All About Pocket Knives

Found this one in a flea market in town today. I have seen regular size pocket knife, hook bills, but this one’s almost 12 inches long when open. It says Hofferitz Italy on the blade. Whatt was a knife this large used for? I can’t find any information on this knife. I thought maybe one of you guys might be able to shed a little light on my flea market find. Thanks!

Agricultural. The smaller ones are for harvesting produce (like grapes, etc). Some of them are larger and used like machetes, like for trimming hedgerows.

Ken

Thanks Ken. This one is quite large?

I'm not sure but probably would be considered a smaller one. That looks like a good size for grapes, lettuce, etc. I have one about twice that size that came from England. Its heavy and weighted like a machete but has a hook on the end. It has been poorly sharpened to the point that most of the hook has been sharpened away. Unless you have a specialty stone for the purpose they're difficult to sharpen.

Ken

Nice find


Here's mine a bit bigger.

Very nice! Is yours made in Italy by Hofferitz too?

Thanks, it's not marked.

Miller Bro's wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2026 7:55 pm Nice find


Here's mine a bit bigger.

An amazing knife, Dimitri.

Ok thanks

Hoffritz was a retailer in NYC, they didn't actually make knives. They had knives made for them on contract by many manufacturers in many different countries.

Miller Bro's wrote: ↑Sun Mar 01, 2026 7:55 pm Nice find


Here's mine a bit bigger.

Dad joke instinct almost overtook me here, but I mustered the strength to resist.

Super cool....knife?

Gunsil Thanks for the history, lesson on the Hoffritz company. I didn’t know that.

The company was based in NYC and had a big retail store there, I visited them many times. At one point Hoffritz had over a hundred retail outlets in the US but they went out of business in I think 1996. They even had knives made for them by KA-BAR/Union Cut back in the 1930s.

Gunsil so a knife with Hoffritz name is a decent quality made knife?

They sold lots and lots of knives, from cheap ones to expensive ones.

I can imagine wacking off a head of lettuce or cabbage with one of those. Thanks for the info!

Thanks again Gunsil for the information. This is the first large Hawk bill I have added to my collection of sharp pointy things.

Never seen one of those before! Unusual finds for sure, guys!