Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

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Feb 11, 2016
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Why do you carry traditionals and what about them appeals to you ?

I think a good number of us are like me and simply carry the knife we want that day regardless of whether or not it's modern ( though sometimes get the urge to specifically carry one over the other, and May even carry a pairing of both )

Modern folders offer pocket clips and the convenience of them studs, while traditional folders offer unobtrusive carry and functional / capable simplicity.
So both have the their advantages, but what really appeals to me with traditionals ?

it'sthe fact that in general, modern folders seem to have been " designed " by an engineer who focused mostly on looks , while traditionals seem to have been " created " by a craftsman who focused on function. I guess this all relates to simplicity .
Another nice thing about traditionals that is cool is the fact that you can have 50 functionally identical folders from the same mfg that are essentially different knives because they're scales are different. Now I don't have a preference one way or the other ,but I like my knives simple. This combined with the fact that I prefer how carbon steel ages vs how stainless Steel just gets scratched up ( will carry stainless, just not as happily ) limits me in the modern knives world. I'm sure being a lefty has it's influences too.

So is it specific preference, simplistic needs, or do you just love knives and carry whatever ?
I'd love to hear why you carry and like traditionals 👍
 
Because sometimes I need to cut something, and I like the aesthetics of traditional knives. I also carry modern folders when I feel like it. I don't really need much of a knife on me during most days so a smaller slipjoint is enough. I leave a larger modern folder in my car in case something else comes up where I need something more sturdy, but so far I haven't needed it.
 
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I think that ultimately I carry an knife because of what it represents. As a boy a knife has represented adventure and possibility, it still means that to me but it carries connotations of family, food, work, history and relaxation too. All that in the palm of my hand.
 
I carry both modern and traditional. I love barlows and utility knives (SAKs (I carry a Tinker) and boy scout types) and I also carry moderns; Kershaw Oso-Sweet (my fav) and CRKTs. Some are just thumbstud linerlocks, some assisted. My first knife (ca. 65 years ago) was a Queen barlow (which I still have). Also carried a standard 4 function boy scout knife when in Scouts (which I also still have). I just like the feel of them in my hand and pocket. I remove the pocket clips from my moderns as they tear up the edges of my pants pockets; but like the convenience of a OHO whether thumbstud or assisted. Guess you could say I'm a swing user :-) and I just like knives.
Rich
 
After years of going from one modern to another I started trying traditionals and have settled on the GEC Bullnose. I've tried Barlows, Stockmans, Victorinox, and what not. The Bullnose just works for me. I'm not debating in my mind about springs, thumb studs or finger holes, this steel or that steel, this kind of scale or that kind of scale. I'm just using a knife that works and works well. It is just a simple honest knife that works. I can notch wood, scribe a line, cut my apple, trim wood. I also open boxes and break down boxes with it. If it has been more than good enough for hundreds of thousands of people for several hundred years why can't it be good enough for me? If I need a larger knife I reach for a GEC Bull Buster. They are knives I can keep sharp and easily use.

I do have Case Sod Busters in stainless steel that I sometimes carry. And if I'm wearing gloves I do appreciate thumb studs or finger holes. On the whole though most of my modern knives sit unused in a box.
 
Aesthetics. Traditional knives look better than modern knives. Modern knives are functionally superior, but I don't like how they look as much.
 
I usually carry at least one traditional on my person every day. Today I carried a Case small stockman, a Vic Cadet, a Buck 302, and a Spyderco Delica. Guess which one I used the most today? The Case small stockman! I carry a modern every day, but I rarely use it. I'm not sure why, but I prefer using traditionals. They're pretty to look at and a joy to use. I tend to favor smaller traditionals, and they just seem more appropriate for 99% of my daily knife tasks. For example, the sheepsfoot blade on the Case helped me get through some annoying clamshell packaging today. I could easily get through any given day with just a small traditional and a SAK, but I'm a knife lover...so I tend to carry too many blades. [emoji4]


Alex
 
I don't need one hand opening. The traditionals to me, look better, and so far, have cut, whittled, and carved everything I needed a knife to cut, whittle, and carve.
 
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Traditional knives take me back to a simpler time when as a boy I could stand in front of that old Case display at Leicester Feed and Seed and in my mind travel the world in knife adventures. They don't scare folks off yet hold a world of use to the one who just fished it out of their pocket or purse. I loved the wide array of handle materials and the seemingly endless number of patterns to choose from. To me moderns don't have anywhere near the choices that can be had in traditionals. Traditional knives have proved themselves over and over through the years to a point you can honestly say they are time tested. as far as one hand opening you can get something like a #15 One Arm Barlow or if you think that's going to be something you might need do like me and strap a sheath knife to your side. I also like modern knives as a matter of fact the last knife I bought should be here tomorrow it is a Sebenza 25 but my preference is a traditional knife. I guess for me you could sum it up in three words, I Like Them.:D
 
Just getting into traditional knives, the immediate allure for me is the matter of functional simplicity. I've tried dozens upon dozens of various modern folders, of which I have a select few I thoroughly enjoy, but ultimately, they lack that extreme simplicity. A slip joint can be unobtrusive, durable for the years, and capable for any cutting that should need done day to day. They are thinner, to be used as an effective cutting tool -- nothing more, nothing less. Not to mention, as many have shared, the various patterns are simply beautiful; add in the endless scale/bolster/liner/blade materials and finishes, and each one is a gem in its own right.
 
At work I have carried a Spyderco Native for well past ten years. The one handed convenience makes it a great choice for work as my other hand my be holding something. But I do carry a slipjoint everyday also. I have always had one from the time I was seven and was given a Boy Scout knife. Now I carry to slipjoints when not at work and all my modern knives sit in the draw. I tried to give up the Native for work, but just can't do it. That is my work knife and that is the one I grab every day. The slipjoints I rotate and deciding on which to carry is a long process. But slipjoints are just nice in the hand with the steel and natural handle material like bone and wood. Modern knives with Micarta, plastic and G10 handles just don't have that feel.
 
I just like slip joints. The modern folder that I carry is even a slip joint, and not having a lock actually makes it more convenient to close. They're cool. Traditional style slip joints are like the old Ford truck I used to drive (and wish I still had). Just classic. Classy. Simple. Effective. Lots of character. Makes me feel good. Oh, and they cut very well. Why in the world would I need 3-5mm thick blade stock on a knife that goes in my pocket? The answer is that I, personally, don't.
 
It what was first placed in my hand by my Grandpa as a 5 year old boy 46 years ago. I always have a Traditional knife with me and I got my first lockback in the 1980's it was a Spyerco that I lost in grad school. I feel naked without one.
 
My mother-in-law (a great lady, now passed on) gave me a modern S&W for Christmas about 13 or 15 years ago (had a pocket clip, serrated blade, etc). It is still in the blister package - the style just doesn't appeal to me. I carry a traditional pocketknife because that is my normal; I have with me what I like to have with me. Today I fished on the Pamlico River - had a Case 6318 in my pocket - same one that has been in my pocket all week at work. OH
 
I carry modern and traditional & both are quite functional, but at the end of the day the traditional wins on aesthetics hands down.
 
I carry at least one knife every day because I can . I only carry traditional slip joints because I prefer them .


Harry
 
I've always had a handful of traditional knives stashed in my drawer since I was a kid. But I carried 1-hand openers pretty much exclusively for the last 10-15 years. What got me back into traditionals was the passing of my grandfather about 2 years ago. I decided to buy a Schrade 8OT in his memory because that is what I always remembered him having on him at all times.

Then I discovered Great Eastern knives and it's been downhill ever since. I officially own ZERO "modern" or "tactical" knives now... And very few knives that aren't made by GEC..... The appeal to me is the variety of covers, natural materials, and that walk and talk snap that drives my wife crazy when I sit and play with a knife on the couch
 
I like to think that I just carry whatever knife I feel like without thinking about it, but I does feel good carrying something like my grandfather carried and makes me want to carry slipjoints.
Before joining the BF'S I would never have carried a slipjoint or 2 hand knife as a primary folder, but seeing all of your gec's made me want to .
thank you all for that , you opened my eyes to a new world that would never have experienced 👍
 
I carry traditional slipjoints mostly because of the novelty. I was nearly sixty before I bought my first "jackknife", an ill-fitted and somewhat unlovely Old Timer stockman. Over the years, most of my knives had been SAKs and Opinels, carried on the bike for motorcycle camping, and as supplements to my tool kits.

After a few years of carrying modest one-handers, I finally came around to this forum in search of information on Moras and Opinels. Some of the lore rubbed off, I learned a little about the variety of patterns and materials, and now carrying traditional knives is one of my foremost forms of entertainment. It allows me to prove to the world that I can tell a trapper from a stockman from a whittler from a muskrat, not that anybody is paying attention.
 
There are lots of reasons to enjoy traditional knives. I agree with what Chris said in another topic....

Chris Montgomery said:
Keeping history alive and traditions going is part of what makes this forum so special.
Click to expand...

I don't care about patina. I don't find aesthetics particularly interesting ---In my opinion, the old knife companies figured that stuff out 100 years ago. What is of interest to me is the history of these old patterns and the tradition. And I like high quality knives.

I don't have negativity toward modern knives. There are some very well made modern knives. But I've grown up with traditionals and they do what I need. And if I don't use a knife, I generally don't keep it. So my knives are almost all traditionals.

There are also a lot of very nice and knowledgeable folks who make this community great.
 
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