Vintage Puma 6394 Hunter's Companion

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kwackster

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Some time ago i acquired this vintage Puma 6394 Hunter's Companion in a trade.
The knife was made in 1977 and never really used, but it did have some slight sharpening marks on it's edge from a whetstone.
With the help of my Paper Wheels i put a clean polished edge on it, which also helps to keep corrosion at bay since the blade is made from Genuine Pumaster Steel. (which is of course carbon steel)
The steel gets very sharp by the way.

The knife as a whole is very well made, and the sambar stag handle is shaped with skinning in mind, meaning that the underside of the handle is wider than the top so that the tips of your fingers find good purchase there while steering the upswept blade.

Also take a look at the sheath; the rim is adorned with rivets so the chance that the blade will cut the stitchings while sheathed is negligible.
Each (green edged) rivet carries the head of a puma as does the sheath itself in deep relief.

Sadly Puma doesn't make this kind of quality anymore,

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Specs:

Overall length: 8,9 inch
Blade length: 4,6 inch
Blade thickness: 0,2 inch (measured at the ricasso)
Steel: Genuine Pumaster Steel (carbon steel)
Hardness: 61 HRC (according to Puma)
Handle material: Sambar Stag with aluminium guard
Weight (knife only): 5.33 oz.
Sheath: Leather
 
Very nice, classy, knife and sheath. By "classy" i also mean "classic". It looked great in 1977. It looks great now. And it will look great in another 25 or 50 years. Super well made never goes out of style and that blade profile will always be just right for hunting.
Thanks for showing us an example of true classic beauty.
roland
 
Beautiful knife! I really like the details in the leather sheath and how it works with the hole in the handle to secure it among other things. The mirror polished edge makes this like a slicer for sure. Really very nice all around! Congrats!
 
I am a huge fan of Pumas from the mid 70's and back. Thanks for posting this. They made some incredible knives of high quality back in the 50's and 60's as well as into the 70's especially.
 
That old Puma is a real beauty and a nice find. :thumbup:


Bastid said:
I am a huge fan of Pumas from the mid 70's and back. Thanks for posting this. They made some incredible knives of high quality back in the 50's and 60's as well as into the 70's especially.
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This one's from the mid-70's Gus. I got it while I was working at Abercrombie & Fitch in NYC in 1975 / 1976. It's a "Sea-Hunter" (and the only Puma I've ever owned).

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Zanuha said:
I think the blade shape is ugly, but the sheath is still very pretty.
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Pretty much what most classic "skinners" offered...a trailing point blade profile.
Form follows function.
 
Blues said:
Pretty much what most classic "skinners" offered...a trailing point blade profile.
Form follows function.
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I get that, but the blade looks like it's decades old when it has a large ricasso and a narrow blade.
 
Zanuha said:
I get that, but the blade looks like it's decades old when it has a large ricasso and a narrow blade.
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When you first see this model you can indeed get the impression that half of the blade has been ground/sharpened away by a previous owner, but that is not the case as they came like that from the factory.
Here is a page from the 1984 Puma dealer catalogue showcasing the Hunter's Companion (sixth from the top):

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The picture is courtesy of www.pumahunter.de

Ralf, the German owner of Pumahunter.de probably has the best collection of vintage Puma knives as well as vintage documentation in Europe.
He is also a very nice guy, :thumbup:
 
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Nice knives!!, and Elliot I have always liked those Sea Hunters!
Hey Kwackster, once again thank you for showing us your great knives..this paticular puma I havent seen too much of, and I have NEVER seen a sheath with the Puma head like that-never, nor the rivet style either, and I have looked at a lot of pumas, owned quite a few.
I wonder if that was refined to a certain part of the world, and in conjuntion with it being a lower production number?
Thank you, very interesting :thumbup:
 
Thanks for showing the catalogue, very interesting. Really fancy that Hunter's Pal, fine looking small knife. All of them show depth of quality.
 
pumas with pumaster carbon will cut up there with the best of them. i've owned many pumas & in the 70s & early 80s were the knife to have.that one is a great find, actually puma made many folder designs that were never exported to the u.s.---dennis
 
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