For the serious pocket knife collector..

[ironglow]

 
  Forget Case and some of the German brands..stick with American stuff..and be pleased..   Take a serious look at Great Eastern pocket knives.  These are the closest (IMO) to being "hand made of any brand.  The boss there used to a designer for Queen cutlery.

  They came to mind because my son recently accepted a photo/video assignment with a firm in Titusville, PA., the home of Great Eastern.

     Queen is located in Titusville, PA.. a town of about 5,000, maybe 50 miles south of me.  Queen used to be owned by Ontario, but was sold out, perhaps 15 years ago.  Three years ago, Queen closed it's doors..citing cash flow.  They may well reopen, but the CCP virus likely hasn't helped any.

  AFirst, abit of history...Titusville..the first oil well in the world.. 
   https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/pennsylvaniaoilindustry.html

        I always believed Queen to be a large cut above Case for instance..and Great Eastern has some great ones...but at a hand made price.

   No switchblades, butterfly knives etc., justvery traditional knife patterns, done exceptionally well.
   https://www.greateasterncutlery.com/
 
   ...And they are heavy into carbon steel blades..

[ironglow]

.
  A couple videos..  videography could have been better...

   The "caveman" adjusting...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtdLVI5YeMA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bcPcYLkyr8

[BUGEYE]

In the late 60s and early 70s about every person you met was carrying a Queen.
I don’t know what happened to mine.

[Mule 11]

Never had a queen. Dated a few princesses. I’d rather have a case xx.

[BUGEYE]

My current knives are American made Shrade Old timers.

[ironglow]

.
  The American made Schrades were fine knives.  Even now, although Schrades are made in China..they are better than most Chinese knives.

  I have several Queen knives...very good when compared in price class.  IMO..although Case is a favorite with many folks, not so with me.  I am not generally, an stainless fan, and chrome-vanadium in place of carbon just doesn't get it for me.
  Hard to find a good old carbon knife that is made in America anymore, but Bear & son do well with their carbon line..

[Graybeard]

One should not overlook Bear Cutlery, it's made right here in Alabama about 8 miles from my house. Top notch quality products.

[Lloyd Smale]

i had a pretty good collection of marble knives. Quite a few of there folders and back then they were probably the finest folders made. When they were made here in MI they were great knives. Then they got bought out by an idiot from texas. For a while he let things be then one day i bought a new folder. Typical marble folders were over 200 bucks and this one was 80 bucks. Didnt pay much attention until i got it home and saw  made in china on the box. I threw it to my son in law and said you can have this pos. then he closed the doors on the factory here and moved it to texas. Started importing all the knives. I took my whole collection to a gun show here and sold them all to a knife dealer and probably took it in the shorts on what i got for them. I didnt much care. to me it was like if they started making corvettes in china!!

Like ive said. Thankfully two of the knife makers from the mi shop broke off and started there own business. that would be bark river knives and rapid river knives. IMO both make excellent products that are probably better then the original marbles were. Marble knives can go suck sand as far as im concerned. Wouldnt have one in my house. I know in some things you cant avoid made in china or made in japan. But im not buying some stainless Chinese knife when i can buy a good carbon steel one made in america. Even if it cost a few more dollars. What really took the cake for me with marbles is when that shyster was still running the shop here in mi. I was in there one day and was talking guns. He said he was a competive pistol shooter and would sure like to know where he could get some bullets cheap. I told him i casted and had piles of him. He offered to trade me some bullets for a knife. I wanted a specific knife and gave him the bullets and he said hed have the knife in two weeks. it took me almost a year calling him about every week trying to get that knife. All i got were lies from him. One of the two that broke off and started there own business knew me pretty well and saw what was happening. He called me one night and told me that those knives i wanted had been in stock for two months. so i called the next day and the guy lied right to my face. I blew up and told him to shove it. told him people up here dont deal like that. Well about a week later that knife maker came over to my house and handed me a new knife. He said he quit the day before and grabbed it off the shelf before he left and told the owner he took it and if he didnt like it call the cops. No doubt that owner went running before someone up here shot him!! Now before someone gets insulted this isnt about texas. Theres as many of those crooked sobs in michigan as there is anywhere. Were just not as used to it up here in the far north.

[ironglow]

.  Agreed Bill, Bear & Son make some fine knives, many of them in carbon..

     Marble did make some good ones also, until recent years, when they turned to China for cutlery.

[BUGEYE]

I still carry, on most days, my old Barlow.
Sharpens quickly and holds the edge very well.

[ironglow]

I still carry, on most days, my old Barlow.
Sharpens quickly and holds the edge very well.

  The great old Barlow pattern.  Many a boy has spent hours making camp, skinning and whittling With the old Barlow pattern knife.

  ...Along with many others, Bear & Son still make the Barlow knife. ...And with carbon blades to boot!

    https://bearandsoncutlery.com/product/c2281/

[Ranger99]

I've had a good many pocketknives of
most every price range and configuration.
The expensive pretty ones never worked
out that much better than one commonly
available at the hardware store or
sporting goods store. I still have a
couple of the expensive ones, but I
seldom carry one because of the
difficulty of replacing one if it were
lost or broken.

[ironglow]

I've had a good many pocketknives of
most every price range and configuration.
The expensive pretty ones never worked
out that much better than one commonly
available at the hardware store or
sporting goods store. I still have a
couple of the expensive ones, but I
seldom carry one because of the
difficulty of replacing one if it were
lost or broken.

   You'requite right...thehardware store versions of Schrade or Camillus of 30-50 years ago, worked and lasted as well as the more expensive ones.

[Ranger99]

I've seen those great eastern knives,
and they are very nice, but I'd never
lay out $100.00 + for one.
I have some bought back in the
1980's I probably gave 40-50 dollars
for that I'd have to pay over a
hundred to replace today, but there's
no way I would.
The cheezy little $4.99 folders at the
gun counter at wally world will surprise
you at the way they can cut, and if
you lose it or have to abandon it for
whatever reason you don't have to
sit and moan and groan and cry
about it. Just pick another one up
next time you're there, or if you were
smart and bought 2 or 3 just grab
another one out of the drawer and
get on with life

[ironglow]

I've seen those great eastern knives,
and they are very nice, but I'd never
lay out $100.00 + for one.
I have some bought back in the
1980's I probably gave 40-50 dollars
for that I'd have to pay over a
hundred to replace today, but there's
no way I would.
The cheezy little $4.99 folders at the
gun counter at wally world will surprise
you at the way they can cut, and if
you lose it or have to abandon it for
whatever reason you don't have to
sit and moan and groan and cry
about it. Just pick another one up
next time you're there, or if you were
smart and bought 2 or 3 just grab
another one out of the drawer and
get on with life

   I only mentioned Great Eastern, particularly for collectors...many of their knives will never be used and never resharpened..
   If one wants a really well made knife at a very reasonable price for everyday use...and doesn't mind buying Chinese, the Rough Ryder by SMKW just can't be beat.  ....And carbon steel is available in many models.

  Blades are usually 440A or 440C...

   https://www.smkw.com/brands/rough-rider