In 1855, Nathanael Lauterjung (the great-grandchild of Johann) brought the company to the German town of Solingen in North Rhine-Westphalia. A few years later the company began another factory to increase exports. By 1900 the company was officially called PUMA-Werk, Lauterjung und Sohn. During World War II, the factory was put under government authority to produce war supplies which lasted until the end of the war when the company returned to manufacturing civilian pocket and household knives.
The company began to focus only on top-quality hunting, fishing and outdoor knives when Oswald von Frankenberg und Ludwigsdor (1915-1986) joined the company in 1953. He worked with German and various nationalities in creating knives that earned international recognition. Among the most famous hunting knives on the market today is the Puma Universal Jagdtaschenmesser that was developed in collaboration with Puma and the former head of the Rominten state hunting ground and president of the International Bloodhound Federation.
Puma currently focuses on five categories of knives for consumers; hunting/trekking, hunting folders, sporting folders (similar to a Swiss Army knife), fishing knives and accessories such as sheaths, sharpening stones and pouches. Puma is known for etching the number, name and year of manufacture on the blade which makes older knives highly collectible items. Puma knives are known for being more expensive than other brands, but that is due to the fact that they hand-make each blade and use only the highest grade steel and materials.
Two of the most famous Puma brands are the Bowie and Damascus knives. The Bowie is 11 inches long with a 6 1/9 inch-long blade. The elegant handle is stag horn, and it has a single finger guard, made like the traditional American frontier knives.The Damascus knife won the 2005 Knife of the Year Award and is considered a collectors' item since only 50 were made. The handle is made of ebony, and the blade is 4 a#xBD; inches long and 3 millimeters thick.
