More Pocket Knife Talk

Hopefully, the knife selection dilemma will be resolved soon. But if you think this is a tortured decision, wait until I need to select appropriate pellet guns and slingshots!

KA-BAR's Hobo

Coco's reader CapturedShadow suggested Kabar and I do like the looks of the green handled Hobo, but it is made in China. Also, I want a complete line of pocket knives and KA-BAR doesn't sell anything with a screwdriver or leather awl. The only classic pocket knives are $350 re-issue collectibles.

Klein

Coco's friend Dean pointed us to Klein Tools, the makers of electrician tools. Klein is an unexpected vendor, but that is a classically handsome pocket knife! Now that I have seen the Hobo, I am pretty sure Coco's needs to sell a knife with spoon and can opener.
Finally, the dark horse contender is Opinel. Made in France since the 1890's, Opinel still sells a variety of carbon steel pocket knives rather than the ubiquitous stainless steel blades. And wait until you see the corkscrew knife!

Soon this pressing matter will be resolved and friends of Coco's will be able to buy from a carefully curated selection of fine pocket knives.

Coco's Wants to Sell Pocketknives

This morning I went to the Waystation in Downtown Newhall for breakfast and stopped by my dear departed hardware store, Newhall Hardware. In these final days, Newhall Hardware is down to the fixtures and I purchased this cabinet for Coco's future knife inventory.

I have been searching for a manufacturer of traditional pocket knives. Rather than Spyderco-style serrated eviscerators, I am looking for classic, legal 3/4 blade knives for gentleman's pockets.

So far, it looks like we will be selling Buck Knives.

Camillus Cutlery - Bankrupt, assets sold in bankruptcy.

Boker - Made in Germany, nice knife, expensive, dollar devaluation makes this difficult

Case XX - Good old American brand, now owned by Zippo, still made in the USA

Victorinox/Wegner - Legendary Swiss Army-style knife manufacturers now united under a single company. Nice knives, but I can't compete against the big box stores. They are ubiquitous.

Schrade - Schrade out of business 2004, now owned by Taylor Brands LLC, current strategy does not inspire confidence. Made in China, sold in Walmart, KMart, Big 5, et al. Schrade would have been my first choice as I had Old Timer knives as a kid and still have my Sharp Finger.

Buck Knives - Started in 1902, Buck Knives is still run by the Buck family. Some of their knives are made overseas, but the sorts of classic knives I am looking for seem to still be made in the USA.

Did we miss any classic pocket knife brands?

Coco's Loves Schwinns!

We are crazy about all sorts of bikes, but there is something in particular about the Church of Schwinn that is especially endearing. Beyond the bicycles themselves, the manufacturer as retailer had such a powerful grip on our impressionable minds. Schwinn either manufactured the bikes themselves in Chicago or approved the accessories with a Schwinn stamp to declare them worthy to be allowed in their retail stores. To assure repeat business, lots of the parts were just a little off size, meaning a Huffy tire would not fit a Schwinn. Though a bit sinister, it is an admirably bold statement about their corner on the neighborhood bike market.

Any Coco's readers have photos of old bike stores? We would like to see them.

Nicole Objects, but Who is Nicole?

We don't know what we did to offend Nicole, but we appreciate her willingness to voice her opinion. This sign was found amongst Coco's legendary bike row

Whoops!

Coco's was running a little light on vintage bicycles. Inventory is no longer an issue. Please ignore the cube refrigerator (Project #12), the water brake dyno (Project #631), the
Sister Golden Hair Surprise Camaro (Project #48), the Hooptysquire (Project #3) and the Studebaker (Project #712).

Bike Seat Replacement

Hard to imagine somebody would want to replace this seat, but we caved to their wishes and sold them a used seat.

Saturday's Garage Saling Haul

Johnny is holding up a Specialized Allez Carbon Fiber roadbike as Jesse looks over the day's haul.

Occasionally, Coco's Variety Sells Oranges

Nishiki Sex Change

Before

This Nishiki arrived with plastic pedals, no seat, cruiser style handle bars, no gear/brake cables, flat tires, old tubes and absolutely zero sex appeal.

After

The Nishiki is now tuned, tweaked and awesome, with new gum wall tires, new tubes, a sleek new seat, new (used) drop handle bars, a new (used) aluminum stem and new gear/brake cables that are as white as a Christmas morning snowfall. Now it is pure sex.

Nishiki Citi Sport
Petite frame used road bike with 29" standover (height of the frame top bar to the ground is 29")
SOLD

Bicycles fished from the LA River

A local neighborhood fellow fished these bicycles out of the LA River in hope of selling them to Coco's. He was asking five dollars for both but we settled at two dollars for the pair. Now, why would we buy these?

1. Coco's buys used bikes.

2. He is a local dude, strapped for cash, and it was a long haul out of the river. You have to appreciate his initiative. With the Pacific frame stacked on top of the Peugeot, he wheeled the whole enchilada to Coco's with a golden optimism that we would buy them. Beats standing at a freeway exit with a sign.

3. The LA River is Los Angeles' great squandered resource and I was happy to pay $2 to have some trash hauled from it. Improves my view when I ride the river trail.

4. Johnny, age 15, friend of the family, assists us with bike cleaning as he learns bicycle mechanics. It was fun to tell him that the Peugeot was the next bike in the cleaning queue.

5. There are a couple of scrap metal dealers we buy bicycles from. After picking bikes out of the trash, they stop to see us before heading to the scrap recycling yard. Bikes are mixed metals and are thus referred to as "breakage" as they require breaking up to be harvested by metal type. Breakage sells for about 20 cents a pound. This week, we bought an almost new Radio Flyer trike and a very nice 70's Huffy step-through 3-speed that were destined to be ground up, packed in a container and shipped to China as scrap. The bikes seen above are pointless as bikes but, as scrap, they are worth the same as the aforementioned Huffy. Next time we buy bikes from a scrap dealer, we will fork over these bikes as a tip.

6. We cut the gear/brake cables and pulled the stem, bars, shifters and brake handles off the Pacific for the Coco's parts department.

$2 well spent.