All American Knives, fixed/ folder- your vote?

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

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Dec 3, 2000
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I'd been pondering knives and cultures this last hour or so, an' was thinkin'...what would you pick as the knife that you would consider to be the most hellaciously jingoistic, red blooded, whup ass all American knife that any good patriotic lad should be damn proud to carry? The knife that would be to America whe the Kukri is to Nepal?
There's obviously two classes here to choose from folder and fixed.

I'll cast my two votes, even though I'm sure there will be more appropriate votes cast by other folks. (sorry, but my knife history knowledge is sketchy at best)

for a folder, I'd choose a Buck 110 It's a time tested, older design, made by a great American company, and I think of it as most definitely a pioneer in the world of folding knives. I would even go so far as to say that it is/was a very strong forerunner to todays popular designs. Most anyone can afford 'em if they want to, they're common as dirt, and there's hardly an outdoorsman I've met that doesn't have some colorful story about one. The darn things are everywhere you look, an' they just keep on workin'...

Second pick...well...it seems obvious to me a good bowie knife would be appropriate here...

I'd vote the Coldsteel Trailmaster. Once again, it's been around awhile, and has been proven virtually indestructable. It's sharp as hell, carries nicely and falls just short of the max length in Bowie knives (such as the sizes recommended by James Keating) and it's above the minimum size of what's considered a Bowie knife. Kinda in between. Overall a size that would be well suited for defense, or rough utility work. Also, it's not what one would call inexpensive, but...it isn't terribly expensive, and it's not at all hard to find.

So...there's two of my picks for knives that symbolize or represent America quite well...

How 'bout yers?
 
Can't argue too much with the Buck 110 although Emerson knives would also have to be considered. But with the fixed blades I think that the Randall Model 1 would have to be considered the best candidate. It has a history based on its performance starting back in WWII and is the forerunner of most modern tactical fixed blades.
 
coming from a non american background the one that immediately springs to mind is the ka bar. from an outsiders point of view its about as american as it gets...
 
Hard to argue with Runs with Scissors and Burkstar: If all a guy had with a Randall No 1 and a Buck 110, you be well heeled in the blade dept.
 
Hadn't considered the Randall, and I'm not much on Randall history, (although I should be) But I do know it's one of those huge names that's been around forever, and damn sure aint associated with junk.

The Ka-Bar was one that occurred to me after starting this thread, and I hate to admit it so soon, but it's definitely a better choice than the Trailmaster. Trailmasters still definitely a classic, but nowhere near the level of the Ka-Bar...:D
 
Originally posted by .45acp
Hard to argue with Runs with Scissors and Burkstar: If all a guy had with a Randall No 1 and a Buck 110, you be well heeled in the blade dept.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but the Ka-Bar is what came to mind when I read the title.
 
Folder...Buck 110 or Camillus Boy Scout knife
Fixed...Camillus/Becker BK-7 or BK-9
 
I won't even bother to vote on a folder, but in spite of the fact that hundreds of thousands of Marines have carried the Kabar, Jim Bowie's knife is probably the most renknown and legendary American blade.

Darrel
 
Well....errrr....uhmmmm....yup! yup! yup! that was a lively debate...:D

Actually, I was inspired to go out and buy my first Buck 110 an hour or so after starting this thread. Gotta say, My collection seems much more complete now. Course I made the mistake of logging onto the Buck homepage and linking to Pete's Custom Knife Shop. (http://www.buckknives.com/pcks/)

The CUSTOM 110...how cool!! I told my buddies about them and how it was so cool, but they just couldn't relate...kinda figured it's just a plain boring 110 no matter what pieces an' parts is slapped onto it. To me it's an American classic with some damn cool touches!

First one I decided I may not be able to live without is the one with a BG-42 blade and the smooth Asian Water Buffalo handles, nickel bolsters, unserrated, sans finger grooves.

Second one, would be the brown elk horn with silver bolsters, and a damascus blade.

Third one would be the pearl handles, nickel bolsters, with the mirror polish 420HC blade

An auto conversion, and one with the checkered cherry would handle would be cool too, but...hell, I'll be busy for years trying to scratch up the cash for what's already on my wish list. And that would be assuming I don't go through another dramatic moodswing and start adding rare and exotic fingernail clippers to the collection...

I wonder if all that cool stuff would be an option for the 112?

Also wonder whose still doing those conversions? I know the Buck conversions themselves are a dime a dozen, but not ones with BG-42 and fancy handle materials...

Oh well..bottom line is my collection is much better balanced now...:D
 
A 110 in the pocket and a KA Bar on the belt. I'd rather have a Randall but the KA Bar is probably more representative of the true American Experience.

Of course with a Randall and a Buck 110, you're knife needs are pretty much taken care of in all but the most subtle of situations. THen you need a Schrade Old Timer or a Case XXX three blade slip joint. Then your mix would be truly complete.

jmx
 
Folding: Old Timer Stockman
Fixed: Ka-Bar, or Schrade Sharpfinger
Those are about as American as apple pie!
 
Well, I pretty much agree with the Buck 110 for the folder, and the Randall was the first fixed blade I thought of, but the Ka-bar would certainly work, too! For 20th century American, at least.

Pre-20th century all-American could include the cattlemans knife for a folder, and maybe a Green-River butcher/outdoors knife, or the Bowie for a fixed blade. I imagine more people used Green Rivers, but the Bowie does seem more "American". :)

21st century, who knows? Spyderco Endura and Becker 7 maybe?
 
I´m from Mexico so for a bit of a foreign point of view:

For folders, I really like the Buck 110 but I would put it third after the stockman and the boy scout, those two really say "American" to me.

For fixed blades it would be the KA-BAR, followed by the air force survival, both well recognized as "All American", but the Ka-Bar is a much better design IMHO, the Buck Special 119, is also a recognized American knife.

Generally speaking one hand openers, including autos, are often seen as American.

Also, outside the U.S, "Rambo knife" is probably recognized even more than "Bowie knife".

Edited to correct model name and number on the Buck fixed blade.
 
For the folder, it has to be the three-blade stockman.

For fixed-blade, I'll agree with the Kabar.
 
Currently the carbon steel CS knives are made in America, but they haven't always been, and the stainless versions are still imported. Seems a bit ironic to laud an import as the quintessential American knife.

The original USMC combat knife, originally and still made by Camillus, is the factory bowie that comes to my mind first, and it is made in America.
 
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