All About Pocket Knives

Most of us think of SABRE as a brand marketed by Cole National with the knives made in Japan. Most were indeed made in Japan, but at various times they were also made in Germany, the US, and in China.

These SABRE marked knives were made in the USA by Colonial. I recall seeing these in stores in the late 1980's. Just picked these three up. Similar to the RANGER knives but with maroon sawcut delrin handles instead of black.

Very nice my friend! I haven't seen these in quite a while. Correct on the "Rager" coment!
We made these in the 80's and folks seemed to like the brown saw cut so we made them for years. I think we made some private label big orders that carried the "Sabre" style.
These along with the original Rangers were HUGE sellers for years! The quality was pretty good for the money, especially in three different sizes and multiple blade combinations.
Thanks for showing them.
Bobby P. CKCo....

Thanks for the information kinifeaholic and Bonfire bob. I will keep my eyes peeled for these at rummage sales and second hand stores as I do seem to run into the Japanese Sabres relatively frequently. Nice looking knives.

Greetings beechtree..
When hunting for those Sabre's, the old Japan made one's show how poor the quality was back years ago. Always check for a good grinding on the blades, fit and finish of bolster's and covers, and make sure you look closely down the length of the back springs like looking down a gunsight or down a pool cue. Many of those imported knives from years ago had crooked springs and you can tell they aren't put together very well!

Actually China is now putting out some incredibly well made custom pocket knives!
They have real cutlers making these things these days and I have actually bought some myself in MOP, Abalone, Black and Gold lip MOP! I must say, these have an extremely close fit and finish ALMOST as well as my own cutler skills!!! Some of these include Trapper's and Stockman's...an average price I've paid was $ 30-$ 50 bucks each!!
I was selling my pearl custom's 30 years ago for $ 150.00 each!
Naturally American made cutlery will ALWAYS fetch more mula!!

Hey bonfire, I came across a ranger the other day in pretty decent shape, what u reckon their worth these days? Think he was askin $18.00

Hey shugy, what size is it? Small, medium or large? Two blade or three blade? Pretty decent shape means no rust? How do the blades look? Any rust on the springs? Is the tang stamp nice and clear or are there inperfections? Are the black covers dull and scratched or are they in nice shape??? It's difficult to determine without it being in your hands but does it walk and talk smoothly?? Are the bolster's in nice shape???
As you can see there are many factures that put a knife at a particular value....
Just for your Colonial Knife info pad, and you should write these down....
The small Ranger is a # 912, two blade, and three blade, # 913. The medium stockman is a # 922, two blade and # 923 three blade. The large stock was # 932 two blade, and
# 933, three blade.
All in all, if all the above qualifications are met, the Ranger's are worth from $ 12.00 to
$ 22.00 each..please keep an important factor in mind my friend, a knife is really worth what another collector is willing to pay for it! Good luck; I hope I was helpful...
Bobby P...

Got his one from Ebay for $5.75
Rick

Excellent!! Good price for it's condition..Even the plated bolster's held up!!

Thanks Bob and thanks for all your info!!!!!!!
Rick

I got a USA SABER MED Stockman today off the bay for $6.49 in my mailbox!

You've been killin it on the bay, deltaboy! Glad you're on a Sabre kick, keep an eye on yer mail for the next week or so.

Tsar Bomba wrote:You've been killin it on the bay, deltaboy! Glad you're on a Sabre kick, keep an eye on yer mail for the next week or so.

Thank you I ran across it the other night and I put a 3 dollar bid on it and no one else bid on it so before shipping I paid $1:98.

Solid knife

I miss Bob, this thread made me pull out his book which I will re-read over the weekend. There are others from AAPK that I also miss but losing Bob was tough. That is all. Good night my fellow knifers!

Great pics of the USA made Sabre knives. I have a few Sabre knives, but only one that was made in USA. This is the 4 inch stockman. Mine has a few small blisters in the chrome on the bolsters.

Been happy with them so far!

I have this Sabre Lock back Med size 4 inches. Is it made by Colonial? ?

Nev

Nev52 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 7:30 pm I have this Sabre Lock back Med size 4 inches. Is it made by Colonial? ?

Nev

Sabre USA.jpg

I think so--with the exception of an as-ground finish on yours, it looks almost identical to mine. As it just so happens, I took a photo just now for here and to send to the owner of the current Colonial Knife when I ask for some information.

cody6268 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 7:16 pm

Nev52 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 7:30 pm I have this Sabre Lock back Med size 4 inches. Is it made by Colonial? ?

Nev

Sabre USA.jpg

I think so--with the exception of an as-ground finish on yours, it looks almost identical to mine. As it just so happens, I took a photo just now for here and to send to the owner of the current Colonial Knife when I ask for some information.

IMG_20220820_150709.jpg

Thank for the information Cody. It is a nice knife.

Nev