a separate company from Smith & Wesson (with a separate stock market listing), it's still a part of Smith & Wesson. So unless there has been some change that I don't know about, Smith & Wesson is sort of currently producing Smith & Wesson knives, they're just doing it under the American Outdoors Brands name.

Things get complicated at the corporate level. One company buying another, and sometimes selling it back a few years later. Differently named divisions within the same company, as well as companies splintering themselves into different companies for a variety of reasons. Like I said, you need a score card to keep track of it all.
 
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I've had Smith and wessen knives way back when before I knew better, the local sporting goods store would rotate models on sale (19.99) and I would always [occasionally] pick one up. I wouldn't buy them now, but i also don't remember them self-destructing when using them on things.
 
For probably 20 years, I've been using a Smith & Wesson Cuttin Horse two blade lockback folder as my go-to knife for a lot of domestic tasks. The blade design is utilitarian, it keeps a sharp edge for a decent length of time, sharpens up quickly and was so inexpensive that I feel free to us it for anything.
 
I think the best thing you could say about S&W knives is that, at one time 25 years ago, they offered one of the least junky flea market liner locks out there. They were pretty decent for the sub $20 price point. The lock up was OK. I never had mine fail on me. Probably made in Taiwan at the time, I think. They were certainly a nice gateway drug into nicer stuff.

But right now...nah.
 
Mentioned this before but every once in awhile Smith and Wesson contracts for a good knife to be made.
The Allegiance came out in ~2021 and IMO is quite decent.
USA made, 14c28n steel, true full tang, etc
Not my photo:
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