Benefits of "old timey" why do so many still carry and EDC?

I have slipjoints, Spydercos, CRKs, and SAK’s.

When carrying a traditional I’ve never wished I had the modern knives instead to cut something.

When carrying the moderns, I’ve never wished I had the traditional instead to cut something.

When I didn’t have a knife, I wished I had either one on me.
 
A modern traditional knife is still a traditional knife. Handle material means nothing.

If you want to get really picky about definitions, the liner lock SAK's are modern traditionals. Some might say they are not traditional knives at all.

Lockback knives are generally considered traditional. But again if you want to get technical, something like a Spydie Native is a traditional modern. But a GEC, Queen, or Schrade lockback are still traditionals. But these only have one blade.

I have often said that the definition is a bit fuzzy on what is a traditional knife. The little Fox Elite Gentleman's knife is a single blade liner lock that looks very traditional. But folks in the traditional forum say it's a modern.
 
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wellington said:
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These images are taken from the ARMY & NAVY STORES London 1907 catalogue, they show the entire range of pen and pocket knives retailed by the famous firm. Virtually all the knives they sold were made in Sheffield by makers such as Rodgers, Wostenholm, Thos Turners etc.

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Mick
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@willc They already had this in 1907 so I would think they were making some multi blades in the century before that.
 
Houlahound said:
Hell I'm just gonna say it. A SAK is not a traditional in the traditional sense of a "traditional" traditional, it's more like a traditional modern.

Come at me bro.
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willc said:
A SAK is as traditional as it gets in my opinion.
Sure they didn’t do 7 layer monsters in the late 19th century but the basic form is the same.
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Aaaactually...They did make multitool coachman's knives back in the 1800s. And I consider a SAK to be a form of Camper or Scout knife, the only difference being the plastic or alox covers. :D

I guess the Victornoxes with the one hand opening liner lock blades are truly modern multiblade knives.
 
r8shell said:
I guess the Victornoxes with the one hand opening liner lock blades are truly modern multiblade knives.
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I would agree on that. It's just not "what it used to be". Not necessarily a bad thing but the "modern" Victorinoxes are a bit of a joke compared to the equivalent offering in the current market.
 
I like traditionals because they are work focused but manage to be subjectively more beautiful than most modern offerings. There are no screws to work loose and fewer places for dirt to creep into.

Most of all, the blades are often thinner with cut focused geometry, and they get sharper with less effort. Based on this they tend to outcut some of the more tanky moderns.

Modern knives are obviously better, but traditionals aren't as far behind as one would think.
 
I'm a modern guy through and through. But I think one possible benefit is when you hand them your knife to use. You're not going to surprise or intimidate someone with a traditional or sak. I work in a office and I've lent out my Spyderco Dragonfly which to me is a tiny knife but I still get the odd puzzled look. But I'm pretty proud of my lil Dragonfly so it doesn't bother me.
 
This is an interesting topic and I wrestle with the bigger question: what the ideal EDC for me and why? There are a lot of factors.

1. Want a knife that is always easy to get to. For me it's that 10% when one hand is holding something and I need a knife. This necessitates a one-handed knife for me.

2. You could argue that EDC should be for the 90% and not the 10%. Don't disagree. I grew up with various traditional folders and SAKs and I disliked all of them. I detest nail nicks, most of them had steel that would not hold an edge, many of them were rust magnets, and I've had too many close calls with slip joints to consider carrying one. I get that this is due to a lack of care on my part. This generally rules out traditionals and SAKs for me.

3. I like the utility of a pocket clip. I dislike that it's too easy to dislodge a knife from my pocket. In 7+ years of EDCing a knife with clip I've had an issue with the knife coming on maybe 4-5 times. That's 4-5 times too many. One knife was out in the rain in my back yard for 2 weeks before I found it.

4. The small handles on many traditionals and SAKS don't work for me. Opening mail or cutting string is fine. Cutting rope, or hose, or cardboard, or plastic... I want something that fits in hand.

I haven't found the ideal knife for me, and it may not exist. My current preference is for a small fixed blade in my pocket with an appropriate sheath. I suspect the requirements I have can't be met.
 
It's mainly two things for me:

1) I have no need, use, or desire for a knife with a blade thicker than 3/32". A lot of moderns have incredibly thick blades.

2) The size of many, many moderns is ridiculous for my needs or desires. I prefer discretion while opening my mail or trimming a loose thread, and a knife the size of my head is the antithesis of discretion.

The variety of handle materials, sizes, patterns, and blade count offered by traditionals is just icing on the cake.
 
David Richardson said:
This is an interesting topic and I wrestle with the bigger question: what the ideal EDC for me and why? There are a lot of factors.

1. Want a knife that is always easy to get to. For me it's that 10% when one hand is holding something and I need a knife. This necessitates a one-handed knife for me.

2. You could argue that EDC should be for the 90% and not the 10%. Don't disagree. I grew up with various traditional folders and SAKs and I disliked all of them. I detest nail nicks, most of them had steel that would not hold an edge, many of them were rust magnets, and I've had too many close calls with slip joints to consider carrying one. I get that this is due to a lack of care on my part. This generally rules out traditionals and SAKs for me.

3. I like the utility of a pocket clip. I dislike that it's too easy to dislodge a knife from my pocket. In 7+ years of EDCing a knife with clip I've had an issue with the knife coming on maybe 4-5 times. That's 4-5 times too many. One knife was out in the rain in my back yard for 2 weeks before I found it.

4. The small handles on many traditionals and SAKS don't work for me. Opening mail or cutting string is fine. Cutting rope, or hose, or cardboard, or plastic... I want something that fits in hand.

I haven't found the ideal knife for me, and it may not exist. My current preference is for a small fixed blade in my pocket with an appropriate sheath. I suspect the requirements I have can't be met.
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It all depends on what you're cutting. I disagree with you on the cutting rope, hose, cardboard or plastic ..... it is a question of how often you do these tasks that requires a knife to "fit the hand". Your 10% is more like 2% for me to choose to switch to a larger knife for the task. With cardboard... is it one or two boxes or a whole stack? Many boxes = utility knife job. And I generally want a utility knife that fits my hand and tends to be larger than many that are sold in the home centers that are more "modern" in design.

Honestly, I felt like you do about fitting the hand for many years. That just seemed like the way to do things. But I have learned that it is generally not necessary just like 3 finger versus 4 finger fixed blade preferences. Smaller works 95%+ of the time. If you need something more robust, grab it rather than lugging it around with you for days and days. Much easier to carry a smaller knife day in-day out and have a larger hand fitting knife available.

If you have had "too many close calls" with a slip joint, you aren't doing it right and paying attention to basic safety issues. You obviously depend on the lock to hold. They can fail.

One hand opening.... a convenience, but not a necessity or even something needed 95% of the time unless you have a special use that necessitates speed.

We all like what we like and have grown accustomed to those preferences. But it is good to question your preferences from time to time. Pocket clips generally mean the knife gets in my way sitting down, bending over, getting in and out of cars, and so forth.
 
I periodically carry a slip joint from time to time for a two main reasons.
-Having multiple blades that are suited for different tasks (my stockman has a clip, wharncliffe, and a small drop point)
-Much thinner blades than your typical modern folder
 
22-rimfire said:
It all depends on what you're cutting. I disagree with you on the cutting rope, hose, cardboard or plastic ..... it is a question of how often you do these tasks that requires a knife to "fit the hand". Your 10% is more like 2% for me to choose to switch to a larger knife for the task. With cardboard... is it one or two boxes or a whole stack? Many boxes = utility knife job. And I generally want a utility knife that fits my hand and tends to be larger than many that are sold in the home centers that are more "modern" in design.

Honestly, I felt like you do about fitting the hand for many years. That just seemed like the way to do things. But I have learned that it is generally not necessary just like 3 finger versus 4 finger fixed blade preferences. Smaller works 95%+ of the time. If you need something more robust, grab it rather than lugging it around with you for days and days. Much easier to carry a smaller knife day in-day out and have a larger hand fitting knife available.

If you have had "too many close calls" with a slip joint, you aren't doing it right and paying attention to basic safety issues. You obviously depend on the lock to hold. They can fail.

One hand opening.... a convenience, but not a necessity or even something needed 95% of the time unless you have a special use that necessitates speed.

We all like what we like and have grown accustomed to those preferences. But it is good to question your preferences from time to time. Pocket clips generally mean the knife gets in my way sitting down, bending over, getting in and out of cars, and so forth.
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Three fingers is only for me. Cutting up 2-3 boxes or some hose with a small traditional just doesn't work for. A larger one, perhaps. I agree on the issue with slip joints. I'm sure I could be more careful. In the middle of a task, particularly an urgent one, I may not be as careful. With the exception of one knife that was defective, I've never had a lock fail. Possible, but seems unlikely when cutting vs. doing other things not recommended for folders. Mostly moot for me anyway, since I'm not carrying a fixed blade most of the time.

One had opening is not about speed for me. It's more about having a blade accessible when I only have one hand free.

No rigtht or wrong answer - just describing my preferences and why.
 
I think anyone who has ever carried an alox can relate. The blades are so thin for ordinary cutting tasks that it stays sharp forever. It also makes for slim and discrete carry.
 
I have a Buck 110, and a 101, in 5160. Guessing these are traditional moderns?
My primary edc is a White River Sendero Classic, a 4-1/2 inch S35VN drop point fixed blade with a single guard and Richlite(paper micarta) handles. This, I'm assuming, is probably in the realm of modern traditional?

Screw labels. I carry what I like, and I don't bother with trying to justify it...
 
Interesting topic.
I have and carry both the modern folder and old timey knives. I have found myself leaning more towards the old timey knives. Guess that can be attributed to that is what I grew up with. Buck 110, Schrade LB7, Old timer 8OT.
It is nostalgia for me. Carrying a knife like granddad's.
 
There are several factors that go into my EDC choice:
  • Ease of carrying it
  • Ease of opening it
  • Cutting/slicing performance
  • Aesthetics
Ease of carrying it: I hate pocket clips. The only knives I've ever lost out of a pocket were clipped. On my modern knives, I take the clips off. If the knife is deep in my pocket, it's far less likely to disappear than if it's held right up near the opening of the pocket. I don't have much interest in giant tactical folders, so my only remaining modern knife (a Mini-Grip) rides in my pocket about the same as my traditionals.

Ease of opening it: There are certain circumstances where one-hand opening is useful (usually when the other hand is occupied). If I'm doing yardwork or house maintenance, I'm apt to grab the Mini-Grip instead of a traditional. (And if @waynorth ever gets another run of the Stew's Blade one-arm barlows made and I'm able to snag one, I could pretty happily just always carry a slipjoint.) On the other hand, there are a lot of circumstances where I prefer to open a knife two-handed - it's a lot calmer and less threatening to anyone that happens to see it. (Knives are great tools and pretty lousy weapons, but one-hand opening a modern knife signals 'weapon' to a lot of people.)

Cutting/slicing performance: generally, well-made traditionals are better cutters than well-made modern knives. The blade geometry is almost always better. Thinner stock, full flat grinds, relatively narrow blades - they may not work as well for prying, but I don't do that with a knife anyway. And I can't think of anything I've done with a folding knife in the last few decades that would have worked better with the blade locked instead of a slip joint (or friction folder). I'm honestly not sure what value (beyond marketing) any lock brings to 99.999% of knife use. The one thing modern knives have going for them here is that good ones often use more modern steels. Stainless can be nice, but it's really the improved wear resistance you get with good steels that is good for EDC - it is really convenient to have an EDC knife that stays sharp for a long time.

Aesthetics: traditionals win this hands down for me. I like a knife that conveys elegance and workmanship. I dislike a knife that conveys anything 'tactical'. This is highly subjective - I understand that some people will feel exactly the opposite.

I think my ideal knife would be a traditional, but made with modern steels, titanium liners and bolsters, etc. I have a Lionsteel Warhorse, and I like it a lot, but I wish it was pinned instead of torx-screwed together, I wish the fitment was more like a traditional, etc. So, for now, straight-up traditionals are probably my favorite choices for EDC.

-Tyson
 
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