Could you show me your oldest knife ?

Joined
Oct 13, 2010
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3
I believe quality is best expressed by the test of time.
Could you show me your oldest knife in use & its service age please ?:)
 
My Schrade Old Timer is the oldest knife that I still have, and use on occassion.

It would be 30+ years in service.

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Kevin
 
Probably this WWII Arisaka rifle bayonet if you consider it a "knife". Still has a nice edge on it, although nowhere near shaving sharp. 1923-1945, made by Toyoda Jidoshoki Seisakusho (Toyoda Automatic Loom Works) under Nagoya supervision.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Bayo002.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Bayo004.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Bayo015.jpg

If you mean more like a "pocket knife" then it would be this 1973 Buck 501.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Random004.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y171/4W4K3/Random010.jpg

It's had some decent use, still functions fine but could have a tighter feel overall. I don't use or carry it much.
 
One of these days I'll have to figure out how to load pics....but....

I have a 7 3/4" fixed blade, Kinfolks #96 hunting knife.
It shows up in a 1939 Kinfolks catalog.

Steve
 
The top one in the photo below is 100 + or - a few years old. The action on the blades is still quite snappy and firm and it still gets used and carried about once a week.

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Electric Cutlery Company ceased production around 1912 if my memory (from reading a book) is correct.
 
I have a Case One-Armed Razor in a Barlow pattern, and another one with the spearpoint. Both of these date to 1974, and 1976. Not as old as some you will hear/see.
 
Mid to late 1800s Lobster pattern there's a name on there that looks to be Western European.

DCP_1932.jpg
 
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This little Keen Kutter whittler was made sometime between the end of the 19th century and 1940, and it's still smooth, tight and snappy today. Most of my older knives are too valuable as collectibles to carry and use, but this one has very little of its original finish intact, so I'm willing to make an exception just this once.

In general, I think antique knives that have survived the passage of time in excellent condition deserve a "caretaker obligation" that encourages their owners to preserve them for future generations. I derive a lot of satisfaction in knowing that my old knives were made long before I was born, and they'll still be fine examples of cutlery history long after I'm gone.

KeenKutterWhittler01.jpg


KeenKutterWhittler03.jpg
 
I don't carry it often, but this is the oldest that I occasionally carry and use:

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Case Tested XX pen knife, pre-WW2. Still plenty of snap and the blades are mostly there and extremely sharp.
 
This is my oldest knife that's still with me.
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It's been used for light tasks like food prep, opening mail, sharpening sticks, cutting rope... It was a present from my grandpa about 27 years ago.
 
Aside from my dad's hunting knife and SAK style knife that date from the 1930's, the oldest still in my possession would be my Buck 110 which my parents gave me in ~1970. (Posting a picture of a 110 would be superfluous. Everyone knows what they look like.) It wasn't my first knife. It is about the oldest I still have.
 
My oldest knife still in use is a Swisschamp. I've had it about half my life. It's all scratched up and I've lost the pen (actually, lost the replacement I bought after losing it the first time :p), but everything still works like when I bought it.

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I've got a Camillus Equal End large pen like that, without the nail file, I love the Tip Bolsters, I think it makes the knife look sexy.

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Here's one of an old Green Bone XXTested Case Pen Knife, no #s but it Dates somewhere 'tween the 20s-40s.

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Notice how much the small pen flexes, I can make about 80 degrees and it returns to straight, I won go more than that, the blade's ground so thin it's like a fillet knife and even with a thin blade it still has a swedge.

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Oldest one I own. Henckels butcher knife my grandfather owned and used with a stag handle I put on (the original handle just fell off from age). Circa 1900 - 1920 probably.

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Oldest ones I bought. 1969ish.

Sodbuster Jr.

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Sabre "Original Bowie Knife" - with a new handle circa about 1980 (store-bought after market sheath circa 1970).

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40 year old Opinel #9 I bought for $5. Looks just like a current #9 - only older and without the newer blade lock ring. Had to replace the pivot on it but blade and lockup are still good. One of my favourite EDC's
 
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