Imperial Knives

What Imperial makes for hunters and campers

On this site, Imperial covers one product type: pocket knives, and specifically traditional folding patterns. No fixed blades, no pocket clips, no flippers. If you're looking for those, they're on other brand pages.

What the Imperial grid holds, by pattern:

• Stockman knives in small, medium and large sizes
• Trapper knives, a small one and a regular one
• A Barlow, the 278 Jackmaster
• Plain work folders: the IMP13L and the IMP22 family

The grid filters by type and changes as listings come and go. So I'll write about the patterns and what separates them, not about how many of each are listed this week.

Almost every spec in the Imperial grid comes from the Amazon listings, and the grid marks those values. Where a listing doesn't say, the grid shows a dash. I didn't fill gaps from memory, and you shouldn't either. Memory is how I ended up with a tackle box labeled "drill bits."

How to read an Imperial model number

The Amazon titles name both Schrade and Imperial, and the model numbers start with IMP. After that, the number and the letter give you the pattern and the size:

• IMP14: the small stockman
• IMP14L: the large stockman (L for large)
• IMP16S: a stockman between the two
• IMP16T: a trapper
• IMP19PRT: the small trapper
• IMP13L and IMP22: single-blade work folders, the IMP22 also listed as the IMP22Y

The 278 Jackmaster Barlow doesn't follow the IMP numbering. It's the odd one out in the grid in other ways too, which I'll get to.

Rule of thumb: the letter at the end isn't decoration. Two knives with the same number and different letters can be different sizes, so check the blade length in the grid, not the picture.

Lineup notes: the Imperial pocket knife patterns

Stockman knives: three blades, three sizes

The stockman is the pattern most people mean by "a pocket knife like Grandpa's." Case's Large Stockman page lays out the classic set: a clip blade for detail work, a sheepfoot with a reinforced point for clean cuts and carving, and a spey as an all-purpose utility blade. The clip and sheepfoot sit at one end, the spey at the other.

The Imperial stockmans, per their listings:

• IMP14 Small Stockman: the smallest knife in the grid, with a Cracked Ice handle
• IMP16S Stockman: mid-size, 3Cr13MoV steel and a grey swirl handle
• IMP14L Large Stockman: the largest stockman, with a plain synthetic handle

Blade lengths across them run from under 2 inches on the small one to about 3 inches on the large one. All of them list nail-nick opening (a small groove in the blade you catch with a thumbnail). More blades means more choices for the job and a little more weight in the pocket. A three-blade stockman lets you keep one edge sharp for the fine work and use another on cardboard and twine.

My grandson asked why a knife needs three blades. I told him one for the job, one for the job you didn't plan, and one for whittling while you wait. He said that's what a phone is for. We're working on it.

Trapper knives: two blades from one end

The trapper is a jack knife, meaning its blades hinge at the same end. Case describes its trapper as two full-length blades, a slender clip and a long spey. The Imperial trappers in the grid:

• IMP19PRT Small Trapper: a compact trapper with a clip point blade
• IMP16T Trapper: a full-size trapper with a clip point blade and a synthetic handle

The listings name the clip point as the blade shape and don't spell out the second blade, so check the photos and the listing text if the spey matters to you. On a trapper, it usually does.

The IMP16T may not ship to every address. Amazon shows that at checkout.

The 278 Jackmaster Barlow

The Barlow is an old pattern with a long history. Wikipedia's pocketknife article describes it as a knife with a long bolster (the metal cap at the pivot end of the handle), an elongated oval handle and one or two blades, first made in Sheffield, England.

The Jackmaster in the grid lists a blade a little under 2.5 inches, 3Cr13 stainless steel, a celluloid handle and a nail-nick opening. It's the only knife in the Imperial grid with celluloid instead of a synthetic handle, per its listing. Amazon asks buyers to confirm their age for it, and shows that at checkout.

Plain work folders: the IMP13L and IMP22

The last group is the plainest. The IMP13L is a single clip point blade about 3 inches long in a Cracked Ice handle, per its listing. The IMP22 and IMP22Y list a drop point blade a bit under 3 inches, 7Cr17 stainless and a synthetic handle.

The difference between the two is the tip. On a drop point, the back of the blade curves down to meet it; on a clip point, the back is cut away near the tip for a thinner point. The pocket knife page covers blade shapes across brands. The IMP22Y may not ship to every address; Amazon shows it at checkout.

Steels and handles in the Imperial grid

Three stainless steels

The Imperial listings name three blade steels: 3Cr13, 3Cr13MoV and 7Cr17. All three are listed as stainless. Most of the line is 3Cr13; the IMP16S lists 3Cr13MoV, and the IMP22 family lists 7Cr17.

Stainless still asks for a little care. The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) recommends a light coat of oil after cleaning to keep moisture off the metal, and wiping the blade with an oiled cloth after handling, because body oils can stain it. A pocket knife lives next to a warm, sweaty leg all day. Treat it accordingly.

Handle materials

The handle names in the listings are POM (a hard synthetic), Cracked Ice POM (the same material in a crackled white look), a grey swirl POM, and celluloid on the Jackmaster. The listings don't give handle weights or textures, so I won't guess at grip. If you work in gloves, a longer handle is easier to hold than a slick small one. That's a size question, and the grid has the overall lengths.

How to choose within the Imperial lineup

Pick the pattern first

The pattern decides what the knife is good at. A stockman gives you three edges. A trapper gives you two long ones. A single-blade work folder gives you one and less to clean. If you want a knife for carving tent stakes and marshmallow sticks, the whittling knife page covers the type across brands.

Then the size

Overall lengths in the grid run from about 4.5 inches on the small stockman to about 7 inches on the large stockman and the IMP13L. Small ones vanish into a jeans watch pocket. Large ones are easier to use in cold hands. Measure the pocket before you measure the blade. Light-carry options across brands are on the lightweight pocket knife page.

Then check the shipping and the rules

Two Imperial models may not ship to every address, and one asks for age confirmation. Amazon shows both at checkout. Knife carry rules vary by state and city. Check your state's rules before you carry one.

Care and safe handling for slip joints

My one opinion on this page: a slip joint is a cutting tool, not a pry bar, and nothing in a pocket should be one. Here's the reason you can check. Benchmade's mechanisms guide explains that a slip joint's back spring presses on the blade's tang to hold it at open and closed stops, with no lock. AKTI warns against using a folding knife as a screwdriver or pry bar, because the twisting stress can make the blade slip or snap.

The rest of AKTI's advice fits these knives well:

• Closing: keep your fingers outside the blade's arc as it closes
• Carrying: never carry it open in a pocket
• Sharpening: a dull blade takes more force and slips more often
• Cleaning: pick dirt out of the handle every few months; a toothpick won't scratch the metal
• Oiling: a drop of light oil at the joint if it gets heavy use
• Storage: cool and dry, away from salt water and damp

On a stockman with three blades, open one at a time. Close one at a time. That's a shop-class rule. A three-blade knife has exactly one safe speed, and it isn't fast.

The Imperial Schrade name

"Imperial Schrade" is one of the brand's most common searches, and the Amazon titles still pair the two names. Here's what I could verify.

A Providence history piece published on ArtInRuins, drawn from interviews with Lou Fazzano, says the Imperial Knife Company was founded in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1917 by Felix and Michael Mirando, with financial support from their childhood friend Domenic Fazzano. At its peak, it says, the company employed 1,000 workers at 18 Imperial Place in the city's Jewelry District. The same piece says operations moved to Ellenville, New York, in 1998, and that the company, by then called Imperial Schrade Corporation, closed in 2004.

Schrade's own history page says George Schrade started the Schrade Cutlery Company in 1904. The Schrade brand page has that lineup.

Who's behind Imperial today

American Outdoor Brands lists Imperial among its brands on its own site, along with Schrade, Old Timer and Uncle Henry. The Old Timer brand page covers another traditional-pattern line from the same group. I couldn't verify where the current Imperial knives are made or a written warranty for the Imperial name, so I've left those out.

Pattern, size, then the shipping line at checkout. And oil the joint once in a while. It's a Saturday-afternoon fix that keeps a pocket knife opening like it did the day you got it.