Thoughts on kissing crane knives

M

maxyboy12

Joined
Jul 2, 2013
Messages
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I own a Kissing Crane black bowie that I am very impressed with. I tested it extensively and my only complaint might be that it does not have the best edge retention, but it was certainly worth the money!

I really just want all of your opinions on Kissing Crane as a company, as well as your thoughts on quality and such.

All opinions are welcome!
 
I love them!
Do You have pics?

It was my first big knife in 1970 and it is still with me!
I have retired it from hard use and keep it as a memory.

As you say it is not overly hard and edge retention isn't on top, but instead it has a thick geometry and do stay sharp for normal use.
The tang is softer than the blade and the bladespine is softer than the edge.
This means it can take a lot of hard work and abuse, without breaking so it is properly made indeed!

I certainly agree that they are money well spent, as they always has been decently priced.
Today they are found on Ebay and if they aren't too pitted,they can be a bargain!
Yes I'm talking of the Carbon steel models and have not used stainless versions.

Kissing Krane or Robt. Klaas as they are also named after the former brand owner are one of many good Solingen brands from the past.
Anton Wingen jr is another worth looking for.

A few years ago I spotted an Anton Wingen on Ebay, but the seller did only sell CONUS, so I asked Okbohn aka Derrick at KSF to get the knife for me and send it to Sweden.

He did and some time later the package landed in my postbox with a loud thump.
Talk about great personal service! :thumbup:

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The collectors value are fairly low, but slowly increasing and I think they are good starters both for a new collector or a user new to knives.
I certainly enjoy my Solingen knives!:D

Regards
Mikael
 
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I'll get a picture of mine but honestly mine isn't a high quality collectors item like yours! Mine is just the basic bowie they make. I don't doubt the carbon steel they use is phenomenal but I am speaking of their stainless steel they use. I am still quite a fan of their knives! Would there be any specific collectors model that you would recommend?
 
I googled the Kissing Crane Black Bowie and I suppose these are the new ones not made in Solingen?
It does look good and it would be interesting to read about Your experiences with it and see some pics.

I wouldn't recommend any particular Kissing Crane for collecting, but I'm partial to any old Solingen made knife if it's in good condition.


Regards
Mikael
 
i just bought a damascus folder for a wedding gift and it was beautiful, I'll try to get a picture later. perfect fit and finish and just all around solid and well made seeming. It has these really neat extra fat antler grips.
 
Robert Klaas (aka Kissing Crane) is a great company in general. I can´t help you with your question about the Bowie, but here´s a link to their german spoken website http://www.robert-klaas.de/ (in german language)

Hope this helps a little.
 
I have an older german, Kissing Krane (Robert Klass) canoe. They were up there with Hen & Rooster, Boker, Henckels.
 
Honestly I can say the knife chops better than my cold steel recon scout and my ontario rd7. It is balanced beautifully. I absolutely love Solingen knives I wish I had the money for them!
 
I am not exactly sure how to post a picture since I am new to bladeforums, but the kissing Crane black bowie you mentioned is the one I own, but I love it so much I wanted to go for a higher quality knifenfrom solingen if that is what you good people recommended, hence the thread.
 
only kissing crane knife i have ever owned was a fake abalone handled sod buster......it was a very cheap knife

those fixed blade look sweet.
 
maxyboy12 said:
Honestly I can say the knife chops better than my cold steel recon scout and my ontario rd7. It is balanced beautifully. I absolutely love Solingen knives I wish I had the money for them!
Click to expand...

This sounds like good performance then!
Pics are uploaded from an ImageShack account and You use the Insert Image icon in the reply toolbar.


Regards
Mikael
 
I like the older models better than the new ones on all brand of pocketknives. The old bone and stag just look better to me. Kevin :D
 
i had a KC congress folding knife & i loved mine. I'm not familiar with their fixed blade, but based off their folders They are top notch
 
I have a couple of their stilletto style folders. Nice looking, no blade play, though the opening and closing was kinda gritty and it didn't come especially sharp.
 
I don't own many fixed blades anymore, but i highly recommend the Solingen made folders!


Tim

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Just a quick question for all of you then, what brand/custom maker would you recommend based out of Solingen?
 
I have two kissing crane folders and I love them, both are very large "stiletto" style knives. Here they are next to my 1911 for comparison.

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And the kissing crane logo

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I've seen the smaller ones offered often, but I don't see many of these big size. I've bought the only two that I've seen. Sometimes they come up on eBay, but typically they sell for well over a couple hundred bucks.
 
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