GERMAN EYE

[PurpleLion]

Anyone know what happened to German Eye / Carl Schlieper brand pocket knives? It seems you cannot buy traditional models like the Stockman 350. I would love to have a yellow celluloid handled one. Any suggestions on where I might find one?

Also, what’s the deal with the Jim Bowie branded ones that show up I search. Did Eye brand get bought or something? It seems a little strange to have a German brand feature an American historical figure so prominently. Thoughts?

[kootenay joe]

"Jim Bowie" is a brand name Schlieper used for their less expensive knives. "Eye Brand" is/was ? their top line. I think the Schlieper brand was bought by new owners about 10-15 years ago. I too would like to know more about the recent history of Schlieper knives and if they still have a factory in Germany that makes knives.
Beware of the Eye Brand yellow celluloid. I had one that suddenly off gassed badly. Until this happened i had assumed the handles to be Delrin.
kj

[Mumbleypeg]

Welcome to AAPK. Here is a link to a thread that may answer your questions. viewtopic.php?f=65&t=48438

Eye brand stockman patterns knives with yellow handles come up for sale on eBay fairly regularly. There are a couple available now in fact, but I have no idea about their age or who made them as I’m not knowledgeable about the brand. There are some members here who are Eye Brand collectors - you’ll find them in that thread I recommended.

Ken

[kootenay joe]

The link given above is to a 2016 thread and is an interesting read. But it still remained unclear as to exactly who was making the recent Eye Brand knives. Schlieper went bankrupt in 1993 and the Olbertz factory that had been making the Eye Brand knives has been closed and Olbertz is now in a new location in or near Solingen. Even though the more recent Eye Brand knives are marked "Germany" it does not necessarily mean that the knives were manufactured in Germany due to very lax import laws in Germany.
kj