Blue Grass Cutlery "Winchester" Knives

[Beavertail]

I believe the knives on their website are not new,but leftover stock.
These knives were made by queen.I don't think bluegrass is having any new knives made for them now.

[kootenay joe]

Thanks BT. That is what i was trying to find out,
Blue Grass Cutlery is in a difficult position with Queen out of business. Both Bear & Utica make good knives but not as 'special' as BGC wants. GEC is too busy to take on a large contract.
Maybe BGC will hire out of work cutlers (CSC, Queen, Schrade, Camillus) and become a manufacturer of their own knives. Then USA would have 2 manufacturers of top quality Traditional pattern folding knives.
kj

[peanut740]

At the Blade Show,Blue Grass had newly made John Primble trappers for sale.Tim Scott said they were completely made in Manchester Ohio. They are way more capable of building knives than Canal Street.In some ways,they were more capable than Queen.They have original Rogers bone jigging machines and they dye their own bone.They made the bone for my first 2 Maher & Grosh runs.

[kootenay joe]

Good for BGC ! There is room for another USA manufacturer of top quality traditional style folding knives. GEC is swamped by demand and nearly every run of knives is soon sold out. If BGC can match the GEC consistent quality, i am sure they too will be in much demand.
kj

[knifeaholic]

Maybe one way to answer this is, for those who are collectors of the modern USA made Winchester knives, what is the most recent manufacture date that you have seen stamped on a Winchester reproduction knife? My experience is that they all have a year stamp.

If Winchester knives are observed with years stamped after Queen's closure, that would mean that someone else is indeed making them.

I would also point out that upon Queen's closure, most of us collectors believed that we are left with only five manufacturers of traditional slip joints in the US:

Case
Bear
Buck
GEC
Utica

If you add the recent rebirth of Canal Street, that would be six.

Given the small number if US manufacturers, one would think that Bluegrass (now being number 7) would advertise their manufacturing capabilities more broadly, instead of (seemingly) keeping it such a secret.

[peanut740]

Maybe one way to answer this is, for those who are collectors of the modern USA made Winchester knives, what is the most recent manufacture date that you have seen stamped on a Winchester reproduction knife? My experience is that they all have a year stamp.

If Winchester knives are observed with years stamped after Queen's closure, that would mean that someone else is indeed making them.

I would also point out that upon Queen's closure, most of us collectors believed that we are left with only five manufacturers of traditional slip joints in the US:

Case
Bear
Buck
GEC
Utica

If you add the recent rebirth of Canal Street, that would be six.

Given the small number if US manufacturers, one would think that Bluegrass (now being number 7) would advertise their manufacturing capabilities more broadly, instead of (seemingly) keeping it such a secret.

If you knew Tim Scott and his dad David before him,their middle name is secret.

[knifeaholic]

Maybe one way to answer this is, for those who are collectors of the modern USA made Winchester knives, what is the most recent manufacture date that you have seen stamped on a Winchester reproduction knife? My experience is that they all have a year stamp.

If Winchester knives are observed with years stamped after Queen's closure, that would mean that someone else is indeed making them.

I would also point out that upon Queen's closure, most of us collectors believed that we are left with only five manufacturers of traditional slip joints in the US:

Case
Bear
Buck
GEC
Utica

If you add the recent rebirth of Canal Street, that would be six.

Given the small number if US manufacturers, one would think that Bluegrass (now being number 7) would advertise their manufacturing capabilities more broadly, instead of (seemingly) keeping it such a secret.

If you knew Tim Scott and his dad David before him,their middle name is secret.

Interesting!!!

[knifeaholic]

This stuff gets to be a bit confusing, determining where a knife is made.

Bluegrass Cutlery owns all of the Belknap Hardware trademarks - including Bluegrass and John Primble.

From ebay here is one John Primble trapper, selling at a fixed price of $14.99

Note the Manchester Ohio USA tang stamp.

[knifeaholic]

Here also from Ebay is another John Primble trapper, stated by the seller to be made in USA.

Note that it has the exact same tang stamp as the trapper that I just posted.

Fixed price on this one is $71.68.

I'm guessing based on the $$ that this one is actually USA made...but why do both have the same tang stamp?

[edge213]

The first one Steve posted has a "Chinese look" to it. The second one looks USA.
The only reason to keep a secret is to hide something. I would think if they were actually producing quality cutlery in their own factory they would be proud of that fact and everyone would know.

[kootenay joe]

The difference in Primble prices begs an explanation. To me the second one looks more like 'offshore'. Odd looking bone ? handles. It is not possible for a new USA knife to cost $15.
kj

[Sharpnshinyknives]

The first Primble knife is made in China. The second one, I’m not sure about. If you go to the BGC website it use to have a category for Primble International, now it just has Primble USA made. The only pattern there is the Barlow. Also at the top of the landing page it says “Quality Knives Made in the USA” now. It didn’t say that before. I haven’t checked this in a few months. I was checking it daily for a long time because they have a daily special on 1 knife each day. The price on the one is always at or below what the wholesale is on that pattern. That fact plus the opaque nature of this company kept me from signing a dealer agreement with them last year. I don’t like it when a manufacturer steps around the dealer and sells directly to the consumer at a price that competes with the dealer, that isn’t an equitable way to treat the dealers.
The website also had a Winchester International area that is now gone as well. These were the Workman series.
From the changes that have been made in the last 6 months, I would say that BGC is having more made in the USA than they did before and they are separating the International from the USA made knives.
I have seen that same tang stamp used on Chinese made Primble and USA made knives. If you look on the auctions on EBay the sellers never quite show the area on the back that says “China”. It’s very misleading.
Here is a link to BGC website: http://www.bluegrasscutlery.com
Here is also a picture from an EBay seller that sells a lot of these Primble knives. On the back of the main blade under the word “stainless”. You can only see the C in China. Hope it shows up after I post it. Plus he doesn’t mention country of manufacture in the description. Here is a link to the listing in case you can’t see it in the photo. https://www.ebay.com/itm/John-Primble-S ... Swd7xcSccC

[kootenay joe]

Very interesting post Mark. It seems like BGC is trying to distance themselves from ever having some of their knives made in China.
I know the ebay seller you link to. About 12 years ago i bought about 100 Rough Rider knives from him (Gary). He has always dealt with knives from China.
kj

[Shearer]

There's a seller on eBay selling a lot of Winchester and Primble knives.
I had problems with this seller about 10 years ago.I would not purchase a knife form him
He is one of these seller who answer you that he not a knife expert.
He lists item no quite telling the whole story or a story someone told him.
The way some of these knives are stamped bring the rest that where have been made in the USA in doubt.
I also noticed on eBay that some of the Winchester knives are stamped: Winchester Trade Mark USA where they where stamped :Winchester Trade Mark Manufactured in USA.

Grant