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Just found my Grandpa's knife. Japanese made, Sharp 380. Is it decent?

us Offline ChopperCharles

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Found this in a rarely-used toolbox. I remember getting it while cleaning out my grandmother's apartment after she died. As a child, I remember my grandfather with this knife. My impression is he always had it on him, but I don't know if that's true. I'd like to know more about it. There's an oval for a logo, but the logo is missing. It's definitely a Sharp 380 Stockman  though, images on eBay match.  Scales appear to be plastic, rivets are brass. The nail nick on the main blade has a unique shape to it. There are THREE cutting blades - two sheepsfoot blades and a clip point blade. The whole knife is 83.5mm long.  Any idea when it was made? Is it a quality knife or a dimestore thing?

It FEELS like a decent quality. The backsprings snap nicely and there is very little play or wiggle in the blades. Just curious about this piece.

Charles.
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us Offline Nix

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Cool find.  :like:

If you can sharpen it and it holds an edge, and you can carry it and use it, I'd say it's better than decent.  :tu:


us Offline Aloha

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I don't know anything about the knife sorry.  If grandpa carried it and as Nix said, it can hold an edge then  :tu:.  The old timers didn't get to fussy about knife steels as some do today.  The 3 blades means you'll always have 2 cutting edges when one dulls.  Most likely mass produced for the time.  Japan from what I recall was a mass producer similar to China now. 
Esse Quam Videri


us Offline ChopperCharles

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Did a little more digging. K-Mart brand from the 80s. Apparently they're decent. A lot of them were really, REALLY ugly.  Like this:



If that's not the ugliest knife you've ever seen, then I feel sorry for you, sir!

Apparently some of these Sharp knives were made by Colonial. Which models though, who knows?

Anyhow I'm going to sharpen it up and give it a whirl and swap it in for my SAK occasionally.

Charles.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 04:39:18 PM by ChopperCharles »


us Offline Aloha

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Nice.  Put a edge on each blade and you should be good to go.  Be neat to give to old knife some new adventures. 
Esse Quam Videri


gb Offline Wspeed

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Nice to have something to
remember your grandfather with CC :cheers: :like:
fail to prepare prepare to fail


pt Offline pfrsantos

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Cool find.  :like:

If you can sharpen it and it holds an edge, and you can carry it and use it, I'd say it's better than decent.  :tu:

From little I know, the Sharp are not the worse knives around. With a little care, I bet you can get those blades to a nice cutting edge. It's a nice project to spend some time on.

 :tu: :tu:
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au Offline ReamerPunch

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Certainly looks decent enough to me!  :like:
Nice little heirloom.


us Offline SteveC

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Should be fairly decent, Japan steel from that era was pretty good. That nail nick is called a match striker and it's a stockman pattern Clip , spey and sheepsfoot blades.

Nice to have your Grandpa's knife and should be a great EDC pocket knife   :tu:

I'm going to move this to the knife forum
« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 05:18:36 PM by SteveC »


pt Offline pfrsantos

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Should be fairly decent, Japan steel from that era was pretty good. That nail nick is called a match striker and it's a stockman pattern Clip , spey and sheepsfoot blades.

Nice to have your Grandpa's knife and should be a great EDC pocket knife   :tu:

I'm going to move this to the knife forum

While you're moving, why not move along to 30K?

 :pok: :pok:
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It is just a matter of time before they add the word “Syndrome” after my last name.

I don't have OCD, I have OCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

Eff the ineffable, scrut the inscrutable.

IYCRTYSWTMTFOT



us Offline VICMAN

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Found this in a rarely-used toolbox. I remember getting it while cleaning out my grandmother's apartment after she died. As a child, I remember my grandfather with this knife. My impression is he always had it on him,

Charles.

Congratulations on finding your grandfather's pocket knife Charles! :like: :tu: :tu:

The fact that it was your grandfather's knife makes it special. :cheers:

I think it should sharpen up fine if you should decide to carry it.


Here is a picture of a fixed blade Sharp that was my dad's....it will take a hair shaving edge. The blade on it is 440, and it has a full length, full width tang....it is a very solid feeling knife.

Click on pictures for best pictures
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« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 07:19:53 PM by VICMAN »


us Offline ChopperCharles

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I'm putting an edge on it now. It's a bit odd. All three blades were dull and well-used. The way they're sharpened is... different. The sharpening isn't centered - one side of the blade is sharpened more than the other. So one side is beveled a lot, and one just a little. The side that's got the deep bevel (and sharpened more) is at a 30 degree angle. The side that's sharpened a little, and has a smaller visible bevel, is at a 25 degree angle. Not sure why they'd do it this way. I'm just re-sharpening to 25 degrees on both sides, and sharpening the short side a bit more to center it.

Charles.


us Offline cody6268

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Some Japanese made Sharps (Kmart house brand of the 1980s for knives) were found out to have been made by Hattori Hanso, a centuries old Japanese firm known to produce very high end blades.   I have a smaller  Sharp golfer's money-clip that was my  great-Granddad's and it holds a good edge.

Sharp, Sabre, and Jet Aer are all excellent knives that are cheap because no one really actively collects them, but as users they are excellent knives.  I have two Sabres and a Japanese-made Klein Buck knockoff  that get used regularly, and they perform well.


us Offline VICMAN

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I'm putting an edge on it now. It's a bit odd. All three blades were dull and well-used. The way they're sharpened is... different. The sharpening isn't centered
. Not sure why they'd do it this way. I'm just re-sharpening to 25 degrees on both sides, and sharpening the short side a bit more to center it.

Charles.

Once you get the same angle on both sides it should be ok. :cheers:


za Offline shark_za

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380 is another name for 1.4116 stainless steel.
Its lower end but functional and resists corrosion with the best of them. Enjoy it knowing its history.



http://www.acerinox.com/opencms901/export/sites/acerinox/.content/galerias/galeria-descargas/galeria-documentos-producto/ACX380-low.pdf



us Offline ChopperCharles

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Not in this case. 380 is definitely the model number.





The Sharp 380 is identical to one model of Colonial Anvil. Also later models of the 380 apparently lost the match striker and got a regular nail nick.

Here's a little more info, and the source of the above pics.https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/viewtopic.php?t=51203

Charles.


us Offline ChopperCharles

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Just as an update, yes the knife is decent. It has taken and is keeping a keen edge on all three blades, it shows regular use and regular sharpening, and even after 45+ years the pivots are tight and the backsprings extremely snappy. For a small knife, it's got a nice weighty feel to it. The only downside is the metal oval with the "Sharp" logo fell out decades ago. Otherwise it's a completely solid, robust knife, and fits in a change pocket invisibly. Dimensionally, it's the length of a Wenger SAK, with a blade length and cutting area equal to the Wenger SAK as well. It's obviously a lot smaller in height, though. And the curve is nice, it just fits in the pocket well. Far better than even a Waiter. Plus it's more robust than a waiter. (I've popped the scales off a Vic waiter by having it in my pocket! The single layer flexes too easily, and I wear skinny jeans sometimes).

Overall, though it's small this knife is a pleasure to use. It's snappy, it's solid, it stays sharp, and it has narrow blades that make opening letters or packages and carving intricate details easy. Is it good for everything? No way, but it works well for what it is.

Charles.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2019, 07:36:19 PM by ChopperCharles »


us Offline SteveC

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Offline Ray S

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Sharp knives are definitely underrated and most are of decent quality.Glad you got your grandfather's knife;I have mine and it is priceless even though it likely wouldn't bring more than a few dollars if it were ever to be sold. Here are some of my Sharp knives.
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us Offline Barry Rowland

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Great thread and good for you Charlie!
Barry


 

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