2023: A Knife Odyssey

d.2.the.p

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Aug 30, 2011
Messages
1,191
Greetings, BF, and happy 2023. As part of my self-improvement for the year, I have decided to stop buying knives for a bit so that I can get to know my collection a bit better. To do so, I thought I would start by carrying a different knife out of my collection every day or so. Since another aspect of my self-improvement included deactivating my Facebook and Instagram accounts, I figured this is the best place to chronicle my journey that should take us through a good chunk of the first half of the year if I stick with it. NOTE: My dates are in m/d/y format.

Speaking of which, my collection is quite eclectic, so parking this in the General section seemed most appropriate. (Mods - if there is a better home for this thread, feel free to move it.) I have something that should interest most aficionados, so if you stay tuned long enough, you will hopefully see something you think is as cool as I think it is. I may not update this every day, but I will try and stay on top of it as closely as my busy life allows.

Feel free to comment and ask questions, and I will attempt to address them when I can. I am all about sharing. As an urban dweller, I am not particularly hard on my knives, but they are tools and all will get used as my primary parter of material when a material requires parting. Some of these clearly get thumped on more than others, but they all are “users” to some extent, albeit potentially negligible for some.

Worth noting, none of these items are for sale or trade, so please don’t bother asking.

I hadn’t decided whether I was going to memorialize this effort or not, so I am a few days behind. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy my knives.

4/1 UPDATE: I have bought a few knives recently because KNIVES but still intend to finish what I started here because this is fun. I have also sold off quite a few knives recently, so at least there is some semblance of balance.
 
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1/1
Tom Krein Hydra with a satin D2 blade and dyed giraffe bone handle with forest green liners and mosaic pin. This is likely my coolest pickup in 2022, so it seemed like a good way to kick off the new year. The giraffe bone provides a nice heft and is deliciously smooth to the touch. The Hydra model is one of my all-time favorite pocket fixed blades and is very much a little big knife.
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GEC 99 Wall Street with a polished 440C blade and bolsters and American Elk covers. The 99 is my favorite model from GEC. It is the perfect size, and I love the straight lines of the handle couple with the big thinly ground wharncliffe blade.
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Greetings, BF, and happy 2023. As part of my self-improvement for the year, I have decided to stop buying knives until I get to know my current collection a bit better. To do so, I thought I would start by carrying a different knife out of my collection every day or so. Since another aspect of my self-improvement included deactivating my Facebook and Instagram accounts, I figured this is the best place to chronicle my journey.


Yep, looks like you have things well under control.
 
1/5
Bark River Essential in 20CV with dyed maple burl scales, carbon fiber bolsters, and mosaic pins. IMO, this is the best run of Essentials that BRK has done due to the relative thinness of the blade stock and grind compared to subsequent much chunkier runs. Also, other runs used metal bolsters, so combined with thicker blade stock, they could get quite heavy for such a small knife. This version alleviates all of that nonsense. Also, who doesn’t love a good fuller?

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Bret Dowell Dogleg in vintage Westinghouse ivory paper micarta with brushed satin hardware and a ATS34 (maybe CPM154, can’t remember) blade with a belt satin finish. It is ~3 3/4” closed. If you haven’t experienced Mr. Dowell’s waffer theen grinds, snappy action, and flawless fit & finish, I highly recommend tracking one down. He is a maker’s maker, and his work is truly legendary. Of all the makers in my custom slipjoint collection, his work has the largest footprint.

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Bret Dowell Dogleg in vintage Westinghouse ivory paper micarta with brushed satin hardware and a ATS34 (maybe CPM154, can’t remember) blade with a belt satin finish. It is ~3 3/4” closed. If you haven’t experienced Mr. Dowell’s waffer theen grinds, snappy action, and flawless fit & finish, I highly recommend tracking one down. He is a maker’s maker, and his work is truly legendary. Of all the makers in my custom slipjoint collection, his work has the largest footprint.

View attachment 2037112
That's a beauty!
 
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