Why So Little Interest in Old Solingen Blades?

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One thing that's mystified me in the online knife community (prominently including this forum) is people's apparently-low interest in the old high-carbon knives made in Solingen, Germany, which are so common on, for example, eBay. These knives are generally quite well made, using something which I gather is either 1095 steel or something very much like it. A little shopping will get you one with a 10-inch blade for about $50--but instead people are paying almost twice as much for a Cold Steel Trailmaster or a Becker BK-9. Even a lot of the Ka-bar knives are at nearly the same price-range. An RTAK will set you back about 80 bucks--and yet you see these very-similar-and-maybe-better-steel German knives selling for a lot less than comparably-configured modern knives with what is in some cases very questionable durability. What gives?

A lot of the old German knives have a lot more character--several have actual stag handles, which I'd take over rubberized Kraton. (At least staghorn doesn't dissolve if you spray insect repellent in the vicinity.) The littler ones--with blades in the 4-to-6-inch neighborhood--look like they'd handle most of what you'd throw at a lot of the more-fad-friendly modern bush knives. I'm kind of mystified by the low interest level people seem to have. Is there a genuine quality concern that I just haven't heard about? Or is it just a fad thing?

What do you all think?
 
i had one solingen germany ,6"fixed Blade with some guys name on the blade and stated handmade on the blade as well with a stag handle , but i was not impress with it, stag handles are to me just to look at not functional in the woods .i traded it for something alittle more functional to me but it was pretty sharp cutting wise & it was in great condition with sheath,but not my type of knife so i just moved it along.IMO :D !
 
Just my $.02.

The ones that I have held at shows had small handles. I thought of them as display case only and not a tool I would want to use. They sure looked nice though.
 
Returning JD, I think you are on the right track, but it seems from what I so often read here that many others just go "gah-gah" at the mere mention of some of the modern super steels, like plain old carbon steel blades never amounted to anything. Since you are attracted to Solingen blades, just for fun check out the Mercator "Cat Knife" from Solingen. It's a simple, useful, and inexpensive design that's been around for many decades (possibly since about WW1). It is a lockback with a simple folded steel handle, so it's not quite as traditional looking as some others, but it has certain things going for it. I think it makes a nice back pocket knife, as does the French Douk-Douk which uses a similar design but does not lock.
 
I, too, am in the desert southwest, and appreciate stag, high- carbon, good stainless, and Old World knives. Some of the German pieces you describe were made when the exchange rate was favorable yet were still above the price many would pay for a good knife. I believe they were just not well known and had no play like Case and Buck. One exception is Puma because Puma had a little play in the magazines so they were seen as a safe bet to step up. Today the others are seldom mentioned outside of Ebay as you say. I have several that, if reproduced new, I could not afford. Weidmannsheil, Othello, and Maitland are the ones I have used in both folders and fixed. For all I know about them, they came from the same maker :confused: They are, to me anyway, clearly equal or even superior to Puma in finish and edge retention. More for us I suppose, because I enjoy using those that are uncommon, untactical, and untrendy :D. Regards, ss.
 
I'm a carbon steel guy. Always have been. I think the older Solingen blades got left behind because of rapidly evolving knife technology, steels, handle material etc. Those same knives were talked about highly by our fathers and grandfathers, so they can't be that bad. I like some of the old stuff, very cool. I have one now (Solingen) that needs a new stacked leather handle and some new pants. Gonna give it a new life! -Matt-
 
I'am a big fan of the old solingen knives during the early 1960's and 70's a good semi custom knife like the PUMA game wardon and the White Hunter could be had for between $20 or $30 Some of the Edge Brand Bowies like the #469 Were large choppers that I think could give some of todays big boys a run for there money And also sold for about the same price.as far as them not being popular today ,thats just fine with me you can still find a nice carbon steel knife with stag handle or leather and wood from time to time with near custom qulity for under $100
http://www.neaca.com/images/Bowie_Edge_Brand_469_Solingen_2a_.JPG
 
I'm enjoying this thread because now I know some German brands to look for (besides Boker, which seems to have an overall positive reputation, and Puma, which seems to have entered a period of decline).

I know from comments in older bushcraft/wilderness survival/scouting books that Solingen blades were "the" go-to production blade for many years, but I've never felt qualified to judge such knives, especially when I can't handle one (i.e., eBay). I guess my point is that, whether you agree or disagree that "X" is a good brand (Ranger, RAT, Ontario, Buck, pre-Taylor Schrade, etc. etc.), there's a lot of opinion about these brands on the knife forums, which is about the only place I can get info from like-minded folks. Aside from traditional folder knuts, Solingen blades seem to get little mention.
 
Wow. Try doing a search for solingen pics on google and lots of stuff pops up. Knives, swords, family photos, and one crazy looking revolver.
9964.jpg

To answer the question, I've never heard of them.
 
Just me, but they are mostly too small to be choppers.

For cutting, they are mostly saber-ground vs. the flat or convex grinds I prefer.

Many of the stag handles feel uncomfortable, although they are dramatic.

The couple I did get are at least as good as the Marbles knives that I have. The carbon steel and patina are a plus for me.
 
Wow. Try doing a search for solingen pics on google and lots of stuff pops up. Knives, swords, family photos, and one crazy looking revolver.
9964.jpg

To answer the question, I've never heard of them.
looks like a 12 shot pin fire very interesting
 
I carried several Solingen made knives back in the seventies. They were quite a bit more common then, and were very reasonably priced. As noted, most were small in the handle department. Most of the ones I've owned had a stick tang with a nut holding the handle together. In addition to stag, stacked leather washer handles were common. I used mine in a reasonable manner and never experienced any catastrophic failures. The Pumas were definitely the high end of the Solingen types. My dad gave me a Puma Game Warden with a second skinning blade circa 1971. I think it cost about thirty bucks, big money for a knife back then.
 
Just me, but they are mostly too small to be choppers.

For cutting, they are mostly saber-ground vs. the flat or convex grinds I prefer.

Many of the stag handles feel uncomfortable, although they are dramatic.

The couple I did get are at least as good as the Marbles knives that I have. The carbon steel and patina are a plus for me.

I know what you mean about the above. Most, you're right, are too small to be choppers--but I just had to admit to myself the other day that the ones that are on the small end are also about the same size as some of the other favorite knives in this forum. Just picked up a two-in-one-sheath set the other day that has one knife about the size of a Mora, and the other around the size of a BK-7 / BK-9, or maybe a Ranger RD-7. And I had to think it made for a good combination. And, that said, there are plenty of 8-inch and 10-inch blades out there; I'd hazard the guess that there are at least three 10-inch Solingen blades on eBay at any given time.

Saber-ground: Granted. That is my own biggest beef with the big ones. I do prefer a flat or full-convex grind. But I have to think it helps with robustness.

Antler handles: I agree about the discomfort--but only somewhat. I'm having some good success Dremeling down some of the more-prominent protrusions from one of my stag-handled knives. Once that's accomplished, it'll be a much-better user. I'd certainly put it up against a Becker handle. Also, depending on how good a fit the maker got, you can end up with some of those asymmetrical stag handles being a VERY nice fit into the hand. And, yeah, they are dramatic--much more interesting than something extruded into a mold. And I'm with you on the steel quality and patina. Much more outdoorsy-knife-like, and less mall-ninjaesque, than some of the more-faddish ones.
 
The Mercator lock backs were knives I grew up with. I remember seeing them for sale for 95 cents in one shop as a teenager. They were widely used and respected by farmers, hunters and trappers here in New Zealand. But being thin with sharp corners they ruined a lot of my pockets
Mercator.jpg
 
One thing that's mystified me in the online knife community (prominently including this forum) is people's apparently-low interest in the old high-carbon knives made in Solingen, Germany, which are so common on, for example, eBay. These knives are generally quite well made, using something which I gather is either 1095 steel or something very much like it. A little shopping will get you one with a 10-inch blade for about $50--but instead people are paying almost twice as much for a Cold Steel Trailmaster or a Becker BK-9. Even a lot of the Ka-bar knives are at nearly the same price-range. An RTAK will set you back about 80 bucks--and yet you see these very-similar-and-maybe-better-steel German knives selling for a lot less than comparably-configured modern knives with what is in some cases very questionable durability. What gives?

A lot of the old German knives have a lot more character--several have actual stag handles, which I'd take over rubberized Kraton. (At least staghorn doesn't dissolve if you spray insect repellent in the vicinity.) The littler ones--with blades in the 4-to-6-inch neighborhood--look like they'd handle most of what you'd throw at a lot of the more-fad-friendly modern bush knives. I'm kind of mystified by the low interest level people seem to have. Is there a genuine quality concern that I just haven't heard about? Or is it just a fad thing?

What do you all think?


I totally agree with you, J.D.

When I was growing up if you did not carry a stacked leather handle Case or Kay-bar sheath knife, you had one of those stag handled German knives. They worked out great in the woods. The still would do well as most other knives.

But the newest and most hyped will always be the most popular. Just like the Glock is the hot selling gun of this decade, there is still alot of old Smith and Wesson .38 revolvers's in the bedside drawer for defence of their owners. And they still work very well even if they are not the glamor toy of Holliweird or the big brother agencys with all the initials.
 
The Mercator lock backs were knives I grew up with. I remember seeing them for sale for 95 cents in one shop as a teenager. They were widely used and respected by farmers, hunters and trappers here in New Zealand. But being thin with sharp corners they ruined a lot of my pockets

I don't want to hijack the thread but this has always mystified me about Mercators and Douk Douks -- they're great knives but how could people carry them back in the day and not rip up their pockets? Especially before our contemporary throw-away-after-one-wearing mentality when 'average' folks needed their clothes to last for at least a couple of years?
 
Here's an old Solingen blade that I own:
5zn4803.jpg

4mtw1s0.jpg

632sqxu.jpg


The touch mark is fairly clear. The first line appears to be Kronigsberg, the second line is not clear but I believe it says Solingen.

The blade is 4-1/2 inches, the handle is 3-7/8 inches. The handle is I believe natural stag...maybe not, maybe it's jigged...the pommel appears to be pewter. I do not have the original scabbard, nor have I made one...I use it as a shop knife, it is very comfortable.

Edit: Actually, it appears to say Kronenkrebs. And the blade is flat ground, distal tapered, 1/8" at the base. If I had a good scabbard for this, I would carry it as a woodscraft knife. I acquired this around 1960.
 
Most of my straight razors are solingens, they certainly work on my face!

A lot of people (not here specifically but out there, in general) are just in to buying the latest, greatest thing.

I have nothing against new stuff myself, but if a tool of any sort has been around for decades without changing much, it probably works the way it is.

I think the most modern guns I own are my M14s...but one has an eotech on it. If it works, it works!
 
I own quite a few of these. Some I bought back in the 60's while others I have picked up at antique malls. I think the steel is closer to 1080 or 1085 than 1095. They sharpen easily and get marvelously sharp. One problem I have seen was this silly impulse to put elaborate decorative engraving on the blades. It really looks hokey. I have some very nice stag handled Anton Wingen carving knives with tinted woodland scenes engraved on the blades. They tend to stay in a drawer.

I don't know why they tended to make the handles so short. I find them long enough, but just barely. They are easy to carry with those proportions. They tended to have second rate thin leather sheaths. It was as if leather was more expensive than steel in solingen.
 
I have a couple

100_2742-1.jpg


the one that looks like a marbles knife is a regular user , the straight one is gunna get redone , needs working on , Ill get around to it one day if I dont off load it first

they arent choppers , but then I dont want choppers in a knife this small , just game dressing knife .

they are good blades , take a great edge and really hold it well , I like using a knfe that is way older than me too , like keepin history alive sorta
 
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