Hen and Rooster
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2025 11:14 pm
Does anyone have knowledge of this knife
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Hen and Rooster
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/viewtopic.php?t=86118
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Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2025 11:58 pm
Can’t tell you much but I can tell from the etching on the blade that it is not very expensive. When Hen and Rooster marks knives with German Stainless or German Steel, it’s a sure thing that it was made in a county like China. It’s a deception that they have been using for many years now. That looks like a knife that should cost less than 20 dollars new. The handles look to be rams horn. Hope this helps.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 11:43 am
I did not say anything about German steel of any kind. Not sure where that came from. This is a good knife and worth well over $20. Hen and Rooster has been in the hands of a few well known knife makers. I do not see them risking reputation by making not good knives. I repeat my question - does anyone know about this knife including what is etched on the blade.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 12:12 pm
I agree 100% Mark, the horn covers are very nice but the tool itself is nothing special other than a good EDC.Sharpnshinyknives wrote: ↑Tue Oct 21, 2025 11:58 pm Can’t tell you much but I can tell from the etching on the blade that it is not very expensive. When Hen and Rooster marks knives with German Stainless or German Steel, it’s a sure thing that it was made in a county like China. It’s a deception that they have been using for many years now. That looks like a knife that should cost less than 20 dollars new. The handles look to be rams horn. Hope this helps.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 12:18 pm
The reference to German Steel came from the etching on the blade. I do not think this knife was made in China, in fact, I'm not aware of any Hen & Roosters ever being made in China. But, I do know that some H&R knives were made in Spain....or assembled in Spain from parts manufactured in other countries, anyway. What countries actually manufactured the various parts I do not know. However, I have owned many Hen & Rooster knives, one in particular with a Ram Horn handle similar to the OP knife that also had the same type of exposed pivot rivet which had "Spain" etched on the pile side of the blade. While the OP knife does not appear to have anything etched on the blade's pile side, the similarities to the knife I once owned make me feel this one is likely a product of Spain as well. Additionally, although it's certainly not a high-end, expensive knife, I would agree that it is probably worth a bit more than $20....probably worth somewhere between $40-$80. The "First Production Run" etching will make it more desirable to certain collectors.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 1:46 pm
I'm wondering why the blade has 2 different color etches. The main one with the brand/country. And then a secondary one calling it a First Run. Usually in most German knives with etch, it is all done at once.QTCut5 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 22, 2025 12:18 pmThe reference to German Steel came from the etching on the blade. I do not think this knife was made in China, in fact, I'm not aware of any Hen & Roosters ever being made in China. But, I do know that some H&R knives were made in Spain....or assembled in Spain from parts manufactured in other countries, anyway. What countries actually manufactured the various parts I do not know. However, I have owned many Hen & Rooster knives, one in particular with a Ram Horn handle similar to the OP knife that also had the same type of exposed pivot rivet which had "Spain" etched on the pile side of the blade. While the OP knife does not appear to have anything etched on the blade's pile side, the similarities to the knife I once owned make me feel this one is likely a product of Spain as well. Additionally, although it's certainly not a high-end, expensive knife, I would agree that it is probably worth a bit more than $20....probably worth somewhere between $40-$80. The "First Production Run" etching will make it more desirable to certain collectors.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 2:13 pm
Yeah, I noticed that too, pretty hard not to. That’s definitely unusual, possibly even suspicious. I have a theory but it’s pure conjecture with no real evidence. Common sense, however, dictates that there would be very little financial incentive to counterfeit a relatively low-end knife like this. All I can say is I’ve never seen a double blade etch on a H&R knife before, so your guess is as good as mine 
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 2:22 pm
If you don't agree with some of the replies you receive to your question(s),timdog44 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 22, 2025 11:43 am I did not say anything about German steel of any kind. Not sure where that came from. This is a good knife and worth well over $20. Hen and Rooster has been in the hands of a few well known knife makers. I do not see them risking reputation by making not good knives. I repeat my question - does anyone know about this knife including what is etched on the blade.
MAYBE you should try searching for the answer(s) yourself.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 2:24 pm
I may be seeing this wrong but doesn't it say Probuction vs. Production
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 2:29 pm
Q already stated where “German Stainless” came from, but it is right there on the blade.timdog44 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 22, 2025 11:43 am I did not say anything about German steel of any kind. Not sure where that came from. This is a good knife and worth well over $20. Hen and Rooster has been in the hands of a few well known knife makers. I do not see them risking reputation by making not good knives. I repeat my question - does anyone know about this knife including what is etched on the blade.
My first thought was that it might have been made in Spain. The ones made in Spain are usually marked as such while the others of suspicious country of origin are not. Hen and Rooster has been using “German Steel”, “German Stainless” and “Solingen Steel” to throw people off. Lots of sellers on eBay list knives made in Solingen Germany when that is not what the blade etch says.
I searched Smoky Mountain Knife Works inventory and found lots that have these blade etches, but when you read the specs it says country of origin: “China”. If you can find the information on Hen and Rooster on SMKW’s website they even say that H&R knives are not made in Germany but, last I checked, it says simply made in other countries.
Hope this helps. These questions on H&R knives are getting to be more frequent here on the forums. I guess the subterfuge is working.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 2:30 pm
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 2:55 pm
Not only that, but the placement of the darker etch is odd, too crowded up against the lighter/original etch. It looks to me like the much darker "First Probuction [sic] Run" etch was not applied at the same time as the much lighter "Hen & Rooster / German * Stainless" etch. The more I look at this knife, the more suspicious it appears. I'm now of the opinion that this knife was probably assembled from old stock parts and a second (misspelled) etch was slapped on after the fact, likely in an attempt to increase potential collector value. These are classic hallmarks of low-budget sellers/swindlers looking to profit off the reputation of otherwise respected brands.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 3:30 pm
I was hesitant to be the one to say it, but I agree with all your assessments. SMKW is known for using the phrase "First Production Run" on their gimmicky knife sales.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 6:02 pm
The lighter portion of the etch, and the horn handle, look like H&R knives I have seen out of Spain, so I think the knife really is a Hen & Rooster. I just do not understand why someone would add the First Probuction Run part of the etch. I would expect that knife to sell for $50 more or less, regardless of the etch.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 6:39 pm
I think that's a fancy "D."
Ol' Frosty (Cutlery Corner) had these made, some marked Toledo, Spain. I have a few and they seem like quality made knives to me. Came in a bright green box, folders and fixed blades. The OP style of Ram's horn was a favorite for smaller fixed blades and folders. There is a Hen & Rooster International that are China made.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 7:45 pm
Could be John. Google says that a Gothic "d" can look like a "b" because both lowercase Gothic letters are formed with an initial stroke that can be similar to the "b"'s ascender and a second stroke that is a curved lobe, or "bowl," to the right. The key difference is the direction and position of the vertical line; a Gothic "d" has its vertical stroke on the right and a Gothic "b" has its vertical stroke on the left. Therefore, to make a "d" look like a "b", you can simply make the left vertical stroke longer and the right vertical stroke shorter, so they both end up on the same side.
Re: Hen and Rooster
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2025 8:30 pm
Some of the Hen & Rooster knives are coming out of Pakistan. The old Germans that made H&R knives would turn over in their graves if they could see these being made now. I've got one of the Spain made and it's nice but does not measure up the ones of my youth. 