5 favorite traditional carry knives ?

[redsparrow]

Man, there are some great knives in this thread. I wanna play.

Cory, I'm so glad you decided to play. That S & M and Half Whittler are amazing! Oh yeah and BTW... could you please rescue that Eureka from those lemons before it melts.

 

[r redden]

This was hard because I am always changing up what I stick in my pocket. Sorry about 7 knives but the SAK's are always with me.


Boker Single Blade Trapper

Schrade 5OT

6 Dot Case Barlow (one of my very favorite knives)

GEC Hayin' Helper

S&M Winterbottom Barlow

Always have the Swiss Champ in my console and the Classic on my keychain

 

[Dr-Mabuse]

My five fave folders + fixie: CSC/Kabar Halfmoon Trapper, GEC Buckeye Trapper, Tuna Valley Teardrop, CSC Pinch, GEC Missouri Trader and up top we have the Bark River Gunny Hunter.

The Barkie is my inna woods knife, it recently went hiking all over UT and AZ with me. I highly recommend 3V steel, it can take any amount of abuse you'd throw at a knife and then some. Edge holding and sharpenability are nicely balanced. Desert Ironwood and Brass hardware give this knife a more traditional feel that we all can appreciate.

The CSC Pinch: This particular rendition has D2 steel and what CSC called Cherry Berry Micarta (slightly translucent though, maybe G10?). So light, thin, tough, and useful. Canal Street's best design IMHO. If you don't believe me just go pick one of the Kabar Coppersmith versions up while you still can.

Tuna Valley Teardrop: Every time I hold this knife, my heart beats a little faster. Why, oh why does everyone pay stupid money for secondhand 85s when they could have one of these? 154 CM, great stag and a handful of delicious curves. I find it hard to carry this one because I look funny walking around with my hand in my pocket.

Kabar/CSC Halfmoon: You have to love a slim jack, especially this 14-4 CroMo and copper clad beauty. It gives me the best of both worlds, on one hand you have a premium stainless steel and on the other you still get to appreciate the ever changing patina of the bolsters and shield! It is hands down my favorite knife to carry.

GEC 42 MO Trader: My bomb-proof GEC. If GEC made a 440C and micarta version of every pattern they make, I'd be bankrupt. I particularly like the 42, it seems so perfectly proportioned.

GEC 48 Buckeye Trapper SFO: A very special classic. This used to be my go to carry knife before the halfmoon kicked it out of my pocket. Constant rubbing and carry have smoothed and mellowed the dark red bone. Use and repeated sharpenings have left the 1095 steel dark grey and sticky sharp. It's really heavy for it's size, a confidence inspiring sort of weight. I always carry this one when I need some extra good luck.

 

[5K Qs]

"5 Favorite" is too difficult for me to identify. I think I can easily identify the 5 knives I carry most frequently, since there are 5 that I carry every day (along with sets of 8 other knives that rotate weekly). The knives I carry every day are not only knives that perform well and represent classes of knives I enjoy using, but they're also knives that have some sentimental value. My five "constant companions", in the order in which they came into my possession:

1. Case Tru-Sharp peanut with jigged brown Delrin covers; won this in the first GAW I ever entered at BF, sponsored by Cory Hess. First GAW entered, first GAW won, first "raffle" I ever won in 60+ years, first peanut, first Case, first of many thoughtful interactions with Cory.

2. Vic Electrician; BF member greg c just sent this to me for practically no reason, about a month after I won the peanut!?! Infected me with a case of Alox Pox I can't (and don't want to) get rid of.

3. Vic Minichamp; I picked it up at the first local gun & knife show I attended. At subsequent shows, I almost always find at least one knife that I think is worth taking home with me. The Minichamp also represents my interest in "folding multi-tools" (it's got a PEN!!).

4. Case chestnut jigged bone Sodbuster Jr. with CV blade; won this from BigBiscuit in a GAW he ran just before he first went into the hospital. It's a daily reminder to me of what a caring community exists here on The Porch.

5. Rough Rider small stockman; BF member r8shell sent me this knife for no reason other than I expressed admiration for scrimshaw, and totally surprised me by adding a mathematical formula she knew I admired to the side of the knife. Closest I'll ever come to a custom folder, I think!

Wild Card: I've become enamored with the canoe pattern, and carry a canoe of some sort every day. I'll let this Buck stag canoe represent the fact that I've become a canoe addict (as well as quite a fan of stag).

 

[Dr-Mabuse]

GT, you present quite the case for the generosity and warmth of this forum. You're a lucky man.

I too love the canoe but only in theory. I love pen knife setups, I love hidden tangs, but.. I haven't seen an example that grabbed me yet. Yours however is quite handsome.

 

[Frotier76]

Schrade Walden 880 4" Kon-Kav Stockman
Schrade USA 8OT 4" Stockman (old NY 3-line stamping)
Case #6392 New Grind 4"Stockman 1984
Imperial #4515 Frontier/Double Eagle Series 4" Sportsman Lockback
Imperial #4434 Frontier Series 4" Stockman (Gunpowder Black)

Yes I'm a stockman fanatic

 

[deltaboy]

I would carry my 34OT , but it had horrible blade play when my dad got it and never used it. and I'd also carry my 33OT, but the sheepsfoot has no snap to it.

I got 3 of them and they are got good snap.

 

[deltaboy]

Schrade Walden 880 4" Kon-Kav Stockman
Schrade USA 8OT 4" Stockman (old NY 3-line stamping)
Case #6392 New Grind 4"Stockman 1984
Imperial #4515 Frontier/Double Eagle Series 4" Sportsman Lockback
Imperial #4434 Frontier Series 4" Stockman (Gunpowder Black)

Yes I'm a stockman fanatic

Nothing like a good stock man.

 

[lutejones]

Let me tell you first that this was surprisingly difficult, specially coming down from around 10 to 5, but since the title says favourite carry, I'll stick with the most carried.
- #5 Case peanut: inconspicuous, light, amazingly comfortable for such small knife, wonderful in dress pants

This one is a 1977 Delrin model.
- #4 Boker Barlow: I used to carry it a lot and was "my knife" for a while some 4 or 5 years ago, so it has earned its place, even though now is a little neglected

- #3 Calvin taramundi: a gift from my mom, super light, super thin grind. I use it a lot in summer

- #2 Solingen pen: I remember when a friend of my father gave me some knives he had, I thought this was kind of ugly but then the extremely thin blades, sunken joints, lots of character took over. And the little blade is my favourite for detail carving

- #1 Case whittler: I've been carrying this knife for almost three years straight, stout main(a little too much) blade, thin pen blade and thinner little clip perfect for my style of whittling.

Honourable mention is between my Vic minichamp which has fixed everything you can imagine or my shop knife a case 6318PU from the sixties, I'll put this one because it's also the one I learned to whittle with

Mateo

 

[Cannonball970]

Well this was ridiculously difficult lol. I can narrow it down to these I guess, but I have a stand in for most of them that I sometimes prefer to carry. In no particular order:

#18 Beagle, 22 Magnum, TC #14 barlow, Northwoods Norfolk, Northwoods EDB, and the honorable mention goes to an old Schrade my dad gave me. I also have a vic rally on my keychain that should be mentioned since it's with me everyday.

 

[pmek5]

Nice group Cannonball970. My dad too has an Old Timer from the early 70's I hope to get from him. I am partial to the Norfolk & TC 14 as well.

 

[GaiusJulius]

Most carried...

1. Swayback Jack in Chestnut CV: this knife is possibly the nicest I own in terms of fit/finish. Yes, it's a Case, but they nailed it. Jigging is perfect, color of the covers is even, and the knife feels very good in my hand. The blade combination is supremely versatile, and the swayback shape with wharncliffe just looks so good. The knife is the perfect size to fill my hand for any cutting task (and feels as good or better in a reverse grip, which is not true of all slipjoints) but disappears in the pocket due to its relatively small dimensions. The CV holds a good edge, and the tang geometry is nailed so that nothing protrudes to gouge you in any grip.

2. TC Barlow New Day spey/pen in Copperhead Peachseed jigged bone: I never understood why people were so rabidly fanatical about the Barlow pattern (or Charlows, specifically) until I held this knife in my hand. Now I get it. The lines are so perfect on this knife -almost Art Deco, but really, timeless. The size is perfect in my small-medium hand, and if I needed to hold this knife all day long cutting stuff, I could, and it would be a pleasure. The covers are beautiful, the all-steel heft is satisfying, and the walk and talk is amazing. My favorite thing, however, is the blade combination, which is unusual, but almost perfect for a carry knife. The spey and pen blades cover just about every conceivable thing one could use a knife for.

3. Viper in red micarta: this is a beautiful knife, in a workmanlike way. It's got the Northfield bolster embellishments I like, and a walk and talk that is different from, but equally as satisfying, as the 15s. The main attraction for me is the large, supremely functional wharncliffe, and the micarta covers, which I don't feel the least bit bad about dropping into a crowded pocket or tossing into a toolbox. This knife is all about the blade, everything else is fluff. But it's good fluff, and makes for a great knife for craft projects. I grab my Viper when nothing else catches my eye, and I know that it will do what I need it to.

4. Presidential in blue camel bone: This knife is everything a knife should be, and IMHO Derrick hit it out of the ballpark. It's thin and elegant, the attributes which made penknives by far the most popular style when pocket cutlery was in its heyday. The Presidential has a spear big enough to do anything you could ever ask of a slipjoint, and a secondary coping/wharncliffe that gives you a nice sharp point and a wicked straight edge. The blades open with a silky smooth tang action and close authoritatively, and have very good pulls, which is a testament to the skill of the makers, as this isn't easy to achieve with a single-spring design. The size is hand-filling thanks to the big GEC #53 frame, but thin enough to be easily pocketable. Because it's a pen design, there are no obnoxious tangs to gouge you either.

5. Case Peanut in Chestnut CV: I had to think long and hard about this one, since I carry the above-mentioned knives more than most other ones nowadays, but probably my fifth choice is the venerable Peanut. It's small enough to disappear in any pocket, comfortable enough in the hand and capable enough with its blades. I tend to grab it either for around-the-house duty or for formal occasions when I'm wearing closer-cut trousers instead of relatively loose khakis or jeans that will swallow a bigger knife with aplomb.

 

[christusvictor]

1) Schatt and Morgan Senator
2) GEC 33 Conductor
3) Northwoods Mini Moose
4) 15 yr old Schrade 108OT
5) Vic Cadet