German Owl Head knives?

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alexander
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German Owl Head knives?

Post by alexander »

Do any of you guys know abotu these? I've found a couple on fleaBay, but I don't know if they're any good.
Any info? Where are they made? Are they well-made? What steel?
Thanks,
Alex
Hukk
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Post by Hukk »

Where they are made seems to be kept a secret and only a few select dealers are approved for the US. They have no marketing, I've been looking on the internet for 2 years, without luck. The abalone handles are exactly the same style as Rough Riders, RR's are a better knife. Owlhead will never be a collectable, tang stamps are from made up places that can't be researched. Why are they hiding? I tested them with RR's and Steel Warrior by Frost and 2 years ago they fit the group. Since then, RR's and Steel Warriors have improved. Owl Head has not changed and I wouldn't own one, I don't care who makes them.
Hukk
alexander
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Post by alexander »

thanx
Roger - 50/2050
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Post by Roger - 50/2050 »

Howdy Boys,

I agree with Hukk on these Owlhead knives, at one time I had a few older ones (maybe mid 80's so they looked to me?) with the German Tang but could not find out anything on them ::doh:: ::td:: so I gave them away on EBay ::disgust::


"Texas collector", Roger - 50/2050
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Post by Hukk »

You're welcome, I supect that they are Chinese with German names-ever find a knife company called Munich Ironworks, I have been looking, no luck. We tested Rough Riders, Steel Warriors and the Owl Head finished a distant last.
Hukk
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Post by Roger - 50/2050 »

Hey Hukk,

I did hear a rumor at one time that Owlhead knives had their parts (frame, blades, back springs) made in Germany & were assembled by the Japanese but nothing strong enough to confirm this to be true fact!


"Texas collector", Roger - 50/2050
A standing life member of the "Case Classic Club", "allaboutpocketknives.com" & "elephanttoenails.com"
Hukk
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Post by Hukk »

Roger - 50/2050 wrote:Hey Hukk,

I did hear a rumor at one time that Owlhead knives had their parts (frame, blades, back springs) made in Germany & were assembled by the Japanese but nothing strong enough to confirm this to be true fact!


"Texas collector", Roger - 50/2050
I heard that they were German Steel, but assembled in China. I believed that one because the abalone celluloid handles looked exactly like those of a Rough Riders abalone celleloid handles. Because of the handles, I believed China, because Japan is no longer a cheap place to make knives. They may have started in Japan and moved out as costs rose. Today, can Japan make a $9.00 knife? Anyway, in a comparison test, they did poorly, they call the handles Corolon, rather than celluloid.

Roger, that's part of the problem with these knives, so many have heard different stories, what do you believe. After all these years, you can find nothing about them. I guess the way to find out is to identify all the sellers on eBay that sell them and look for a common thread, what knives do they sell with Owl Head.
Hukk
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El Lobo
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Post by El Lobo »

Here is an interesting piece. Written in defense of Chinese made knives, by an eBay seller (KY Knives) who sells predominantly knives imported from China. He mentions Owl Head as being from China. Not definitve information, but information none the less. In reading his listings, he shows a deftness in skirting the country of origin. So maybe he thinks his customers aren't yet sold on the Chinese production? Or, maybe I'm mistaken.

http://reviews.ebay.com/Be-Aware-of-Chi ... 1:SEARCH:1

Though for personal reasons, I don't use, collect, or offer them, I'm not passing judgement or taking sides here, just providing some information for discussion.

Bill
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Post by Hukk »

Thanks for the post El Lobo, I read his article and I will say that there are some good carriers, but nothing I would collect. Of the knives I tested, I would rate the Steel Warrior by Frost as the best of the lot, BUT, the knives in general are so small. The saddlehorn I have is so small that my pinkie finger is bigger than the knife behind the front bolster. Speaking of bolsters, I do not like many of the Steel Warrior's front bolsters. In general if you have large hands, many of these knives are useless. The Owl Head just does not stack up to the others as far as quality goes. I will say the writer is correct, there is a place for Chinese knives, I need something to gut catfish. Seriously though, the quality is getting better, 2 years ago, I was not impressed, Today, I must admit they are on to something, they can deliver a quality knife for $15.00 at least from the small group of knives I sampled.
Hukk
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jonet143
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Post by jonet143 »

i agree. some of their knives make good workers. very few of us will take a higher quality, i.e.$ knife to do every day knife work. you must be able to inspect many of the chinese knives to find one that's made well. new case knives are not suited for heavy work in most cases. old case knives are too valuable. politics dictate that china has the right to market their products in the U.S.A. these knives can be had for $3 and up, so if you mess one up, so what? get another one.
there are some who will collect them and enjoy. i'm not empressed by the quality of any of them. frost steel warriors are the best overall of the bunch. but that is not saying much. even the new case jewelery is far more quality.
i have been given several as gifts from well meaning non-knifer friends so i relegate them to emergency hide away knives, backpack, glove compartment, etc. if i need one i'll certainly use one. but for me personally, i will continue to buy and use higher quality. if i could'nt afford an american, german, jap, or any other quality knife i would consider a chinese knife. their quality has gotten better and will probably improve over time. where will the name knife companies go? away!

not to offend anyone - johnnie
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Post by Hukk »

jonet143 wrote:i agree. some of their knives make good workers. very few of us will take a higher quality, i.e.$ knife to do every day knife work. you must be able to inspect many of the chinese knives to find one that's made well. new case knives are not suited for heavy work in most cases. old case knives are too valuable. politics dictate that china has the right to market their products in the U.S.A. these knives can be had for $3 and up, so if you mess one up, so what? get another one.
there are some who will collect them and enjoy. i'm not empressed by the quality of any of them. frost steel warriors are the best overall of the bunch. but that is not saying much. even the new case jewelery is far more quality.
i have been given several as gifts from well meaning non-knifer friends so i relegate them to emergency hide away knives, backpack, glove compartment, etc. if i need one i'll certainly use one. but for me personally, i will continue to buy and use higher quality. if i could'nt afford an american, german, jap, or any other quality knife i would consider a chinese knife. their quality has gotten better and will probably improve over time. where will the name knife companies go? away!

not to offend anyone - johnnie
Hi Johnnie just an FYI that I got from a good friend who Frost is chasing to be a dealer, "In the next year thare are changes and controls in place to make Frost knives a superior product." Whether this is a sales pitch or an actual fact remains to be seen. Something to think about was my thought as I read that email.
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nmikash
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Post by nmikash »

I will throw my 2cents in here as well. Many of the Chinese made knives have somewhat deceptive names: German Creek, German Owl Head, U.S. Classics, etc. They are not going out of their way to promote the fact that they are made in China, probably because a lot of people will not give them a chance.

I have about a half dozen rough riders, and can say that they are decent work knives. I buy them to use, not collect. The quality is somewhat variable, I have two congress pattern knives and one clearly has thicker blades than the other. I personally find it easier to scratch up one of these than one of my Cases, or Queens. I can always replace it for about $10.
-Nick
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jonet143
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Post by jonet143 »

hey darrell, that is something to think about. but... superior to what. when and if frost makes a collectable knife, i'll still have a hard time choosing one of them over an american made knife. wages, cost of living are both big factors in american cutlery. even german knives are less expensive on the whole. the slaves in china that build or assemble these knives have work that feeds their families. frost gets a new swimmng pool. he has the right to make as much money as he can but out-sourcing will imo do more harm to our ravaged economy.
cheap chinese knives are here to stay so use em and abuse em, but untill all my knifer buddies quit selling and trading, i know where my hard earned money will be spent. oops, just fell off my soapbox.

i like chopsticks

johnnie
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Post by Hukk »

I merely acknowledge the presence and growing quality of Chinese knives, you have to. I own one Steel Warrior Chinese knife that is a user the others are an Imperial Barlow, an old Parker Bobcat, and a Chris Bostwick folder. Why don't people use the American Made knives as users, I do. Something to think about: Why do folks keep the Chinese knife industry going strong buy buying Chinese knives as users? Why don't you use American knives as users, I do. My main knife is a Custom Chris Bostwick, not a cheap knife but a QUALITY knife and GREAT user. Why continue the practice of buying Chinese knives when you could buy American for the same thing? This is what keeps that industry going. I have only one Chinese knife that has a special etch that was a gift, I'll keep it. All the others I bought for evaluation and then resold them on eBay. Something to think about: Why not use American knives as users? If you really care about our economy, WHY would you buy a Chinese knife as a user rather than American? I'll take my Chris Bostwick folder any day and I do use it and carry it daily. I'm proud to show my user, how about you guys? ::nod::
Thanks, but I like my fork! :lol:
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jonet143
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Post by jonet143 »

i agree. i carry and use one of several later model case knives daily. if you use a knife for a job other than for what they're intended, breakage and injury can result. no matter where its made. most people would'nt know a chinese knife from an american made. but i do.
i don't buy chinese knives but i have been given several as gifts. being an avid knifer, i inspected them very carefully. servicable steel but no character. i have found a real use though. i have been customizing fixed blades for a while but i was not comfortable enough to tackle an american folder. i am in the middle of rehandleing and file working an american cutlery congress. if i were to mess up i have'nt lost a great deal. so here we are. we are not going to stop the influx of asian knives and maybe the quality will get better. i won't help them.

johnnie
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johnnie f 1949

on the cutting edge is sometimes not the place to be.
please support our troops - past and present
if not a member...join the NKCA! they're on our side.
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ButchTN
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Post by ButchTN »

I am going to tell you a story about OwlHeads that was told to me by Bill at Smokey Mountain Knife Works. First off I bought 100 of these knives from my brother who had 200+ from a storage unit auction. These knives came with faux abolone, faux pearl, sheep horn and black bull horn handles. They all had the Munich Ironworks and oil the joints tang stamp except for the bull horn knives they had the double owl head logo and Germany tang stamped on them. I drive down to SMKW at least once a month so I take a couple of these knives down there and ask them for some info on them, since they do sell them for $19.99 a pop. This is what I was told. At one time OwlHeads were made by Buck Creek along with Bear & Bull and Indian Heads. But now they were made in China by German Creek along with Bear & Bull and German Bobcat (IMO the use of the word German is being used very loosely in this case). I own several of the old Indian Heads that have the Buck Creek tang stamp and I have talked with Clarence Risner about this and he said that yes Buck Creek was the first company to make Indian Heads on contract for him (now they are made in the Olbertz factory). I have a couple of the old Bear & Bull Buck Creeks from the 1980's. As for whether Buck Creek ever made Owl Heads I cant say for sure as I could never find anything to prove that. I can only tell you what was told to me by the people at SMKW and tell you that there was a significant difference in the tang stamping on the bull horn models. I have sold or given away almost all of
these knives and people seem to like them . I would say they are on par with RR's and Frost but I am like Hukk I carry what I collect. Why have a big collection of quality knives and then carry junk. I have 3 that I rotate as EDC's a Indian Head stockman, Bulldog copperhead and a German Eye tiny texas toothpick that is my going to church knife. I hope this info helps shed some light on the matter but like I said I have not been able to prove it, I am just passing on what was told to me by people that know alot more than I do.

Butch
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johnnierotten
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Post by johnnierotten »

I bought a German Owlhead 4 blade congress several months ago just to see what they were and as I suspected, it was made in China..It says Munich ironworks on the tang of one blade but had a made in China sticker on one of the smaller blades.I wrote the seller and asked him why his ad didn't include the word China,not to my surprise, he hasn't written back!! In fact theres not an owlhead being sold on ebay that mentions the fact that they are made in China ...Makes you really wonder about people..don't it?
johnnierotten

So far,So good...So What!!
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nmikash
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Post by nmikash »

Just to clear things up, I do use American/German made knives & they make it into my EDC rotation 9 times out of 10. But, if I know I'm going to be doing my knife some harm I'd rather do it to a cheaper knife. I do not have the expendable income to use a nicer case, or fightn' rooster like it's disposable.

I would also like to point out that it is hard to find an American made knife that retails for $15 or less nowadays. If I could get a decent knife from an American company at this price, I'd prefer it. Most of the larger American manufacturers have moved production of their lower priced lines to China. Did the Chinese bump Americans out of this price category, or did the American companies abandon it for higher profit? I'm not sure.

-Nick
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