Unusual Elosi

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Quaero
Posts: 77
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:44 am

Unusual Elosi

Post by Quaero »

Here is an odd duck that's not commonly seen. This German-made automatic knife is marked "Elosi" which was a brand of "Ernst Lohr Sohne KG" founded in 1922. The model shown had a patent applied for in 1954 and was registered in 1957. A patent picture is included below the knife. While this was not a high quality switchblade, it was quite unusual in design. The two short levers sticking out beyond the back of the handle are squeezed together to fire the blade. It basically works as a back lock type of mechanism which is shown in detail on the patent drawing. Aside from the unusual firing type mechanism, there are no leaf springs and coil springs operate the levers and fire the blade. The handles are shell wrap types, and the bolsters are stamped metal. A very unique knife, and this is the larger (8 inches overall) of two models that I am aware of. I assume these were short lived since the patent registration was 1957, and the U.S. switchblade ban occurred in 1958 which had devastating effects on the majority of switchblade knives.
Attachments
Elosi Large 1 sml.jpg
Elosi Large 1 sml.jpg (284.38 KiB) Viewed 2607 times
ElosiPatent (861x1200).jpg
ElosiPatent (861x1200).jpg (180.27 KiB) Viewed 2607 times
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whippersnapper
Posts: 8355
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 12:39 pm
Location: Michigan

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by whippersnapper »

Great knife!
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Jackalope
Posts: 878
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2004 3:13 am

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by Jackalope »

Nice to see the odd duck in such nice condition.
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jim d,
Posts: 7667
Joined: Thu May 23, 2002 9:36 pm
Location: Mayberry, N.C. / U.S.A.

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by jim d, »

Quaero, thank you for posting the photo and patent of that rare and unique model. You continue to contribute to my switchblade education.

Jim
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rock-n-roll$$$$$$
Posts: 971
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:04 pm

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by rock-n-roll$$$$$$ »

jim d, wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 1:08 am Quaero, thank you for posting the photo and patent of that rare and unique model. You continue to contribute to my switchblade education.

Jim
I could not have said that any better myself.
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thom
Posts: 1222
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:36 am

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by thom »

Thanks for posting all these rare, never seen before knives.
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Oldreb
Posts: 58
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:02 am
Location: South Carolina

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by Oldreb »

Quaero, thanks for posting the pictures and information about this rare and interesting knife !! A style I have never seen before !! Amazing !!

Wayne
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john
Posts: 4528
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:40 am
Location: New England, MA USA

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by john »

What everyone said above.
Thanks for posting this rare knife.
Your friend on the web's most friendly community on knives and blades,
John

Massachusetts Where Everything is Illegal or Taxed
button_man
Posts: 632
Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:08 pm

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by button_man »

Fascinating to see such weirdness..... I wonder what the thought process was behind the concept:
"Hey, I have a great idea! Let's invent a one-hand knife* that requires two hands to open!" LOL

(Literally "Einhandmesser" in Deutsch)
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Billyfish
Posts: 250
Joined: Thu May 16, 2019 8:39 pm
Location: Amity, MA

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by Billyfish »

button_man wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 3:23 pm Fascinating to see such weirdness..... I wonder what the thought process was behind the concept:
"Hey, I have a great idea! Let's invent a one-hand knife* that requires two hands to open!" LOL

(Literally "Einhandmesser" in Deutsch)
Yeah, that was a wait, what? Moment for me too.
Great looking knife!
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Chris51P
Posts: 185
Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2019 3:35 am
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by Chris51P »

Rare and unusual for sure. The real positive on the mechanism... keeps the blade from peeking.
Quaero
Posts: 77
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2020 12:44 am

Re: Unusual Elosi

Post by Quaero »

Thanks for the nice comments and we certainly all learn from each other.
Here is a picture showing the two Elosi models that exist. The smaller one in the picture better reflects the patent drawing.
Also shown is a close up of the shell wrap handle on the smaller model. It shows a neat street scene of Calle Real Bogota Colombia. (South America)
While many switchblades were imported to South America in the 1950s, this model could also have been intended for the United States market with its "exotic" tourist theme. The red ink numbering on the smaller model are markings of a salesman sample knife. Note that the cars depicted appear to be from the late 1940s.
Attachments
Elosi Pair sml.jpg
Elosi Pair sml.jpg (234.8 KiB) Viewed 2408 times
Elosi front handle.jpg
Elosi front handle.jpg (62.82 KiB) Viewed 2408 times
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