Questions on S&W brand knives
- Thread starter azhobo
- Start date
THE PILGRIM
Member
Everyone seems to want a good pocket knife. I use whatever the NRA sends me for FREE. For the past ten years that has been a nice BUCK flip open. I always carried an Old Timer mid sized three blade but the one handed opening is just so handy I joined the crowd! I see many of you spending a few hundred dollars for a pocket knife! Not even if my lively hood depended on it!!
Attachments
Last edited:
To the best of my knowledge, Taylor Cutlery in Dirty Socks , IL provides S&W knives. Also Schrade and Imperial made in China. I carry a Kershaw USA made and a Piranha auto USA made.
Kershaw, Buck, and many other US brands have several models made in China. I use no Chinese knives, and admonish S&W for attaching their names to Chinese made junk.
Want a nice knife, shop Ebay for a USA made Case, Schrade, Old Timer and others. It is fun looking for one.
Kershaw, Buck, and many other US brands have several models made in China. I use no Chinese knives, and admonish S&W for attaching their names to Chinese made junk.
Want a nice knife, shop Ebay for a USA made Case, Schrade, Old Timer and others. It is fun looking for one.
Sistema1927
US Veteran
Buy once, cry once.
Benchmade has never let me down.
Benchmade has never let me down.
Most "S&W" branded knives made in the last 20 years aren't worth the packaging they are packed in. Get your Kershaw fixed, and if you need a new knife, I recommend CRKT. Great knives for the price and an abundance of models to choose from.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Messages
- 19,389
- Reaction score
- 30,444
I've sharpened a few S&W knives for friends and they are decent knives for the somewhat reasonable price they sell for. Surely not the best knives available, but would serve just fine as a utility knife. I have never come across a USA made S&W knife although they might have been in when they first started selling them many years ago.
Kershaw knives have both USA made and Chinese imported knives. From my experience, Kershaw knives made here are usually fairly descent. I have not owned any imported ones so I don't know about those. BTW, Kershaw has a pretty good policy on repairing broken knives. They would probably replace a broken blade.
Kershaw knives have both USA made and Chinese imported knives. From my experience, Kershaw knives made here are usually fairly descent. I have not owned any imported ones so I don't know about those. BTW, Kershaw has a pretty good policy on repairing broken knives. They would probably replace a broken blade.
Last edited:
As others have said, S&W doesn’t make knives. They just have them made by various knife makers with their logo on them.
I have a Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops Auto I bought just to have a cheap auto knife to lay on the desk. Its was only about $30. It’s from Taiwan, I have no idea who made it. I had it for several years and its done it job of mainly opening packages.
My everyday carry is a Pro-Tech Magic Whiskers.
I have a Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops Auto I bought just to have a cheap auto knife to lay on the desk. Its was only about $30. It’s from Taiwan, I have no idea who made it. I had it for several years and its done it job of mainly opening packages.
My everyday carry is a Pro-Tech Magic Whiskers.
THE PILGRIM
Member
Here I am sitting in a Dunking drinking coffee.
Looking at a caballero wearing a Serape.
Just checked to see which blade I’m toting.
Hog Nose Acid Washed American Made Kershaw.
The older quality Smith Knives were American Made and designed by Blackie Collins.
The actual maker is a little confusing.
Some sources say in House, others say outside Makers.
Looking at a caballero wearing a Serape.
Just checked to see which blade I’m toting.
Hog Nose Acid Washed American Made Kershaw.
The older quality Smith Knives were American Made and designed by Blackie Collins.
The actual maker is a little confusing.
Some sources say in House, others say outside Makers.
Attachments
Last edited:
OP nice that you asked the question. To the best of my knowledge SW knives a supplied through Taylor Cutlery and are Chinese. Personally I buy only USA knives, sneakers and shoes. eBay is great for finding USA made Schaefer, old timer , case and other pocket knives. That is where I get mine
THE PILGRIM
Member
Just stopped at Sportsman’s Warehouse.
Yes their Smith Knives are China made.
Bucks - some US Made, some China made.
All their Kershaws, China.
CRKT - all China. I have 3-4 that I’ve had for a while, mine are Taiwan made.
Yes their Smith Knives are China made.
Bucks - some US Made, some China made.
All their Kershaws, China.
CRKT - all China. I have 3-4 that I’ve had for a while, mine are Taiwan made.
THE PILGRIM
Member
After the Blackie Collins Knives, here comes the American Series.
Made by Vermont Knives.
The question that remains is -
Did Taylor ever -make- any Smith and Wesson Knives?
If they did, what models were they?
1981 Smith and Wesson USA model 6080
Made by Vermont Knives.
The question that remains is -
Did Taylor ever -make- any Smith and Wesson Knives?
If they did, what models were they?
1981 Smith and Wesson USA model 6080
Last edited:
I don't believe Taylor Cutlery, now Taylor Brands LLC, ever -made- any knives. The knives are primarily manufactured in China for Taylor Brands LLC.
99% of the S&W brand knives from circa 1993 to present are Taylor Brands LLC knives.
Schrade Knives | Knife Informer
https://ir.smith-wesson.com/news-re...attenfeld-technologies-acquire-taylor-brands/
KO
THE PILGRIM
Member
The Blackie Collins Knives were obviously superior Designs and Quality Made.
Then the next generation were very obviously a lower quality product but still American Made..
Somewhere along there I recall hearing of Taylor, and at that time I probably thought or heard they made those American Series Knives.
It was only that recently I even heard of Vermont Knives.
But as we circle the Wagons, it’s beginning to look like Taylor was strictly an Importer.
Then the next generation were very obviously a lower quality product but still American Made..
Somewhere along there I recall hearing of Taylor, and at that time I probably thought or heard they made those American Series Knives.
It was only that recently I even heard of Vermont Knives.
But as we circle the Wagons, it’s beginning to look like Taylor was strictly an Importer.
Taylor entered the picture about 10 years after the American Series was discontinued.
In 1980 S&W introduced the Maverick folding knife. According to the C.E.Rinke book The Knives of Smith & Wesson, the Maverick was a S&W design and was built by their knife division. The American Series fixed blade knives were introduced in 1981 and all the knives were dropped from the S&W catalog by 1984.
KO
In 1980 S&W introduced the Maverick folding knife. According to the C.E.Rinke book The Knives of Smith & Wesson, the Maverick was a S&W design and was built by their knife division. The American Series fixed blade knives were introduced in 1981 and all the knives were dropped from the S&W catalog by 1984.
KO
S&W knives in the 1996 Taylor catalog.
KO
KO
majorsideburns
Member
- Joined
- May 10, 2017
- Messages
- 21
- Reaction score
- 19
I have a couple more recent S&W folding knives and they are both made in China.
Shrek Of The Arctic
Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2019
- Messages
- 295
- Reaction score
- 951
If you just need a knife, the world is awash with plenty of good options. This is like...the golden age of knife collecting. Mind boggling array of choices.
If ya' just gots ta have that S&W logo, Taylor Cutlery big bad! Blackie Collins good! Ebay will be your friend. Speaking in perhaps overly broad terms. the older knives that were decent tend to have mirror finishes. They do not have serrations, thumb studs, or any kinda one hand opening. Karambits, tanto blades, etc. are not the ones to look at. I was shopping for myself just yesterday, and there are lots of good options, if that's the path you choose. My wife had one of the larger lockbacks that was made in the late 70's back in 1993 when we first started dating. We had the best Summer we've ever known while hanging between childhood and adulthood. That knife helped make alot of kindling, tent stakes, hot dog sticks, cleaned alot of fish, etc. that summer. There's knives made now that are better made by every concievable metric, but just because there's brand new metallurgy, design, etc. doesn't mean the old stuff has gone out of date and quit working.
If ya' just gots ta have that S&W logo, Taylor Cutlery big bad! Blackie Collins good! Ebay will be your friend. Speaking in perhaps overly broad terms. the older knives that were decent tend to have mirror finishes. They do not have serrations, thumb studs, or any kinda one hand opening. Karambits, tanto blades, etc. are not the ones to look at. I was shopping for myself just yesterday, and there are lots of good options, if that's the path you choose. My wife had one of the larger lockbacks that was made in the late 70's back in 1993 when we first started dating. We had the best Summer we've ever known while hanging between childhood and adulthood. That knife helped make alot of kindling, tent stakes, hot dog sticks, cleaned alot of fish, etc. that summer. There's knives made now that are better made by every concievable metric, but just because there's brand new metallurgy, design, etc. doesn't mean the old stuff has gone out of date and quit working.
S&W has NEVER made knives!! They sell rebranded knives from other vendors.....Too flimsy/cheap for me to use.
You are mistaken in your belief that S&W has NEVER made knives!!
The 1970s fixed blade knives were made by S&W in Springfield, Mass., the folder was made by ALCAS in New York.
The Sportsman and American series knives were made by S&W in their Houlton, Maine facility in the early 1980s
Smith and Wesson later sold their knife operations to Vermont Knife Company.
Letters from Blackie Collins and Stephen Otway in the C.E. Rinke book The Knives Of Smith & Wesson.
KO
Similar threads
