Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage.

   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #1  

Slowpoke Slim

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Marble Knives.

Anyone remember them? I do. They used to be "it" if you wanted a quality hunting or skinning knife. The one I had, I bought as a boy, took me "forever" to save up the money to buy one. And I could only afford to buy one. I remember standing there at the glass case in the hardware store, agonizing over which one to buy.

I had that knife until the mid 90's, when some vermin broke into my home shop and cleaned me out. Of all the equipment and tools they stole, I think the knife upset me the most. I was supposed to leave in a couple days on an elk hunt, so I had all my hunting gear laid out on my work bench and ready to pack. They didn't get any guns or 2 meter radios, those were in the house. They also got my tools, jacks, hoists, "tamale wagon" tool chest, air compressor, etc.

But that knife, that really got to me. Marble was by that time, long gone. I could replace everything else, but not that knife. I've had several others over the years, but they were just "ok" but always somehow "wrong".

--Anyway,

Fast forward to today, and in our mailbox load of junk mail, was a "knife catalog". You know the kind with all the cheap swords and knock off stuff from China? I decided to flip through it for amusement before throwing it in the trash, when what do I see but a page of MARBLE KNIVES! Initial excitement faded fast as I perused the page. It was all scary cheap. The 9 1/2" "Skinner" was about the closest picture to my old one on the page, and the sale price was $24.99.

Now that tells me that even if it was free, it's not worth the effort fill out the order to get it shipped to the house.

Another great name from my youth, being drug through the mud as a cheap Chinese knock off.

Some days I think I've lived too long past my era...

Anyone still have their original Marble Knife? I would still have mine today if it wasn't for those thieves 25 years ago. I'm sure they pawned it for $20. No, they never did get caught.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #2  
I would have bought it just to find out...
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #3  
never heard of marble knives. but i lost a great knife by stupidity. i left it in the console on my bronco when i was having it repainted. stupid stupid stupid. it was a great, old knife and a custom sheath. of course no one at the shop ever saw it.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #4  
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #5  
I have a knife given to me by a great friend before he died in 1986. It was his cherished Kbar small hunting knife he bought as a boy in the late 1920's. I keep that one in the safe.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #6  

Still there.
Same company.
Their retailer lists a handful of vintage and antique US made Marbles knives. Current knife production is all offshore it seems.
You can filter country of origin or the few new products I looked at list the CoO.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #7  
When I look into marbles knives….I get conflicting results. One says made in USA, the other says all Chinese mfg. so who knows.

I know Buck are made in USA…Here in north idaho.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #8  
I know it pains me to see a lot of great names now made in PRC.
Buck at one time did carry a few models that were made in China.
I got my SMKW catalog the other day.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage.
  • Thread Starter
#9  
The original Marble Co. stopped making knives sometime in the mid to late 70's.

"Someone" bought the rights to use the name, and at this point, anything of current make that says "Marble" on it, is made in China.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #11  
Case knives are still affordable and US made.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #12  
I still have mine, given to me by my father for my first deer season in 1966. Got a 6 point buck with a model 94 Win 30-30. My Marbles is a 5in., it will take and hold an edge. Don't want to lose it, so now use a Case lockback that I really like. Wish I could still get this model of Case, it has a 3 1/2 in. blade, hunter orange cushion grip with finger indentations. Very comfortable and takes a good edge.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #13  
A former employee of Marbles founded Rapid River Knifeworks in Michigan's Upper Peninsula just up the road from Gladstone Mi where Marbles was founded. Check their website. Beautiful work, great showroom!
Been there, have one. Great knives.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #15  
The only way that I can keep a nice knife is to leave it in the gun safe; I always seem to set them down while using them, and forget to pick them up. I got a nice Kabar hunting knife when I was in HS, which lasted me about 10 years. One day I noticed that the sheath was empty, I still don't know what happened to the knife.
Buck makes nice production quality knives, I have several. Looking at that Rapid River website though got me thinking that I should have one really nice knife... if I can just keep from losing it,
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #16  
With all the knives lost through the passing of time...
...how come you never hear of anyone finding one?
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #17  
With all the knives lost through the passing of time...
...how come you never hear of anyone finding one?
I found one once.
Real nice one, nice bone handle...

I made a sheath for it & it became my in the woods knife.

One day the sheath was empty.

Easy come, easy go.
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #18  
I've never heard of Marble's knives either. But I've heard of Marbles sights -- like the peep sights you used to see mounted on rifles prior to scopes becoming available and popular. Is that the same company?
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #19  
^^^^^
Yes. They also made other accessories.
I did find a Leatherman once... a coworker and I had brushed and spotted a property line so I was walking a snowsled trail back to the truck for paint. I had just reminded myself that I’d need to find something to open the can with when I looked down and said “that knife will work.”
 
   / Now I am depressed... Another Great Name from the past has turned into garbage. #20  
I've never heard of Marble's knives either. But I've heard of Marbles sights -- like the peep sights you used to see mounted on rifles prior to scopes becoming available and popular. Is that the same company?
Used to be the same company. Marbles is still manufacturing gun sights for most American manufacturers still in Gladstone MI.
 

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