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Permalink Reply by Ted Allen on August 16, 2013 at 23:45

Klein Tools, based in Illinois, produces very high quality hand tools - made in the USA.

And they've been doing it for a long time.

(I have several of them, so I'm speaking from experience as well as reputation.)

But as for their knives, I think the arrangement is slightly different.

I've seen some Klein Tools knives made in Japan, for example.

Knives seem to be an ancillary product for the company - but the ones

I've seen are all high quality as is typical of Klein Tools.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Parham on August 17, 2013 at 5:05

Klein is a big maker of knives for tradesmen like carpenters, electricians, masons, and so on. The T-29 was a farily common make. There's lots of info on them available. I was researching a 27 , without a "T", recently and found tons of info on the T-29's but nothing on the 27's. Go figure.

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Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on August 17, 2013 at 5:19

Chuck, What is a "27"? Wonder what the T stands for and the TL?

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Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on August 17, 2013 at 5:21

Ted, This knife that I bought Thursday, seems to be a "very high quality" Knife. I have never seen a Half Hawk on a TL-29 though, maybe this isn't a TL-29.

Ted Allen said:

Klein Tools, based in Illinois, produces very high quality hand tools - made in the USA.

And they've been doing it for a long time.

(I have several of them, so I'm speaking from experience as well as reputation.)

But as for their knives, I think the arrangement is slightly different.

I've seen some Klein Tools knives made in Japan, for example.

Knives seem to be an ancillary product for the company - but the ones

I've seen are all high quality as is typical of Klein Tools.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Parham on August 17, 2013 at 5:27

The TL-29 would be stamped on the handle. That was mentioned in many of the articles and shown in the pics I saw of them.

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Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on August 17, 2013 at 5:36

If its not on the handle, wonder what that would make it?
 
Chuck Parham said:

The TL-29 would be stamped on the handle. That was mentioned in many of the articles and shown in the pics I saw of them.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Parham on August 17, 2013 at 5:37

I'll be hanged if I can tell you!!! I've been trying to research it for the 3 weeks I've had the knife.  LOL I've found tons of stuff on the T and TL 29's. If I remember my research it was a military designation to begin with. I want to say Gen. Curtis LeMay from the USAF promoted it, if I remember right. There's lots of info available on them but I can't find any for mine.  LOL I don't think the info ever did mention what the letters "T" or "TL" stood for, Ken. Sorry but this is all I can recall at this time. I have attached a letter for you from Klein tools.

Dear Sir,
Thank you for contacting Klein Tools with your question about how Klein Tools letter date code tang stamp on our knives is read. Klein Tools began using a letter code on the tang stamp of knives that we made for dating purposes beginning in 1972 and we started that year with the letter "I". Then the next letter in the alphabet "J" was used for the next year 1973 and so on. Klein has make mistakes in our letter code date tang stampings in 1979 by omitting the letter "Q" and we skipped on to the letter "R", then another mistake was made in 1997 by using both letters "I" and "J" for that year. Once we hit the letter "Z" in 1988, we started over with the letter "A", not with double letter date codes tang stamps. Therefor a Klein knife with a tang stamp letter "A" date code =1989. We are currently at the letter "Y" =2012. When we hit the letter "Z" again next year, it is yet to be seen what type of tang stamp code Klein Tools will use on knives made after the letter "Z". Prior to 1972, Klein Tools used a 3-letter code tang stamp on our knives, though not every knife was stamped and would not have those 3-letters stamped on the knife anywhere. Klein Tools has never used a 2 -letter code date stamp. If you have a Klein marked knife that has a 2 -letter code tang stamped on it, the knife was most likely stamped that way by a cutlery manufacturer that we contracted to make the knife for us and we have no information on how that letter code date tang stamp would work, or who the exact contracted knife manufacturer was that made the knife. I hope this helps answer your question and thank you for your interest in Klein Tools. If I can be of further service to you please feel free to contact Klein Tools.
Regards,
Bill
Klein Tools

 
Ken Spielvogel said:

Chuck, What is a "27"? Wonder what the T stands for and the TL?

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Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on August 17, 2013 at 5:52

Chuck, very interesting letter, thanks for sharing it. Maybe someone else will know what T and TL stands for.My knife looks old, but I guess it is around 1979.   Still wonder what the difference between a 27 and a 29 is?

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Permalink Reply by peter force on September 12, 2013 at 11:32

ken i have tons of info on KLEIN,plus knives..plus lots of dislay extras and such...plus the only catalog i have ever seen from them..its over 200 pages and all color and the whole lineup of their knives is in it! i will say this....

i dont own any out of the 30+KLEIN KNIVES AND SUCH WHERE THE SCREWDRIVER BLADE IS MARKED!...so thats neat... by the way i wrote thenm just a simple letter and they sent me over a 4lb box of everything you could imagine for displays!

i havent read any of the previous osts .. im gonna do that before i go ahead and repeat myself... i do wanna say trhat i know i have a MADE IN ENGLAND marked KLEIN HAWKBILL. it has 4 or even 5 lines total! ...  i might be speaking out of school here but i dont think KLEIN makes the knives they sell. i think they are all sourced. look at a camillus tl-29 and a klein... materials,pin placement,steel everything is the same. maybe ill call them and ask. always the best route.

 

ps- i read CHUCKS LETTER... thats exactly how i get alot of my info chuck!...GREAT JOB.... i was gonna mention the letters being a date code but assumed folks would know that...assumptions are bad!..BOO!...

anyway with that said ... im pretty sure the TL in TL-29 ...and of course i could be wrong.. but i think it is simply  "The LINESMAN" knife  TL ... before known as the electircians knife they were LINESMAN knives first and foremost ...i think the first was prodcued by camillus but i may be wrong... ill dig out my actual info BUT THEAT LETTER FROM CHUCK IS WHAT I LOVE SEEING...nothing better then going right to the company and lots of folks just dont think to do it....

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Permalink Reply by peter force on September 12, 2013 at 11:48

ken here is one klein that i do own... hope this one doesnt blow you rmind having the half hawk as well as standard blades...LOL... oh and Camillus does make their knives with a few others as well... WELL CAMILLUS DID MAKE THEM.. the ones i have that are marked england and so forth ...they look almsot IMPERIAL or COLONIAL looking.  psss- remember you can date TL knives by the screwdriver blade and the notch...  and i would say wood ...then finaly BONE ...would be the hardest to come by.. i own only one BONE handled tl-29 and i went through a 4-6 month phase of collecting as many as i could...LOL!

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Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on September 12, 2013 at 13:17

Peter, I sure like that Klein. Did you get it off ebay? I will be looking for one like that, I didn't know they made one with the 3 blades. If it isn't to bulky or heavy, I would think that would be an ideal work knife. Thanks for posting.

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Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on September 12, 2013 at 13:21

Peter, Look forward to seeing your further info on Klein Knives. Thanks.

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