What I would call regular production knives, there is nothing custom about them, just a nicer grade of knife. At least to me they are and for these I didn't think it would be a hard thing to do to get all of them in the series. Puma called these the Aristocrat series and I am missing several, the ones that are most expensive of course. These are all NIB with paperwork, after getting them out yesterday it looks like I have some tarnishing going on. I'm missing the big one, the 915 Emperor along with some of the dual blade models. Top to Bottom: 910 Prince, 905 Duke, 900 Earl, and 895 Lord.

Very nice collection, all knives bearing the PUMA brand are of very high quality. In my country (Argentina) they are very expensive, they can cost double or triple that in the United States.

I own one Puma knife (a 1977 Deer Hunter with wood handles), but, it annoys me how expensive Puma knives are. Often, the old ones cost $500 to $600 dollars or more. That's ridiculous. Will a Puma out-perform a Buck or Boker knife? No. I own all three brands. I do, however, like the rough stag on some Puma knives. Great. I don't really like smooth stag. It should be rough.



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So very Politically Incorrect

Of all the pocket knives I have ( a lot) I've only got one Puma but very proud of it. My Dad gave it to me in back in the early 80's.

900 Earl made in 1976.

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I have one my dad gave me around 64. I carried It in high school and for many years after. He also gave me several small hen and roosters I carry from time to time. I’ve had them about 45 years I guess.

Those stag scales on Puma knives are good looking. I bought a new Planter upwards of 50 years ago, a White Hunter probably 25 or so years ago, and an OVAL/Jermer Design model 10-15 years ago. Not a collector, but I think they are quality knives and just enjoy owning them.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Those regular production German knives of decades ago would be what custom knives are today, in terms of fit and quality. They may have been production but they were definitely hand made.

Those are beautiful by the way. Puma still makes knives today but it's much harder to find anything with that gnarly stag.

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Ephesians 6 (Armor of God)

My Puma White Hunter along with my Lew Horton 624.
It was for sale in a local swap rag two years ago. As you can see it was never used. Outrageous price of $200.
A friend who was in Special Forces in Vietnam said his outfit was issued 4” Colt Pythons and Puma White Hunter knives before they headed over seas. When his tour was done they got to keep the knives but not the Pythons.

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The brass bolster on the Puma's is not immune to tarnish although I had several and cleaned them periodically the one thing I didn't try was to apply Ren wax after a clean up. Something to think about if you have the product.

I'm quite fond of Pumas and have several.

One is like the Prince but has white Micarta scales in lieu of stag. It's called the Whitetail.

Their Outdoor and Hunter's Pal models are excellent outdoors knives. The M-3589 is a fancier version of the Outdoor, with a German silver guard and a plate for the owner's initial in the stag handle . Mine has a green sheath, apparently usual in Germany.

Like those folders pictured above. Gotta go over Puma's current line. I read these days 440C stainless being used? Only one I have is a Skinner model bought back in 67. Price was around $30. Glad I held onto that one! Pumaster carbon steel back then. I know collectors often seek out the vintage ones.

Because German labor is so costly, Puma has some knives made now in Spain.These aren't the traditional Solingen-made ones, but different models. They look good in photos, but I haven't seen any in person.

I have a Spanish knife by Muela, their Tornado model, much like a SEAL 2000 by SOG. It seems to be a quality product. Ditto for other Muela knives handled in a store. The better Spanish makers do good work.

The first Puma I bought was in about 1970, a Hunter's Pal. I think I paid $17.00 at a discount center. Hmmm...The figure of $11.00 seems right, actually. I think $17.00 was the suggested retail price.

To put that in perspective, I earned $1.43 an hour as a page at the library, working my way through college on the GI Bill. (For our non American members, the GI Bill was/is a government assistance program for former military personnel to attend college.)

Hardware stores use to be full of stag handled German made knives that put today’s offerings to shame. They cost less than the American brands at the time. But American knives were top quality at the time too.
90% of today’s knives are cold blanked stainless with fancy handles.

I've always thought the Puma White Hunter to be one of the neatest knives ever.

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John

Yeah agree. Dream knife to own when I was young. Was a few bucks short for the White Hunter so I ended up with the Skinner! Not a bad choice though.

In about 1971, I ordered three Puma knives from Gutman Co'' They had a minimum order requirement of $25. I had to order three Puma knives to make that order. I still have all three knives. Two game wardens and a hunters pal.

a couple months ago i picked up a puma game warden, in the box, unused at my local pawn shop, they treat me real well. i buy a lot of guns and knives from them. also have the gerber fs2 i carried as a deputy and city cop in the 70's.

Many feel that way, and I like mine. But the rounded point won't stab well. I do like the idea of hacking at gristle or small branches with the back edge, saving the main edge for sharper needs.

I think the White Hunter turned out well for a knife designed by a committee! (a group of members of the East Africa Professional Hunters Assn.)

Their famous Model 959 folder is too thick for practical use, for me. I have the Model 943, which does all I need in a
lockblade folder. Has a spear blade and a saw blade, incorporating a bottle opener and a small screwdriver, and a corkscrew. The corkscrew is larger than on Swiss Army knives and works better.

Always wanted a Puma White Humter. Maybe one day..........soon.
Larry

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Miss Buddies crsides & fat tom

I have quite a few knives, but only one Puma. It is one of my favorites.
It's a Prince. Comes close to matching up with my Grasshorns on my
Model 10 snub.
The RSS (Revolver Super Speed) is a Seventrees design, made
by Ken Null. Gunbelt by Haugen.

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In Omnia Paratus

Is Ken Null still in business?

I picked up a folding pocket-size Puma 260 marked "Germany" back in the late 70s. About 15 years or more ago, I bought a Catamount Stag marked " Handmade--Spain." The folder has been carried and used, while the Catamount Stag is unused with the box, sitting in my safe. Nowadays, I mostly carry a SAK, unless I'm hunting.

I don't own any and really not up to date on them. I have a pretty good collection of Case knives and some other older American made brand knives but mainly Case.

K. L. Null Holsters Home Page is still up, so I'm fairly certain He
is still making those gorgeous holsters. For a guy with such a
great reputation, I was stunned when I ordered the RSS holster
shown above. It was in my mailbox just 8 days after I ordered.

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In Omnia Paratus

Just a few years ago, Sportsman's Guide was selling Puma sheath knives at a very reasonable price. I bought about four or five different models in a few month period of time and gave them to my grandsons for hunting. I noticed in our local Sportsman's Warehouse that the same knives were about double the price. Good quality.

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Kevin in Oregon

Got an older White Hunter with the good steel, had to buy a sheath for it. It was new and unsharpened when I got it last, still had the sticker on the blade.

I told my story (I believe on this forum) about the one I got for Christmas in 1964, lost, got burned in a housefire, and was completely restored by Puma about ten years ago. My nephew has it now. Mine is from 68, I believe and razor sharp.

The old ones are insanely expensive now.

I like stag with lots of bark so your Pumas look great to me. I have a wood handled 1970s Puma built on the same frame as the Prince with an added saw blade. Did they make that version with stag sides and if they did, what is its model number and name?

I bought a mid-60s Hunter's Pal from a forum member at a local show a few years back and have used it to skin every deer since then. Probably the best steel I have ever owned. The stag is really thick, which I didn't care for initially, but it does help me grab the knife better.

Yes they did, they are all called the Prince and there are 3 additional models. The 911 has the saw blade, the 912 has 2 blades and the 913 has a gutting blade and all with stag scales. They are hard to find with the last 2 being extremely rare.

A man who sells Puma Online iis writing a book about them. When it's published, expect prices to rise, probably considerably on older ones.

That is a sweet collection Puma knives.

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Life is short,live it fully.

Puma Guide my wife won at the Rod and Gun club in Vicenza Italy, 1971. They sold for $35 at the time. It was stolen by a neighbor's kid in 1975 and later recovered. Had it sharpened by an old guy that sharpened scissors in a backyard shop, cut himself and bled all over the sheath. But I love it anyway. I understand the price has gone up since 1971.

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Charlie

Charlie-

That isn't a Puma. Although it resembles the White Hunter, it's actually made by Carl Schlieper/Eye Brand. Read the blade!

I have a couple of their knives, a Trapper pocketknife and a sheath knife with a drop point blade and German silver guard and pommel. I think it was inspired by Puma's Small Knife, a sort of fancy Hunter's Pal variant.

Other firms have copied the White Hunter, too, but yours is probably the best, from a cutler respected in its own right.

I bought a Puma White Hunter back in the 1970's. It came in a wooden case with a foam cutout liner. Great knife and after cleaning a deer it was still razor sharp. I always left a coat of oil in the blade before storing it in the factory box. After it sat for a few years I open the box and discovered the side that touched the foam had deep pits etched in the blade. I sold that knife to a hunter that was happy to get that great blade.
There is a moral here and I think you have already figured it out.

Well !!! That was an "eye" opener. It was a Puma when I put it up 50 yrs ago. What the hell happened ?

Now I can quit worrying about using a $600 knife.

Charlie

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Charlie

Rummage around at gun shows and you can probably buy two White Hunters for $600.

Thanks for all the great posts. Not sure when Puma changed steels but perhaps in the early 70s? My 66 made Skinner says Pumaster steel but believe later ones use 440C stainless.

my love affair with the white hunter goes back to the 60's. i finally managed to afford a couple of them, and there they sit, too pretty to mar them by actually using them

i found a stag handled knife alone and abandoned in the warehouse of a rather well known gun co. bought it for 20bucks. loose handle, stains on blade etc. it's a PIC knife, steel solingen, germany . took me quite a bit of time to redo the steel, but looks like a new knife now. they were hardware store knives in the 5 0's pic being the distributor.