At Last, Johnny Cade's Switch!! The Outsiders
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At Last, Johnny Cade's Switch!! The Outsiders
Almost 20 years of built-up tension released this afternoon when I checked the mail
Around 1987 when I was in 7th Grade we all read The Outsiders, and then watched the racy (for our school) movie after we had finished. After that exposure I (and several classmates) had developed an unbelievable day-dreaming fantasy world tword switchblade knives. A few weeks later I was looking through an issue of Easyrider (naughty) and came across The Edge Company, which offered do-it-yourself switchblade kits. From that first ad I had ever seen (and totally psyched) I ordered an italian shellpuller lever lock in real stag for $39.99...my first ever real switchblade. After receiving it and getting a good look I noticed right off the bat that it was built quite a bit different than the one Johnny had used. What in the hell did he have? Then, in High School, after the Edge Co stopped selling switch kits I started ordering alot of Hubertus lever locks from a Texas company called Bill Todd Enterprises...after receiving the first one and looking down the spine I realized it must have been a knife of similar origin since the profiles looked so similar. I absolutely had to find one.
And then more recently, as an adult, from this and other forums (thanks guys!) I found out that Johnny Cade indeed used a german shell puller lever lock, but unfortunately they hadn't been produced by anyone in Germany in years, making them quite a rarity to achieve. I also quickly found out that I wasn't the only one hooked on getting one
I saw a few high-end collectors post photos of their precious ones...so I knew they were out there, but as hard as I tried I couldn't find one anywhere to buy, not even expensive ones that I couldn't afford.
So, finially, after an urge that's lingered since I was in the 7th grade I can proudly say that my switchblade collection has a prime example of a vintage german shell puller lever lock!! Like-new inside and out, Snaps hard, closes deep/centered and locks up rock solid, an absolute peach. The jigged bone scales are a two-tone dark brown instead of light tan/brown, and the gauge stamps on the bolsters are deeper, but those would be about the only two differences I can see from the screen used knife...I picked this up on Ebay, probably one of the most stressful auctions I was ever involved in, but it ended unexpectedly well. I feel very, very fortunate to be the new owner of this knife. Many thanks to the great switchblade gods for making it happen.
Here's some multi-angle pics and some 2.35:1 lbx remastered still frames of Johnny's knife in the movie. I hope you all like them. Enjoy!
Bottom bolster is stamped "SPRINGER" over "KONIG" (umlot over the O)
Rear tang is stamped "Solingen" over "Germany"
No other markings
Around 1987 when I was in 7th Grade we all read The Outsiders, and then watched the racy (for our school) movie after we had finished. After that exposure I (and several classmates) had developed an unbelievable day-dreaming fantasy world tword switchblade knives. A few weeks later I was looking through an issue of Easyrider (naughty) and came across The Edge Company, which offered do-it-yourself switchblade kits. From that first ad I had ever seen (and totally psyched) I ordered an italian shellpuller lever lock in real stag for $39.99...my first ever real switchblade. After receiving it and getting a good look I noticed right off the bat that it was built quite a bit different than the one Johnny had used. What in the hell did he have? Then, in High School, after the Edge Co stopped selling switch kits I started ordering alot of Hubertus lever locks from a Texas company called Bill Todd Enterprises...after receiving the first one and looking down the spine I realized it must have been a knife of similar origin since the profiles looked so similar. I absolutely had to find one.
And then more recently, as an adult, from this and other forums (thanks guys!) I found out that Johnny Cade indeed used a german shell puller lever lock, but unfortunately they hadn't been produced by anyone in Germany in years, making them quite a rarity to achieve. I also quickly found out that I wasn't the only one hooked on getting one
I saw a few high-end collectors post photos of their precious ones...so I knew they were out there, but as hard as I tried I couldn't find one anywhere to buy, not even expensive ones that I couldn't afford.
So, finially, after an urge that's lingered since I was in the 7th grade I can proudly say that my switchblade collection has a prime example of a vintage german shell puller lever lock!! Like-new inside and out, Snaps hard, closes deep/centered and locks up rock solid, an absolute peach. The jigged bone scales are a two-tone dark brown instead of light tan/brown, and the gauge stamps on the bolsters are deeper, but those would be about the only two differences I can see from the screen used knife...I picked this up on Ebay, probably one of the most stressful auctions I was ever involved in, but it ended unexpectedly well. I feel very, very fortunate to be the new owner of this knife. Many thanks to the great switchblade gods for making it happen.
Here's some multi-angle pics and some 2.35:1 lbx remastered still frames of Johnny's knife in the movie. I hope you all like them. Enjoy!
Bottom bolster is stamped "SPRINGER" over "KONIG" (umlot over the O)
Rear tang is stamped "Solingen" over "Germany"
No other markings
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