Are Peanuts Serious?

Will Power

Will Power

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Jan 18, 2007
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I don't have this pattern of knife, but recently I've been looking (on-line) at a Case Crandall.

I like the LOOK of the knife (I think, never handled one) but is it really any use?

The dimensions look TINY even my Case Mini-Copperlock - itself a midget - dwarfs it! My hands, or palms are not big, but my fingers are long so giant knives are not usually much use to me, but I wonder if the peanut is a serious knife or just an exercise in cutler's art? What was it designed for? What do you use this peanut for? Is it a waste of time? Certainly looks nice, serpentine , but.....

How do you rate it?
 
I got a Case autumn bone peanut a couple of months ago and I really like it. I am a big guy, 6' 4", large hands with long fingers and the peanut is a comfortable little knife to use. I wouldn't want to field dress a deer with it but I think I could.
It is a great edc for normal everyday use and is really easy on the pocket.
 
I own only one peanut,and while small it's still pretty sturdy,fine for opening packages and other small task.But in my opinion more of a light use or dress knife,theirs just not enough to hold on to for carving or making fuzzsticks LOL
But neat little knives none the less.
 
Mabe it is just me, but when I have one in my pocket, it gets used more than the stockman or whittler that might be in my other pocket. A peanut is a very great and serious tool that you will hardly know is there until you need it. Don't let it's size fool ya.
 
And, they can look pretty cool...

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Bill
 
I have a Remington (branded) peanut. I like the lines of the knife, and it is an overall great little knife.

However, a peanut probably isn't the only knife I would want to have on me, but it is capable of most everyday tasks.
 
It does look like a Trapper willgoy...:D

In fact, Wendell Carson called it a "Reverse Peanut Trapper".....it is however, just 2 7/8" in length...same as most regular Peanuts.

Bill
 
Yeah, that reverse peanut is more like a little trapper. The Peanut has the clip blade and a pen blade. I carry mine along with a Leatherman Wave and sometimes a SAK Cadet, and I have to tell you, the Peanut does just about ALL of my cutting chores. I carry a Bone Stag SS Peanut, and man oh man can it cut. The flat grind on these thin blades leads to some very very sharp edges. I have yet to come across a cutting chore it can't handle as far as my everyday carrying needs. Anything else would probably require the saw on my Wave. It disappears in my pocket, and when I need it, there it is. I have used it to cut rope, boxes, mail, Barbeque Ribs (I heard Amos did it, so I had to try), steak, and strips of Denim. I've whittled with it and made fuzz sticks, and at work a few weeks back we had a 14 foot alligator die, and they wanted to mount the skin, so four of us skinned it. The tools for this ran the gamut from Box cutters, to hunting knives, to tacticals, even a 110. I didn't want to use my Wave, so all I had was my Peanut. The peanut pretty much out cut all the other knives except for the razor blades of the box cutter, and that lost it's edge real fast and the blade had to be replaced. My Peanut made quick work of alligator skin, no mean task for any knife. So is it for real? Can it be used? Is it a "work" knife? HECK YEAH it is!!!
 
A peanut can be as serious as any other sharp piece of steel. It may be a bit small, but don't let that fool you. If a knife gets its ability to function from its sharp edge, then a peanut is as good as the next knife if the owner has done his job of sharpening it. A two inch blade will handle most things a two and a half or three inch will, just a little more care is needed, like making two cuts instead of one. Think of it this way; a surgons scalple is only about 1 inch of blade.

But the allure of a peanut is the pleasure of having a smaller and lighter package in the pocket that can do most of the knife work you really need to do, and is a nice looking knife as well. Its all a matter of taste, one man likes a sedan, the other may go for a two seater roadster.

Growing up, I had many occasions to watch my dad use a peanut for alot of things others used a barlow or serpintine two bladed jack for. It was in fact his only pocket knife.

A nice peanut is never a waste of time.
 
I think the peanut is a very use full little tool. I have had a case peanut for a little over a year now, it seemed like the perfect knife for weddings and the such. Soon after buying it however i began carrying it to work often. It didn't replace my TL-29 style knife but supplemented it in a nice way. Working in a machine shop it's fine point came in handy for picking those little steel splinters out. Peels apples as well as any other knife, and can clean trout and pan fish like a champ. The fact that it is light and rides in the pocket well is a big draw also. It isn't a folding hunter, but with a good edge and a little care it can be just as good of a cutter in my opinion. Joe
 
Thanks for all the postings&pix. That ALLIGATOR exploit really impressed me!

Does anybody own a Crandall Case in any pattern? Wondering about the scales, they certainly look good in pictures. Thanks:thumbup:
 
jackknife said:
If a knife gets its ability to function from its sharp edge, then a peanut is as good as the next knife if the owner has done his job of sharpening it.
Click to expand...

I do think a knife gets its ability to function from the edge its owner has put on -- or not. And also from the skill in its owner's hands. It takes skill, dexterity and touch to use a smaller pocketknife effectively. And that's something that guys like my grandad (and jackknife's dad) had in spades. I like to think that, over the years, after carving and whittling and fiddling and twiddling with slipjoints, after sharpening them on a stone, after cutting myself more times than I care to mention, after cutting miles of fishing line and peeling bushels of fruit, I've finally acquired at least a bit of the skill Grandad had with a knife in his hands. You know, I sometimes wonder about guys on other parts of the forum who say they need an 8" serrated, turbo-opening, Fort Knox-locking tanto pocket sword. Are they cutting up bigger cardboard boxes than us? :rolleyes:
 
Thank you mnblade, that was a timely and worthwhile review:thumbup:

Now I have another question:D What about the upkeep of Damascus steel? Does it rust quickly and need a patina or is it like stainless?

Still mainly interested in that Crandall version though....
 
great knife to start a kid with. My son (almost 5) caught his first fish today. I put the peanut in his hand and wrapped my hand around his and taught him how to fillet a bluegill.
 
Peanuts are definatley some of my favorite slippies around. I have a case ss in blue bone and love it! Many of the forum members talk about their handiness and they are 100% CORRECT definetly go for one!
 
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