As a modern knife guy what traditional folder as my first

[Captain Howdy]

Look at a sodbuster. Made by many manufacturers some priced low some higher. I think it's a good transitional no frills solid traditional knife.

 

[Wurrwulf]

Buck lockback knives are what got me into traditionals. I highly recommend the Buck 55. It's the smaller version of the iconic 110, and it gets carried more than just about any other knife that I own.

 

[Ernie1980]

Captain above makes a great suggestion about a sodbuster, it was my first dip into traditionals (not counting Swiss Army). My collection has grown and changed over the years but the sodbuster still has its section in the drawer

I would also take up the offer on page one for a donor case knife!!

 

[r redden]

. I don't want to do like I did with modern folders when I started and buy a bunch of cheap crap that I end up selling down the road,

When I made the transition from modern to traditional I was totally overwhelmed by the sheer amount of patterns also the many brands and prices from around $10 and up for productions to as much as around $200 and up for customs. Luckily I am an old guy and remembered a lot of patterns from growing up in a non-modern knife style era. I steered clear of Rough Rider knives because at the price point I thought they would be junk and I was wrong they are good quality knives with good F&F and make great little EDC knives. If I had it to do over I would have spent a $100 or so on Rough Riders to have tried different patterns to find out what I really liked and then found those patterns in better quality knives. Just for an example here are a couple of pictures I have used before to make my point. First is about $85 dollars worth of Rough Riders and the second about $85 worth of Great Eastern Cutlery. Not saying jumping in with both feet and start out buying the more expensive knives is a bad idea just saying this is an affordable way to kind to start figuring things out. There are also great vintage knives out there with a lot of NOS available. You are going to find traditional knives are an adventure with quite a learning curve but it is fun. Very best of luck to you and welcome to the Porch hope to see you around a lot.

 

[Old Hunter]

The two most popular patterns are the Stockman and the Trapper. Sizes vary from about 2-5/8" up to about 4-1/4" and they're available from inexpensive imports up to custom made. That'd be a good place to start. OH

 

[mjpgolf1]

Lots of great comments and suggestions here. First and foremost I want to thank those who have offered to send me knives to try out. That kind of generosity is what makes this forum so special and it really helps me in making a decision. I will say that the cold steel pictured in this thread definitely interests me as it has kind of a traditional look while using modern materials like carbon fiber. I like the idea of that and would love to hear more suggestions as I narrow my interests down more. I would also say that I would likely stick with single bladed, maybe 2 at the most, so it seems like I'm narrowing it down a bit just from the info in this thread. If I remember correctly Boker made a traditional that had a modern look to it but I can't remember which one it was. I'll have to do some research. Anyway thanks again guys for both the info and the generous offers. Any knives sent to me to try will be gifted along to someone who can't afford a decent knife after I check them out.

 

[lutejones]

Boker exskelibur or something like that, I think that is what you're talking about



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[5K Qs]

Lots of great comments and suggestions here. First and foremost I want to thank those who have offered to send me knives to try out. That kind of generosity is what makes this forum so special and it really helps me in making a decision. I will say that the cold steel pictured in this thread definitely interests me as it has kind of a traditional look while using modern materials like carbon fiber. I like the idea of that and would love to hear more suggestions as I narrow my interests down more. I would also say that I would likely stick with single bladed, maybe 2 at the most, so it seems like I'm narrowing it down a bit just from the info in this thread. If I remember correctly Boker made a traditional that had a modern look to it but I can't remember which one it was. I'll have to do some research. Anyway thanks again guys for both the info and the generous offers. Any knives sent to me to try will be gifted along to someone who can't afford a decent knife after I check them out.

Not sure how it happened, but I've become a big proponent of the canoe pattern. Here's a Colt canoe I have that has some "modern touches": G-10 handles and titanium-coated carbon steel blades. Good luck! :thumbup:

BTW, you asked about our FIRST traditionals. Mine was a Colonial Forest-Master scout/camper/utility pattern (American SAK??) around 1960. Used the heck out of it growing up on a dairy farm from 1960-1969, and then went essentially knifeless for 45 years. "Modern" knives were a real surprise to me; I knew nothing about them, and to be honest, I have zero interest in them (although I sometimes see a Gerber Mini Paraframe - or something like that - at my grocery store, and think maybe I should buy it to show people what I'm NOT interested in). Here's a photo of my first knife (yep, still have it 50+ years later):

Here's a little Imperial serpentine jack that my wife got from her father that she found in a box in January 2014 and gave to me. It reawakened my interest in carrying a pocket knife, which to me meant traditional pocket knives.

 

[Camillus]

There is a reason that GEC started off with the 73 pattern and it is my firm recommendation for a first traditional. It is super functional, tough, perfectly sized and most importantly, it is readily available at most GEC dealers, with some having a number in stock. The 72 pattern is probably an even better transition pattern as it is a lock back and many will be made in the next few months.

 

[JB in SC]

The Case Backpocket would be a good start, a bigger knife but carries slim in the pocket. It can be found with synthetic covers as well.

 

[cchu518]

The Al Mar Hawk lockback is a wonderful in betweener!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[boy&hisdogs]

The buck 110/112 was the the flagship of it's day the same way modern/tactical is now. That would be a good place to start. Every brand makes their own version of it too, it doesn't have to be a Buck. Look at the Case and Old Timer versions.

Also there's the case copper lock and trapperlock, which has a thumb stud and liner lock like a modern knife but still looks traditional.

 

[mjpgolf1]

The buck 110/112 was the the flagship of it's day the same way modern/tactical is now. That would be a good place to start. Every brand makes their own version of it too, it doesn't have to be a Buck. Look at the Case and Old Timer versions.

Also there's the case copper lock and trapperlock, which has a thumb stud and liner lock like a modern knife but still looks traditional.

The Buck 110 has never been of interest to me. I just don't like the look, which obviously I'm in the minority there. I'm looking more for a old timey looking traditional with modern type materials such as titanium or carbon fiber. I can see in my head what I want but it's difficult to portray that here thru my keyboard. So I will just keep checking out all of the suggestions and sooner or later something will click and I'll know it's the one.

Thanks for all the suggestions here guys. Keep em coming. I've at least got it narrowed down a little as to what type of knife I'm looking for so someone will hit the nail on the head sooner or later.

 

[MountainPeek]

Glad you liked the Lucky One! Great little knife. The pocket clip is awesome, very slim yet grips harder than most other larger clips on my full size folders, while still being easy to clip onto and off of pockets.

The model I have is the Lucky One, the original Lucky has two blades, one straight and one serrated. If you wanted a bit more utility, you could go for the original Lucky. I personally chose the Lucky One because it was a tad lighter and simpler (0.8 ounces?!?), but I've heard great things about the serrated Lucky blade (Some use it as a portable steak knife, leaving the plain edge for other tasks.)

I will say though, that the Lucky One is a KILLER letter opener. The letters practically open themselves.

If you have any other questions about the Lucky One, feel free to ask!

Also, if you want more pics (including pics in-hand) and a bit more thorough review, check out my thread over on the Cold Steel Forums: Lucky One- Initial Impressions.

I've had my eye on it for a while, can you tell me if it's FFG (high sabre) or Hollow Grind? Thanks!

From my unprofessional opinion, it is a high sabre grind. If it is a hollow, it is VERY shallow.

 

[Tilley Knife]

Boker also makes a true slipjoint called the tech-tool city 1. Mine has black G10 and I removed the little punch thingy from the butt. I would post a pic but it sports a pocket clip which is a no no in this subforum. For the money, you would be hard to beat a Moki fish owl if you're looking for a lock. It's nearly the quality of a custom.

 

[22-rimfire]

I would choose something in the 3.5 to 4" closed length size range. The Trapper pattern by GEC (#72/73) are a good choice to start with and my favorite pattern. Personally I favor a traditional a bit larger (4.0-4.25" closed), but most prefer the ones that are under 4" or close to it as they are very easy to carry in the pocket. Stuff made by Queen, Schatt & Morgan (S&M), Great Eastern (GEC), and Case are good. I picked up a nice elk antler S&M one blade trapper pattern at Blade that is very nice. For lower priced stuff, look at Case, Colt, and Rough Rider, and some of the ones sold by AG Russell. All but Case are Chinese made of this last batch. Northwoods stuff are generally made by GEC with a few Queen made ones.

 

[abbydaddy]

mjpgolf1 - pm me your address. I'm on a knife gifting kick lately, and I'd like to send you a Case. Do you prefer small, medium, or large folding knives?

Haha! This is very much how I got into traditionals. I asked for advice, was given a gift, and got hooked...

For what it's worth, like Hickory and Steel suggested, I would suggest buying a Case Sodbuster, though I would go for stainless myself, because I like stainless. I get that carbon is the traditional thing, but I rarely find myself carrying a working knife like the soddy when I do not get sweaty, and I live in a damp part of the country. But to each their own. After the gift that got me hooked I wanted something a little more workmanlike for in the field. I picked up my soddy, and I loved it. Of course my wife (who is otherwise not at all into knives) has since claimed the soddy as her knife. I tried so many times to find a knife she liked, but my soddy is the one she claimed.

 

[Pink Guy]

My first traditional was a Queen Whittler in walnut. Queen uses D2 steel, which isn't exactly modern, but has edge retention similar to s30v. Takes a long time to reprofile, but once you get the angles you want, it'll be quick and easy to sharpen. Pick out something from Boker or Case in CV as a first traditional as they aren't as expensive so if you don't really like it, you didn't spend as much money. Eye Brand is a good brand too, I'd suggest buying their sodbuster, should run around 40-50 USD. Buck makes a stockman model 301 that's cheap and good quality. Douk Douks, Mercator k55k, Opinels, Higonokamis, and Okapi are other traditional knives you should also check out. If price doesn't really matter and you want a knife that has the best fit and finish, GEC (aka Tidioute and Northfield) would be the way to go. I personally prefer carbon steels in my traditional knives because that's what they were originally made with and they get a very fine edge and don't forget the patina.

 

[Pomsbz]

From my unprofessional opinion, it is a high sabre grind. If it is a hollow, it is VERY shallow.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Pomsbz]

I bought a Case Sodbuster Jr as my first traditional while I decided what I wanted. I carried it every day for 6 months. To be frank I was not hugely impressed. It's cheap and rough and that was fine. The SS metal they use however would blunt on opening a cardboard envelope, the hollow grind worked against slicing and there is zero tip for piercing making cutting into bread or packages difficult.

It didn't take long to discover that a wharncliffe is a superb blade style for opening stuff but if I wanted food use, a clip was really really good. The belly is a real necessity for slicing. I suppose a spear blade would be as useful as well as better for spreading but I have no experience with one. I discovered that 1095 carbon steel, while nice and traditional, reacted badly with fruit giving them a horrific metallic taste.

My quest for a knife which holds its edge and works with food has led to the following conclusion. There are very few 'modern' stainless steels in the traditional world. They are not traditional and are sidelined as a result. Queen's D2 steel is not stainless but doesn't rust from water contact and doesn't impart food taste. It's also a tough steel which holds it's edge forever once properly sharpened. I sent mine to be reground from new for a more 'slicey' blade and despite being used every day for a year, only ever needs maintaining on a strop. Queen knives are a gamble re fit and finish, took me two tries to get an acceptable one, but if you're willing to be patient and ask politely from the customer service of a reputable company, you will get a knife that it really impressive and well priced. The price, even after a regrind (assuming you are not to do it yourself) will still be under a GEC knife.

Another option for a great EDC traditional which can handle food incredibly well is an Opinel Inox. It slices like a light saber, stays sharp forever, is very stainless, costs almost nothing and once seasoned, is reliable in any season.

That Cold Steel is very tempting I have to admit, looks like a great carry option. Incredible steel, small and really light. Price is very good too. Not sure how long it will be until I buy one, I almost did recently but then a GEC #15 Navy Knife in 440C steel fell into my shopping cart by mistake and I felt bad about putting it back.