All About Pocket Knives

It is with immense sadness that I come here to advise you that today Wally Gardiner called to inform me that Canal Street Cutlery was closing.

Wally has been a great friend & mentor for as long as I have been in this business, & this truly breaks my heart.

He has sent me a Powerpoint listing of all the equipment that is for sale.
If any of you are interested, message me & I will gladly email it to you.

I need a drink.

I don't collect or specialize in modern knives but this is truly a sad comment on the cutlery industry of today.
This is another quality knife company biting the dust in today's economy. RIP.

Ray

And the majority of the workers are Schrade employees from the first time the business shut down.

So, so, so sad.........

Always sad to see a company that makes quality products in the USA shutting down.

This is sad news and they will be missed. The CS knives I have purchased exhibit impeccable materials, workmanship and quality.

God bless the folks impacted and provide opportunities for success in future endeavors.

Real sorry to hear this news. And a shame for the people that will lose their livelihood, again.

MrBlister wrote:DID HE RUN SCHRADE A WHILE???

I believe he did!

I got a call a few days back with this sad report. I fell in love with Canal Street knives when I held the first one I ever saw in hand. They've been a major focus of my collection ever since. I knew without a doubt that this was a company (and people) I wanted to support when Wally Gardiner graciously volunteered on the first time we met (at the Blade Show) to donate a very valuable fixed blade knife for a fund raiser for our friend Tank.

It saddens me greatly to know this company will be no more. I pray that God will open new doors of opportunity for each of the good folks who have made up Canal Street Cutlery.

CSC did the same for me one year, donating a beautiful Abalone trapper for an Easter Seals fund raiser our company was involved in.

Classy group, it's a darn shame...

This is truly a crying shame! First Schrade, now Canal Street. I have become personal friends with Wally and the crew at Canal Street, not to mention my Uncle works there, and this is what it comes down too. I hate that this is happening, I started collecting the Canal Street knives, as I am particularly fond of the Pinch Lock Backs, English Barlows and the Boys knives. I have gathered up approximately 300 or so Canal Street Knives, I am very thankful I did get them while I could. I have quite a few PROTOTYPE Knives as well as some samples that did not go into production and I plan to keep them all together to help preserve the Canal Street Cutlery name.

Wally, Uncle Harold, Eric and the rest of the crew.....I Salute you all for a Job well Done for the past 10 years! Thank you.

Tom

As far as I know, the only Canal Street knife I've ever owned was the AAPK year knife.

I know they made a quality product and it is, indeed, sad to hear that they are ceasing operation.

Do any of you actually carry and use your Canal Street knives?

I kind of had an impression, based on the designs, handle material, etc, that they were principally targeting the collecting community.

If that was the case, it kind of bears out the truth of an oft said axiom and that is that "One cannot contrive or manufacture a collectible".

I'm not putting them down. I wish they were not going out of business.

I will not be surprised if this also happens to GEC and other similar cutleries.

Using knives of an adequate quality can be had for a lot less than what CSC, GEC, Northwoods and others ask for their products.

If Camillus and Schrade could not survive in these times, I would think it would be doubly difficult for a somewhat new start-up.

There is an ever dwindling population of pocketknife enthusiasts and not many new ones coming up.

Witness the almost certain demise of the NKCA and NKM.

It is what it is.

And it is sad.

Charlie Noyes

I do use some of my Canal Street knives and I like them.
I would say my Canittler is every bit as well made as my Case Seahorse whittler, maybe even better.
Something Canal Street does that GEC does not do is they do use some more modern steels.
Most of the GECs I have used have 1095 carbon steel blades, which I love, but in my opinion they don't have the heat treatment dialed down to where their knives will hold an edge as well as an old Camillus, Schrade or Imperial with carbon steel blades.

The Canittler I use in my shop holds an edge very well, not sure which steel it is, but the pinch lock with D2 steel will cut all day long and ask for more. I have a CS trapper that has a Latrobe steel in the blade, I don't remember the number, but I would compare that knife to 154CM, it has awesome edge retention!

I will miss Canal Street, and not just because they were the legacy of Schrade, but because they made excellent using knives in traditional styles with upgraded steel. I guess I will have to get used to less traditional styles when I need a user with upgraded steel; Kershaw and Benchmade do still make some great users in the USA.

My EDC for the past four or five years has been a Canal Street congress knife. I can say without hesitation that it has proven itself to be as good, if not better, than any knife I have ever carried before. I intend to carry it for many years to come. I've packed Case and Boker previously. They are great knives but they don't stack up against my Canal Street congress in D2 steel. Canal Street was much more that a pretty face. They made serious cutlery that could hold up with any cutery out there. It saddens me greatly to see Canal Street Cutlery Co. cease operations. I love their products. I love what they represent. I respect and admire the folks who made up this company.

My only Canal Street knives were our Club Knives but I picked up a few more after reading this news. I received this little history lesson with one "thank you" email;

John

Congratulations on purchasing a Canal Street Cutlery knife, and thank you for buying it through KnivesShipFree.com.

Whether you know it or not, you just bought a piece of American cutlery history.

The home of Canal Street Cutlery, a humble space in Ellenville, New York, once housed the New York Knife Cooperative, followed by two other cutlery companies. That means your new Canal Street knife came from a place where knives have been made continuously since 1848.

Canal Street knives are prized by collectors, and for good reason, but they're built to be used. They reflect the same tradition of craftsmanship that produced our grandfathers' knives—every Canal Street knife is made on a bench, one at a time, with over 140 hand operations, for people who recognize quality.

People like you.

Again, thanks for buying your Canal Street knife from us. You're going to love it.

Thanks for being our customer!
Derrick & Wendy Bohn

Much like the burning of the Cattaraugus building earlier this year, I hate seeing things like this happen to our knife history. Learning about the history behind knives and knife making, especially American knives for me, is one of the things I cherish about knife collecting. It is sad news.

p.s. I do not know the Bohn's but they seem to run a good business.

I am really sorry to hear Canal St is going out. I love their knives.

Wally has always been a real gem to me.

I too am saddened about the demise of Canal Street Cutlery. It was my privilege to be closely involved with Wally and the crew from 2009 to 2014. I was aware that the company had suffered some severe setbacks in the past year. Like Derrick and Phil Gibbs I had learned a lot from Wally, but I also had the good fortune to learn from the Cutlers there as well. Sad news indeed.

Breaks my heart. Wally was so good to me.

At this sad time, I'd like to thank everyone at Canal Street and express my best wishes for whatever they do in the future.

Canal Street gave us 10+ years of mighty fine knives. I'll be using Canal Street knives and carrying a CSC folder for the rest of my life, as will several of my family and friends.

Will

okbohn wrote:I am really sorry to hear Canal St is going out. I love their knives.

Wally has always been a real gem to me.

Derrick,

Didn't realize you were an AAPK member! BTW- the knives I purchased on Wednesday arrived perfectly on Friday. Thanks for your excellent customer service!

-John

Really is quite sad. There aren't many traditional making factories left out there in the US. Every time 1 closes, it's hard to swallow. And it just shows how hard it would be for a new company to try and start out.

Their website is shut down

I hope Eric is able to continue his craft. Sorry for all who depended on CS .

Sad to hear this. I really hoped that they would make it.