Why aren't there any companies that still make knives like these?

[Planterz]

I was poking around the "Old Knives" thread (yes, all 4300+ posts), and some of my favorite pictures were of "gents" knives of various patterns. Below are my favorites (borrowed shamelessly from the OPs).

Surely you can see the common feature shared by all of these knives - a manicure blade. In particular, the norfolk pattern 4 blade in MOP and the Robseson at the bottom are my favorites. I'm baffled as to why similar knives aren't made by anybody. Yes, there's the various SAKs that have a nail file/manicure blade of some sort, and the closest I can find to these old style blades is the Leatherman Micra, but neither of these have the old world charm of an early 20th or late 19th century pocket knife. If a company like Case or GEC made a knife with a good manicure blade, and at least one curved and one straight blade, I'd buy one in an instant, and probably carry little else. Maybe not in MOP, but in stag, ebony, or the right bone, it'd be a fantastic traditional EDC.

I make pizzas for a living. Thus, my hand are constantly in flour, greasy meats, sticky and juicy vegis and fruits, and other gunk. Something to clean my nails and cuticles with is essential. I'd love a pocket knife life those pictured above. The problem is that they're all old and rare. Hard to find, and pricey if you can. I think the "gents" knife needs to be resurrected.

 

[Doug Add]

This one! Wow Charlie, that is exquisite! Thanks Aaron for bringing these back to our attention.

 

[ptradeco]

Aaron, I cannot answer your question without quite a bit of speculation but I will say you have excellent taste

 

[okbohn]

as a dealer and someone who SFO's a lot of knives, I would say the reason is the nail file limits the number of people who would be interested in the knife. I understand everything limits it, I know, but this edges out of the strictly knife area. For me, when you edge out of there, you end up pushing too many buyers out.

 

[kamagong]

as a dealer and someone who SFO's a lot of knives, I would say the reason is the nail file limits the number of people who would be interested in the knife. I understand everything limits it, I know, but this edges out of the strictly knife area. For me, when you edge out of there, you end up pushing too many buyers out.

This. Δ

I have knives with similar frames to a couple of the ones you posted.

I would not have bought them had they come with the nail file. I'm no gentleman, but who grooms himself in public? I don't so I certainly don't want a file on my pocketknife.

If all you need is a way to keep your nails and cuticles clean, you could always buy a pen knife of your liking and then keep the pen blade blunt.

- Christian

 

[littleknife]

Many SAKs do have manicure blade, or at least a nail file, of course without the charm of these old “gents’ knives.

If we are lucky, Rough Rider might make some of the ones shown above, since they seem to ‘resurrect' a lot old patterns and forms.

 

[wouldestous]

i used to make pizzas and other 'italian' food for a living. in those days i didnt care if my cuticles were clean lol.
still, i think a 'gents' knife is ripe for a comeback. seems like the whole pop culture slovenly thing is about played out. unless its suddenly going to become to cool to actually *be* homeless and live beneath an actual highway overpass.
what if you had a swiss army knife re-handled in mother of pearl or something more 'gentlemanly' than red plastic?

 

[jackknife]

i used to make pizzas and other 'italian' food for a living. in those days i didnt care if my cuticles were clean lol.
still, i think a 'gents' knife is ripe for a comeback. seems like the whole pop culture slovenly thing is about played out. unless its suddenly going to become to cool to actually *be* homeless and live beneath an actual highway overpass.
what if you had a swiss army knife re-handled in mother of pearl or something more 'gentlemanly' than red plastic?

I can only wonder if this is an over looked nich market for Victorinox? Imagine if they had an option of pearl or stag or horn scales on the more 'gentlemanly' knives like the executive and classic and rambler's. Heck, Tiffany's has a silver Vic classic, so why not?

Carl.

 

[wouldestous]

I can only wonder if this is an over looked nich market for Victorinox? Imagine if they had an option of pearl or stag or horn scales on the more 'gentlemanly' knives like the executive and classic and rambler's. Heck, Tiffany's has a silver Vic classic, so why not?

Carl.

could be! natural handle materials could be a whole new thing for the swiss army knife. some nice wood handles, even, might make swiss army knives look a little more upscale.

 

[Campbellclanman]

Aaron, oh my...do you own those knives shown?...if so you are such a lucky man-congratulations, Victorinox as mentioned do have them, and you will probably find the German/European manufacturers would definitely have something going.
But...in todays world - where the "Gentleman" is getting almost extinct, is it a commercially viable option, I would imagine GEC cringing at the thoughts of lost revenue manufacturing a knife ( although a beautiful one at that ) such as this.

 

[JB in SC]

I can only wonder if this is an over looked nich market for Victorinox? Imagine if they had an option of pearl or stag or horn scales on the more 'gentlemanly' knives like the executive and classic and rambler's. Heck, Tiffany's has a silver Vic classic, so why not?

Carl.

I have a SAK with horn scales. There were a few Swiss textile machinery vendors that gave them away to customers. Mine's worn quite a bit, I guess I've owned it for at least 20 years.

 

[Planterz]

as a dealer and someone who SFO's a lot of knives, I would say the reason is the nail file limits the number of people who would be interested in the knife. I understand everything limits it, I know, but this edges out of the strictly knife area. For me, when you edge out of there, you end up pushing too many buyers out.

I fully understand what you're saying. But still it strikes me as odd that several decades have passed since anyone has made knives like these. It seems like somebody would have tried in that time...

 

[Jack Black]

Beautiful knives, but I'm with Christian on this, I have SAKS and a Micra with nail-files, I may have even occassionally used them to clean my nails, but I can do that with a pen blade, and I'd rather have another blade than a nail-file.

 

[Will Power]

I certainly wouldn't use a nail file on a knife, there are better methods!

That said, it is a very TRADITIONAL feature on knives no question about it. I would like to see these types of knife: sleek slim and elegant re-appearing but as others have said, with a blade not file. There is something very alluring about a gent's knife, not over heavy, quality handles&finish, pocket gem etc. One of my wishes for GEC would be for them to try one of these patterns, but not their usual heavy weight and often large bolsters. Shadow or tip bolsters, coined liners in nickel-silver, and dare I say it, brushed stainless blades Dream on..

 

[fatcorgi]

some of the really old SAKs from the '60s with the long nail files and horn scales have some of that charm. I think I read somewhere from a collector of old patterns such as put up by the OP that he didn't believe GEC cutlers were not *yet* skilled enough to manage the fine details of a Sheffield Windsor pattern or something like that. Personally I don't see why not, that lockback whittler would be hard, but Case/Bose managed to execute one fairly well.

 

[Stich2442]

I still use nail files regularly, I was a product of culinary school, we had to be clean shaven, clean uniform ( chef coat, handkerchief around neck, fingernails short & clean etc.) it carried over into my professional career. I don't work as a professional chef anymore, but I'm also a multi-instrumentalist & need to keep the nails on my left hand short, I rarely use a pick, so I keep my nails on my right hand a little longer and need them to be shaped and filed smooth not to snag. I have a scrimshawed pre banned elephant ivory money clip with nail file & pen blade, but recently found a old new stock Vic Director, similar to one I lost 25 years ago.

You can still find them also in MOP & mammoth

IMO these have the best nail file of any Vic.
Pete

 

[thawk]

I bet is you ask any of the knife makers that hang around here, you'll find these little knives with little blades are extremely tedious and a chore to attain fit and finish. Not much margin for error inside of those tiny frames. More money in bigger knives that take less time to make?

That being said, I like them too. Here are a few of my little pearlies.

This one is dinky!

 

[Humppa]

Aaron, PM sent

 

[RonnieC]

I have to agree with Christian - personal grooming in public being a no-no. But noticing a fingernail needing attention and being able to discreetly attend to it in the men's room rather than waiting until you have returned home is a plus.
Unfortunately, I'm a bit grossed out by the idea of scraping crud from under my fingernail and then using the orange-peeler from the same knife, as on the Swiss Army selections. A dedicated 100% grooming penknife is the way to go for me. ( I do have a few Camillus versions of these .)
They may not make any new ones, but at last count there were about 1.5 billion used ones still circulating in the secondary market.

 

[Stich2442]

I have to agree with Christian - personal grooming in public being a no-no. But noticing a fingernail needing attention and being able to discreetly attend to it in the men's room rather than waiting until you have returned home is a plus.
Unfortunately, I'm a bit grossed out by the idea of scraping crud from under my fingernail and then using the orange-peeler from the same knife, as on the Swiss Army selections.

I use the screwdriver to fix fishing reels, and use the serrated blade to strip wire, never used it for a orange makes a good utility blade.

Pete