A Long Lost Friend

sabre cat

sabre cat

Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
6,191
One of my favorite knives has been missing. My Benchmade 531. It's been on vacation for months. I'd say three, maybe four. Long enough that I have all but completely written it off as a field loss. I figured that I could replace it with a Benchmade Bugout or another 531 after the holidays and a few necessities (car repairs) were dealt with. In its absence, I have been using another favorite, a US made Kershaw Zing. A SAK Cadet and a Gerber MP400 multi-tool have also been in the mix.

Well, now the 531 has been found, safe and sound. My long lost friend was found yesterday, tucked into a corner of a drawer. To my surprise, I have not been super excited that I found it. I mean, I'm pleased but, not to the extent that I expected. Nor, am I in any real big hurry to use it.

Another surprise has been my experiences with the three knives listed above. Out of the three, the Gerber was carried more so it has seen the most use. But, the Cadet has brought a smile to my face. The Zing just has not seen much pocket time at all.

What's wrong with me? To pass up the Benchmade and the Kershaw to carry a SAK is not like me at all. I'm not really a big fan of knives with nail nicks. I like SAKs, don't get me wrong, but, they have always taken a backseat to more modern designs.

This is just plain weird. Anyone else have a sudden loss to carry their favorite knives? Especially for something they own that has always been a just considered a second place knife?
 
I lost my sunbrite beerscout for a few months and then it turned up in a friends sofa. I was super happy.
 
Well, I would suggest you pick up a traditional that is a bit higher in F&F. The way I see it, you have found an appreciation for your Cadet (my first memorable traditional as well), and this may be across the board.

You can find quite a few traditionals by GEC for under $100 new, and definitely on the exchange. Hell, you might even be able to trade your 531 into a GEC, and not be out anything that you would miss.
 
Once I lost my spyderco native. I replaced it but while it was gone I had been using a CRKT Squid and I have yet to carry the new native. I also lost the squid for a while and started to carry the PM2 now I have trouble forcing myself to pick something different for my pocket in the morning. The squid was found after being in the gravel of a self store place for a couple of weeks. I sharpened it, oiled it but it has not seen any use.

I consider the loss (sometimes permanent and some are temporary like yours) almost a way to force me to try new things. Keeps the collection moving forward. Maybe the loss is a sign to me that it is time to retire a knife if I lost and got it back but dont put it back in rotation. (Listed under my excuses to buy my next knife) Maybe subconsciously I loose them on purpose. Too deep for a Thursday......
 
My 5.11 Tarani Karambit went MIA for a few months, turned up in a jacket pocket, I was ecstatic!
 
woodsmanoh said:
Once I lost my spyderco native. I replaced it but while it was gone I had been using a CRKT Squid and I have yet to carry the new native. I also lost the squid for a while and started to carry the PM2 now I have trouble forcing myself to pick something different for my pocket in the morning. The squid was found after being in the gravel of a self store place for a couple of weeks. I sharpened it, oiled it but it has not seen any use.

I consider the loss (sometimes permanent and some are temporary like yours) almost a way to force me to try new things. Keeps the collection moving forward. Maybe the loss is a sign to me that it is time to retire a knife if I lost and got it back but dont put it back in rotation. (Listed under my excuses to buy my next knife) Maybe subconsciously I loose them on purpose. Too deep for a Thursday......
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I wish the only time I bought a new knife was when I lost my current one.
My bank account (and the Misses) would be much happier.
 
I have a CS from the early 90's, a Voyager, that has been through it all with me and it shows it. Although I don't carry it anymore, it still means a lot to me and would be very sad if he went lost. I got him in a safe place.
 
NJBillK said:
I wish the only time I bought a new knife was when I lost my current one.
My bank account (and the Misses) would be much happier.
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It has been awhile since I purchased a new knife and I am OK with that. There are very few knives on my list that I really, really want to try. A CRK small Insingo, for one. A Buck Froe and a Spyderco D'Allara complete the list.
Of course, there are lots of other knives I would like to try but, these three seem to fit my needs better than most others.

Still, my Cadet seems to fit the bill nicely. Who knows, maybe I will never have a need to try anything new.
 
Had a BM 530 that I gave away to a co-worker once. I really missed it after that, so I got another one.

Buddy was looking for something "light but durable", so I gave away the second 530.

Was set on getting another one until I watched that video review of the BM 535 Bugout over in Review & Testing forum.

I won't buy another 530, and if either of my friends wants to give me back one of the 530s, I'll give it away again.

Sometimes new friends are more interesting than old friends.
 
Velitrius said:
Had a BM 530 that I gave away to a co-worker once. I really missed it after that, so I got another one.

Buddy was looking for something "light but durable", so I gave away the second 530.

Was set on getting another one until I watched that video review of the BM 535 Bugout over in Review & Testing forum.

I won't buy another 530, and if either of my friends wants to give me back one of the 530s, I'll give it away again.

Sometimes new friends are more interesting than old friends.
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I like the Bugout. I really do. But, I can't justify the purchase. Between BM's Volli and their 531 I don't have a need for the Bugout. I will admit, I have considered the purchase of one for my wife and then taking it over if she does not use it.:)

I guess what I should do is sell my Volli and use the funds to buy the blue-sided beauty. However, there are a few small features that endear me to the 531. Not really sure if I would carry the Bugout while I still own a 531.

They are both fine knives but, I can't help but feel the Bugout is the better of the two. I really
would not be surprised if the 530 and 531 die a slow death because the Bugout is so well thought out.
 
sabre cat said:
....Still, my Cadet seems to fit the bill nicely. Who knows, maybe I will never have a need to try anything new.
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Those of us that routinely carry a SAK usually use the SAK more than any other knife we might have on us. But it still does not stop me from trying new stuff out or carrying a second folder. If that becomes uncomfortable, I'll just keep the SAK in my pocket and do just fine. But I enjoy trying stuff out.

I don't have a Cadet. Maybe I need to get one during one of my knife store visits. That at least makes me feel okay when I leave the store with just the Cadet.

I'm very interested in handling a BM 535 Bugout. It seems to be a knife that I would like a lot and use. My last "unexpected" addition was a Steel Will Mini Cutjack (flipper, G10, M390) and I'm very pleased with it. Have it in my pocket right now along with my SAK.
 
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I've been carrying my clipped large Sebbie (or Zaan) for many yrs now. However, about a year ago, I also started carrying a Bradford Guardian 3 in the "factory" leather cross-draw sheath. I use the Bradford constantly throughout the day, and seldom open the Sebbie any more.
In the middle of painting my house, and lost my Bradford for several hrs. Finally found it half-buried in the dirt near one of the walls that I just finished painting. I was VERY happy to find it. It's a great knife. I don't know what I'm going to do about the seldom-used Sebbie.
 
Lost my Camillus Scout Knife around 1955, when mowing the neighbors' lawn as a kid. My sister found it in a ground level flower box 30 years later when she and my BIL bought the house. Rusted solid, but still recognizably mine.
 
Knock on wood ... I've never lost a knife ... but thinking maybe I need to work a little harder at "loosing one or two" ...

NJBillK said:
I wish the only time I bought a new knife was when I lost my current one.
My bank account (and the Misses) would be much happier.
Click to expand...
 
sabre cat said:
I like the Bugout. I really do. But, I can't justify the purchase. Between BM's Volli and their 531 I don't have a need for the Bugout. I will admit, I have considered the purchase of one for my wife and then taking it over if she does not use it.:)
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Or perhaps she would like the 530 or the 531, eh?
 
I lost a customized mini CQC-15 when moving between states, and it sat undiscovered in a shoebox for 6 months. It had been my absolute favorite carry knife, but, in its absence, I got more into flippers - so, when I found it, I also found I had lost any desire to carry it. It sat for a long time before I sold it, mostly because I was sure I would want to carry it again eventually. Never happened.

I kinda wonder where it has ultimately ended up. It wasn't the prettiest knife, but it was fun.

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