Buying traditional pocketknife & need advice

C

Columbo

Joined
Feb 1, 2000
Messages
418
I have been looking for a good traditional pocketknife. It needs to be under 3" closed, and be a Stockman or Pen style, without artificial scales. Sorry, Spyderco's need not apply for this one.
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I would prefer that the stockman style not be the kind that has the blades bent over to fit the liners. It also has to fit into my budget of $50.

I considered Case. But the one I had in this style was the only knife I've ever had that ended up with a broken blade tip from normal use. And the Boker had a blade shape that I didn't care for. So here is my list of choices so far:

Browning 310 and 311
Buck 705 Pony
Buck Creek Mini Diamondback
Queen QN5B and 34B (ATS34)

While I am familiar with the Buck Knives, I don't have a clue about the others. If anyone would care to share their experience with these, or suggest others, I would sure appreciate it. Some of these are priced low enough that I could get more than one. Now wouldn't that be a shame!

Thanks

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Dave
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If at first you don't succeed, go buy a knife.
 
Man does this post fit in with my post about asking if the traditional is dead. They are obviously alive and well.

On to the subject at hand. I have diminished my collection somewhat, but at one point I had over 750 traditional pocketknives. I have used most brands over the years. Some time ago the Solingen area mfg. (like the Buck Creek you mentioned) knives were the very best. Unfortunately, the involvement of a number of opportunists from this side of the pond in many of those plants has diminished their quality a great deal. It is rumored that approximately 20% of current production Hen & Roosters get returned for shoddy quality. However, when you do get a good one--it is real good. I wouldn't actually buy a Buck Creek unless I held it in my hand first. Likewise, if you get a good one it is real good. Offering an opinion like this can get you shot in some counties in Tennessee.

However, here goes. As a combination of quality in both materials, workmanship and design on a dollar for dollar basis, Queen is hard to beat. Don't overlook their Robeson and Schatt & Morgan lines as well as the Queens. Strictly IMO based on holding a lot of them.

Mark

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A Patriot's Work Is Never Done--greetings from The Occupied South
 
Thanks Mark,

I had hoped that the Queen knives were good. They sure look nice in the pictures. www.bullmancutlery.com is the first place, other that A.G. Russell, that I've found with a good assortment. I bought a knife from them last month and they did a good job.

It's good to know about the changes in knife quality. Case is an example. Fortunately they seem to be improving. On the other hand, I bought a Puma knife not too long ago that surprised me. It was one of their least expensive knives, but I have some 30 year old Imperials that have much less blade wobble that it did. I guess the name just doesn't mean the same thing as it used to. I certainly do appreciate your help.

Thanks again!

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Dave
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If at first you don't succeed, go buy a knife.
 
Out of the choices you have given, I'd go with the Buck. But my personal preference is Winchester, take another look at them.

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Visit john@cumberlandknives.com

<A HREF="http://www.cumberland-knives.com" TARGET=_blank>www.cumberland-knives.com
</A>
for all your knife needs.
 
Have to agree on the Winchesters. Can't go wrong with any that come out of BlueGrass Cutlery. Also for short money you can't beat Schrade but I believe the inexpensive ones all come with synthetic scales.
Bob
 
I'm a fan of Browning folders. I own a few of them and like them a lot. You do need to stay with the better grades, though. They are made in Japan, perform well and have excellent fit and finish. You'll be right at the top of your budget if you want a good Browning.

The Solingen knives are excellent - Boker, German Eye, the Buck Creek you mention, Hen & Rooster and others are pretty hard to beat as using knives. I'm really fond of my little Hen & Rooster pearl pen.

At the lower price points, the Bucks are pretty hard to beat. They all perform well in their price category.

I have two Case knives I carry regularly and find them to be just fine. One is a damascus bladed Muskrat and the other is a stag handled Eisenhower (no hard use, obviously.) The blade steel on the stainless Case knives isn't the best, in my opinion, but the damascus and carbon steel blades are fine.

But if I were going to pick one from your list purely as a user I'd go for the ATS-34 Queen if the model you want fits in your budget. As cutlery steels go, ATS-34 is a good compromise between edge retention and corrosion resistance. Take care.

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Fred
Knife Outlet
http://www.knifeoutlet.com
 
I too would strongly consider Winchester or something from the Schatt & Morgan Series.
Gona be hard to beat the quality of either of those.

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"Life is too short to carry an ugly knife." Steve F.
 
How about trying A Fight'n Rooster knife by
Frank Buster Cutlery company. You would get
a high quality knife that will always have a collectors value, since all Fight'n Roosters are limited runs. :d
 
Why does it have to be 3" long closed? Certainly there are good knives that size, but, unless you have tiny hands, it won't be very handy! If you step up to 3 1/2" to 3 7/8" range I think you will have a much more useful tool! Look for a knife that isn't fat or thick. They carry really nice.
I love Boker's Tree Brand knives. I have several good german knives to fit your budget, send me an email specifying high-carbon or stainless!
 
Thanks everone,

I have decided to buy the Buck and the Browning. The reason for the <3" size is that I have been carrying a 35-40 year old Craftsman 2-3/4" Stockman (Camillus?) that my dad gave me. He "used" it most of that time and it still looks almost new. We both have big old Bucks and Old Timers for the rough stuff, so our pocket knives get really light use. I stll want to retire it and get a replacement. The other day, I saw him pull out his pocket knife. It was an old 2-3/4" Parker that had definitely seen better days. I sharpened it for him, probably it's first. But it felt like pretty soft steel, so I doubt it will stay that way for long. Anyway, to shorten the epic, I had trouble deciding what to get, so I'm going to give him his pick of the two. And then I'll save my nickels for something like a Queen MOP. Unless I happen to see another knife that... well you know the rest of the story. Thanks, again. You have all been a great help.


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Dave
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If a tree falls in the forest, and there is nobody there to hear it, then don't worry about it.
 
Any opinion about Coast and Camillus pocket knives? Price is way below $50. How is their quality like?
 
TD,

The Coast is an import. The one that I have is from Taiwan. Coast is also the importer for Puma Knives. I got this little keyfob style lockback free for ordering a Puma. It is obviously not the highest quality knife that Coast makes, but it is pretty decent for it's intended purpose. It came shaving sharp out of the box, and the bevels were even. Actually, it is put together better than the Puma that I paid for. (Less blade wobble and better lockup) The Puma blade and materials are obviously superior. The Puma is their lowest priced unit, selling for $20-$25 at most places. This is the only Coast that I have ever owned, but I have seen a few. I would rate them as a useable low priced knife. There are times when you need a knife that you can use/abuse/lose without feeling too bad about it. I think most people here would rate them about the equal of United, but better than the Pakistan knives.

Camillus is another breed, actually two. The Craftsman that I am retiring was most likely made by Camillus. This is the kind of knife most people think of when you mention a pocket knife. Traditional generic celluloid or Delrin style scales, 440 something S/S blades, nickel silver bolsters, etc. Not exactly exciting for the Sebenzaholics among us, huh? But, in spite of their humble specs, they get the job done for many of us. And they have for many years. Think Boy Scout knives and you'll get the idea. I think the Schrades or Old Timers are strudier, but the Camillus aren't too far behind. And Camillus has some types not offered by the other two. Some of the Camillus knives are available in special edition faux tortoise with carbon steel blades. They look pretty cool. This side of Camillus is probably a few notches down from the knives that have been discussied earlier in the thread. But they work.

Then there is the other side of Camillus. This is where you find all the Cuda's and such. I'm not into tactical knives (heresy!)
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But these knives seem to be on the short list of quite a few folks around this forum. That, in itself says a lot. You can get much better info about these from them.

Warning: These are my opinions, and I have the right to be as wrong as anybody

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Dave
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If a tree falls in the forest, and there is nobody there to hear it, then don't worry about it.
 
How about one of the new limited production Camillus knives? they had a run of tortoise shell celluloid knives, and now a abalone celluloid. I think the tortoise shell ones are sold out. A.G. Russell may still have some.
 
I picked up a couple of Kabar slipjoints recently from knifecenter.com for about $20 each. Other than the Camillus commemorative edition, they're the only factory slipjoints I know of that use high carbon (1095) steel instead of the so-called "high carbon stainless" or "Solingen steel" stuff. That was the determining factor for me; there's no way I'd buy a knife with a cheap stainless steel blade.
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The only factor of yours that's not met by the 1095 Kabars is that they have imitation handles. I would have preferred stag or wood, but the blade steel was of first importance.

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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23


 
One of my 'every-other day' carry knives is a Boker Tree Brand Whittler in carbon steel. Cost a little more than $50 (about $65) and is about 3.5 inches closed. It is a really good little using knife. Takes a very good edge and keeps it. Nice rosewood scales. I would highly recommend any of the Boker carbon steel pocketknives.

Paracelsus
 
Oh, I wanted to mention that there are Two blacklip pearl handled two blade traditionals forged by Steve Mullin over at Arizona Custom Knives. D2 blades. 3 inch overall. On sale for $750 each. Go have a look and feast your eyes.

http://www.arizonacustomknives.com/Mullin_test.htm

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 03-14-2000).]
 
Ryan and Paracelsus,

The Old Timer's are supposed to be 1095, and I've seen several refernces to Schrade+ S/S as 440C. (I bought one of their Ducks Unlimited Trappers and it puts my Case Red Bone Trapper to shame). I checked out KaBar and Boker, and some Camillus with rosewood scales. Nothing wrong with them, they just weren't what I was looking for this time. I have a Boker Slimline Trapper that I like, and I have a 20 year old Tree brand Stockman that has been a good knife.

Are the new abalone series Camillus available yet? I haven't been able to find any. In most cases, I'm more interested in the blade, and couldn't care less about the scales (Dig that weird green Remington stuff!). This is just one of those times that looks matter. One of these will be my dad's. So it has to be a good knife, and I wanted something a little nicer than the average. But if it's too nice (or expensive)he won't use it because it might get scratched.

Oh yeah! Those Steve Mullin blacklip pearl beauties are definitely eye candy!

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Dave
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If a tree falls in the forest, and there is nobody there to hear it, then don't worry about it.
 
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