Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by 0lwfb00b9sbb0 on July 10, 2011 at 1:08

thanks, folks.

the weidmannsheils were made in the 1990s-2000s after the late jim parker bought the old weltersbach factory along with the weidmannsheil name.

they were made in solingen by hartkopf using markus balbach pattern-welded steel.

some other weidmannsheil models were mady by the olbertz factory, also in solingen.

they're all fairly nice, handmade knives in the german tradition - similar to the more familiar bulldog brand knives, also made by olbertz.

markus balbach is known for using exotic, proprietary german steels from tank gun barrels and things like that, but i'm fairly sure these are a more pedestrian mix of basic carbon steels.

most weidmannsheils were limited to 50 or 100 of each style.

 

the pearl handled case is a special factory order of 150 knives.

they were made with devin thomas random pattern-welded steel.

these are actually the only case knives i own.

i'm normally not a fan of their knives, but these were just too slick to pass up.

i also have a large trapper from this series.

there's also a tiny trapper and peanut, neither of which i own... yet.

;)

 

the stag case knives feature devin thomas raindrop pattern-welded steel.

these were limited to 1000 pieces each.

finding one with marginally decent stag was really difficult, but i was able to track down a few.

 

on a related note... remember how i said hardening and tempering was really important?

the case knives are perfect examples of this.

on the stag seahorse whittler, the coping blade was crinked a little out of whack, so i flexed it a bit to center it up.

to my horror, the blade bent very easily and stayed bent!

in other words, these knives were made with annealed steel, and were never hardened or tempered.

i guess case figured they were all going in collector's safes, so why bother heat treating the steel?

terrible.

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on July 11, 2011 at 14:27

Thanks Michael, I have been eyeing those damascus Weidmannsheil for a while now. Have you ever used one and if so how would you rate it?

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 11, 2011 at 18:14

Thanks for the info Michael,

I have always wondered about the Weidmannsheil as the montly special list we get from Buzz always has a few

Permalink Reply by 0lwfb00b9sbb0 on July 11, 2011 at 18:40

i carried one of the "pocket buddy" models as an edc for a year or two (it's the smaller pearl handled version), and it was an excellent companion.

that model is very stout and well-made - the blade is much thicker than you might expect.

every weidmannsheil i've owned (maybe a dozen or so) has been top quality.

as i mentioned, the models with 1095 blades are mostly made by olbertz, while the pattern-welded models are mostly made by hartkopf.

they're among the last of the great solingen factories (olbertz now makes schlieper eye brand knives as well).

to put the value of the pattern-welded hartkopf-made models in perspective, check this out:

click here

this is essentially the same model as the pearl gunstock i showed earlier, but with hartkopf branding rather than weidmannsheil.

notice the price.

that's $345.22 with the latest currency exchange.

i think parker was selling them for much than half that (i bought mine 2nd hand for about $100).

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 19, 2011 at 18:16

Micheal,

I think you are right about the Parker price line.  I remember wishing we knew more about the quality of them when the price was very reasonable.  Sure wish I had taken the time to do my homework and looked for reviews

Permalink Reply by Randy, HHH Knives on November 13, 2011 at 16:23

Cool thread. If I may, I will add a few pics of some of the damascus we are making and using on our knives..  Our combination of materials is normally 1095 HC and 15n20 steel, but we have used O1 and L-6 combinations as well as some other things like pure nickle and lastly we forges meteorite damascus. 

In my opinion High Carbon steels are and always have been the best choice for most knives!  :)

 

 

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on November 13, 2011 at 17:22

Wow Randy, I love your damascus. I love carbon steel knives also. Please post some more of your satuff, I know you knife maker are busy but if you have the time for us knife guys. Thanks again.

Permalink Reply by ken benson on January 20, 2012 at 15:09

Nuts .  I wrote details and askin for some =info and my computor went blue and erased it.  I ain't starting over so here is short:

 So can anybody give an opinion  as to how the performance of  a knife like this damascus marked Bear Bowie MGC would  compare to most used carbon steels and or commonly used stainless when used as a combat/ utility knife, ie for whatever needed doing,  from mess to engaging the enemy when all other weapons were spent including care and sharpening advice.

  All opinions very much appreciated from experts,  to "thats what happened to me," and  to"  well thats what I heard"

Permalink Reply by ken benson on January 20, 2012 at 15:14

Requests? Yes, if you don't like it anymore, could you send me that stockman. 47?  I don't think I have ever seen  a more  beautiful line up .ken
 
Michael Nichols-Crowell said:

here's a weidmannsheil with markus balbach carbon pattern-welded steel.

another one in mother of pearl.

another one.

here's a case tiny toothpick in mother of pearl.

a case seahorse whittler in stag.

a case stockman.

almost all of my knives are carbon steel, so that might be a tough one to narrow down.

any requests?

:D

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page