Italian Stiletto switch blade

Alpo · Apr 21, 2023

I'm a little confused here.

I have a 7-inch hunting knife. It's called 7-inch because the blade is 7 inches long.

I've always thought that's how a knife was measured.

So y'all talking about your 13-inch switchblades. Do those knives have 13-inch blades, because they don't look it in the photos, or is your 13-inch measurement the overall length of the opened knife?

s&wchad · Apr 21, 2023

Alpo said:
I'm a little confused here.

I have a 7-inch hunting knife. It's called 7-inch because the blade is 7 inches long.

I've always thought that's how a knife was measured.

So y'all talking about your 13-inch switchblades. Do those knives have 13-inch blades, because they don't look it in the photos, or is your 13-inch measurement the overall length of the opened knife?

Stiletto's are described by overall length, usually in centimeters.

I like them too, but only a couple of mine are 13" (33cm).

ENNE-FRAME · Apr 21, 2023

Alpo said:
I'm a little confused here.

I have a 7-inch hunting knife. It's called 7-inch because the blade is 7 inches long.

I've always thought that's how a knife was measured.

So y'all talking about your 13-inch switchblades. Do those knives have 13-inch blades, because they don't look it in the photos, or is your 13-inch measurement the overall length of the opened knife?

Right
this kind of knife, usually, is named with the name of the maker, type of punch, follow the total length open or inches or centimeters, with the blade style and the quality of the handle.
For example:
Frank Beltrame
Italy INOX,
13",
plane blade,
water buffalo
If the switchblade is old there are other criteria

A10 · Apr 21, 2023

s&wchad said:
Stiletto's are described by overall length, usually in centimeters.

I like them too, but only a couple of mine are 13" (33cm).

Those stags are gorgeous

quinn · Apr 21, 2023

Here's my little collection. The lever lock on the left I managed to buy on a visit to Venice using my Texas issued gun license (LTC). None of these are the 13" variety but are the size I usually saw on the streets of Denver in the 1950s.

AJ · Apr 21, 2023

Picked this one up in Japan over 50 years ago.

ISCS Yoda · Apr 21, 2023

ENNE-FRAME said:
The stiletto on the bottom right seems in white/honey cow horn, not burn, because the metal is shiny not burnished

Thanks for that!

As an aside, I brought back two black stilettos from Acapulco around 50 years ago. I lived in NYC at the time where, naturally, they were illegal. I carried one anyway, particularly because I was a pharmacist back then and worked in a rough part of Spanish Harlem.

There was a local police officer around the same age as I was who used to come into the store and hang out with me. One afternoon, since we were friendly, I said to him "I'll let you play with my switchblade if you'll let me play with your gun", and he agreed, so he unloaded the gun and handed it to me and I handed him the knife. I cherish that memory!

H Richard · Apr 21, 2023

I remember buying one, I think a 4" blade, when I was about 15. It had black horn scales. Nice knife, have no idea what ever happened to it. I still have a small, 3 1/2" blade, switch blade (German) I bought in France back in about 1962. My every day knife is a Kershaw Leek, which has all the functionality of the Stiletto, and you can also close it with one hand..

Ive carried this one for 17 years now.

AJ · Apr 21, 2023

H Richard said:
I remember buying one, I think a 4" blade, when I was about 15. It had black horn scales. Nice knife, have no idea what ever happened to it. I still have a small, 3 1/2" blade, switch blade (German) I bought in France back in about 1962. My every day knife is a Kershaw Leek, which has all the functionality of the Stiletto, and you can also close it with one hand..

Ive carried this one for 17 years now.

I have an Kershaw Leek and a 1550. Like them both. The 1550 is my daily carry.

mauser9 · Apr 21, 2023

Believe it was the Edge Company that used to send switchblades to you in kit form back in the early 80s. NOw get em pretty easy in the mail from various distributors.

ENNE-FRAME · Apr 21, 2023

ameridaddy said:
ENNE-FRAME - I remember seeing some of those "around" here and there when I was a teen in the 50's in Baltimore Maryland. IIRC, the points were fairly sharp, but the edges wouldn't cut butter. Can they be sharpened and used for other than stabbing?

They were born to pierce. So if you sink the blow towards vital parts, to kill!
In the roman dialect "PUNCICARE" translate -to sting-

GerSan69 · Apr 22, 2023

I have a couple made in the Italian style that I picked up a few years ago, but I don't think they were made in Italy. The only mark on the blade says: STAINLESS ROSTFREI which I assume indicates German manufacture - am I correct?
By the way, Marcello: my family originated in Alife. I understand there are several dozen Santomassimo's down there....

ENNE-FRAME · Apr 22, 2023

GerSan69 said:
I have a couple made in the Italian style that I picked up a few years ago, but I don't think they were made in Italy. The only mark on the blade says: STAINLESS ROSTFREI which I assume indicates German manufacture - am I correct?
By the way, Marcello: my family originated in Alife. I understand there are several dozen Santomassimo's down there....

They should be Italian, produced in the city of Maniago, a town in Friuli, a region in northern Italy and thus marked in this way for the German market.
Alife is steeped in history, in a beautiful region, the town of Alife is very close to a very wild national park.
Here in Italy, especially in the villages and little towns, there is a very strong attachment to the territory and to the family, therefore it is easy to find the same surname distributed on a large scale. There is a town near Rome, called Olevano Romano where everyone is called Baldi, like me, but places have also been called Baldi, for example there is Baldi mountain, the Baldi river, the Baldi forest, etc. etc.

jetjky · Apr 22, 2023

ENNE-FRAME said:
Here needs a licence as for the firearms to own them, but you can only store at home, you cannot carry them for any reason

Gee . . . my condolences. I live in the free state of SC, no restrictions on them. I have a few of the inexpensive milanos and just one 13in classic picklock for show.

Originally, I had a bud who passed away last year and he had a business importing these Milano knives (made in China) but built well. I bought 50 of them for $12 each and gave about all away as gifts. Mine still work well and I often carry.

jetjky · Apr 22, 2023

A10 said:
Those stags are gorgeous

Very nice collection. A little silicone does wonders.

boykinlp · Apr 22, 2023

I had two Frank Beltrame Italian made knives. They were classic side opening stiletto switchblades and swinguards. Both were 11” knives. One was a 11" Stiletto - Stag Horn Scales, Stainless Steel Bolsters, Brass liners, pins, and rivets, Single edge Spear point, swivel bolster, and slide safety lock. Blade length is 5 inches. and the other was a 11" Swinguard - Camel bone Scales (Camel bone is being used now instead of Ivory), Stainless steel Bolsters and Handguard, Brass liners, pins, and rivets, Bayonet style blade, Swinguard mechanism, and slide safety lock, Tactical style, Limited edition (Number 190, From 2011). Blade length is 5 inches. They were both really nice!

Needing funds for another project, I sold them here on the forum a while back.
Larry

tmd17 · Apr 22, 2023

I always liked the look of these sort of knives, but never really desired to accumulate a collection beyond these three. Although they are very robust with stout springs and tight lock up, the general fit and finish is a bit crude. The scales are cut square and not tapered down at all to match the thin caps that cover the brass linings of the knives. The 8 -5/8 " knives are both marked STILETTO ITALY and the 13" is marked Italy Stainless on one side, and INOX on the other.

I don't think I paid much for them and will pass them on to the grandsons. And while they are not for sale, I am curious to hear opinions on values.

Onomea · Apr 22, 2023

The blades shown remind me of my Burger sword cane's 17" rapier blade:

As noted above, the design is for thrusting, not slashing.

GerSan69 · Apr 22, 2023

ENNE-FRAME said:
They should be Italian, produced in the city of Maniago, a town in Friuli, a region in northern Italy and thus marked in this way for the German market.
Alife is steeped in history, in a beautiful region, the town of Alife is very close to a very wild national park.
Here in Italy, especially in the villages and little towns, there is a very strong attachment to the territory and to the family, therefore it is easy to find the same surname distributed on a large scale. There is a town near Rome, called Olevano Romano where everyone is called Baldi, like me, but places have also been called Baldi, for example there is Baldi mountain, the Baldi river, the Baldi forest, etc. etc.

Thank you, Marcello, excellent information! I've wanted to visit Italy for years but too many things get in the way.
Very interesting about the knife as well. I would not have expected that. Thank you!

.38SuperMan · Apr 23, 2023

I always wanted one and finally bought one twenty five years ago. They used to turn up at gun shows but I’ve not seen any in years.

Nice collections.

Italian Stiletto switch blade

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