Strengths of the major manufacturers?

neeman said:
I favor strongly Queen.
Click to expand...

+1. Queen's patterns just appeal to me. I have three Queen knives, a Schatt & Morgan Harness Jack, the Queen/Dan Burke collaboration Rancher, and the 2010 Moose. All three are winners.

- Christian
 
Thank you all for your input. I don't think my decision has become any easier but I certainly have lots of information to consider now.
 
I'd like to second the opinions of Neeman. I'd like to see Case kick it up a notch like Queen did when they introduced D2. Formerly, I collected heavily both Case and Schatt & Morgan. Now I favor Queen & Schatt & Morgan.

Garry
 
The reason I'm now liking to collect Case knives besides the quality going up is they're so easy to find. To me it's a pain in the rear to get a Queen or a GEC!
 
The reason I prefer Great Eastern Cutlery is really their Northfield brand. Besides the fact that I really enjoy a lot of their patterns, their Northfield series just looks rich and deep. They really caught the details of the older makers in their finish and details. Take it for what it's worth, which isn't much.
 
i know you didn't mention this brand in first post,but i just
got a schatt/morgan on trade and it's the beefiest knife i have
ever seen.
i think they may be made by queen?not sure,but it is the wire
and file series gunstock?
single snubnose blade that has got to be a tough piece of steel.
one bad knife.
jd
 
I think that your tastes will change as you "mature" in collecting, you just need to look at Charlies knives and Wellingtons knives to see the quality and beauty that those awesome knives obtain...and quite a few of the more modern knives are up in a high quality-just have a good look at Dennis's photos of lovely G.E.C's.
But then again all the guys above have just beautifull knives, and quite often show great photos...so stay here, there are so many threads on this subject, so have a look back in past threads here :)

Case, Schatt & Morgan, G.E.C, Queen...hey just have a look at my Primble ( made by Queen )...in cases you will have to check out what period they were made ( depending on the knife you are looking at...find out who made it for them...) some of the earlish primbles are great, Buck, Carl Schlieper, early Puma's and then the Sheffields!! :eek:

Then Old timers, Uncle Henry knives, Schrade Waldens...man it just goes on and on..and all those manufacturers who I have mentioned...and the many many I havent mentioned, all make stunning, beautifull knives.
It will be interesting to see you updating us...nothing is better than your thoughts with pictures of your knives....good luck, and happy hunting.
 
Last edited:
After giving a "cute"answer, as my mother would say sticking the bar of soap in my mouth, I have 're-thought'.

Everyone is telling you "their" favorite(s), But you need to find YOUR favorite.

Go to a hands on store, to a knife or gun show and handle a bunch of them. Two or three will grab your eye. Buy three or four different ones and play with them, carry one then the other for a day. Try to get them all sharp. They can be cheap, they can be expensive, they just need to be what catches your eye.

One will grab your interest more than the others and then go from there. I got started long ago on my favorite, because I liked its advertisment in a national outdoor magazine. I didn't want a 'scout' knife, I wanted a cowboy knife. I mowed some yards, passed out handbills, got my kid money together and went down to the hardware store. I had been looking at all the knives in the two cases and I picked out my 'real' cowboy knife. It was like I had found a gold dollar, it made me feel important and well, almost a cowboy. I have never been able to shake that attraction since. I have "sinned' and occasionally sneak off with one other brand because I was attracted to the history of WW2. But I am 98% true even today.

Some guys love the adventure of different knives, you say you would not. But, make sure by getting those three or four first and see if that holds true. Some guys get a knife because someone they hold dear carried that knife, there is nothing wrong with that either. I guess, in the end I am saying "Go figure it out for yourself." You find a couple that make you feel good, then everyone else will discuss your feelings. And give you pointers you can actually work with.

300bucks
 
Last edited:
OP Alot of good advise was given.
In the end, it's your time, effort, and money.
Most of my knives are Case, so I guess I am a Case collector.

Your choice is not written in stone, it can, and will change, trust me.
You can do a number of things, for instance -
Pick a company
Collect by pattern, any manf.
Collect by handle material, any manf.
You can narrow it to time frames i.e. 19th century, 1900 -1950, 1950 to date, whatever.

Main thing is enjoy, share the journey with other collectors and non collectors, if they will listen.

Ray
 
It doesn't really matter where you start in knife collecting, the end result is always the same. You will end up liking many patterns and many manufacturers and then ultimatly come to the conclusion that you'll never be able to buy every knife you like, but its fun trying.
 
I have picked up about 20 slipjoints over the past few months. Several Case, Buck 300's, a couple of Queens and 4 GEC's. The ones that made me personally feel the most warm and fuzzy have been the GEC's. I am pleased to have a variety of patterns and makes to compare. I am really glad that the GEC's are a part of them. I purchased in particular a 440c Toothpick in American Elk, an American Elk Jack, a Cocobolo Sunfish and a Yellow Rose Stockman. Simply beautiful stuff.

pete
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top