All About Pocket Knives

So if this has been addressed somewhere else my apologies for bringing it up again but googling didn't get me any answers.

Is there a way to tell if a knife stamped Germany is actually made in Germany?

I ask because I seem to remember reading somewhere that sometimes if only a part, say the blade, is made of German steel it can still have Germany stamped on the tang but might have been actually assembled in a different country and not stamped with that country.

I am interested in adding some German stockman to my collection but would prefer them to be 100% German made if possible.

Are you asking specifically about Boker knives, by any chance or any brand that has a Germany stamp?

Boker, for example, makes a cheaper line of knives called Traditional. Assembled in Asia from German parts, they say. The REAL German Bokers say "Solingen" on the tang. Be careful. Many good old German brands are now made elsewhere and is very difficult to sort them from real thing.

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:37 am Are you asking specifically about Boker knives, by any chance or any brand that has a Germany stamp?

Any brand really. Boker, Henckels, Schlieper, etc

tallguy606 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:41 am Boker, for example, makes a cheaper line of knives called Traditional. Assembled in Asia from German parts, they say. The REAL German Bokers say "Solingen" on the tang. Be careful. Many good old German brands are now made elsewhere and is very difficult to sort them from real thing.

Exactly why I am asking. I've seen some interesting knives but have been hesitant to pull the trigger until I educate myself more.

Rotten wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:00 am

Railsplitter wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:37 am Are you asking specifically about Boker knives, by any chance or any brand that has a Germany stamp?

Any brand really. Boker, Henckels, Schlieper, etc

I'm afraid I can't help with the other brands but regarding Boker, here's a comment from the Product Manager at Boker, Solingen that corroborates what tallguy606 stated above. Never hurts to read it straight from the horses mouth.
https://bladeforums.com/threads/beer-ba ... t-18892263

Have you seen this from their website?

dlr110 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:18 am Have you seen this from their website?

Thanks for posting that, David. I have one of the Magnums: it is about as good as most China knives.

I have a real prejudice against any knife maker who is unwilling to stamp the country of manufacture on the blade. The only reason I was able to determine that my Magnum was made in China was from a sticker on the box. And the China grinds on the blades ... everything else can be really good, but it often seems like the grinds are just not right.

I would be interested to try one of the Argentina knives. I was not aware that anyone was making knives there.

Mel, I have a vintage Boker Arbolito in my hawk bill collection. I wouldn't have been aware of the Boker operation in Argentina if it were not for this very well made knife. But, I don't know if Boker is still making knives in Argentina. Regarding the question about how to tell a German made knife, a lot of the German made knives that I have worked on have steel pivot pins that don't match the NS bolsters. I have no idea why they do this. But it is one of their common characteristics. If I restore one of these knives, I use NS pins when I put them back together. Another common feature of German made knives is poorly soldered bolsters. I can't tell you how many German made knives I have received with a missing bolster.

Another tell tale feature of older German made knives is the stamp.Almost every one I have ever seen has a small dash under the small O in Company(Abbreviated "Co.).Many of them(and some English knives)have the words,"Celebrated Cutlery" in the stamp.

If it says "German Steel" it's most likely from China.

If it's a Boker that says "Manufactured Germany" it was most likely made in China with the final touches (just enough to qualify to claim German made) put on in Germany but the vast majority of its production done in China.

If it says "Solingen" on the tang stamp it's the real deal. Knife companies are not allowed by law to use Solingen unless the knives are really made there.

On a new Boker from a retailer (SMKW) price will tell you a lot.

philco wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 4:47 am If it says "German Steel" it's most likely from China.

If it's a Boker that says "Manufactured Germany" it was most likely made in China with the final touches (just enough to qualify to claim German made) put on in Germany but the vast majority of its production done in China.

If it says "Solingen" on the tang stamp it's the real deal. Knife companies are not allowed by law to use Solingen unless the knives are really made there.

Thank you Phil.

Apparently this whole thread has become about Boker but going back to the original question, how can you tell if a knife was made in Germany? Normally it is stamped "Solingen" on the blade or tang. Solingen, Germany is known as "The City of Blades" because so many of the German knife manufacturers are headquartered there, sort of like Portland here in the U.S. Some of those manufacturers just to name a few are Boker, Klaas, Henckels, Wusthof, Puma, and Hubertus. Some of these companies have offered economical lines where parts are imported (China and Spain are some of the most common countries), and then assembled in Germany. From what I understand a product assembled in Germany can be considered "made in Germany". A lot of those knives will be stamped "Germany" or "German Steel".

Another way to tell a German made knife is by looking at the (lack of) hafting. On German-made knives the handle covers often are “proud” above the bolsters. You can often see and feel the extension of the handle covers where they adjoin the bolster, especially on stag or bone. In other words the handles are thicker than the bolster at the joint between them.

Ken