Best German Made Knives

J

Jake Bauer

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Sep 19, 2007
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I think the Germans build some pretty good stuff. for example, good cars, and good guns (among other things of course). Both my Handguns are German made and I have not had a problem whatsoever with either of them. I'd like to experience a German made knife. I would imagine it would be outstanding. What should I be looking for? EDC purposes as well as something that could hold its own in the outdoors.
 
German knives (like American and most others) run the gamut from low to high-end.

If you want a truly outstanding knife, look into one of their top custom makers--Dietmar Kressler comes to mind.
 
Boker?

IMG_0046.jpg


Their "tactical" line doesn't do much for me, but those two above get a lot of pocket time. They're beautiful knives and take an incredible edge. One of them belonged to my great uncle, the other I picked up somewhere along the way.
 
Just bought this one from an auction site, a vintage Puma Bowie from 1980.
Blade is made from genuine Pumaster Steel, which is a good quality carbon steel with a hardness of 61 HRC (Puma claim) that holds an edge well and is easy to sharpen.
The handle is fitted with thick Sambar Stag slabs.

Sadly Puma does not make this kind of quality anymore, so if you like this brand, look for their vintage models.



 
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Are you thinking of customs or factory brands?

Most producers like Puma have sourced out because of labour costs. The following makers are still worth their money:

Robert Klaas (Kissing Crane) - small manufacturer, folders - produces nearly exclusively for the US market

Hartkopf - try the damascus and snakewood folders

Diefenthal - classic folding hunters with stag

Puma - only the older pieces before mid-80

Not much in the fixed blade category I'm afraid. Linder would come into my mind. Solid useable knives but nothing special.


Ulrich
 
Hey, could you elaborate what is wrong with newer Puma knives? Thanks!
 
The newer ones are still a decent quality knife, but in the mid-1980s they switched over to the trend of making most everything out of stainless which wasn't near the quality of steel as the older carbon blades. In addition, their quality control dropped off. They don't have the same fit and finish on the newer knifes as the older ones did. I have a late 1960s hunter's pal which is a remarkable knife. Fit, balance, quality, they all just shine.

Like I said, the newer ones aren't bad knives, they're just not stand-out knives like the older ones are.
 
The problem with newer Puma knives is that the old fashioned quality isn't there anymore.
In pictures the newer knives can look more or less the same as the vintage ones, but that changes once you have the chance to compare old and new knives in real life.

Off grindlines, bad fitting of parts and an overall 'is this all there is' sensation come to mind.
The older ones are ground correctly, put together really well, and immediately give you an overall feeling of trust in the workmanship.
You'll know what i mean when you get your first vintage Puma ;)
 
I hate to say it, but the quality of a lot of stuff from Solingen has gone down the drain. A mod from the German Messerforum put the whole issue into words quite well: I buy knives unseen from Japanese manufacturers, I buy knives unseen from American manufacturers, but before I buy anything from Solingen, I have to take a look at it.

Check out this thread (first post) for some pics of Hartkopf knives. You might get a great knife, but you also might get a total lemon.
 
alaskanativeson, kwackster, thanks for the answers.
I've had my eyes on those stag handled pumas couple of times but I have to consider again.

What about linder? Linder makes some really nice looking bowies but I have heard so little about them. Any experience on those?

And sorry if Im hijacking this thread. :D
 
I'd say get one of the newer Boker knives. It's my favorite german knifebrand at the moment.

Fixed:
- Böker Savannah
- Böker Carbon Steel Hunter
- Böker Solide

Combat:
- Böker Applegate
- Böker AF 5.5 (Five-Five)
- Böker Grabendolch

Folders:
- Turbine
- Titan Defender
- Eurofighter
- Che
- Andrey
- Zirconia
- Tirpitz


Also, any damascus model.
 
Vintage, green box pumas. As good as production can be. Good materials and workmanship in details, design into the small details. I highly rekomend slipjoints like prospector, Puma jr & Puma sr, bantam, pony. I only got 2 of the prospectors myself but man are they good knifes.

Bosse
 
Can tell you 1st hand the new Linder knives suck and are a big disapointment. I bought one of those Linders that look like an Al Mar knife and it is poor quality with a poor quality sheath.
 
Yes go boker... you wont regret it!
I have hand me downs that are so mint they are going to be hand me down again.
 
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