I saw the Randall knife topic got revisited again.

Another brand I like is Puma.

I can't post pics, and have just a few Puma knives, compared to serious collectors. Most were bought to use. (But have been cared for.)

Any other Puma fans here, who can post photos? The older ones are getting very collectible. I'm sort of nostalgic about them. They're certainly exceptional knives, with a lot of hand work in them. I was disappointed to learn that the family who had held the brand since 1769 sold it about 15 years ago. Not sure of the current owners. Judging from Online pics, they've made some changes and several of the German folding hunting knives now all use the same blade shape, probably a production economy.

Do you use and like Puma knives? Which are favorites? I especially like the Hunter's Pal, the Outdoor, and the fancier version, the Model 3589. I have a White Hunter. I won't sell it, but think it's not the best all-round knife. Pretty good for one designed by a committee, though.

Over the years I had and "lost" to others some greatPumas. I was in Denver or Col. Springs, in the early 70's and saw a display of Puma Swiss Army Knives. I was a young teenager and didn't have money to buy any. I have never seen another Puma SWK display. Ivan

I own two: a Bowie and a lock blade; it has the clip blade and a saw blade.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Back in the late 60's I bought a Puma Buddy I think it was called. Still have it and the sheath it came with. Frank

Hang onto it. I don't think they imported a lot of those. Mine was a little too flat in my hand and I sold it, but it did have a nice long handle. Had a pouch type Swedish sheath, as I recall.

Mine had exceptional stag scales, too.

Is that a pouch type Swedish sheath? I don't think they imported too many of that model.

Mine had exceptional stag, but was a little too thin for my hand and I sold it. But it was a beautiful knife. The handle was longer than on most knives, which I liked.

Ivan-

I once had a black-handled knife like that, the only one I ever saw. Quality wasn't quite as good as the true Victorinox, though. I think Puma had those knives made for them by someone else.

Only two companies ever made GENUINE Swiss Army knives: Victorinox and Wenger. All others are copies and/or fakes.

I had a Puma White Hunter with rosewood scales that I dearly loved until it got lost in a move. After that, I could only find stag handled versions so I never replaced it. I miss it.

Great knives but like Boker apprear to be contracting some of their work out of Germany. If you buy either brand read the fine print first, expect to pay top dollar for original Solingen units.

This thread needs some pictures.
I carried this Puma 465 Back-Packer in my pocket a few years before making the belt pouch. I bought it over 35 years ago.

Later on my wife bought me the same knife in the black finish but I've never used it.

This is the only Puma I own, the "rattler". One of their Chinese models made for Cabela's. One of the handiest little knives I've owned.

Any Fans of Puma Knives

You bet, someone gave me one when I was in Vietnam. Don't remember the model. At the time I was carrying a M-60 which was constantly getting caught up in Wait-a-minute vines.

The Puma held and edge and was perfect for getting the gun clear of the vines. Wish I kept it but I passed in on with the gun when I left country. I'm sure he needed it more then I did.

I have a newer Puma Exployer now, the quality is every bit as good as the one I had many years ago (1968).

Makes short work of cutting up an Elk.

I have a Puma Captain with a three inch lock blade in my pocket right now. It's one of the lightest knives of its size that I've found.

I was given a Puma 4-star mini pocket knife by my three fly fishing/duck hunting buddies when I graduated from doctoral school in Oregon back in 1982. They had it engraved with my name and date on one side and "From Steve, Mike, and Nick" on the other side.

While it doesn't take the place of my Case stag-handled trapper for the everyday chores around the place, it's always in the pocket of my blue serge suit every Sunday when I go to church or when I dress up. A classy little knife with a whole lot of sentimental value.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

I've had several older Pumas over the years, made from the 50s thru 80s. I sold most of them because I never used them, and I put the money into other toys, that I'd enjoy equally or more. I did keep a few. This Puma Hunter's Companion is a favorite of mine. Made in 3rd qt. of 1969. A friend of mine bought it from a Treasure Island store, and carried it one deer season with him. Then put it away until a few years ago, when he offered it to me. The quality and character of these older, German Pumas is really unmatched. They have some of the most beautiful Sambar stag I've seen. Kind of like the S&Ws back then, nothing made today quite compares imo.

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I had a Puma White Hunter for about 25 years and it was stolen about 15 years ago in an auto burglary. Attached is a picture of the only Puma I currently own, 3 1/2" lock blade. It's probably 20 years old. It's a bit heavy for everyday carry, so I usually carry a Spyderco or small Buck.

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when I was stationed I Germany I bought a puma pocket knife at a knife shop in Frankfurt. it was a two blade slip joint with about a 2.5 inch blade , a smaller blade that was about 1.5 inches long and wood scales. very nice knife except that i found you shouldn't try to open a can of motor oil with the small blade and proceeded to break it off. I should have bought a few more of the Puma knives when I was over there as they were very well made. they were a lot cheaper in the early 1970's

I'm a Puma user, I carry a small Gent on a belt pocket sheath daily. If going afield I carry a Puma Gamewarden, while hunting I have a vintage Waidmesser that does it all in a classic compact shape. I've had more than my fair share of quality knives and have quite a collection but always consider my Pumas to be my favorites. I've had my hands on a few Randall's and consider them to be of very high quality with a very appealing style and purpose. I nearly pulled the trigger on one a couple years ago and went back to the guy after thinking over his price deciding to give him what he wanted only to find the knife had sold, which saved me $500...
I can find no fault with any of the Pumas I've owned and I haven't bought any newly manufactured knives, preferring to buy vintage stuff and willing to pay the difference. My little Gent was made a few years ago and is made in Germany. I started carrying it when I got tired of carrying a pocket knife around that was big enough for daily use, I saw that Puma made this model with stag scales and ordered one, built a leather belt sheath for it and have been very happy with it ever since, a great little knife. The Gamewarden does it all while were out camping or anytime afield, a real no-nonsense kind of knife with a blade quality second to none, I haven't truly had to resharpen the blade since I got it, ever now and then I run it across a ceramic hone just to keep it shavin sharp.

While stationed in Germany, I joined the local shooting club on base. They sold all kinds of sporting goods etc. Among items for sale was a huge sdisplay case of PUMA brand knives. I Used to buy a different model PUMA every payday and have quite a decent amount of various PUMAS now. I am not a knife fan, but knew it would be a decent investment one day. Its been well over 10-12 yers since I looked at them lately but they are in a dehummidifed safe, and still like new in original boxes.

I always loved the looks of, and wanted, the Puma sheath hunting style knives. I thought I read recently that they are still being made ??

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John

I've seen that they are still making several models, the bowie, skinner, etc. and also some folders. They are more budget priced though, to be more competitive with other makers. This is a common theme in today's market across the boards. As a result, sometimes quality takes a back seat. I've read that they're still decent, but not as good as they once were.

I have a Puma Prince folder with Sambar stag that I use all the time. I had a great little Hunters Pal that was stolen. I got another one and it seems lighter, like the blade is thinner. Still says "Hand Made in Germany" and has a serial number but I noticed that it does not say Solingen on the other side of the blade. Just seems well, cheaper made than my other one.

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War Eagle!!!

I own two, a Skinner from the early 70s and my original Hunter's Pal from late 60s. However my son lost my Hunters Pal when he was a boy and another friend gave me his fathers Hunters Pal of the same era. Trouble is his knife had lots of discoloration on the blade. Here are the two together and my Skinner. The Skinner gutted lots of deer and I use it today bowhunting.

A friend bought one in the late 60's when he was on active duty in Germany. He lost it somewhere. We worked together in the early 70's. I was in the USA reserves. He gave money to buy him one from the PX when I went to summer camp. Beautiful knife, looked like the green handled one of Bamabiker.

He immediately took it fishing with him. The first line he cut and threw in the lake he relaxed his grip and the Puma went into 80' of water. I asked him if he wanted me to buy him another. He said no, losing 2 is enough, he went to a cheaper knife. Colonial I believe.

I have a couple. I bought the White Hunter in Jan/Feb 1963 when I was a freshman in college. I paid $12 and some chnge, which was big bucks for a college Frosh in 1963. I carried it hunting some but found it was too big for general use. The Hunter's Friend was purchased in about 1979/80 to replace one that was stolen while I was on leave. It is a good little knife but it seems to be lighter in construction than the older one it replaced, plus it came in a plastic box instead of the wooden one. There is a more recent White Hunter for sale in the local pawn pawn shop, they want $148 for it........wish I would have bought a few more years ago. Good knives.

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Keep Shootin' and check 6

I started collecting Pumas over 20 yrs ago before they started to cut costs & sub work out to China. Right now, I have 4 or 5 White Hunters including one that I purchased in a fishing supply store in Singapore in 1990. That particular knife had issues that caused me to question whether or not it was a knock-off, so I carried it with me on a trip to Germany where I stopped in Solingen at the factory. It was July, & the factory was closed for holiday, but the CEO or owner invited me into his office where he verified the originality of my knife as a Puma Model 6374 Cougar which turns out to be a very rare specimine. It was one of a very few special order blades with a "cane hook" on the backside of the blade similar to a gut hook but much larger. see the Puma Collector guy's site for a good pix at: VINTAGE PUMA'S for your VIEWING PLEASURE

Texas Star, the pouch covers almost the entire knife except for the butt of the handle. And there is a leather thong that you thread through a brass eyelet to keep from loosing the knife. Think it has a 5" long blade with straight back. Sure got my money's worth. Now if I ever need to carry a sheath knife I have one that probably was made in china but sure does hold a great edge. Frank

Was it Harald Lauer that you met? I met him a couple of times at the SHOT show. Seemed a nice guy with pretty good English.

They also have a later Cougar, more like a cross between a Randall Model 1 and a Loveless fighter. The older Cougar like yours with the brush hook seemed a very weird idea for a knife.

Some of the new knives are made in Solingen, some in Spain, some maybe in China or Pakistan. The latter countries are the scourage of the traditional Western knifemaking nations. Their cheap prices are driving our old makers out of business.

Frank-

Your Buddy was almost certainly made in Solingen! Yes, it has a five-inch straight blade that holds an edge well.

You did well to buy when you did.

The man posting about the White Hunter in a pawn shop for $148 should consider that a good price if the knife is in excellent to new condition. Pawn dealers usually try to cheat you on price.

I believe it was Harald Lauer that I met. He had his secretary type up a letter of authenticity describing the knife and the imperfection that I had questioned in particular. His office wall was covered with every type of knife that Puma had made up till then including a selection of the high-dolar lance or spear tips that I drooled over. He offered to have the shop fix the defect in question if I would leave it at the factory, but I chose to keep it intact if for nothing else than it made for a good story.

The store I found it in was in Singapore's "Change Alley" which was part of the old Government Pier where we landed our USN liberty launches in 1971. I stopped there in 1990 on a business trip & stumbled into an old fishing supply store. The guy had hundreds of knives & we bartered for at least an hour before agreeing on a price. I believe he started out at $375 & I ended up paying $125.

The only time I have ever seen another of these Cougars is in the movie "Full Metal Jacket" where the FNG steps on a mine & the Gunny yards one out & slides it under the guy's boot to deactiviate it while everybody sweats a lot. Harald described the hook as a "cane hook" used to strip the leaves off a cane stalk, mostly ordered during the Vietnam experience by guys that knew what they wanted & for a particular purpose (maybe making punji sticks?) Anyway,it makes a good compliment to my others, including an Auto Messer, which is a White Hunter blade with walut stock panels instead of the sambar stag.

At that time, all Puma knives were still forged while all other makers in Solingen were grinding from flat bar stock. Most of my Pumas have never seen a whetstone, let alone cut anything, but I do have a couple of beaters that are 35+ years old & still get used now & then. I carried an orignal Buck folding lockback from 1966 till 1975 when it was lost. Never having heard of Puma knives I purchased a model 270 (now called "the General") to replace the Buck & I was impressed! The Puma did everythng the Buck would do & held an edge better, plus it was all stainless & thinner than the Buck - not to mention easier to sharpen. It still gets hung on my belt now & then if nothing else than for nostalgia. LOL.

I have a Buck 110-like Puma that differs from the basic Game Warden (wood scales) or Prince (stag scales) in that it has white Micarta scales. I think it was a limited production item. The blade is marked as Whitetail. Like the other Pumas in this series, it is better finished than a Buck. Of course, it cost more, too.

I also have a No. 943 traditional German folding hunter with a spear main blade, a saw blade that incorporates a bottle opener and a screwdriver tip, and a hook to dislodge a stuck ctg. And a corkscrew!

My other Puma folder is a Model 921 (?) with a spear or drop point blade in a trim handle with long German silver bolster and ebony scales. It won a prize for Industrial Design in Stuttgart about 1989. Very nice knife. I think it's still made, with several handle options. Without getting it out to measure, I think blade length is about 3.5 inches.

I carry these in belt pouches, usually of black Cordura that doesn't shout "KNIFE!" like a floral tooled cowboy style pouch does. But the 943 came with a nice tan leather sheath, or I bought one at the same time that I've used with it when the appearance didn't matter. I used to carry the 943 or the Whitetail alongside my wallet until I began using sheaths. Or, I'd keep the knife in my coat and rely on just a Swiss Army knife on me.

Today, I often rely on a Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn or a Benchmade No. 710 for a belt pouch knife and leave the Pumas at home. But they work fine and have a more traditional look and feel. I think I'll carry them more.

Oh: now that I think of it, the Model 943 came with a deep brown drawstring pouch that is probably supposed to protect it in a hunter's larger bag or coat pocket. I got that tan pouch from a Carl Schlieper dealer, for another knife. I liked the Germanic hunting folders in part because they were the first lockblades I saw and they reminded me of the first knife carried by Matt Helm in Donald Hamilton's books.

I have a White Hunter that was inherited from my Uncle when he passed. I imagine it was made in the 50's. Another one, that was a gift from the wife, is the Bowie II, made much more recently, I think in the 80's. I've never used that one and although it is well constructed, it pales in comparison to the quality of the older White Hunter. At a glance you can quickly determine that the newer knife has had little hand finish work and looks as though it came off an assembly line at General Motors. It has none of the character or pleasing "hand" you experience when you hold the older knives of similar size, weight and overall construction. Both of these knives are a bit too large for White Tail dressing, maybe more practical for bigger game like Moose or Elk. Both are marked Solingen, so that in itself no longer impresses me as a single benchmark of quality as it once did, except on older knives.

Cheers;
Lefty

That poor Hunter's Pal looks awful! Have you tried metal polish to get some of the rust?

Maybe if you find Puma's US importer, they will send the knife back to Solingen for refinishing. That would save you postage and any customs issues. They might charge for the service, as the damage is clearly not their fault, just of neglect.

What happened? Did the prior owner leave blood on the blade, or just store the knife in a damp garage?

When I saw it the year before it was in great shape but when I received it a year later it was in this condition. The owner stored it in a saltwater tackle box. It was free so I didn't complain. The discoloration is in the finish and not on it but it's not pitted, just discolored.

Well, the saltwater tackle box explains that! Try Simichrome or Flitz on the blade.

BTW, my son was diving off of Guam and found that if he scrubbed the blade of his dive knife with fresh water, and oiled it, it didn't rust. Just rinsing the blade without scrubbing resulted in rust on his friends' knives. I think that might apply to getting blood residue off a blade, too.

The late outdoor writer John Wootters told me that he had a blade rust overnight after cleaning a frog with it. Some acid in the frog ruined it, but I don't think that was a stainless blade.

I guess you got that knife free because of the damage. I hope it can be restored. The blade is probably plain carbon steel with a chrome plating.

Texas Star, just looked through one of the links preveiously posted and its not a "Buddy" From what I can see its a "Trailguide" Front bolster or guard on mine is nickle silver with stag grips. Frank

Frank-

Okay. That was the other possibility, but the pouch sheath sounds like the Buddy. Both were advertised as having a five-inch Swedish blade shape, and were meant to appeal to Swedish buyers in particular, I think. (The blades are not the same, although the shape is similar, with a blood groove.) Shape aside, I think the Trail Guide was always non-stainless, the Buddy stainless. And the knives are clearly different models. The Buddy has almost no guard below the blade line. Has a front silver bolster and butt cap.

I have a Trail Guide that I may sell, but need to find the sheath. It's a very nice knife. I may try to swap for a spare Outdoor model, which I like a little better. Puma dealers at shows usually want cash, but someone with an assortment of knives may trade.

Does your knife have thumb grooves along the blade spine? I bet new ones don't. That had to add some labor time.

I tried to price a replacement sheath Online and some wanted $60! I need to find the new importer and see what spare sheaths cost, I guess. My Trail Guide looks new; I've never actually used it.

I bought a 960 Puma Cub at the Rod and Gun Club when stationed at Graf in 1978. I don't carry it anymore, but still have it. I paid just under 25.00 if I remember correctly.