Stainless Italy

[Pops62]

This is on its way to me.The only markings are STAINLESS ITALY on one side of the blade. It has a 3.25" blade. Any idea who made it? Age?

[Bill DeShivs]

Someone in China made it. It's not Italian.

[Pops62]

Thanks. Is that fairly common? Dang Chicoms.

[jw517]

Is the kick spring flat or round? USUALLY, a China knife has a round rod. Only buy them if they look like this.

That’s one way to be sure.

[jw517]

It might be very well made,sharp,and it’s pretty!

[johns7076]

I understand the round vs flat spring, but how else can you tell China from Italy etc.

[Killgar]

I understand the round vs flat spring, but how else can you tell China from Italy etc.

What really stands out to me about Pops knife are the silver handle pins (likely stainless steel). I have only ever seen brass handle pins or brass handle screws on genuine Italian stilettos (and I've seen a lot of Italian stilettos). This does not mean that the presence of brass handle pins or screws indicates an Italian knife (many Asian stilettos have brass pins), but silver pins tells me an Asian knife.

Another telltale sign to me for Asian-made stilettos are stainless steel liners. Most Italian stilettos have brass liners. There are some rare vintage Italian stilettos and custom-made stilettos with steel liners, and Due Buoi (Italy) used to produce limited numbers of stilettos with stainless steel liners, but if a factory-made Italian-style stiletto is new, and has stainless steel liners, I would assume that it is Asian. The vintage steel-lined stilettos, the custom-made ones, and the Due Buoi stilettos are distinct, and are not likely to be confused for a new Asian stiletto.

Over the past few years I've seen a lot of Asian-made stilettos with guard bolsters that have a sort of "melted" look. They lack the clean, crisp lines of the Italian stilettos, particularly the "step" in the bolster (the separation between the pivot section and the guard section, red arrows in pics). The first pic below shows an Asian stiletto (falsely marked "Italian") with the "melted" bolster. The bottom pic (genuine Italian, Frank Beltrame) shows the crisp line I'm referring to. However, just like with brass handle pins, bolsters with crisp lines do not automatically indicate a genuine Italian stiletto, but a "melted" bolster does clearly indicate an Asian-made stiletto.

Pops knife also lacks the crisp "step" line in the guard bolsters.

Those are some of the characteristics of Asian-made stilettos that stand out to me.

[johns7076]

Thanks Killgar. I'm slowly learning.

[Killgar]

Thanks Killgar. I'm slowly learning.

You're welcome .

[1OldTreeClimber]

Keep looking.,soon you'll be able to tell them apart at a glance.

[Pops62]

Great knowledge there Killgar. Thanks for sharing that. Good stuff to know.

[Killgar]

Great knowledge there Killgar. Thanks for sharing that. Good stuff to know.

Glad to be of service Pops .

[tenntuxedo]

... greetings again, Pops... I'm still coveting that 13" blonde you received in that group... !!! ... as to the new post,... this is a Chinese knife,... some are so well made that they are hard to tell from the new made Italians, as they now have hollow bolsters with a poor step bolster... ... I try to stick with the old 1940's-1950's stiletto designs... the older ones always had excellent horn or stag scales,... also full brass or steel liners,.. no hollow bolster "ears",... rarely do you see steel pins but there are there... I recently got a great "Foglore" with brass liners and steel pins..!!!... also have a nice "EIG" circa mid50's with steel pins, liners, and plastic scales,... !!!.. there are variations. but they are rare... however, I hate to say that some Chinese are well made and good to carry and show when looking for old Italians... I won't buy one, but they can be had at a good price,... you got a great collection started, and the guys here are always glad to help with any questions,..... keep posting... !!!

[Pops62]

... greetings again, Pops... I'm still coveting that 13" blonde you received in that group... !!! ... as to the new post,... this is a Chinese knife,... some are so well made that they are hard to tell from the new made Italians, as they now have hollow bolsters with a poor step bolster... ... I try to stick with the old 1940's-1950's stiletto designs... the older ones always had excellent horn or stag scales,... also full brass or steel liners,.. no hollow bolster "ears",... rarely do you see steel pins but there are there... I recently got a great "Foglore" with brass liners and steel pins..!!!... also have a nice "EIG" circa mid50's with steel pins, liners, and plastic scales,... !!!.. there are variations. but they are rare... however, I hate to say that some Chinese are well made and good to carry and show when looking for old Italians... I won't buy one, but they can be had at a good price,... you got a great collection started, and the guys here are always glad to help with any questions,..... keep posting... !!!

Thanks. I appreciate your help. The knife arrived today. It has some heft, is really tight but it does not compare to the quality of the Omega.