Coworkers Knife

[Knicked Digits]

My coworker wanted to show me his old, ugly, barely together knife that’s been rolling around his toolbox for years.

Look at this thing, no thumb stud, half of a pivot and the blade play was unreal. The only interesting thing was the locking mechanism. It was a liner lock that was actuated by the red ball/button. We had a good laugh about it and it was, ultimately, a fun and positive exchange. Kinda helps you remember that not everyone is a knife nut, right?

 

[Hickory n steel]

My coworker wanted to show me his old, ugly, barely together knife that’s been rolling around his toolbox for years.

Look at this thing, no thumb stud, half of a pivot and the blade play was unreal. The only interesting thing was the locking mechanism. It was a liner lock that was actuated by the red ball/button. We had a good laugh about it and it was, ultimately, a fun and positive exchange. Kinda helps you remember that not everyone is a knife nut, right?

That's the frost cutlery cats eye.
Definitely not a great knife but interesting as far as the lock goes, and the overall handle and blade shape doesn't look horrible.
He's obviously not much of a knife guy, maybe give him a decent user you no longer need to get him interested.
It doesn't always work but it's worth a shot.
I gave my brother something better than he was using but something happened with the pocket clip and he stopped carrying it before it could have any effect.

 

[hhmoore]

Looks about right for an old toolbox knife

 

[Sonnydaze]

...some folks are happy with beer...

 

[SW-EDC]

He could put a small screw and nut through that hole to make it easier to open.

 

[Knicked Digits]

Definitely not a great knife but interesting as far as the lock goes, and the overall handle and blade shape doesn't look horrible.

The handle wasn’t uncomfortable, and definitely not the ugliest knife when new either. I could see this being a good knife for the tool box. Working in a machine shop we don’t need real hard use knifes or the best materials.

He could put a small screw and nut through that hole to make it easier to open.

I today him as much. I also suggested just finding a button head screw for the pivot to eliminate the side to side play in the blade. He wasn’t too terribly worried about it. Ah well lol

 

[JJ_Colt45]

Hey I like beer ... and saves money for another Umnumzaan ... of course I like good bourbon too ... and thus why I have some ZTs and Spydercos too ...

...some folks are happy with beer...

 

[midnight flyer]

Kinda helps you remember that not everyone is a knife nut, right?

In all actuality, it reminds me of just how few knife lovers there are. I am in the trades and so many see knives only as tools... they use them as they see fit, and if they break them or lose them they just get another somewhere that won't break the bank.

Some of my fellow workers and subcontractors go from paycheck to paycheck, and never have any excess money for something as collecting (or simply buying) expensive knives. They don't have one piece of gear they don't need and use. I will on occasion let one of them borrow my knife for immediate use while I am standing next to them and they always appreciate a sharp blade and a well made knife. They all know that's my "thing".

But I would never tell a man that is struggling just to get by that I paid $200 for a good knife, then go on to explain "that's nothing! You should see what some of the guys on this internet forum I frequent spend! They buy 6 each of a variant of knife at $150 a pop just so they can collect all the handle colors!" Or "some guys spend so much on their knives they are afraid to use them, so they only carry them when they think they won't be used. They look brand new after years of "use". And there are even more folks that feel like if the blade gets scuffed or there are signs of wear, they send them to the manufacturer for a 'spa' treatment to make it look new again."

If I don't understand that, they certainly wouldn't.

 

[palonej]

In all actuality, it reminds me of just how few knife lovers there are. I am in the trades and so many see knives only as tools... they use them as they see fit, and if they break them or lose them they just get another somewhere that won't break the bank.

Some of my fellow workers and subcontractors go from paycheck to paycheck, and never have any excess money for something as collecting (or simply buying) expensive knives. They don't have one piece of gear they don't need and use. I will on occasion let one of them borrow my knife for immediate use while I am standing next to them and they always appreciate a sharp blade and a well made knife. They all know that's my "thing".

But I would never tell a man that is struggling just to get by that I paid $200 for a good knife, then go on to explain "that's nothing! You should see what some of the guys on this internet forum I frequent spend! They buy 6 each of a variant of knife at $150 a pop just so they can collect all the handle colors!" Or "some guys spend so much on their knives they are afraid to use them, so they only carry them when they think they won't be used. They look brand new after years of "use". And there are even more folks that feel like if the blade gets scuffed or there are signs of wear, they send them to the manufacturer for a 'spa' treatment to make it look new again."

If I don't understand that, they certainly wouldn't.

Yup!! Not many people get our knife thing.
Been carrying for years and yesterday was the first time someone knew what I had a Spydie in my hand!
In Home Depot buying some flue pipe and the guy working there praised my s110 Manix!! Couldn’t believe it!!
Turns out he’s a user/collector!! We BSed knives for 10 mins! He had a well loved Tenacious in his pocket.
That was cool!
Joe

 

[buffalo01]

Thats kind of how I use a couple of my knives, my rat 1 and especially my spyderco manix ffg. I use it for WHATEVER I have to. I dont go out of my way to abuse it but if I have to pry with it I will, I dont worry about it. If I break the tip I will grind it back. I put a quick edge on it with a 220 grit stone, then put microbevel on it with the sharpmaker for quicker touch ups, and then strop it with diamond compound. Takes 30 minutes if it gets super dull or I damage a big chunk of the edge, and touches up really fast on the sharpmaker or with a quick strop. Once I wear away the blade enough of the blade that it gets too thick behind the edge I will regrind it. If it breaks completely then I will buy another knife to replace it or move on to my back up work knife. (zt 0220 or griptilian havent decided yet)
I treat it just like any other tool but I get a lot of enjoyment out of beating on it. It shows how tough it is and the quality and performance that I payed extra money for over a cheaper knife. I dont consider it abuse but rather using it to its full potential. I have had it for over 4 years no with no problems besides a sticky lock, which oddly enough fixed itself when I dropped it on concrete one day

 

[Knicked Digits]

If I’m recommending a knife to someone that’s in the market then I’ll drop a couple price points and stats about each knife. I strive in those moments to keep in mind that this person may very well cringe at spending $50 on a knife let alone $100 or more. But when I’m just talking about knives, everything goes out the window and I’ll tell them about the higher ends knives, safe queens (which I can’t justify getting myself, I’ll just baby a new knife at first lol), beaters, cheepos, clones, and knockoffs, and yadda yadda yadda.

 

[Mr.SATism]

Oh man that looks like a well loved knife haha. But other than telling him to clean the handles, I don't see anything wrong with him using that knife. This is more of a time to connect as knife-heads than to list recommendations IMO. I had a guy come into our store with a Kershaw Leek and we just talked geeked out about his sharpening system and blade angles, best customer interaction of all time.

 

[GIRLYmann]

That man not only deserves more information on knife selection
But also a hand-me-down gift knife from his knifenut co-worker ;-)
It's a miracle if the owner had indeed escaped injuries.thus far.

 

[Mikel_24]

The only interesting thing was the locking mechanism. It was a liner lock that was actuated by the red ball/button.

I have here at the office, a Wegner Ranger sumthing sumthing which has the very same kind of lock. Quite handy. You unlock the linner lock by pressing the button with the swedish cross on the right side of the scales. Helps getting your fingers away from the blade path.

Big knife, I don't carry it that much because it is bulkier and heavier than my other Victorinox SAKs, that's why it lives in the office.

Mikel

 

[gazz98]

If you ever seen cutlery corner on tv, the MSRP on that Frost blade is probably $149.99 but you can get a set of 12 for $15! Whoa doggie! Not sure how they stay in business!

Any chance that old toolbox is a $1200 Matco, Snap-on, Mac, etc?

 

[GermanyChris]

I have here at the office, a Wegner Ranger sumthing sumthing which has the very same kind of lock. Quite handy. You unlock the linner lock by pressing the button with the swedish cross on the right side of the scales. Helps getting your fingers away from the blade path.

Big knife, I don't carry it that much because it is bulkier and heavier than my other Victorinox SAKs, that's why it lives in the office.

Mikel

So do I it's a big SOB that needs a pocket clip

 

[midnight flyer]

Yup!! Not many people get our knife thing.
Been carrying for years and yesterday was the first time someone knew what I had a Spydie in my hand!
In Home Depot buying some flue pipe and the guy working there praised my s110 Manix!! Couldn’t believe it!!
Turns out he’s a user/collector!! We BSed knives for 10 mins! He had a well loved Tenacious in his pocket.
That was cool!
Joe

It's almost a magic moment anymore to find someone like that. When you encounter someone that has a knife that they bought that is of that special lineage, I find I can talk to them for 20 minutes non-stop just about knives. Ask your friends... who in the world knows what S110v is? And then to have it appreciated on that particular knife. Good stuff.

And as everyday/common that the Tenacious is around here, do you know anyone in your circle of friends that carry one? He had to feel a little kinship though, knowing that you were both Spyderco guys. Bet it put a smile on both of your faces.

Robert

 

[palonej]

It's almost a magic moment anymore to find someone like that. When you encounter someone that has a knife that they bought that is of that special lineage, I find I can talk to them for 20 minutes non-stop just about knives. Ask your friends... who in the world knows what S110v is? And then to have it appreciated on that particular knife. Good stuff.

And as everyday/common that the Tenacious is around here, do you know anyone in your circle of friends that carry one? He had to feel a little kinship though, knowing that you were both Spyderco guys. Bet it put a smile on both of your faces.

Robert

Definitely did Robert!! Was there again yesterday and both of us asked the other what’re you carrying.....at the same time! Too cool!!
Joe

 

[Hickory n steel]

If you ever seen cutlery corner on tv, the MSRP on that Frost blade is probably $149.99 but you can get a set of 12 for $15! Whoa doggie! Not sure how they stay in business!

Any chance that old toolbox is a $1200 Matco, Snap-on, Mac, etc?

This particular knife had a stated msrp of $25, and sold at $14.99 for 4 of them.
This was about 12 years ago when I last saw them, but this one was made In the late 90's.

 

[Hiluxx]

Been carrying for years and yesterday was the first time someone knew what I had a Spydie in my hand!
In Home Depot buying some flue pipe and the guy working there praised my s110 Manix!! Couldn’t believe it!!
Turns out he’s a user/collector!! We BSed knives for 10 mins! He had a well loved Tenacious in his pocket.
That was cool!
Joe

This is why I'm never bothered by branding on a pocket clip, I would even say I like it.
Before I was into high-end knives I had a $50 SOG Trident I was super proud of, as to me it was a "nice knife" at the time.
I had a guy approach me about it when he spotted the clip, as he also had a SOG, and we talked a bit and checked out each others knives.
Was a cool experience to have as I don't have any knife friends and always feel like a weirdo showing off knives to people who don't get it.