Curiosity question, what knife will you always own?

For production knives, I'd always have one of these:

Al Mar Sere 2K - simply spent so much time with it that it's "my knife"

Busse Basic 9 - gotta have a chopper, and this is the most comfy I've owned.
 
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I have a few I will never part with, but guaranteed I will be keeping my Lg. & Sm. Classic MM Micarta inlay Sebenzas
as well as my SnG CC/GG Z-wear (parts knife), and very unlikely sell my custom 3" Spanto Hinderer XM-18 non-flipper.
 
The real answer for me is "most of them" because I have piles of knives I have no intention of selling. That said, there are a few classes of standouts:

  1. Knives that have sentimental value
  2. Knives that I love using
  3. Knives that are too damn pretty to sell
  4. Knives that make me happy for some unknown reason
For example, I'll always have a Southard or five because they fit into #2 and #4, and in the case of the bottom one in this photo, #1 as well because it's the first knife my wife ever bought me (it's wearing a custom ultra-thin LSCF scale that has lost all its copper wire over the years, made by Barry H once upon a time):

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My current favorite Southard variant to carry is the python micarta liner delete version in the middle in this shot:

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These two fall into #2 & #3, easily (and the TiSpine falls into #1 as well, because again my wife bought it for me):

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This guy is an example of one that IMO hits #2, #3, and #4, it's a killer knife all around that puts a smile on my face every time:

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There are lots of others, I doubt I'll ever part with any of my CKF knives, for example. Also, I'm pretty sure I'll always have one or more of each of these Benchmade knife models: 535, 707, 710, 940. The list would go on pretty long if I kept going, so I'll cut it short there.
 
Add me to the forever-Sebenza column. There must always be at least one. I think the one for me is my large micarta Sebenza with a polished drop point blade. I’ve had it for longer than any other knife in my collection, and I can’t see parting with it.

Add to that at least one Spyderco, either from the Para2/3 or Manix family.

The Benchmade Bugout might also be on my list of always-haves as well.

And at least one SAK Alox Cadet.

Runners up/almost definitely safe knives include my Giant Mouse GM2, ZT 0392, and Hinderer XM-18.
 
Since I was a teen. Been back 4 times for the lil temp. Followed by AFCK, Sebenza 21, Manix, Chinook, ATR, CRKT S-2 , Kasper and Kershaw Chive. They all have a place in my heart since 1999-now :)



IMG_20180804_141550~2.jpg
 
Para 3: THE perfect EDC
Victorinox Rambler: most useful at travels
Dragonfly: perfect small (summer) EDC
 
All my SAKs and variants on that design.

My leatherman wave and the victorinox Swiss tool.

A Iissaakkii Jarvenpaa antique and a fallkniven F1 clone that I bought to try out the type before buying an actual F1 and that keeps on trucking, taking an edge, being easy to carry and easy to split wood and just gets used for all the rough stuff whether home or camping.

I'd never chuck it but I will replace it with something in that style someday soon.

I've just bought a Millie because using a clone pm2 style knife and a resilience for a few years, totally sold me on the design.

I'd keep that and the Resilience.

And all the throwing knives......and the Condor kumunga which again, keeps on trucking and working hard.
 
I have much "better" knives. But the (non-kitchen) ones I'd replace immediately if they were lost would be:
  • SAK Swiss Champ in the 'survival' pouch
  • Leatherman Wave (not sure if this actually counts as 'a knife' though it has a blade)
  • SAK Classic
  • SAK Climber (yes, in some ways I like the Huntsman better 'cause the saw can be useful; then again I'm trying to substitute a Compact for the Climber I've carried most days for decades, just because it's thinner - but I do have 3 climbers, just in case...)
  • Schrade 34OT pattern Stockman (USA manufacture only: yes, I know they don't make 'em no more, which is why I have backups)
  • Case Peanut (SS because it's perpetually in a pocket and I don't want to fuss)
  • Gerber Bolt Action Hunter which I've owned and used for decades, for camping and fishing (I know they don't make 'em no more either; so I have a couple of Myerco follow-ups which I'm not sure I like as much - but they're all I can get so far, so they'll have to do for now)
  • BRK Zancudo (ESEE branded; as close as I can get to an in-production modern knife like my Bolt Action Hunter; plus the Avispa as well since they straddle the size - the Zancudo just suits me better than the Avispa for most purposes)
With the last, I actually prefer the two-sided grip and liner-lock of RATs (1 and 2) - but the blade shapes of the ESEE-branded BRK framelocks simply work better for me.

With all this, I've just spent a bucket of money on Spyderco, Benchmade and Cold Steel knives which are 'better' than all the above, and are more expensive (the Para 2 probably cost almost as much as all of the above). These new ones are probably even 'worth' the extra $$$ in the grand scheme of things. But those above are what I actually use (minus the Bolt Action Hunter, which I have used lightly but well for years, but is now in semi-retirement because I know I can't replace it easily).

And in all of that I've not even thought of myself as 'a knife guy' until now. Perhaps I'm not. But just by enumerating the above, I figure I'm at least getting close...

...Mike
 
Iblametheparents said:
.... and the Condor kumunga which again, keeps on trucking and working hard.
Click to expand...
The Kumunga is certainly one that nobody has listed here. I like it. I just placed mine inside my pickup for the occasional wacking briars, branches and so forth when I need to (mostly job related). It had been sitting on a shelf in my office for mostly around home use and now I have re-purposed it. May add a larger machete too as I own a number.
 
steelhead seeker said:
What fixed blade is that, second pic down?

To stay on topic 2 knives i will never part with is my digi cam pm2 and my ZT gen 3 0550. My wife got me one for my bday and one for Christmas the same year.
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That is the Carothers Performance Knives Field Knife. They have a subforum here. It is the very best I've had in this size range.
 
mfunnell said:
I have much "better" knives. But the (non-kitchen) ones I'd replace immediately if they were lost would be:
  • SAK Swiss Champ in the 'survival' pouch
  • Leatherman Wave (not sure if this actually counts as 'a knife' though it has a blade)
  • SAK Classic
  • SAK Climber (yes, in some ways I like the Huntsman better 'cause the saw can be useful; then again I'm trying to substitute a Compact for the Climber I've carried most days for decades, just because it's thinner - but I do have 3 climbers, just in case...)
  • Schrade 34OT pattern Stockman (USA manufacture only: yes, I know they don't make 'em no more, which is why I have backups)
  • Case Peanut (SS because it's perpetually in a pocket and I don't want to fuss)
  • Gerber Bolt Action Hunter which I've owned and used for decades, for camping and fishing (I know they don't make 'em no more either; so I have a couple of Myerco follow-ups which I'm not sure I like as much - but they're all I can get so far, so they'll have to do for now)
  • BRK Zancudo (ESEE branded; as close as I can get to an in-production modern knife like my Bolt Action Hunter; plus the Avispa as well since they straddle the size - the Zancudo just suits me better than the Avispa for most purposes)
With the last, I actually prefer the two-sided grip and liner-lock of RATs (1 and 2) - but the blade shapes of the ESEE-branded BRK framelocks simply work better for me.

With all this, I've just spent a bucket of money on Spyderco, Benchmade and Cold Steel knives which are 'better' than all the above, and are more expensive (the Para 2 probably cost almost as much as all of the above). These new ones are probably even 'worth' the extra $$$ in the grand scheme of things. But those above are what I actually use (minus the Bolt Action Hunter, which I have used lightly but well for years, but is now in semi-retirement because I know I can't replace it easily).

And in all of that I've not even thought of myself as 'a knife guy' until now. Perhaps I'm not. But just by enumerating the above, I figure I'm at least getting close...

...Mike
Click to expand...

The fact that you thought ahead to get backups out of paranoia of not having your few favorite ones definitely makes you a knife guy! Lol.
 
I have certain knives in my collection that are simply not ever going to be for sale:

- My first Olamic Wayfarer, and my early number custom Busker. Come to think of it, I won't sell any of my Olamics.
- My Emerson Seax, Super Commander, CQC-13, A100, and Custom Vindicator
- My CRK Sebenza, and my birthday Umnumzaan
- My ZT 0562CF in M390
- My SwampRatManDu that my wife gave me

Also, some several others. The rest of my knife collection would be sold if circumstances dictated it.

Edited to add: It would admittedly be exceptionally painful to give up my SAK ALOX collection.
 
My wife once questioned, "Why do you have so many knives? It's not like you can take them with you."
"Actually I can, and I can prove it. You bury me with a knife and effectively I take it with me." By the end of our discussion, the decision had been made to bury me with a pocket knife. Right now, it's an orange-handled Kershaw Zing. It could be a different knife by the time I die. I am sure my motor skills and dexterity will change as I get older. So will my knife needs.

Along with the Kershaw, my plans are to keep the following knives until my demise: M3 Trench Knife, Western W36 fixed blade, SOG Flash 2, CRKT Prowler, and maybe a Buck 112 Ranger. I have sentimental ties to these knives.

The Western fixed blade and M3 belonged to my father. The SOG was purchased during my honeymoon and my wife wants to keep it after I am gone. I carried a CRKT Prowler while I was in uniform and a Buck 112 was on my belt when I hunted deer with my father. The Buck I now own is a replacement because the first one was stolen by a despicable slimeball. Of all the knives I have bought, traded, sold, lost, etc., the 112 is truly the knife I miss the most. I hope the person that stole mine cut his thumb off. Not a very nice attitude for me to have, I know. I guess I still have issues.

If I ever have to start over, I think I'll purchase a Vic Cadet, a budget 3 to 3 1/2 inch locking folder, and a decent fixed blade and be done with it. Or maybe a Cadet, a Chris Reeve Insingo , and CPK's Field Knife and EDC 2. A guy can dream, right?
 
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