Tool Talk
What's-It Forum => What's-It Forum => Topic started by: RedVise on October 03, 2013, 07:42:07 PM
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Has a Made in USA stamp, but that it. No patent, nuthin'.
AA has nothing indicating Vacuum Grip ever made a knife / cutter. Just looks like it is made by them.
Any ideas ?
Brian
Yes, I do see I mis-spelled knife!! miss spelled it ! mispelled it !
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Don't know, but if yours is lonely I think I know where its twin lives.
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Nice one, Brian! I have this new found affection for utility knifes (and need to drag the .25 cent guys home) thanks to Scottg. I aspire to spend time with them when I'm older and have no need for paychecks.
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I have sold several of those cast iron utility knives including Made in U.S.A. ones and Stanley ones. They are all constructed very similarly.
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(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/lbgradwell/4179248441_521213fdc6_o.jpg)
Stanley's "Defiance" line was a lower-cost line aimed at the farmer/homeowner/DIYer and introduced in the 1920s. In 1953 they renamed the line to "Handyman" and one encounters those tools more frequently...
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(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c180/lbgradwell/4179248441_521213fdc6_o.jpg)
Hmmm, mine seems a little lackluster, not as DEFIANT as LG's !
Thanks guys!
Brian
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That must be a really old one Brian. Nice find. I use two Defiance knives - one at work and one at home. They hold the blade tightly, not like the pot metal modern versions. Al.
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This style of utility knife was still offered in the 1950 Stanley catalog, but cast in aluminum rather than iron. According to the catalog, the holes are for lightness (in an aluminum body?!) Defiance tools were made by Stanley -- notice that the Defiance number is 1299 while the Stanley marked knives are number 299. Other than the Defiance ID, these are identical to the Stanley marked knives.
I picked on up on eBay last year. Just had to have one of these red cast iron beauties. Mine stays in the shop.
If somebody has an earlier catalog, maybe we can date the change from cast iron to aluminum. My WAG is that it happened around the time of WWII.
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I went through some of my old emails, and came up with a blurb I wrote about the Stanley knives in 2008, based on the Walter book, Stanley catalogs, and knives I had seen/sold. I have just copied it below. I am going on vacation tomorrow. When I get back, if I have time, I will look through some of the Stanley catalogs that I have added to my collection since then, to see if I can add anything else.
John
WVTools
According to John Walter's Stanley book, the No. 1299 Defiance knife was made between 1938 and 1961. I also have a No. 1299 listed in another listing that is not marked Defiance . The casting looks different (no holes in handle) on it compared to the Defiance one. The No. 299 was made betwween 1947 and 1972. He says they changed to a "modern" style in 1973, but I do not know what he means by that. They also made a No. 199 without holes in the handle, with a decorative grip from 1936 to 1950. That model is more common than all the other models put together in my opinion. I find a lot of those, and in fact, that is the model I use every day to cut cardboard for packaging. They are also prone to the casting wear at the top of the blade like the 299 that I mentioned in one of my listings. I wonder about the end date on the No. 199, and think that may have started production again later. In the No. 199 models, I have noticed a much rougher casting on the inferred later model ones, perhaps those were made in the 1970s, and 1980s. I probably gave you more information than you wanted to know, but all the different model types and vintages can be confusing.
I just found a No. 299 that looks like a shorter version of the 199. I am guessing it was made bewteen 1962 and 1973 because the design no longer looks like the Defiance one that they quit making in 1961. I also found a modern No. 299, and it is the larger size with a smooth handle. It looks similar to the later ones that had retractable blades.
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The most recent 199s have the same fleur de lis design and checkering, but are made of pot metal instead of the original aluminum. The design of the mouth is different as well. All together, not very satisfying changes.