2023: A Knife Odyssey

All right, my friends, we are approaching the end of the road. And although this has been a blast, after 5 months, I kinda want to get back to carrying what I want. I have begun missing the simple act of choosing a knife based on daily desires and not having to play the “what have I not carried yet?” game. I also have a number of knives that were acquired during this journey and have only carried and used them once.

That being the case, I AM going to ride this B until the wheels fall off and show off the rest of my collection. However, I am going to expedite this last leg of the journey by displaying my stuff in small groups. So here we go…
 
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5/30
Here we have the remainder of my GECs.
1. Tidioute 62 Easy Pocket Congress in blood red jigged bone and 1095
2. Northfield 62 Easy Pocket Congress DLT SFO in maroon linen micarta and 1095
3. GEC 72 Mini Lockback Hunter in ruby red jigged bone and 440C

I probably should have kept these for Wharncliffe Wednesday, but whateverrrrr. As previously stated, the 62 EPC is one of my all time favorite GEC patterns, thus my having 5 of them. The 72 was a light user I picked up on a whim at a good price, and although it is a bit larger than I usually carry, it is pretty awesome.

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5/31
Here we have my non-EDC fixed blades that get used for the times I require a larger knife for larger knife things. Starting from the top:

1. Brisa/Enzo Trapper 95 with a full flat ground Elmax blade and walnut handles. The previous owner put this together using one of Brisa’s kits, and made the kydex sheath and then sold it to me for dirt cheap. I contend that Brisa is one of the best value in knives out there.

2. Bark River Bobcat with a convex ground CPM-154 blade and dyed maple burl handle scales, black liners, and mosaic pins. This is the smaller version of BRK’s Classic Drop Point Hunter that comes in a more manageable size and super thin blade stock. This is a laser of a knife, and I enjoy the guard on the handle. You can never go wrong with a Loveless design.

3. Bark River Ultra Lite Bushcrafter with a “scandivex” ground 3V blade and multicolor dyed box elder burl handle scales and mosaic pins. These are extremely light and an excellent size for getting most knifey tasks done.

4. LionSteel M1 with a flat ground satin M390 blade and santos wood (a rosewood) handle scales. While M390 is not my first choice for a fixed blade steel, it actually suits this smaller knife quite well. LionSteel always does a great job with their fit & finish, and this is no exception. I don’t know if this model has been discontinued or what, but they don’t appear to be readily available these days, which is unfortunate since it is a really good knife.

drawkcaB drawkcaB I have also included a pic of the sheaths they get carried in. 😉

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6/1
Happy June! Today’s showcasing is the last two knives in my Tom Krein collection.

1. TK-1 Wharnie with a satin S35VN blade and Westinghouse oatmeal linen micarta over brown micarta liners and brass mosaic and hardware. Not much to say other than this is about as good as it gets for a small pocket EDC fixed blade.

2. K-Uti (short for Kitchen Utility) with a satin AEBL blade and brown canvas micarta over black liners and brass hardware. While this is part of Tom’s kitchen cutlery line, at 6” OAL and thinly ground blade, it makes for a marvelous EDC knife.

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6/2
Happy Fixed Blade Friday, folks! Today we have the last of my EDC Bark Rivers:

1. City Knife 1st Production Run in CPM-154 which started out life with relatively mundane maroon linen micarta handle scales but was recovered by Matt Davis with some gorgeous box elder burl scales and brass & copper hardware and mosaic pins.

2. City Knife with an Elmax blade and blue & black raptor scale handles over orange liners with brass hardware and mosaic pins.

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6/3
This morning’s carry is my fancy knife for the non-traveling water times. The Quiet Carry Drift with the knurled & stonewashed handle and satin blade is a truly excellent modern folder with thin handles and an excellent blade with slim blade stock and a deliciously thinly ground blade. If you have ever found yourself considering one of these, do yourself a favor and pick one up while you can.

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6/4
Happy Slipjoint Sunday! Today’s group is the remainder of my custom slipjoint collection. These are all excellent knives, so please do not mistake their being last on the list as anything other than me simply having too many knives. 😂

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From the top:

1. Willem Steenkamp Gunstock with a hand-rubbed satin CPM-154 blade and crosscut micarta covers with black linen bolsters with an ivorite spacer and red liners. This was a gift from Willem and will always remain in my collection until I leave this mortal plain. Willem is a wonderful human being that makes one hell of a knife.

2. Ricardo Romano Small Zulu with a hand-rubbed satin CPM-154 blade and crosscut cranberry canvas micarta covers with black liners and black G10 shield.

3. David Taber (Dr.T) Dogleg with a hand-rubbed satin CPM-154 blade and jigged bone covers with stainless fluted bolsters.

4. Jason Taber Swayback with a belt satin CPM-154 blade and vintage brown Westinghouse rag micarta covers sourced from a 60s airline serving tray.

5. Andy Fannin Small Lanny’s Clip with a hand-rubbed satin CPM-154 blade and black Missouri walnut sourced from Don Hanson III with stainless fluted bolsters.

6. Mike Moran Eureka Jack with a hand-rubbed satin CPM-154 blade and Gabon ebony covers with with stainless fluted bolsters.
 
6/5
For Mostly Micarta Monday, I have here the remainder of my fixed blade collection.

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From the top:

1. Boker Solingen BFF designed by Luke Burnley with a satin AEBL blade, walnut handle scales, and brass hardware. These are amazing little knives that are nice and thin, very pocket friendly, and come with spectacular f&f.

2. Bradshaw Blades (Casey Bradshaw) EDC with a belt satin S35VN blade, spalted maple bolsters, red canvas scales, and black liners. This is the smaller 5.75” OAL EDC model that is a great size for a general utility pocket EDC.

3. Brisa Scara 60 with a satin RWL34 blade, “buffalo” micarta scales, and red liners. These are truly excellent little knives if you want a high quality 3-finger pocket fixie that won’t break the bank.

4. Fiddleback Forge Runt with a convex satin O1 blade with a tapered tang, brown canvas scales over black liners with white pinstripes and mosaic pins. This came to me with what we’ll call a very robust grind, so I recently sent it off to Andy Roy, and he was kind enough to thin it out with a full height grind.
 
For this lovely Tuesday, I present you with the remainder of my Spyderco collection.

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From the top:
1. Caly 3 sprint in HAP40 and forest green G10
2. Chaparral in XHP and raffir noble
3. UKPK in S30V and orange G10
4. Urban in VG10 and foliage green G10
5. Native 5 in LC200N and yellow FRN
6. Dragonfly 2 in ZDP189 and British racing green FRN
7. Manix 2 sprint in Cruwear and checkered grey G10
 
whereismyknife said:
I read the post. I was inspired. I have never used social media so I met that condition. then I liked the idea of not buying knives and getting to know the collection. but I saw the photos and wanted to buy more knives. i think it had the opposite effect on me😁😁😁😁😁 btw, It's a great collection.
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I have my first custom being made directly as a result of following this thread.
 
whereismyknife said:
I read the post. I was inspired. I have never used social media so I met that condition. then I liked the idea of not buying knives and getting to know the collection. but I saw the photos and wanted to buy more knives. i think it had the opposite effect on me😁😁😁😁😁 btw, It's a great collection.
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I broke down after a few months and bought stuff too. It’s ok. Just accept that we are what we are - raving lunatics. 🤪
 
Ok, back to it. My bad for slacking lately. This group represents my nice non-CRK modern locking folders.

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1. Brian Germishuys Insele - This is the only custom modern folder that has persisted in my collection these many years. Brian was an extremely kind and talented South African knife maker who I used to talk with regularly, but he unfortunately passed away in 2017. The Insele is an amazing small front flipper with a very Japanese design language that looks as awesome closed as it does open. With a hand rubbed satin RWL34 blade, titanium liners and orange peel titanium bolsters, topped off with green canvas scales and backspacer, this little guy is always a pleasure to pocket and use.

2. EMP EDC Nymble - Normally this kind of knife would not be on my radar, but a good friend gifted this to me this past Christmas, and holy crap is this a fun little knife. With 4 opening methods, it is about as fidgety as a knife can get, if that your thing. I find it extremely useful for boring work conference calls lol.

3. WE Knives Pleroma- Designed by the late Elijah Isham, this swayback-inspired design oozes coolness. I can’t remember the exact term that was coined, but the handle is a partial integral with the titanium portions being one solid piece, spanning the spine of the handle. The tall full flat ground blade is an insane slicer and absolutely murders corrugated cardboard. This was another gift from my brother for a birthday years ago.
 
d.2.the.p said:
Ok, back to it. My bad for slacking lately. This group represents my nice non-CRK modern locking folders.

View attachment 2219478View attachment 2219479

1. Brian Germishuys Insele - This is the only custom modern folder that has persisted in my collection these many years. Brian was an extremely kind and talented South African knife maker who I used to talk with regularly, but he unfortunately passed away in 2017. The Insele is an amazing small front flipper with a very Japanese design language that looks as awesome closed as it does open. With a hand rubbed satin RWL34 blade, titanium liners and orange peel titanium bolsters, topped off with green canvas scales and backspacer, this little guy is always a pleasure to pocket and use.

2. EMP EDC Nymble - Normally this kind of knife would not be on my radar, but a good friend gifted this to me this past Christmas, and holy crap is this a fun little knife. With 4 opening methods, it is about as fidgety as a knife can get, if that your thing. I find it extremely useful for boring work conference calls lol.

3. WE Knives Pleroma- Designed by the late Elijah Isham, this swayback-inspired design oozes coolness. I can’t remember the exact term that was coined, but the handle is a partial integral with the titanium portions being one solid piece, spanning the spine of the handle. The tall full flat ground blade is an insane slicer and absolutely murders corrugated cardboard. This was another gift from my brother for a birthday years ago.
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That first one in micarta is very pretty..... Great lines and materials👍👍👍
 
Sooo I finally got around to cleaning out my desk (I predominantly work from home), and here is the hodgepodge of knives that were in there.

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First column
1. Puma IP El Pato Negro in black linen micarta and 1.4116 steel - these Spanish made Pumas are awesome slipjoints if you are looking for something a little different from the norm.
2. Kizer Begleiter 2 in denim and 154cm - this was a gift from my mom, and the action is pretty amazing. It makes for a phenomenal working knife that can take a beating and look good while doing it.
3. GEC H20 drop point in midnight camo linen micarta and 1095 - these just came out recently and are an insane value at $50.
4. Bestech Tulip in pink G10 and 14c28n - this is my fancy and fun utility blade. With a name like “tulip”, pink was the only correct choice.

Second column
5. Manly Wasp in orange G10 and S90V steel - I bought this to try out S90V for a whopping $65 bucks. This is about as solid a slipjoint that I have ever experienced that is very capable of doing all the knifey things you may need outside of stupidly stabbing stuff.
6. Bark River Little Creek in coyote G10 with black liners and convex ground A2 blade - this is an older Little Creek that is pre-Coke-bottle contouring, and personally I like it better than the thicker, more contoured LCs. This was gifted to me out of kindness by a seller from whom I bought a different knife that was stolen in transit by a sticky-fingered USPS employee. I asked for no recompense for the loss because he fulfilled his part of the bargain and cannot be blamed for my receiving an empty, clearly tampered with box, and yet this showed up at my door days later. It will never leave my collection.
3. GEC H20 wharncliffe in green canvas and 1095 - same as above, the f&f you get here is insane for the price. This served as my dedicated desk knife for quite some time.
4. CRKT Dually - designed by the great Richard Rogers, this is a fun little knife/bottle opener.
 
jfk1110 said:
That first one in micarta is very pretty..... Great lines and materials👍👍👍
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It is one of my favorite knives ever. I carried it and used it almost daily for years. The once-satin liners look like they were dragged across pavement from banging around in my pocket with keys and other stuff for so long. It also proves that Teflon washers (gasp! 😂) are perfectly awesome and can withstand the test of time.
 
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