Red alox and the old cross...

These knives first popped up in the 1970's catalogs as "Sturdy Boy" and lasted till the late Nineties. The only thing that changed were the blade stampings, some tool-marks and their names. These knives look beautiful, but have one major disadvantage compared to the newer silver alox.... the red paint fades away after rubbing against keys or other metal in your pocket. That's why I try to keep them away from use and nice and shiny in my display case... Yesterday I managed to find a Farmer and two Solo's in mint condition... The Farmer is made between 1985 and 1991. The cap lifter has a 90 degree lock (made after 1985) and the keychain-ring is attached to a brass spacer instead of the backspring (before 1991). Both Solos are made somewhere between 1975 and the nineties. I can't find a shorter time window, since there's only one tool and no keychain-ring. My red alox-collection starts to get crowded... :)

Below : blade stamp of the Farmer

Below : blade stamp of the Solo

Below : blade stamp of the Solo