Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 12:49

BEAR OPS KNIVES

This is a American Made Bear OPS Model AC-100-B4-T.  CPM-S30V Blade, Rockwell 58-60,  lenght closed 4 1/8", 3" edge, 7 1/8" overall.  

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 12:52

Bear MGC?

Posted by Chase McNiss on February 10, 2013 at 16:49

Is Bear MGC the same company as Bear and Sons?  I am interested in the history of both if anybody out there knows.

 

Thanks

C

Reply by Tobias Gibson on February 10, 2013 at 17:05

Yep, Same Company.  Bear MGC is a tang stamp used by Bear & Son.    The Company (Bear MGC) formed in 1991. It was bought by Swiss Army Brands, Inc, in 1999 and then bought back by a former owner Ken Griffey. Since 2004 it has been a family owned and operated company. Bear MGC remains a common tang stamp of Bear & Son. With the closing of Camillus, Bear & Son has increased its outsourcing production of other Brand   names, notably Remington, USA.

Hope this helps.

 Reply by Chase McNiss on February 10, 2013 at 17:23

Wow thanks, I picked up a Bear MGC White Bone Damascus Bowie today at the NCCA show in Marlboro, MA and found the same knife in the Bear and Sons catalog except the blade geometry was different with a deeper cut clip point.  I was happy to add the knife to my Bowie collection, it is my first damacus blade.

 

Thanks for your help, this is a very friendly group of knife lovers and I am glad I found the site.

Cheers C

Reply by Jan Carter on February 10, 2013 at 18:26

Well congrats on the first Damascus!  We are glad to have you here Chase

Reply by Leopold Lacrimosa on February 10, 2013 at 22:14

Jacksonville, Alabama-- It all began in 1991 when Ken Griffey and two partners 
bought the Parker Edwards knife facility, a sister plant to W. R. Case & 
Sons in Jacksonville, Alabama, to create Bear MGC Cutlery. A lot has happened 
since then to establish Bear & Son Cutlery as a rising force in the knife 
industry.

After a series of twists and turns, including a time when the 
firm actually was owned by Swiss Army Brands, Ken Griffey still heads the 
operation as president. His son Matt, who began working in the factory when he 
was 18, is vice-president, as is Ken's wife Sandy, who has played a key role as 
vice-president of purchasing and premium department.

With their 
supervisors and management team, they bring a combined knife experience of more 
than 290 years, including positions with Gerber, Case, Buck, Parker Edwards and 
Schrade. They head a skilled team of 82 knife craftsmen.

As Americans 
become more and more concerned about jobs lost to overseas sources, they resent 
it when they see the words "Made in China" on a product. And they have less 
confidence in the quality and reliability - especially if it's a 
knife.

Bear & Son Cutlery meets the test because 100% of their 
high-quality knives are made in their state-of-the-art Jacksonville, Alabama 
plant, where they do all their own tooling, pressing, heat-treating, grinding, 
hafting, finishing and assembly.

"Our fundamental position is clear and 
absolute: we make high-quality knives, and we make them all right here in the 
U.S.A.," said Ken Griffey. "And when we say Made in America, we mean everything 
- the steels, every component right down to the tiniest screws, and of course 
every step of manufacturing. We're a family company, and we are dedicated to 
keeping it exactly that way."

With a wide range of knives - from big 
Bowies to popular Butterflies - Bear & Son covers almost every knife 
need.

Their Sideliner locking knives include the 4-1/8" 510 D with a 
Damascus steel blade, Genuine India Stag BoneTM handle and a belt clip. MSRP, 
$159.99 From their wide range of Butterfly knives, the 5-inch CB 17 is a leader, 
with handsome cocobola handle and blade made of premium 440A steel. MSRP, 
$86.99.

The Bear OPS Division, launched in 2011, features a growing line 
of rugged tactical/survival knives, such as the new C-200-B4 Constant. It's 
9-3/8" overall and has a full-tang, modified drop-point blade made of 154CM 
premium steel, and the unique G-10 handle has a textured grip.

While the 
Bear company began in 1991, for Ken Griffey you could say it actually began in 
1976, when he went to work for Parker Cutlery, then a Tennessee knife 
distributor; or in 1986 when Parker USA started producing Damascus and stainless 
steel blades in Jacksonville.

Matt says he's been around knives as long 
as he can remember. From the time he was 4 until he was 10, his mother Sandy 
engraved blades in their home. And he began working in the factory while still 
in school.

Clearly, Bear & Son Cutlery is a family business that 
insists on top quality knives and is dedicated to America.

Reply by Chase McNiss on February 11, 2013 at 8:27

Leopold and all thanks for all the information.  Before I heard from you I went on the Bear and Sons website and posted a question through their contact link.  It being a Sunday night I hoped to hear back from someone some time next week.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear back within 20 minutes from Ken Griffey himself using his I Phone.  We had a nice exchange and he said he would get back to me after he did some research regarding the making of my Bowie with an NRA connection.  I am very encouraged to say the least, for the owner of the company to get back to me in such a manner clearly reflects his approach to customer service.  This will not be my last Bear and Sons knife!

Reply by Leopold Lacrimosa on February 11, 2013 at 9:01

Thats good to hear. They make wonderful knives that stand up and the best part is that they are USA made! And many of their models won't break the bank either

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 12:54

bear & son's knife company& remington knive's

Posted by stephen tungate on May 5, 2012 at 19:20

does any one know about bear & son's making the remington i hear they are of great quality. i have not at the moment got one but hear a lot of good things about them.who can tell us more about these knives.and what bear & son;s knives also hold the same quality?

Reply by Gary Nelson on May 6, 2012 at 5:49

Bear & Son makes a very good knife.  They have made some Remington knives as well as others.  Bear & Son knives are made in the USA, not made in the USA with imported parts as some are.  The quality is very good.  They back their knives 100%.  Even the Damascus is produced in Alabama.  I have both their fixed blades and their folders and am ssatisfied  They have started to use a dot system similar to Case to make it easy to date a knife for collectors.  I really like their liner locks, very well made.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 12:55

Comment by Steve Hanner on November 22, 2013 at 19:23

yes that charming pic is none other than NKCA President Lisa and Matt Griffey  @ Bear Cutlery Co Community Appreciation Weekend!

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 12:57

Comment by Tobias Gibson on February 11, 2013 at 15:48

Gary, they, may have changed their policy.  The complaints concerning their balisongs were from 2003. My  run it was from last August.

As I received a knife that in my opinion was flawed, they should've at least said send it back, we'll take a look at it.  Instead the blew me off, and blamed Camillus for having having antiquated manufacturing processes and told me to just keep opening and closing it, eventually it'll open smoothly. That's not customer service in my opinion.  Case is much more responsive.  Matter of fact, SMKW is much more responsive when one of their made in China knives isn't up to snuff.

Comment by Gary Nelson on February 11, 2013 at 15:16

I can see nothing in the Bear catalog that excludes any knife from the warranty.

Comment by Tobias Gibson on February 11, 2013 at 10:55

I hada problem with thier scout knife. My email from Mr Griffey was different: 

sir,

this is the old camullius tooling and it's a more wear in knife than a bear

we use progresive tooling and they used pancake tooling so the blade will have to wear in just put oil on the spring joint and work back and forth.

they use to make 25,000 boy scout a year with that tooling


On 8/28/12 1:33 PM, Tobias Gibson wrote:

    Name : Tobias Gibson
    Daytime Phone : 773.XXX-XXXX
    E-Mail : tobias.gibson@gmail.com
    Company Name :
    Message : I recently purchased a Pattern 7445 scout camp knife via Amazon.com.  While i like the knife I have discovered that the main blade has a significant amount of drag or rubbing  at the pivot point.  (Where the blade tang is attached to the knife handle)   You can feel this drag when the blade opens and closes.  I have several other Bear knives and none experience this.  While i haven't carried the knife much, I have oiled the joints assuming the problem might have been from sitting in storage. Is there a way for me to remedy the problem.  Can I send it to you for repair?  Is there a charge for this, If the problem is due to manufacturing and not use?
    First Name : Tobias
    Last Name : Gibson

    ==========================================
    https://asoft6132.accrisoft.com/bearandson/admin.php?src=forms&...

    August 28, 2012 - 1:33 pm

>>

I collect Camillus and I collect Scout knives.  I can tell you that I have never had this kind of pivot grind on any scout knife, let alone my Camillus knives.  It is now February  2013.  After working the blades almost weekly and continuous oiling of the joints, I can honestly say their is no real change in the pivot grinding.  I want it to better but it isn't.  I find it disturbing thay Mr Griffey or his rep threw the Camillus name under the bus as an excuse for their poor quality control.  Unless I can inspect a Bear knife beforehand I won't buy it. I've had too many problems with their folders.  It is also my understanding that their limited life time warranty doesn't apply to their balisongs.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 12:58

Comment by Leopold Lacrimosa on February 11, 2013 at 9:02

That's an automatic model, isn't it?

Comment by Tobias Gibson on January 24, 2013 at 6:33

Steve, the so-called gunstock whittler is actually a cigar or equal end whittler. I guess by caramel gunstock, they are referring to a jigging pattern. (Checkered)  See the catalog at /span>http://www.bearandsoncutlery.com/clientuploads/catalogs/2012_catalo...  >  Caramel is on page 21.  The also have a red bone with 1095 on page 4  Of their folders, I'm looking at Wood grain Delrin Hawkbill (page 13);   the stag bone butterfly (page 23); and maybe the stag bone barlow (page 17).

Comment by Steve Hanner on January 23, 2013 at 21:55

They do make some nice knives, I think it was last year they had a  Whittler that came in a caramel gunstock bone. I am still wondering how they did on that whittler?

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 13:00

Comment by Gary Nelson on September 25, 2012 at 12:57

Don't have any of the Farmhand folders.   Case makes a Hawkbill Pruner.

Comment by Steve Hanner on September 24, 2012 at 20:21

I have seen those Gary and they seem nice. Do you have any of the farmhand folders and what is your opinion? Case made something similar didn't they?

Comment by Gary Nelson on September 2, 2012 at 6:58

Bear makes two sizes of the farmhand folder.  A 3 5/8" and a 4 5/8". with black delrin handles. 

Comment by Jan Carter on September 1, 2012 at 18:17

I dont see a lot of these in FL either but I have been checking out their site lately.  The make a vast variety of knives.  I just realized the make a farmers knife

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 13:01

Comment by Gary Nelson on May 13, 2012 at 10:52

Leopold,

Since you are from the southwest you may have heard of David Yellowhorse.  Last year and this year Bear & Son collaborated with David on a set of knives limited to 100 each.  They did two each year.  They are really nice.  I like that they are 100% American made.  I have posted pictures of them and still have two complete sets. 

Comment by Leopold Lacrimosa on May 8, 2012 at 21:47

I like Bear & Sons cutlery and Bear Ops. Problem is, is that there are few out here in the southwest who know the brand

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 13:01

Comment by Gary Nelson on May 7, 2012 at 4:02

I think I'll go out and buy another Bear & Son Knife. 

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 13:01

Comment by stephen tungate on May 6, 2012 at 22:01

that it is so great to know that bear & son's is another family owned cutlery i did not know this and i bet a lot of people did not know this. a lot of people buy from gec because it was a small family cutlery and make good knives like they did in the ol'e days .but look at bear & sons you have a father &son&wife doing the same thing and i think thats great .and i for one will be buying more of them knives.thanks for the great information vernon..

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 13:02

Comment by vernon wayne perkins on May 6, 2012 at 21:19

More than welcome Max, amazing when you look back at the history of many of the American knife people and companies how small a world it really was.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 6, 2014 at 13:02

Comment by vernon wayne perkins on May 6, 2012 at 9:21

Thanks Joe for the infomation, looks like a great knife for a club knife. Stephen, here is some information on Bear. My opinion, a great American made knife made by great people.

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: BEAR & SON CUTLERY - The history of Bear & Son Cutlery is a very proud history of combined knowledge from many prestigious cutlery companies. It started in 1991, when 3 men bought the Parker Edwards facility in Jacksonville, Alabama. The facility was famous for the production of Damascus steel knives. Also, our facility was the newest plant and ONLY complete southern cutlery pla...nt. Many people did not know this was the sister plant to W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery. The 3 of us; Herman McIntosh, Ken Griffey, and Greg Cook, saw this as a great opportunity to continue to follow our passion for making high quality cutlery, so we started Bear MGC Cutlery. Our resumes were impressive with the combined knowl edge of W. R. Case, Gerber, and Parker Edwards. Between the three of us, and our wives, we had over 100 years of experience in the cutlery industry. In addition, our supervisors and management team had lengthy experience with Parker
Edwards, Chicago Cutlery, & Gerber. This rounded out the best starting group anyone could ask for in the cutlery industry. The newly formed company, Bear MGC Cutlery, began to takeoff with numerous Blade Magazine Awards. Perhaps the largest jump in name recognition was in 1995, when Bear invented the most innovative new multi-tool on the market, according to Blade Magazine. In 1999, Swiss Army Brands, Inc. purchased Bear MGC. During this time, McIntosh and Cook decided it was time to retire and spend time with their families, while I stayed on and ran the facility for Swiss Army Brands,
Inc. Sandy, my wife, had worked for Bear in the premium and purchasing departments, since 1991. Matt, my son, worked on the factory floor learning how to build a quality knife from start to finish, since he was 18 years old. In early 2004, the three of us, myself, Sandy and Matt decided to buy Bear back from Swiss Army Brands, Inc. We renamed the company Bear & Son Cutlery and released the Custom Heritage line, one of the hottest new collectible lines on the market. Bear & Son Cutlery will continue it’s ongoing commitment to make the best knife possible, make them in America and make them affordable. With the help of our supervisors and management team, which have a combined experience of over 290 years with Gerber, W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery, Buck, Parker Edwards, Schrade, and Bear MGC Cutlery and a trained force of over 90 craftsmen strong. EVERYONE RESPECTS A BEAR. Buy a Bear and Son or Bear MGC knife today. We want to welcome you to our Bear family.
By Ken Griffey President of Bear

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