Puma

[Gene L]

Back about 1962 or so, my mother gave me a Puma White Hunter for Christmas. It cost about $21 then, a considerable amount for my mother at the time.

I couldn't sharpen it, being a 17 year old without either the knowledge or the equipment to properly sharpen it. I tried, without success, so it became my mom's kitchen knife. Years later, my older sister appropriated the knife as a kitchen knife, too. An ignominious fate for a very good blade.

At any rate, about 1984 or so, my sister's house burned down. My brother, searching through the ashes, found the blade...the stag handle and the aluminum had burned off. But he kept it.

Then, in 1986 or so, my brother died. His son, Mark, going through his possessions, found the Puma blade. In rememberance of his father, he sent the blade to Puma with an explanatory note.

Well, Puma restored the knife completely. The tested the temper with the hardness mark on all Pumas, and found to their pleasure that the house fire had not distempered the blade. They sent my nephew the fully restored knife and sheath.

When I told my nephew Mark the history of the knife, he offered to me but I didn't take it because of its evolutionary history. But I always wanted another.

About three weeks ago I found one...not for $20, of course. But I bought it and sharpened it (razor sharp). It was made in 1972.

So here's a picture of my replacement knife. Trying to get back to my younger days.

 

[fishwishin]

Vintage White Hunters are really nice! Very good story about the one in your family.

 

[Texas Star]

I'm amazed that the fire didn't destroy the temper. I'd have accepted the knife back, as this nephew doesn't seem to care a lot about it.

It was nice of Puma to re-make that knife. Was there a fee?

Despite the poor photo, your newer WH looks good.

Back when the West German Mark was of less value than the US dollar, Puma knives were a relative bargain. They still cost about what a Buck product did, on the high end, as compared to Case, Western, Marble's, etc. But the quality was there, and the beauty. I think I paid $17 at a discount store for a Hunters Pal in 1970.

I have about 10 Puma knives now and none was anywhere near that cheap, but I did score a WH for $125 at a gun show about ten years ago, with box and papers. I'll probably leave it to a grandson. My son will teach his kid to use a knife well and safely, and other useful wilderness skills.

Don't forget that the back of the blade on a WH is meant for hacking gristle, chopping, or other rough cuts. Saves wear on the main edge. For a knife designed by a committee, the WH turned out pretty well.

Check the other knife thread here now for my added comments.
Some are about Puma products. Sometimes, they got careless and used stag that's too thick, but if a handle fits you, they're very pretty, useful knives.

 

[Onomea]

Beautiful knife and great story.

Well, T-Star, don’t you think since Gene’s nephew sent his original back to Puma, in remembrance of his father with a written explanation of the house fire, that shows that he does indeed value the knife? And highly?

That once beautifully refurbished by Puma, and learning more of its history from our OP, Gene, the nephew offered to return the knife to his uncle shows just what a generous and respectful nephew he is. I bet his dad would be proud of him.

And that Gene refused his nephew’s offer shows what a swell uncle he is.

Kudos to both Gene and his nephew!

 

[mauser9]

Quite the story for sure and glad of the outcome. A Puma was the knife to have in my youth also. I settled for a Skinner model back in 1967 which was made in 66 according to the number stamped on guard. Pretty sure the price was $25 for it. These vintage Puma knives often going for good money on E-Bay or used market. One of the few items I held onto from my youth.

 

[Marshal Tom]

Great story. If it were me, I would see if I could trade your nephew for the original one and maybe leave him the other one some day.

 

[Gene L]

Puma tested the blade, like they test all blades and it tested fine. They didn't charge anything, and used the fire story and posted photos of the restored knife and the story behind it, as much as they knew of it, in their trade magazine. Sent him a sheath, too.

I figure it's as much Mark's knife (my nephew) and he has quite an investment in it...not cash, but the memory of his father, my brother.

A nice touch on my WH is on the logo on the blade. It says "Made in West Germany."

 

[simobros]

Puma memory

I deeply regret not buying more Puma knives back when they were relatively affordable, but I still have the one I did get to own.
It was probably around 1970-71 when the sporting goods dept. in our local department store had a glass display case of Puma knives. I pined after a WH thinking it was one the coolest knives I'd ever seen. The price was an astronomical $38. A princely sum for a 15 year old at the time, but I scrimped and saved lawn mowing money and reached my goal. I still remember riding my bicycle to the store to buy it.
I carried it on deer hunts and it was used just once for field dressing. I never dared touch it wit a sharpening stone and it still has the original factory edge. The sheath is a little dirty from carrying it. It sits in my knife collection now frozen in time.
Around here nice examples are bringing $400 or so.
I can't visualize ever selling it...

 

[Gene L]

Mine cost me $200 and had the factory sticker on the unsharpened blade. Unsharpened, it wasn't dull, but it wasn't sharp. Took me a while to bring it up to Very Sharp with Japanese Waterstones.

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

I own a few Puma knives. It's nice to know that one of the oldest knife manufacturers around (founded in 1769) still takes care of their customers.

 

[mauser9]

The older Pumaster steel models seem to be the favored ones. Have read newer models are of 440C and the vintage ones were of carbon steel.

 

[Muley Gil]

My folks gave me a Puma Bowie back around 1971. Never used it much; it was too purdy to mess up.

When I was in college, a local department store was closing out their Pumas and I bought a folder with a knife blade and a saw blade. I bought my dad a folder with two knife blades. My dad died about 6 years ago and Mom gave me his folder.

 

[shouldazagged]

I always admired the design and size of the Hunter's Pal. Wish I had bought one many years ago. But I didn't, and now I couldn't afford one of the older ones.

 

[boykinlp]

My folks gave me a Puma Bowie back around 1971. Never used it much; it was too purdy to mess up.

When I was in college, a local department store was closing out their Pumas and I bought a folder with a knife blade and a saw blade. I bought my dad a folder with two knife blades. My dad died about 6 years ago and Mom gave me his folder.

Would love to see a picture of your Puma Bowie.
Larry

 

[Muley Gil]

Would love to see a picture of your Puma Bowie.
Larry

I'm having trouble loading pictures, but I'll do my best.


I pulled this off of the Net. It looks just like mine. The upper thong goes through the hole in the handle and keeps the knife in the sheath extremely well, but is slow.

 

[bamacisa]

I remember back in 1970's Puma knives were fairly inexpensive. I liked knives even way back then. I bought about eight or nine Puma knives and I still have them all. I remember Gutman knife company had a $25.00 minimum order requirement and I had to buy three Puma knives to meet that minimum order. Those were the days!

 

[sotexas]

I'm amazed that the fire didn't destroy the temper. I'd have accepted the knife back, as this nephew doesn't seem to care a lot about it.

It was nice of Puma to re-make that knife. Was there a fee?

Despite the poor photo, your newer WH looks good.

Back when the West German Mark was of less value than the US dollar, Puma knives were a relative bargain. They still cost about what a Buck product did, on the high end, as compared to Case, Western, Marble's, etc. But the quality was there, and the beauty. I think I paid $17 at a discount store for a Hunters Pal in 1970.

I have about 10 Puma knives now and none was anywhere near that cheap, but I did score a WH for $125 at a gun show about ten years ago, with box and papers. I'll probably leave it to a grandson. My son will teach his kid to use a knife well and safely, and other useful wilderness skills.

Don't forget that the back of the blade on a WH is meant for hacking gristle, chopping, or other rough cuts. Saves wear on the main edge. For a knife designed by a committee, the WH turned out pretty well.

Check the other knife thread here now for my added comments.
Some are about Puma products. Sometimes, they got careless and used stag that's too thick, but if a handle fits you, they're very pretty, useful knives.

Very thoughtful

 

[Onomea]

I had a Puma clasp knife, wooden scales, in my late teens, early 20s. I managed a retail store then, and used it primarily to cut up cartons after we got the cartons off delivery trucks and the goods out of the cartons. Ten or so years later, in grad school, I gave it to a good friend who was entering the Foreign Service.

That was an excellent, tight little slipjoint. Good quality knives, Puma.

 

[les.b]

I have a Puma "Hunter's Pal", and a "Hunter's Friend". I've always wanted to pick up a White Hunter, but just never seemed to find one.

Thanks for sharing your story with us. Beautiful knife!!

Here's my Hunter's Friend....only pic I could find right now, with my model 63....

Just found an old pic of my Hunter's Pal...as you can see, it is almost like new...although made in 1973...



Best Regards, Les

 

[Mr.Harry]

I went on a quest to find an old pre-model, pumaster, Skinner a few years ago. Did well in getting one in excellent condition with the sambar stag. Can’t date it as it’s before the roll mark. Pre ‘60 something. I love the blade shape of that. It replaced and reminded me in a way of
an Old Timer (my grandpa’s) that I somehow lost in the woods hunting. For shame. Due to my atrocious guilt, I felt the need to replace it with something ‘heirloom level’ that I could hand down too. Never lose it now with that lanyard hole. Don’t enter the field without it attached. Fantastic knives.

 

[kthom]

Here is a Puma that I've "owned" since about 1973. Don't know when it was available for sale, but surely before that time. A bit of a story goes along with my possession of this very good (IMO) knife. Got a call one night from folks reporting someone breaking into their neighbor's home while they were away on vacation. I got to the scene about the same time as another officer. He took the front and I took the rear of the residence to investigate. As I came to a stop in the long alleyway behind the property, a young fellow burst through the back gate, saw me, and immediately beat feet away from me down the alley. I gave chase not doing much more than maintaining the interval between us. There was enough ambient light to see the lad and to see where we were going. As the miscreant approached the end of the alley, a third officer arrived on the scene to also enter the alley and the young fellow ran into the side of his howl car, fell down, and was immediately taken into custody.

Turns out this young man, aged 17, had a fairly long record of such conduct. He was also big as a grown man and pretty stout. I arrived just as the third officer was perched atop the miscreant attempting to get his arms behind his back to put the cuffs on so I assisted him with that. We seatbelted him in the back seat of the howl car for safekeeping while we conducted further information.

As I was chasing the lad down the alley, I saw something shiney fly from the lad into the weeds at the edge of the alley and heard it hit the fence and fall to the ground. I made my way back up the alley toward the home to help the first officer on the scene. We thoroughly searched the home, found no other persons present, and found that the miscreant had only short time to conduct his search of the property there. After completing our investigation of the premises, getting contact info for the property owners, and securing the home, we departed to the station to finish booking the lad. Prior to my departure, I searched the alley for the item that I saw and heard hit the ground. I found this Puma knife during that search.

At the station, as we inventoried the young man's property, we found a couple of nice necklaces and some rings in his pocket. I showed him the knife and asked if it was his. He claimed no knowledge of it, of course, and I didn't actually see the knife leave his hands, although there was no doubt that the knife didn't just fall out of the sky. When the property owners returned home, they identified the items found in the boy's pockets as their own, but had no knowledge of the knife. I asked the juvenile's dad if he had ever seen this knife or if it was his or the boy's property. The dad claimed that he had never seen it. Not much doubt that the boy had taken it from some other person's home during his night time visitations to their property. I made note of the incident in my report and I maintained possession of the knife for about a year in case it was reported from some other burglary. The case was handled by the juvenile authorites and closed. I asked the judge what dispostion he wanted to be made of the knife. Since it was incidental to the case and had not been used in any illegal way during the incident, and because it was not found on the boy's person at the time of arrest, the judge declared that what I found after the fact might or might not have been what I heard hit the ground that the boy obviously threw down. I had searched the alley again after first light the morning after the incident and found no other thing that might have been thrown. So the judge stated that it appeared to him that I had found a nice knife that had not been claimed by any one for the year period after the incident and that if I wanted it, I should just keep it. I was happy to do so!

This is one of only a few knives of this quality that I ever had the opportunity to handle during the many investigations I was involved in over the years. It has been in my possession, used, and enjoyed since the time I first picked it up out of that alley. I had the kydex sheath made by Blade Tech after it became permanently mine. I actually mailed the knife to them and they built the sheath around the knife, so it fits really well and very securely. It's a treasure by itself, but moreso because of where, when, and how I came into possession of it. It's got a great set of stag scales, it's very well constructed, and has a great deal of utility for me. It also sharpens very well. I haven't ever researched it to see if I can find any information about it's date of manufacture. There is a serial number stamped on the knife and perhaps it might be worth my time to do so. Maybe I will. So here are pictures of the knife with my long story. Hope you enjoy both!

 

[Mr.Harry]

Here is a Puma that I've "owned" since about 1973. Don't know when it was available for sale, but surely before that time. A bit of a story goes along with my possession of this very good (IMO) knife. Got a call one night from folks reporting someone breaking into their neighbor's home while they were away on vacation. I got to the scene about the same time as another officer. He took the front and I took the rear of the residence to investigate. As I came to a stop in the long alleyway behind the property, a young fellow burst through the back gate, saw me, and immediately beat feet away from me down the alley. I gave chase not doing much more than maintaining the interval between us. There was enough ambient light to see the lad and to see where we were going. As the miscreant approached the end of the alley, a third officer arrived on the scene to also enter the alley and the young fellow ran into the side of his howl car, fell down, and was immediately taken into custody.

Turns out this young man, aged 17, had a fairly long record of such conduct. He was also big as a grown man and pretty stout. I arrived just as the third officer was perched atop the miscreant attempting to get his arms behind his back to put the cuffs on so I assisted him with that. We seatbelted him in the back seat of the howl car for safekeeping while we conducted further information.

As I was chasing the lad down the alley, I saw something shiney fly from the lad into the weeds at the edge of the alley and heard it hit the fence and fall to the ground. I made my way back up the alley toward the home to help the first officer on the scene. We thoroughly searched the home, found no other persons present, and found that the miscreant had only short time to conduct his search of the property there. After completing our investigation of the premises, getting contact info for the property owners, and securing the home, we departed to the station to finish booking the lad. Prior to my departure, I searched the alley for the item that I saw and heard hit the ground. I found this Puma knife during that search.

At the station, as we inventoried the young man's property, we found a couple of nice necklaces and some rings in his pocket. I showed him the knife and asked if it was his. He claimed no knowledge of it, of course, and I didn't actually see the knife leave his hands, although there was no doubt that the knife didn't just fall out of the sky. When the property owners returned home, they identified the items found in the boy's pockets as their own, but had no knowledge of the knife. I asked the juvenile's dad if he had ever seen this knife or if it was his or the boy's property. The dad claimed that he had never seen it. Not much doubt that the boy had taken it from some other person's home during his night time visitations to their property. I made note of the incident in my report and I maintained possession of the knife for about a year in case it was reported from some other burglary. The case was handled by the juvenile authorites and closed. I asked the judge what dispostion he wanted to be made of the knife. Since it was incidental to the case and had not been used in any illegal way during the incident, and because it was not found on the boy's person at the time of arrest, the judge declared that what I found after the fact might or might not have been what I heard hit the ground that the boy obviously threw down. I had searched the alley again after first light the morning after the incident and found no other thing that might have been thrown. So the judge stated that it appeared to him that I had found a nice knife that had not been claimed by any one for the year period after the incident and that if I wanted it, I should just keep it. I was happy to do so!

This is one of only a few knives of this quality that I ever had the opportunity to handle during the many investigations I was involved in over the years. It has been in my possession, used, and enjoyed since the time I first picked it up out of that alley. I had the kydex sheath made by Blade Tech after it became permanently mine. I actually mailed the knife to them and they built the sheath around the knife, so it fits really well and very securely. It's a treasure by itself, but moreso because of where, when, and how I came into possession of it. It's got a great set of stag scales, it's very well constructed, and has a great deal of utility for me. It also sharpens very well. I haven't ever researched it to see if I can find any information about it's date of manufacture. There is a serial number stamped on the knife and perhaps it might be worth my time to do so. Maybe I will. So here are pictures of the knife with my long story. Hope you enjoy both!

Sweet knife. Cool story. If it has a number stamped onto the guard, you can date it. Just google up the chart.

 

[Mr.Harry]

The old ones are worth quite a bit of money these days. Like up and over 250.$

 

[kthom]

The old ones are worth quite a bit of money these days. Like up and over 250.$

Thanks, Mr. Harry! I'll check it out!

 

[crazyphil]

I only have one Puma, a Prince, but I like it a lot.
Shown in photo with S&W model 10 with 2" barrel in a
Lawrence 34V pigskin Special Agent holster with "dog ear"
on a Haugen belt. The matching stocks on the revolver
are Grashorns,

 

[Mr.Harry]

Thanks, Mr. Harry! I'll check it out!

No prob. If it doesn’t have a date/code stamped into it, it’s pre ‘64. Pre 69 seems to be a desirable thing amongst collectors. I’m not a collector but I wanted a knife with ‘the old recipe’ steel. Carbon steel, higher carbon, “Pumaster”, whatever you want to call it. From my research and dialogue with company reps, the Puma plant suffered a major fire in 1969. If there was an actual written ‘recipe’ for the old steel (reps say it was a closely guarded secret, and passed down in the company largely ‘verbally’ - one Meister to the next) it was destroyed in the fire. The former steel masters took their recipe/secrets to the grave with them. Not to say they didn’t make a high quality blade after that or until this day, it’s just not whatever it was. I can vouch from using/sharpening/observing mine, that it is not the same steel as today’s. It’s harder and much more prone to oxidation. Not “stainless”.

 

[kthom]

The information I found via a Google search indicates my Puma was made in the second quarter of 1968 in Germany. This one states on the blade info of the knife that it's "New Stainless Super Keen Cutting Steel". The blade is also stamped "PUMA" and underneath that is stamped "Germany". I can testify that it will cut your finger, that it is not difficult to sharpen, and that it seems to hold it's cutting edge pretty well. It has not been prone to oxidation nor discoloration. Also etched on the blade is "6383 PUMA - BUDDY".

 

[Mr.Harry]

The information I found via a Google search indicates my Puma was made in the second quarter of 1968 in Germany. This one states on the blade info of the knife that it's "New Stainless Super Keen Cutting Steel". The blade is also stamped "PUMA" and underneath that is stamped "Germany". I can testify that it will cut your finger, that it is not difficult to sharpen, and that it seems to hold it's cutting edge pretty well. It has not been prone to oxidation nor discoloration. Also etched on the blade is "6383 PUMA - BUDDY".

Fascinating. They’re very nice knives, I think, no matter what kind of steel they’re using/used. Truth be told, it’s a bit of a chore to put a great edge on mine. Then you have the susceptibility to oxidation. I have a current production Buck in whatever stainless that performs almost as well in edge retention, sharpens easier, and isn’t prone to corrosion. But that’s a different thread. Pumas are a thing of beauty.

 

[mauser9]

Appreciated the stories and facts. Have also see models like White Hunter and Skinner going for $250-350 on E-Bay that were produced in the 60s. Sure am glad I used my birthday money ($25) back in 67 to make the purchase of quality blade and heirloom to pass to my son.

 

[kwselke]

I bought a Puma White Hunter in 1971 at Oshman's Sporting Goods during their annual 40% off clearance sale. I paid the princely sum of $18 for it. I admit that at the time I did not have the sharpening tools or skills to do the knife justice. I beat the snot out of that knife on many camping trips. I have lost knives, broken knives, and worn out knives over the years; but that Puma White Hunter was stolen along with a Schrade Deerslayer out of the my truck toolbox back in the early 1990s. I hope the person that lifted those knives fell on them. I assume Pumaster Stainless Steel is a derivation of 440C, with high end heat treatment. That old knife inspired me to try out different metals and upgrade my sharpening skills.