At the feet of the Himalayas, in the Chenab River valley in Pakistan lies the city of Sialkot. Sialkot holds a similar reputation to Solingen in Germany or Sheffield in England where stainless steel production is concerned. It is home to a number of surgical implement, cutlery and knife manufacturers and the area as a whole has a big reputation for quality.
Only a few kilometres from the border of disputed Kashmir province, the factory has long serviced a fussy and value-conscious local market. There are many Kashmiri people in the area, some of them are still living as nomads in a harsh environment. The lessons learned in supplying them with good working knives are built into every Eastern Blade, no matter its design.
Eastern Trading Co (Eastern Blade) is a family business that has been crafting knives in Sialkot for more than 50 years. They have spent more than 40 of those years exporting their knives. What we find hard to believe is that the standard of raw materials and fit and finish of their knives is so high yet the price remains so..... affordable.
Eastern Blade are equally able to produce a finely finished sheath knife for an average day of hunting, a collectors piece coated in precious metal, a hard-working factory knife or highly specified tactical knives that would satisfy special forces soldiers. Eastern Blade have a very skilled and long-serving work force, capable of turning out consistently high quality work.
Most Eastern Blade knives are made from one of three "stainless" steels
420J2 - a harder version of 420 stainless, 420J2 provides the optimum balance between rust resistance and edge retention for most hunting applications.
4034 - is a different mix again with good rust resistance and increased flexibility for filleting and boning operations.
440C - The top end steel for hardness and edge retention. Knives made from 440C retain their sharpness for a very long time. They may need specialist sharpening when blunt.