Colonial Knife since 1926
4 generations strong
Combining the family tradition with a keene sense of the here and now, Colonial Knife keeps
a well known iconic brand alive and under the Paolantonio flag into its ninth decade.
In these trying times, few if any family companies can make the same claim-
BLADE Magazine- Field Editor Mike Haskew
"The lifetime warranty makes the Colonial knife brand the last knife you'll ever own, shoiuld it ever
fail, return it and it will be repaired or replaced for life!-Tactical knives magazine"
Nearly 9 decades of family cutlery manufacturing experience to become one of the most
interesting stories in the history of the American Cutlery Industry-
KNIVES ILLUSTRATED, June 2010
customize your switchblade by changing components to meet your individual
tastes and needs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zLi7V0GANc&feature=youtu.be racers inaction-Naucket, MA 2013- Weatherly 12 meter on Port tack start-Enjoy!
BUSHCRAFT Knives-E.T.A.G.
hand made in the U.S.A.
Colonial knife adding 50,000 square ft.
of factory circa 1920's
Completion of addition with another 25,000 sq ft. added in the 1950's.
15%
OFF
Affordable knives, family Tradition, by Mike Haskew, Blade magazine, field editor
When Steve Paolantnio joined Colonial he came roaring back from a three-year hiatus. Seems times were changing in the knife industry, and a positive response to fresh ideas would lay the foundation to future success.
His family's roots in the knife manufacturing go back almost a century. His grandfather, Antonio Paolantonio, started the A Paolantonio Cutlery in 1919 after a stint in the U.S. Army during World War I, where he learned the blacksmith trade with the cavalry. Antonio recognized the blend of tradition and forsight that would ensure the future success of a new enterprise.
Founded by Steve's grandfather and his two brothers in 1926, Colonial Knife Co. had been operated by three generations of the Paolantonio family. By the late 1990's, Steve was company president.
"The time frame in which I took over was the roughest in the history of Colonal Knife" he said. "We were dealing with some of the same ills as companies like (the orignal) Camillus and Schrade. Costs were going through the roof, and large quantities of Chinese imports were flooding the U.S. market and at a fraction of our cost. During a meeting with the board of directors, I had presented my plan to right size the company and bring it back to profitability" Paolantonio continued. "I had a business plan to sell our 90.000 square foot manufacturing facility and to relocate to modern facility - over the history of the company we had aquired muliples of many of the same assembly and processing equipment-were were a large manufacturer, one of the largest in U.S. and manufacturing hundreds of thousands of knives annually. With the rush of quality Chinese imports during the 80's -90's our volume dropped to manufacturing just thousands of knives anually. Today, Colonial Knife is the trade name for CCI's U.S.-made products, while the imported knives are under the CCI brand. Officially, Colonial Knife is a subsidiary of CCI.
Currenlty we are manufacturing, assembly and importing, and we have all lifetime warranty on ALL our knives, tools and flashlights.
The historical Colonial market appeal has been that of the affordable knife, well built, and Paolantonio asserts that the entire line of CCI knives is moving quite well these days. Responding to the question, "what can we do that the public wants to see?" CCI has stepped up the plate with several strong offerings.
Among the favorites is the Ranger Series, which had been a part of the old Colonial Knife line since 1934. The knives originally included medium-size two-and three-blade stockman patterns. They are being reintroduced in a number of differrent styles starting with machetes, throwing knives, and swithcblades with the "Ranger Grind" to highlight the silkiness of the knife's lines, and with "RANGER" etched on the blade. With a 440C stainless blade and isoplast handle, the Ranger harkins back to the days when Colonial asdvertised the Rangers as a "boys first knife"
Today, Colonial manufactures officical Eagle Scout, Girl Scout and Cub Scout pocket knives.
Woking with Adam Smith from the Rhode Island School of design (RISD) , Blackie Collins and Abe Elias, Colonial is turning out some of the most highly- sort after knife designs. The Colonial knife Bushcraft knives designed by Abe Elias and voted "one of the top ten Bushcraft knives for 2013"-Tactical knives magazine.
Combing the family tradition with a keen sense of the here and now, CCI keeps a well-known iconic brand name alive and under the Paolantonio flag into its ninth decade., In these trying times, few if any family companies can make the same claim-
Gun Trade World magazine covering the shooting business globally list Colonial Knife "One fo the top 75 knife manufactures world wide"
-June 2013 G.W.T.
Antonio Paolantonio and Colonials' National Sales Manager traveling to the Hardware show, at Navy Pier, Chicago, IL 1930's
"on behalf of a grateful Nation" awarded to Antonio Paolantonio owner of Colonial Knife for his services on the War Production Board, Washington D.C. during WWII
The Providnce Journal
Thursday November 4th 1999
Business
Cutting its Losses
Imports hurt, then save knife company
By Russell Garland, Journal Staff Writer
The imports started gnawing away at Colonial Knife Co. in the mid-1980's. loyal Employees retired and were not replaced. Lines of knife-making machines stood silent. The tool-making department dwindled from 12 employees to 2.
By the mid 1990's, the third generation managers had run out of time. Steven and Barry Paolantonio knew they had only a few months to save the family business.
"Made in America" had been the company's proud slogan, but it no longer worked. Rejecting advice from their accountant, the Paolantonios gambled.
They decided to import knives from China.
Afterward, Steven Paolantonio walked through the factory, He wondered "What would granpa think?"
Sometimes it takes a bold move to save a failing business. Facing a crisis, Steve and his cousin Barry saw that the old formulas no longer worked. To survive, Colonial would have to cut costs while exploring knfie manufacturing opportunities that were profitable.
Colonial Knife is an instituatioin, a rambling factory in a warren of industrial buildings. It Began on Federal Hill in the 1919 as A. Paolantonio Cutlery. The founder, Antonio Paolantonio, Steve's grandfather had come to the United States from Italy four years earlier and worked as a blacksmith in the U.S. Cavalry during World War I.
Antonio and his two brothers moved the business to Olneyville in 1926 and renamed it Colonial Knife. The original two-stor building stil stands in the center of the factory that grew around it.
Colonial started out making knife skeletons that were sold to jewerly companies which would add fancy handles. The company prospered, winning a contact to make knives for the Navy during World War II. At its peak it had two shifts of 300 employees each.
Business was strong through the 1970's under the leadership of the founder's sons, but started to slide in the mid-1980's as profit-driven chains supplanted smaller stores and low-princed imports captured more of the market. Other Rhode Island knife makers closed or left the state. Colonial hung on. By the time Steven Paolantonio became president five years ago, the company was barely alive. The outlook was bleak for it's 150 or so employees, most of whom had been there for decades
The economics were clear. Retailers could buy a completed knife from China for .80 cents. It would cost Colonial $4 to make a similar knife.
"People say they want American made but nobody wants to pay for it." said Steven Paolantonio, 37 a gregarious man who started working at the factory when he was 16.
He went to a trade show in Las Vegas. Colonial's competitors were showing off high-tech knives that could be opened with one hand. Colonial had its standard sheath and jack knives, and no money to retool.
Paolantonio traveled to China. Paolantonio said he had thought about importing before, but none of his competiors would give him a clue about whom to contact, even over drinks on the road. No government agency knew enough aobut he knife business to help.
Paolantonio had 12 samples shipped from Hong Kong to Colonial. He gave the samples to his six best sales representitives and "man, they came back with orders."
"If it wasn't for the Chinese stuff. I would have gone out of business." Steve Paolantonio said. The imports "bought us enough time to say, where ae we going in the future?"
Imports from Hong Kong and Taiwan account for about half fo Colonial's current sales of about $12.5 million. Paolantonio said the profit margin on the imports is a higher percentage, versus 10 percent or break-even for the knives the company makes in the United states.
Experience has also taught Paolantonio that you don't have to import hugh quantities. When necesarry, Colonial has small orders shipped by air.
The imports allowed Colonial to drop it's money-losing lines, while generating revenue and keeping its' 100 employees busy receiving, shipping and repairing the Chinese goods.
Meanwhile, the company has been able to focus on the part of its manufacturing business thats profiable, or has the potential to become so.
The company has revived the deck knife it made for the Navy as a collector's item and is plannng to reproduce other knives it manufactured for the military. The Navy knife, one fo the first with a plastic handle, known as model "Mark 1 Navy deck knife" comes with a leather sheath and retails for $69.99
Colonial is aggressively seeking to expand its private label business, where it makes knives for companies with well-known brands, such as Winchester, Smith & Wesson and Stanley Works, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. and Boy Scouts of America.