Recommendation? Starting to get into traditionals, what are good entry level brands?

Would it be accurate to say if the tang says "Made in Solingen" it is, but if it says only "Solingen", it may be assembled in Solingen from imported parts? Guess it depends on the brand.
Also, I have an Artisan Biome in D2 that is an inexpensive, but nice, slipjoint. Just saying.
 
bayouace said:
Would it be accurate to say if the tang says "Made in Solingen" it is, but if it says only "Solingen", it may be assembled in Solingen from imported parts? Guess it depends on the brand.
Also, I have an Artisan Biome in D2 that is an inexpensive, but nice, slipjoint. Just saying.
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yeah the biome looks nice, I've got my eye on it for the future
 
erudite cricket said:
Found a 1980s Colonial Knives Barlow in decent condition for 10 dollars. It had good fit and finish so I picked it up.
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Colonial was a budget brand, but made some good, solid users. I like them a lot. Sounds like a really good score - post a pic if you can :thumbsup::D

I used to have this Ranger (a Colonial brand), but gave it away to a Porch friend:

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I think sometimes we worry too much about what others think about our stuff.

The internet can be a wonderous thing sometimes. A few years ago it was the fashion to talk about how poor Queen's quality was. And they did turn out some junk while the company was failing, but they also made some good stuff. Somehow that Queen equals junk idea got extended to everything they produced from the dawn of man onward. Worked out for me, I bought a lot of Queen knives.

Collectors are a fickle bunch, and if you keep an eye out for whatever is out of favor you can really pick up some nice stuff.

Case is problematic. An awful lot of guys remember Case knives up until 1990 or so selling like mad. and bringing ridiculous prices. Those were the Tom Sawyer years. These days they can be had quite reasonably, provided that the seller isn't trying to get 1985 prices for his stuff. And you've seen a little of the Case Quality bug here. They turned out gems, they turned out stuff that was serviceable but not fancy. I don't buy a lot of Case knives just because I remember what Case collectors and dealers were like.

You see a pattern? Handle the knife you're trying to buy and decide for yourself if you like it.

The idea that every knife ever produced has to be a gem is an internet thing. Up until a decade or two ago pocketknives were tools, some nicer than others, but primarily tools. Perfect blade centering, no blade play, backsprings that rip your nails out at the roots are a recent thing and it is pure internet nonsense. There was a thread here this year complaining about blade centering on a Congress... When you read this kind of stuff you just have to shake your head and move on.

I recently bought a box of castoffs from a dealer that included Schrade, Imperial, Camillus and an Ulster. The average was $12.00 each for the lot, and they ranged from good to excellent condition. They were just things that are out of favor right now, but a nice score for me. Even the gold standard these days, GEC, has their problems. My Forum knife from this year has so many sharp edges that the Internet should be outraged. In the final analysis it's just a knife.

Collecting is one of the few areas where the only person you've got to please is you. I can get a kick out of a minty Carl Schleiper, I can enjoy a Jet Aer. Buy what you like at a price you can afford. The rest is optional.
 
ah no love for the old frost cutlery? rough rider has come a long way since I seriously got into traditional slip joint knives. back in the day you could troll ebay and have quite a bunch to explore.
 
Rough Ryde (not "Reserve" series) A great way to try different patterns without bankrupting the bank.
Of the 60 odd I have, only one had more than a cosmetic defect: the long pull nail nicks are about 1/2 the depth of my others, so my thumbnail sometimes slips off. A warranty issue, I might send it in someday for exchange. (RR does have a lifetime warranty, even on the sub $7.⁰⁰ Barlow I bought back in 1014.
(So does their Marbles brand, which I've used twice, no questions asked. I sent a photo in the email), both times for a broken back spring. The first was a 7 or 8 year old MR409, from before they had an "MR" number OR "Marbles" etched on the blade. They sent me a new one, (with the "MR" Number and blade etch) The back spring broke while it was in a cigar box (blade closed) during the 3 years from when I had a stroke, and got the cigar box out of my camper. They did not want the defective one returned.
The second, a new MR278 "Demo Knife" with a no "MR" Number Marbles SPORK, that arrived with a broken back spring. Some idiot in marketing thought all 4 blades should be 1/4 to 1/2 open. That is just asking for a broken spring! They sent a replacement (with SPORK, even tho I told them there was nothing wrong with it, and I didn't need another one.) Again, they did not want the defective one back. Without the SPORK, the MR278 is under $7.⁰⁰)
Over-all quality of the rest of my RR is just as good as my from a "good era" Case, and vintage made in USA Imperial-Schrade family of brands.
RR also has more patterns in production than Case. (A Barlow, a Lady Leg (I don't think Case is currently producing a Lady Leg. I believe that like the Barlow, Case has it "in the vault") and Sunfish, for example.
If you decide that you like a pattern, you can always "upgrade" to a more "impressive" brand.

Marbles.
Colt. (pre 2015)
Post 2004 Taylor and post 2016(?) BTI offshore Schrade/Imperial/Old Timer/Uncle Henry. Taylor also did a run of a few patterns under the Hammer Brand banner. (Hammer Brand and NYKC became Imperial-Schrade brands in 1933, when NYKC went bankrupt..) Opinel, MAM, and several other Euro brands make low cost friction folders.

Vintage Colonial, Utica, Ulster, pre 1933 NYKC & Hammer Brand, pre 2004 Schrade/Imperial/Old Timer/Uncle Henry, 1933 to 2004 NYKC & Hammer Brand.

Some have mentioned Queen. Be aware that Queen/Queen City and Schatt & Morgan folded in 2020. The current production Queen and Queen City are SMKW/Bluegrass Cutlery brands, and are made offshore.
Schatt & Morgan is a separate company/ brand, no longer affiliated with Queen/Queen City. S&M was supposed to resume production in Ohio, a couple years ago. I don't know if they have or not. From what I saw on the forum, the quality was not there, and the prices were at or above the GEC price point, so probably not a "beginner's" knife, anyway
 
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erudite cricket said:
yeah the biome looks nice, I've got my eye on it for the future
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There’s a 12c27n version as well with carbon fiber. Definitely a nice little knife (though not super traditional, though it’s an actual slip joint unlike these double detente things going around these days).
 
Case and Boker are good starting points. Case gets a bad rep, their fit and finish isn't on par with GEC but they are perfectly serviceable knives. If you are really worried about it look up a local dealer or go on EBAY and look at the exact knife you are going to get.

Rough rider is crap, I've had to adjust kicks, had nail nicks hidden behind blades, bad grinds, they tend to get a pass because they are cheap. The ones I got to see what the hype is about are tossed in a drawer and used to practice free hand sharpening. Never tried the reserve, at those prices I would rather get a Case.

Are you interested in any particular patterns, or cover materials? The Case Swell Center Jacks were last years vault release and all the ones I have gotten seem well built. That gets my recommendation on a good starter knives/knife.
 
Another Camillus fan here. Easy entry to the genre with some really nice knives at yesterday prices, for the most part.
 
Some will just condemn any knife just based on where it was made or by whom.
Some will also love any knife as long as it is made by a specific company or in a specific country.
Before you listen to people making absolute statements first go through their post history.
Before you decide to buy something, go through the various thread too.
 
The ones that you can buy and be sure of the quality are Victorinox and Opinel (maybe others).

If you can visit a shop that sells knives (not easy in England) you can check quality yourself.
 
erudite cricket said:
So what I'm picking up is go around to antique stores, I'll give that a shot. Also, I may try one of the Rough Ryder Reserves just to compare to thrift store ones
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They get some good reviews, I just dont like them myself that nail nick that looks like a bushy eye puts me right off.

And though traditional looking it just seems a pastiche without fully getting "it" to me.
 
My main beef with a lot of what is being produced today is that they are reproductions, and mostly aimed at the collector’s market. That goes for everything from Frost and Rough Ryder all the way up to GEC and customs.

I suppose the pocket cutlery market has always been full of gimmicks and marketing, but my preference is for stuff that has been continuously produced for many decades (if not a century or more), and has survived because people have continued find them either useful, or just “cool”, or both.

Having said all that - buy whatever you like. The knives are just an excuse to hang out here and BS with the guys.
 
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