Use of this Knife?

[DMLEATH]

I have a knife here I was wanting to find a little more information on. It has a big ring on it and there is stamp which I can’t quite make out but looks like it was made in USA. Any help is appreciated!

[buck16]

oyster shucker maybe?

[cody6268]

I want to say it's a hawkbill-type knife; usually used for slitting the insulation off larger cables and wires. The big ring, in a half-joking sense, is so that you can tie it off to your tool belt so you don't drop it from 20 feet up and hit some guy in the head and/or loose the thing. That's the tether point.

I noticed the "CHICAGO USA" and looked a little closer and noticed what appears to be the "climbing linesman" . I believe that to be the Klein Tools logo. I have seen that on some very old linesman's pliers made by them. They're known for their electrical tools, and they make darn good ones. I prefer for my pliers to be Klein or Channellock. Knipex gets a lot of good press, but their steel is run soft, and they seem to wear heavily in just a few months. Just killed the wire cutters on a pair of less than year old Knipex linesman's pliers working fences; when I have Kleins that have seen that (mis)use for decades and still work strong.

This link seems to suggest your knife is very old. That mark was registered in 1911; and replaced with another logo in 1950.

http://alloy-artifacts.org/klein-tools.html

Here's a modern version sold by the same company.

[treefarmer]

Good eye, Cody!
A comment on the Klein tools: Years ago when I first started with the school district maintenance there was an old lineman with one of the power companies that would bet he could break a set of Klein Lineman's Pliers with his hand. I never witnessed one of the events but have several acquaintances that saw him do it. It would usually happen when the local power company was working with a power line contractor, folks that hadn't heard of this man's strength. Wish I could have seen it happen.
Treefarmer

[Colonel26]

Good eye, Cody!
A comment on the Klein tools: Years ago when I first started with the school district maintenance there was an old lineman with one of the power companies that would bet he could break a set of Klein Lineman's Pliers with his hand. I never witnessed one of the events but have several acquaintances that saw him do it. It would usually happen when the local power company was working with a power line contractor, folks that hadn't heard of this man's strength. Wish I could have seen it happen.
Treefarmer

Now there’s a feller I might not want to shake hands with!

[DMLEATH]

Very interesting! I figured it was used a tool in some trade and this makes it clear. Thanks so much for your help!

[DMLEATH]

Would this have any value to a collector? If it’s worth a couple bucks I will keep it but I might sell it if it is worth a little more. Probably not many collect these old electrical tools.

[knife7knut]

I just saw a couple of the newer style ones at the flea market today and wondered if they were electrician's knives. They were made by(or for) Klein.

[garddogg56]

Definitely a linemans cable stripping knife.The one you show may have Bakalite handles,looks like 70's vin..The eye on the handle is to tie the tool on your wrist so it won't fall in a hot switch gear or transformer.All of our tools are tied off to us when were over hot gear.Most likely made buy Chicago cutlery USA.