All About Pocket Knives

Hi Guys,

I have come across several knives which look like other well known brands but are marked as Explorer Brand from Germany.

To be honest they look well made but was wondering if anybody has any experience of these knives, are they good or just cheap knock offs with good photography ?

Cheers

JT

It was a trademark of Gutmann, an importer, along with Edge Mark.

They should be pretty good knives. Gutmann contracted out to some pretty good makers, in both Japan and Germany. I have a stag-handled Edge Mark Stockman that was made by C. Bertram (Hen and Rooster)--and it is very nicely made.

I have just this one in my collection and you just told me something I didn't know and that is it's from Germany.
All I know is that they are inexpensive knives.

That reminds me of a Rigid Brand knife.

cody6268 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 26, 2022 4:34 pm It was a trademark of Gutmann, an importer, along with Edge Mark.

They should be pretty good knives. Gutmann contracted out to some pretty good makers, in both Japan and Germany. I have a stag-handled Edge Mark Stockman that was made by C. Bertram (Hen and Rooster)--and it is very nicely made.

Do you know if they imported Puma Knives ? and had them Branded as Explorers ?

Cheers

JT

I have an Explorer Gutmann survival knife with Japanese steel that I bought back in the 80's. It was really my first knife purchase and it's well made. No relation to Puma that I have read.

Guys,

This is the knife that I was asking about, I finally purchased it, and after a bit of cleaning it's come up really well, tbh I think it's never really been used.

The fit and finish is amazing and it locks up super tight.

JT

Appears Gutmann was the US distributor for Puma, and that looks like one.

https://pumaknifecompanyusa.com/companyhistory.aspx

Interesting etch on that one, definitely named along the lines of the Puma folders. Very nice!

Just Found this on another Forum from the man himself Bernard Levine..... my suspicions may well be correct, the Explorer Grand Duke was made by the same makers that Puma used for thier lockback models, but the msytery continues as I still do not know wi=hich maker in solingen made my knife ha !!!.........see below

Quote Bernard Levine.

For many years Gutmann marketed Puma to people who believed High Price + Name Brand = Quality.

Then in the 1980s they started smoking roadside vegetation or something, and decided to cut out the name brand middleman.

They started buying the same knives from the same contractors who made Puma, and selling them for lower prices under their own Explorer house brand.

Of course as anyone but an academic intellectual would have predicted, this exercise in market populism fell on its face.

Customers who buy fashion merchandise are buying the label and the price tag, not the underlying item.

Take away the fashion brand and the exclusive price, and they don't want it any more.

Next stop... bankruptcy court.

*

I worked on the marketing effort for that Explorer line, expecting all along it would fail.

But what do I know? They were the marketing geniuses. I was just the hired help.

BRL...

[/i]

Ok the collection grows,

I have bought two new Explorer Brand Knives, one is a Lockback Explorer Solingen Lynx, which is very very good quality, 100% Solid snap and zero wobble I mean ZERO, which for a lockback which is 5" opened is quite incredible. This will of been made along side the Puma Etched version by the same contractors that Puma were using.

The Stockman is USA made Explorer Brand, and also is very well made.

My search will continue for this Brand that was forged and lost by greed, I love a story behind my collections.

So if any one has Explorer Knives that are knocking around the back of the kicthen drawers then let me know, Value ?? at the moment not much but the story is priceless !!!

JT

Very good information here, but as usual, you guys stink. Now I have another knife brand to add to my list to look for. The addiction never ends!

That "Puma" Explorer is a fine looking knife for sure. The stockman, to me, looks like a Bear and Son. But, I could be wrong. I suspect the German knife will be of higher quality.

Colonel26 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 28, 2023 2:28 pm Very good information here, but as usual, you guys stink. Now I have another knife brand to add to my list to look for. The addiction never ends!

That "Puma" Explorer is a fine looking knife for sure. The stockman, to me, looks like a Bear and Son. But, I could be wrong. I suspect the German knife will be of higher quality.

Thanks Mate,

it took me a while to dig this information out, but I had a strong hunch that there was something behind the Brand, as when I purchaded the Explorer Duke, the quality was so superior to my other knives I knew something strange had gone on in the 70's 80's that needed research.
Now I am on a mission to get the set in Stag, as I am confident the whole range would have been produced, its a win win all round, as there is great historic value, and exceptionally well made knives, which as far as I am aware have no collectors value, so hopefully I can snap some up over the years for little outlay.

Cheers

JT

Trouble is I predict that 99% of these knives are going to be in the USA making my search harder as I live in the UK

Hi Guys,
Have not posted for a while been busy with work and knife stuff tbh, but as some will recall I have a thing for the Explorer Brand and it's history.
By total chance on a facebook group I found a young local guy who inherited his Grandfathers knife collection, mostly Pumas which he had already sold some, in his collection was an A1 perfect condition Explorer Alpine Hunter (the White hunter version) so I said I would but it and it turns out he lived in the same city, so we met up and the exchange was done, both very happy with the deal.
He then offered me the remaining Pumas he had at a very reasonable rate, and he was such a nice guy I could not take them from him, and told him to hang on to them as the value was only going in one direction and in 20-30 years thehy could be priceless so to speak as they were also in great unused condition.
OK we all love pics so look at these...........a total quality knife not a knock off as we all know the Gutmann story with the Expoler range I am very impressed with the blade/bolster and tang all being forged in one peice !!!
It is very hard to build my Explorer collection which now stands at the handsome sum of four knives ha !!!
See what ya'll think
JT

Very nice find Jon, I think you hit the jackpot on it.

Fine looking addition!

Sweet!!!