Posted on 12/12/2010 2:46:39 PM PST by JoeProBono
“These days, my favorite is my Gerber.”
My Gerber Mark I is over thirty years old.
Always liked Puma, too.
I prefer the Schrade, although the Buck and Puma also make good knives. Puma was easier to sharpen, while the Buck kept the edge longer.
Put a dab of Militec-1 on your blade and it will stay sharp twice as long as normal.
Puma just may be the best mass produced knives in the world. My Father brought one home from WWII. Daddy gave it to my Uncle who was a butcher. He told me it was the best knife he ever had.
Funny you should say that. I got one of these Puma Sergeant knives during the same era, and also could never sharpen the thing worth a damn.
Were the 70's actually strange enough to overharden steel? Did it have something to do with those shag rugs and avacado colored appliances?
Perhaps in the past. When the good knives came from Solingen and Sheffield. These days, almost all (Böker/Solingen still makes some good ones) of the high quality folding/fixed blade utility/"tactical" knives are made in the US. (I have some old Puma folders, and they don't measure up anymore.) It's a long list. Solingen still produces excellent kitchen cutlery, though (Henckels/Zwilling, Wüsthof). Something the US manufacturers haven't focused on yet.
Oh, Puma is still very popular with the hunters. Stag handles and all that, in a traditional sense. And blade shapes specifically adapted to hunting requirements.
Got the 110 and the fixed blade in the pic. Have a sailing Buck w/ a fid.
Of late I’ve switched to Kershaws.
Yep, the Applegate-Fairbairn Covert Folder is a nice and downright sexy little knife (wish they'd skipped the serration - I'd rather have a longer continuous cutting edge). That said, I have both versions, and unless your business is stabbing people, the flat grind blade is way better for everyday tasks - like *cutting* things! - makes for a great paring knife. I'll admit I've always loved the looks of the dagger style blades, though.
I also have the full-size versions. Without that safety lock the Covert has, they can be dangerous to you. They'll close up on you if you give them the spine-whack test. The liner lock on those is just too weak - I guess that's why they added the safety to the Covert. Anyone with a thin-steel liner lock knife should be very aware of this danger.
To wit, if you have a liner-lock knife, hold the handle opposite to the closing angle with any flesh out of the way and whack the spine of the blade *hard* against some non-resilient surface. Some blades will fold right back. Sucks if that happens at a time when you're using the knife...for whatever.
Damn good knife! I carried a Buck (several 110s and 112’s) for over half my military career. All the ones I owned served their owner and country well, even the few that went over the side in the line of duty.
Indeed. Thanks for the ping!
That’s what I have and I carry it daily in my back pocket.
I bought my first Puma in 1965 at a tourist trap in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Surprisingly the price was not bad at $16. IT was the White Hunter and came with a leather sheath and wood box. It said “sharp as a razor-Strong as an axe” “Genuine Pumaster Steel” “India Stag Handle”.
It has been heavily used during the last 45 years yet is still in remarkably good shape. My Nephew now has it. The quality of the steel seems better to me than my “Cold Steel” SRK with Carbon V. It is also better finished.
I do like the SRK sheath and actually like the knife. I also prefer the rubberized handle tho the stag looks better and I am sure is more durable.
After graduation from college and waiting for an appointment to a civil service job and also a date to be married, I worked at a sporting goods store in San Antonio. They carried a good line of Puma knives and I got a discount. I must have purchased a dozen or so mostly folders several of which were plain stockman’s knives which has always been one of my favorites. Each and every one of them were fine knives. This was back in 1973 and all of them have somehow found their way to someone else s pocket.
I bought my first Puma in 1965 at a tourist trap in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Surprisingly the price was not bad at $16. IT was the White Hunter and came with a leather sheath and wood box. It said “sharp as a razor-Strong as an axe” “Genuine Pumaster Steel” “India Stag Handle”.
It has been heavily used during the last 45 years yet is still in remarkably good shape. My Nephew now has it. The quality of the steel seems better to me than my “Cold Steel” SRK with Carbon V. It is also better finished.
I do like the SRK sheath and actually like the knife. I also prefer the rubberized handle tho the stag looks better and I am sure is more durable.
After graduation from college and waiting for an appointment to a civil service job and also a date to be married, I worked at a sporting goods store in San Antonio. They carried a good line of Puma knives and I got a discount. I must have purchased a dozen or so mostly folders several of which were plain stockman’s knives which has always been one of my favorites. Each and every one of them were fine knives. This was back in 1973 and all of them have somehow found their way to someone else s pocket.
Bought a Buck 110 back in the mid ‘70s, with black leather sheath. Still sharp after pretty heavy use.
Yes like that.. I have an LB2 also someplace. I heard they are rare.
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