Who made this Keen Kutter?

[Eye Brand Man]

Got this awhile back. Basically nos condition. Built like a tank. Good strong springs. I did notice the shield is pined on, so it has some age on it. Handle material is rough black composite. I think the jigging is a clue? Looks peachseed to me. So I'm going to guess schrade and 1960's? What to y'all think? oh yeah the only tang stamp is made in USA . And hair under 4" closed

[edge213]

I would say Schrade also. But not 100% sure.

[knifeaholic]

Nice knife!!

Schrade, definitely. Identical to the 881.

[Old Hunter]

That's a very nice, collectible pocketknife. Love that era. OH

[tongueriver]

I am calling it a Camillus. Distant second choices are Imperial, then, weakly, Ulster U.S.A. (not pre-war). I feel strongly that it is not a Schrade.

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Do you have any picture showing the back side of the knife with the blades open?

[peanut740]

Pictures are dark,but looks like a Schrade to me.

[Eye Brand Man]

Here's a few more pics guys. Notice the spay has a "humpback". Of all my searching around at shows and online I've never seen another knife exactly like this one.

[Eye Brand Man]

One other thing. I'm not sure if it shows in the pics but the back springs and liners are thicker than average.

[KnifeSlinger#81]

It really looks like an ulster/schrade to me.

The jigging looks like schrade without a doubt, but the blades look more ulster than schrade. Ulster and schrade became the same knives once schrade moved into the ellenville factory that ulsters were also made in, so you would often get schrade peachseed jigging with ulster style blades in the same knife. Much of the ulster line was this way. Your knife has that appearance to me. Another factor that leads me to that assumption is the font of the tang stamp looks identical to the common "Ulster U.S.A." post war tang stamp.

[msteele6]

The feature that gives me the most trouble about this knife is the master blade. The long pull with the swedge starting at the end of the pull is pretty uncommon on Schrade knives. I don't have any with this feature. My Schrades have the swedge starting at the beginning of the long pull, then extending over the top of the pull, to the tip of the blade. I have Schrades with the hump backed spey blade.

The blade actually looks like a Camillus or a Utica. I have a Utica that is very similar to this knife including the black peach seed handles. The only feature of the master that doesn't match up is that the subject knife has a swedge on both sides. My Camillus' (and the Utica) has a swedge on the mark side only.

I am very curious as to why tongueriver is adamant about why it isn't a Schrade given his extensive experience with Schade knives.

[jxr1197]

I think the best clue is in what's missing - the wedge and bar tang stamp. I believe Schrade was the first company to make Keen Kutters without the logo on the tang but that's no Schrade - it's a Camillus. My theory is a worker at Camillus grabbed a blade from the wrong pile and nobody noticed. If there was a pattern number on the reverse the OP would have shared it by now so all there is to work with is the MADE IN U.S.A. stamp on the front. Schrade/Ulster/Imperial never used that stamp as a stand alone - but Camillus did, they were stamping Sears knives like that for decades. Mystery solved