Product Review

I*XL Bowie Knife from Sheffield - Mike Nesbitt

- Mike Nesbitt

A new I*XL Bowie knife, still made in Sheffield, England.

Before, during and after the Civil War, the I*XL Bowie knives were well-known for carving their way across the American West. Those I*XL knives were made by the George Wostenholm family in Sheffield, England, and they adopted the I*XL trademark (which is short for “I Excel”) in the 1820s. However, this review isn’t just about knife history; the I*XL Bowie knives are still being made in Sheffield, England. Even so, a brief history of the I*XL brand might be appreciated.

George Wostenholm died in 1876. By then, the American market was contracting due to the influx of more product from American cutlery manufacturers. By 1914, the Wostenholm company employed about 400 people and nearly went bankrupt in the mid-1920s. The partial destruction of the Washington Works, at Sheffield, during World War II meant that the company had even more trouble trying to compete after the war. In 1971, the Wostenholm company was finally bought by their rivals, Joseph Rodgers & Sons, and by 1978, the Washington Works shops were completely demolished. The name and trademarks of George Wostenholm were then bought by the Egginton Brothers, who still make Sheffield cutlery using the I*XL mark today.