Taylor's Eye Witness range with synthetic red handles

Jack Black

Jack Black

Seize the Lambsfoot! Seize the Day!
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Just came across a range of Taylor's Eye Witness knives I've not seen before, with red plastic handles. There are several blade shapes; lambsfoot, pruner, spear, clip, etc. Very inexpensive, but they look cheap in my opinion, and I have my doubts as to whether they're made at the Eye Witness Works. Not sure these are a step in the right direction for Taylor's or for Sheffield cutlery in general. Over the years, on the few occasions, that the remaining firms have tried to modernise a pattern, they just seem to always come up with something a bit like this, with no real thought or imagination involved. Just thought I'd post a pic anyway, see what folk think.
 
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Aye, they're a wee bit too budget. I came across one their pruners at a garden centre in Dundee. Victorinox sitting right next to it shining brightly. Pity, Taylor's have always made decent knives. I have not bought a recent one, I have had old hand-me-downs or second hand beauties but never a new one.

P
 
In the right place-they would be good, I imagine that knife to be something I would buy just to put it on a shelf in a shed-theres no way you can miss it, and one day you will need it?
I LOVE the earlier Taylor EYE BRAND knives, excellent quality that would be hard to beat, when I see a good early one, I always pounce on it if I can.
Jack, are Taylor still the same Cutler firm, or has the name been sold on after the original Cutlers closure?
 
Stelth said:
I agree with your opinion.
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There must be old cutlers spinning in their graves. Breaks my heart to see some of the garbage turned out in Sheffield these days (and for a long time past). It's not as if things are exactly booming there, yet nobody seems to be able to come up with a single innovation, or just go back to producing quality knives :(




pmew said:
Aye, they're a wee bit too budget. I came across one their pruners at a garden centre in Dundee. Victorinox sitting right next to it shining brightly. Pity, Taylor's have always made decent knives. I have not bought a recent one, I have had old hand-me-downs or second hand beauties but never a new one.




P
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I've always had a soft spot for Taylors, probably the best of the remaining old cutlery firms (even if their factory is little more than an empty shell these days), but I'd choose Victorinox over one of these everytime. Their old knives were beauties.
 
Campbellclanman said:
In the right place-they would be good, I imagine that knife to be something I would buy just to put it on a shelf in a shed-theres no way you can miss it, and one day you will need it?
I LOVE the earlier Taylor EYE BRAND knives, excellent quality that would be hard to beat, when I see a good early one, I always pounce on it if I can.
Jack, are Taylor still the same Cutler firm, or has the name been sold on after the original Cutlers closure?
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They're still the same firm Duncan, with the same factory (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1029646-Eye-Witness), but it doesn't look like many knives get produced there now, and some of their kitchen knives are even made abroard.
 
What's the steel on those? I'd buy one if the price is low just for grins, if it is carbon steel. Doesn't look too too bad to me.
 
trey999 said:
What's the steel on those? I'd buy one if the price is low just for grins, if it is carbon steel. Doesn't look too too bad to me.
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Carbon and cheap as chips. I doubt the quality will be up to much.
 
Thanks, Jack. Can you PM me the website (if you found them online), if you have the time? It kind of reminds me of a plastic handled Eka knife.
 
Got it, thank you, sir. They all look to be stainless though. Oh well, I really don't need any more knives.
 
they dont look so terribly awful to me. although i admittedly dont have particularly high standards as pertains to fit and finish and all that. lol
i work in the environmental industry and am often out in the field. an obnoxiously brightly colored handle is very helpful if you drop it in tall grass, deep leaves etc. though you of course cant tell anything about the functionality or durability of a knife from a picture.
 
trey999 said:
Got it, thank you, sir. They all look to be stainless though. Oh well, I really don't need any more knives.
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Sorry, hadn't realised they were stainless, makes me even more suspicious of their provenance.

Stelth said:
Just for fun I looked for Taylor knives online and stumbled across this:
http://www.taylors-eye-witness.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/premier-collection.pdf

They seem well made...are they?
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They're the same blades as the rest of the Taylor's range, which are identical to other blades used on folders put together throughout the city. Not sure if they're made at Taylor's or elsewhere, but they're certainly not hand-ground. The knives are put together by hand in Sheffield, but there's a huge price leap between these knives and the standard Taylor's knives. What you're paying for is fancy covers, probably better QC, but while they're nice examples of Sheffield-made knives, the range is overpriced in my opinion. Something for the tourists I think.
 
I recently ordered a custom sgian dubh from Ferraby knives in Sheffield. He's going to use SF100 which is a Sheffield steel. Ill let you know what it's like when it's finished.

P
 
pmew said:
I recently ordered a custom sgian dubh from Ferraby knives in Sheffield. He's going to use SF100 which is a Sheffield steel. Ill let you know what it's like when it's finished.

P
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SF100 is decent steel if it's heat-treated right. I have a custom sgian dubh made out of SF77.
 
I like inexpensive, and even cheap has its place, but why couldn't they cast that red plastic into that nice old swayback shape?
 
scrteened porch said:
I like inexpensive, and even cheap has its place, but why couldn't they cast that red plastic into that nice old swayback shape?
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Me too. It looks to me like they just haven't given it a lot of thought. I wonder where they're being made.
 
You never know. Could be a cheap knockout :)
 
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