Come and see our large range of quality knives and multi tools from Opinel, Leatherman, Swiss Army, Buck, Gerber and more. Ideal for Cubs, Scouts, woodcraft and all round general use.

Due to the extensive ranges offered by these companies we stock a number of products, and are happy to order in items on a “no obligation” basis if the item you are interested is not in stock.

Leatherman

Since 1983, Leatherman have been making tools that can endure just about anything and come back to work tomorrow. When Tim Leatherman and his business partner Steve Berliner started the company with the Pocket Survival Tool (PST) they had no idea that someday they would have more than 30 models and a full 90,000 square-foot facility in Portland, Oregon, USA with more than 400 employees. A native Oregonian, Tim received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Oregon State University in 1970. After that, he held a variety of jobs, including positions as an English teacher and a helicopter mechanic. Time spent traveling abroad ultimately led to the Leatherman multipurpose tool concept.

Swiss Army

When Karl Elsener opened a cutlery workshop to deliver a soldier knife to the Swiss army in 1884, he had a revolutionary idea in mind. He was looking for a compact and sturdy knife, which offered many functions combined in a single tool. What he invented has long become a legend: the Original Swiss Army Knife. Over the years, both customer needs and technology have changed. The Swiss Army Knife has evolved by responding to these needs, while remaining an essential tool our clients can rely on. After the Second World War, the PX stores of the U.S. Army, Marines and Air Force sell large numbers of the ‘Swiss Officer’s Knife’ to their officers and soldiers. The Americans call it ‘Swiss Army Knife’ for short. This term is adopted in all English-speaking countries.

Whitby Knives

In 1961, Major Aubrey Whitby founded Whitby & Co in Kendal with a small range of Italian made pocket knives and kitchen woodware items, mainly aimed at the hunting and shooting market. Major Whitby found that his simple formula and belief in a company built on strong foundations of quality, value and total commitment to customer service was a successful one. The range of products offered by ‘Whitby Knives’ as it was then known, grew rapidly with multiple knives designed and manufactured under this brand, all receiving the Whitby stamp denoting quality.

Gerber

When Joseph R. Gerber described his young knife company, Gerber Legendary Blades, as the, “birth of an enterprise that grew into big business,” it was true, but it was an understatement for sure. By 1960, Gerber had quickly become one of the most trusted, appreciated and collected names in knives. Still grounded in the same principles that first guided Joseph R. Gerber’s “enterprise,” Gerber is a company dedicated to making knives and tools that combine high quality materials and innovative designs that will stand up to a lifetime of use. The sleek, stainless steel sheath knives of the ’50s and ’60s (the Magnum Hunter) have given birth to today’s lightweight, open-frame clip folders (the Remix). Gerber is, however, no longer just a knife company. Multi-tools, axes, handsaws, machetes, headlamps, flashlights, survival kits, digging implements – these are the newest directions that Gerber explores with the same standards of quality and design that inform their revered knife making.

Buck

A young Kansas blacksmith apprentice named Hoyt Buck was looking for a better way to temper steel so it would hold an edge longer. His unique approach produced the first Buck Knife in 1902. Hoyt made each knife by hand, using worn-out file blades as raw material. His handy work was greatly appreciated during World War II. Hoyt’s eldest son Al had relocated from the Pacific Northwest to San Diego California after finishing a stint in the navy a decade earlier. Hoyt, and his wife Daisy, moved in with Al and his young family in 1945 and set up shop as H.H. Buck and Son. Following the death of his father, Al kept the fledgling custom knife business going until incorporating Buck Knives, Inc. in 1961. Al Buck revolutionized the knife industry in 1964 with the Model 110 Folding Hunter. The folding “lockblade” knife made Buck a leader.

Opinel

The Opinel is a popular object used on a daily basis. Its aesthetics and functionality have convinced several generations of users. Unchanged for over a century, its design is one of the most successful of all times. For this reason. Joseph Opinel had the idea of making his knife into different sizes which would be suitable to different hand sizes or used for various tasks. So, in 1897, he developed 12 different sizes numbered from 1 to 12. The smallest knife, named No. 1, included a ring so that it could be attached to the chain of a pocket watch. Its manufacture as well as No. 11’s was stopped in 1935. Nowadays, the smallest Opinel, No. 2, has a 3.5-cm blade and the largest knife, No. 12, a 12-cm blade. In the 70s, a giant knife was produced in small volumes as a promotional item to be used in shop windows. The blade of the giant No. 13 is 22 cm long making the knife 50 cm long when fully open.