Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

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ub40
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Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

Post by ub40 »

Hello,
I am an absolute newbie on collecting pocket knives, so excuse my naive question.
I have an Imperial pocket knife and saw an identical knife made by Case. They both have the same number of blades(3), and the shape of the blades are seemingly identical, they are even on the identical side. Is this coincidence or this is normal?

Is there a link where to a tutorial on knives type or why they are called this and that?

Thanks in advance.

Robert
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philco
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Re: Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

Post by philco »

Hi Robert. ::welcome:: to AAPK.

Here is a link to the Glossary listing here on this site which might help. For future reference you can find it by scrolling across the "Other" button at the top right of the screen and then clicking on "Knife Definitions" If you click on that same "Other" button it will open up a site map page with lots of knife info that you may enjoy reading.

http://allaboutpocketknives.com/researc ... itions.php

That should get you started. The book, "Blade's Guide to Knives and Their Values" has an entire section with photos showing the various styles or patterns of knives and what they are called. It also explains the origins of most of the patterns and what their original purpose was.

To address you question about having knives that look alike but are made by two different manufacturers............One of the little secrets of the knife industry is that many knife companies have made knives for other companies under contract over the years. It's not all that uncommon to have a knife that says it is a Case but was actually produced by another maker, or a knife that has another maker's brand on it but was actually made by Case. It has been a common practice through the years and throughout the industry. I collect scout knives and I have several examples of identical knives except for the tang stamp saying they were different brands.

Please study hard..........there will be a quiz on Tuesday. :mrgreen:

Phil
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ub40
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Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:04 am

Re: Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

Post by ub40 »

Thanks Phil- It seem I wont be ready for a test for a while. There are great articles here(site), most interest me is the custom factory knife. Since got so many of the same knfe last week, I'll probably try to see if I can make a couple of wooden handle replacements.

On the same knife marked by different brands, is it safe to say that the smaller manufacturer made it for the bigger names?

Regards,
Robert
Cooter Brown
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Re: Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

Post by Cooter Brown »

I'm not exactly a collector--well, maybe a wannabe--but I see a perspective in addition to the fact that companies made knives for each other: namely utility and tradition.

Take the Stockman pattern. Aside from handle materials and finish, a Case stockman looks very similar to a Schrade stockman, and a Buck or a Queen or a Camillus or a Remington. The pattern is a favorite because it is very handy--if a company did not offer one, they were leaving money on the table.

Some patterns, such as the TL29, were specced by the govt. and produced by multiple companies. The same is true to some degree for the Boy Scout pattern.

The Congress pattern is another traditional form that has been made in a very similar way by many companies. It's apparently one of the oldest if not the oldest pattern developed in America. Lincoln had a congress pattern knife in his pocket when he was assassinated.

There are some pretty wild designs out there now, but many of the custom makers use variations of the traditional patterns. The traditional patterns continue to sell because the way people's hands function and the work they expect a pocket knife to do have pretty much stayed the same for a long time.
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philco
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Re: Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

Post by philco »

ub40 wrote:
On the same knife marked by different brands, is it safe to say that the smaller manufacturer made it for the bigger names?

Regards,
Robert
Robert...........

In answer to your question above:

Sometimes........maybe.......but not always........ever

Hope that's clear. :shock: ::dang::

Phil
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ole_muddy
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Re: Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

Post by ole_muddy »

I felt you just referring to the blade set-up on various knives. The form of the knife is called a pattern, be it scout, cattle knife, stockman, folding hunter, etc. They can come with a varying number of blades in many of the patterns. Just because visually they look the same with different names, they can be miles apart in both quality and collectibility. So, welcome to this forum and good luck in learning this fascinating hobby. I've been at it for around twenty years and my overall knowledge of knives is probably equivalent to a BB on a gymnasium floor when considering the overall scope of knives, which only encompasses the history of the world. So, study, learn, enjoy.

Eric
ub40
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Re: Same pattern two different manufacturer- normal?

Post by ub40 »

I think I'm too new to really discern the difference. It make sense now that a particular pattern would look similar from one brand to the next. I need to get a few more samples of different brands so I can compare.
Thanks for all the replies I've gotten so far.
Rober
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