"edc"

[VCM3]

From time to time , people change in their lives. Tastes,habits,etc. Or ,at least they realize they change , and as pocket knife carrying types , our knives might change too. There have been knives over the years I thought I'd never like ,only to realize later,for one reason or another , that in fact they were really useful designs. Would not give them a try as an EDC, not a thought about them.

A couple of things I've encountered.pondered,is,I like to carry the lightest possible gear while hunting. With cold weather clothes on,and older,I do not want to be weighed down any more than my own body excess weight,. Always have a pocket knife with me,but probably never used it,only the fixed blade. So in this situation,the folder is completely the "back up". But it never gets used,so the "pattern" I think best for the hunt,in reality something like a SAK is probably more practical because you'd have some tools there , but yet never in my life did ever I carry one. The other thing I have noticed is using a pocket knife to cut food,only happens when out away from home. It's fun to cut food with a carbon blade pocket knife& see what kind of patina you can acquire,but again,the reality is it's a little bit of work to clean it & re oil up the pivot,so as an older ,wiser knife enthusiast,if I'm at home I just use the straight,non folding knives in the kitchen & there is plenty of them.

One knife, is the teardrop handled ,with warncliffe blade. I don't have a folder like this but I have a small straight knife , and even a smaller version too,that would be considered a "Quill" knife. Yet not a feather around,to trim. Perfect paring knives,if I carved,I'm sure these would work well. Now I see Case coming out with one & I see alot of guys asking about them , and I too am curious about this knife.

One of the most popular patterns I see "move" ,as a seller, the swayback jack. I've also had many,too. Never warmed up to it,always choosing clip or drop point single blades,or the ever perfect spear type blade.
The reality of day to day needs for a pocket knife for a lot of people ,is that if you do not have fish or game to be cleaned,a knife such as this is,very practical.
So I felt the need to write a long over due ramble & post on this forum , upon contemplating pocketing a swayback jack for EDC , or at the least,in the EDC rotation. Perhaps some pics to come

Let's hear about the pattern or patterns that you thought you'd not appreciate,only at a later time in life were drawn to. Posters here might be the older guys ?

 

[seas165]

Well im one of the younger guys (26) and for me it would be the barlow. When i was first into knives i had stockmans and lockbacks but i didnt like the long bolster of the barlow. Then i went through the tactical phase jr high through graduating high school. Now i have been back into traditionals for a few years and i really want a barlow i keep drooling over pics online i just wish i didnt waste the time in school living rent and bill free on all thoes "tacticool" knives. Now in the real world my knife budget is pretty much non existant. So for a while i will be apreciating the barlow through the internet till i can get my hands on one. But they say absence make the heart grow fonder right?

 

[Pipeman]

As a leather worker and slip joint addict I tinker with other blade shapes but my go to cutter is always a straight edge, this one being my all time favourite.

Best regards

Robin

[/url][/IMG]

[/url][/IMG]

 

[bill2000]

Robin, that is a beautiful knife.

 

[AddictedToGear]

Well I am a modern folder guy mainly, but I do have an appreciation for traditional knives and I like a wide variety of gear. I really did not see me collection traditionals but maybe only buying two or 3, but I have really gotten into traditionals lately and enjoy collecting them just as much as moderns. Going through my grandfathers traditionals is always a good memory. The first knife my dad owned was a Barlow and I still have it in a draw. Never thought I would be into the jigged bone knives but I am. I figured the main traditionals I would go with would be lock back buck 110 or 112 for carrying out in the woods. I have always appreciated them though and just enjoy most knives and gear.

 

[VCM3]

Great to hear other guy's thoughts. One thing about this swayback ponder....I really like a hawkbill pruner, and a swayback with a sheep foot,too.
Never carried either one as an EDC,well,maybe the swayback sheepsfoot.
But thinking it through,for every day use,for me, a variant of these is the swayback with warncliffe , and is a compromise. Tempting.
The Hawkbill pruners are usually kinda big & bulky , and while a warncliffe blade may be too pointy for some,the sheepfoot not pointy enough for others.

Looking out at the nursery next door , and vineyards out back,I've never witnessed any body pruning with a knife.

You are probably thinking ,this guy is nuts ,thinking so much about this ( well,some of you's maybe not) But realize what I'd be setting aside in order to carry the swayback

 

[VCM3]

So here is the knife that has me re thinking , "EDC" . Certainly not bad,but in the past,and I have a lot of real nice knives coming in & out here,never give much thought to the swayback jack.
Whenever you hear Tony Bose talk about this,he always says,"It's an old English jack knife pattern" . The realization becomes reality .

This knife is a Ricky Bob and if you could hold it you could feel the enthusiasm in the maker,in the build. He has his green linen micarta hand finished out to a low satin lustre. Very well rounded & if you can see in one picture it is so well rounded the shield is rounded ,has a radius to it. At 3-5/8" ,with this handle styling,it is thicker than some knives I've seen in this size. Razor sharp,perfect mechanics. This is a hard one here, this knife, to pass up,for me.

Take a peek

 

[Pipeman]

It's hard to beat a straight edge for pull cutting. I use most of these for different leathers. That's a great looking cutter VCM3.

Best regards

Robin

[/url][/IMG]

[/url][/IMG]

[/url][/IMG]

 

[jc57]

Well, I am older (mid-50s) but still new to being a knife enthusiast. I used to always have at least a single Leatherman multitool of some kind in my briefcase/laptop bag, which includes a blade, but hadn't until the past couple of years carried an actual pocket knife

This sounds like a typical "need vs. want" quandary. So much of that is based on the individual and their activities. I'm an urban office cubicle worker. My needs for any sort of pocket knife are minimal. I get by fine with a Victorinox Swiss Army knife, and in fact the little extra tools on it get more of a workout than the blade ever does. I still have the Leatherman tool. Two, in fact, since again, the other tools are more important in my daily life than the blades are.

That pretty much covers my "needs."

However, I am a knife enthusiast/hobbyist, so I also carry another slipjoint of some kind. One that gives me pleasure of ownership and appeals aestheticially. Pocket-jewelry if you want to call it that. It is probably redundant to the SAK, but I occasionally use it anyway. Currently a Case 2-bladed jack, clip and pen blades. In the past it has often been a stockman pattern, because I do find the straight-edge of the sheepsfoot blade useful at times, though if I could only have one blade it would be a clip just for the general utility of it.

So, not quite sure what your question is. If I'm in the kitchen, I use kitchen knives. If I'm doing home repair stuff, I'm likely to use a Stanley utility knife. The pocket knife/knives are for convenience and fun. If you only want to carry one, but you are fretting over the blade shape, then carry something with 2 or more blades. Or do like me and carry more stuff than you really need, just because you want to.

Edit: You posted your pic while I was composing my post. That is certainly a beautiful, well-made knife. I personally would not buy or carry that one, though it may appeal to most. Just not my taste.

 

[dewingrm]

Wow, that Ricky Bob is a looker.

I've returned to traditionals after a 10 year hiatus. I love the aesthetic curves of the swayback pattern but I've never had the opportunity to handle one. I know a single bladed swayback would work fine for normal edc cutting tasks but I'm a avid outdoorsman. I'm not sure how useful the wharncliffe blade is for game processing and other outdoor cutting tasks. I'm on the fence about the blade style but I love the looks of the pattern. Yesterday my wife gave me a GEC 48 Improved Trapper for our anniversary. This will be a good test for me with the wharncliffe blade. I suspect I'll use the clip point a lot more but only time will tell.

 

[VCM3]

Well, I am older (mid-50s) but still new to being a knife enthusiast. I used to always have at least a single Leatherman multitool of some kind in my briefcase/laptop bag, which includes a blade, but hadn't until the past couple of years carried an actual pocket knife

This sounds like a typical "need vs. want" quandary. So much of that is based on the individual and their activities. I'm an urban office cubicle worker. My needs for any sort of pocket knife are minimal. I get by fine with a Victorinox Swiss Army knife, and in fact the little extra tools on it get more of a workout than the blade ever does. I still have the Leatherman tool. Two, in fact, since again, the other tools are more important in my daily life than the blades are.

That pretty much covers my "needs."

However, I am a knife enthusiast/hobbyist, so I also carry another slipjoint of some kind. One that gives me pleasure of ownership and appeals aestheticially. Pocket-jewelry if you want to call it that. It is probably redundant to the SAK, but I occasionally use it anyway. Currently a Case 2-bladed jack, clip and pen blades. In the past it has often been a stockman pattern, because I do find the straight-edge of the sheepsfoot blade useful at times, though if I could only have one blade it would be a clip just for the general utility of it.

So, not quite sure what your question is. If I'm in the kitchen, I use kitchen knives. If I'm doing home repair stuff, I'm likely to use a Stanley utility knife. The pocket knife/knives are for convenience and fun. If you only want to carry one, but you are fretting over the blade shape, then carry something with 2 or more blades. Or do like me and carry more stuff than you really need, just because you want to.

Edit: You posted your pic while I was composing my post. That is certainly a beautiful, well-made knife. I personally would not buy or carry that one, though it may appeal to most. Just not my taste.

Great post John. I'm really not asking any question other than what you fine folks are realizing. A simple ramble through,the thought process of all these knives.
Great discussion. We knife people of all walks are needed,for "our thing"

 

[VCM3]

Wow, that Ricky Bob is a looker.

I've returned to traditionals after a 10 year hiatus. I love the aesthetic curves of the swayback pattern but I've never had the opportunity to handle one. I know a single bladed swayback would work fine for normal edc cutting tasks but I'm a avid outdoorsman. I'm not sure how useful the wharncliffe blade is for game processing and other outdoor cutting tasks. I'm on the fence about the blade style but I love the looks of the pattern. Yesterday my wife gave me a GEC 48 Improved Trapper for our anniversary. This will be a good test for me with the wharncliffe blade. I suspect I'll use the clip point a lot more but only time will tell.

But this is what I'm saying. On a day to day basis ,I rarely ever clean a fish or animal & when I do I'm totin' more suitable knives. So this EDC rotation thing makes one realize a knife that was once tossed aside for the same reasons as you say,is in reality,very suitable for EDC,after all.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

I'm 34 and in the past couple years I shied away from the one hand openers, although I still have some, in favor of a slipjoint, or a fixed blade when I am at home or hiking/fishing/camping (miss that terribly) etc. I usually have two slipjoints on me outside of work, sometimes a gummint legal peanut at work and my Vic classic. I've met some great outdoorsmen who share their knowledge freely, and I've only been privy to a small portion of what they freely pass on. One of them, my friend, a knife nut and knife maker respectively, ascribes to the theory of three is two, two is one and one is none. He works nights unloading freight, and spends his days making knives. He is an avid outdoorsman, and time spent outside the shop is spent with his family, friends and in the woods. I am proud to know this man, and I would like to think that, at least in some small part, I am subconciously adapting his outlook on knives. He usually carries one of his own fixed blades or a folder.

Another member of this forum and a friend of mine prefers the small peanut, and he is another big influence. He gifted the peanut to me, and I have given him some knives back. I am proud to know this man as well.

34 shouldn't be the age to find your way in the world, you should already have a good idea of the road you'll take. I guess if we don't allow ourselves to change our knife habit though, we won't learn anything. Regardless of what I carry, I usually have a small folder and a 3" trapper or jack. Right now, it seems like my barehead boys knife and Tribal Spear haven't left my pocket. I've switched the Case out with my GEC 73, Case lannys clip and a Northfield 81 stockman. The Tribal finds its way back. Seems like when I am north of Baltimore, the Case gets used, and when I am in the city, the Tidioute gets used. It is an OCD issue, I don't need more than one knife, I have the aforementioned SAK on my keychain, which would probably get me along fine. Any use I need at work is served by a pair of shears or a plastic knife (shudder).

Don't even get me started on when I put one of the slipjoints to the side and put a small fixed blade on my belt.

Thank you Scott Gossman and Carl for adding to the madness!

Looking at my rotation, it looks like my blade shapes run the gambit. I've started using my pocket knives for kitchen prep, they have to so something either than cut boxes open to get at new knives.

 

[prisoner6]

I get what you are saying. There certainly was a time where I would have favored certain blade styles, or more importantly, blade sizes over others. On many of these I have revised my thoughts over time. The reality is that my "normal" daily use for an EDC knife is mainly for cutting off strings or tags, opening the odd envelope or perhaps cutting tape or some other hindrance.

Using your example, I think that swayback is dead sexy, a gorgeous knife that would easily suit my daily needs. Is it the best choice? Nah, probably not. But the fact that it is a quality piece, looks nice and most importantly can perform would put it in my rotation.

The basic honest truth for me is that one simple small knife in a clip or drop or spear would easily do 98% of the tasks I use a knife for on a daily basis. The rest is me just creating my own happiness with something beautiful and useful.

 

[Chris Montgomery]

Slip joints have always been my edc. It all started for me because that's the kind of knives Grandpa, my dad and everybody I knew carried when I was growing up in rural Southwest Colorado. My first was a Barlow. I have primarily carried trappers, stockman, barlows or peanuts. The fact that I am a knife nut is well known to all who know me. However some patterns never garnered my consideration. I found an old Wostenholm stag senator in a antique/ flea market and have found that this little knife really appeals to me. I would love to have a new version to add to my edc rotation, the one I have is 100 plus years old so it has more value to me than to carry it daily.

Chris

 

[black mamba]

Vince, I'll be 59 this year and have been hunting and fishing since I was 8 years old. Because of this, I've always had a couple of fixed blade knives for outdoor use. All the way up until I was around 50 my EDC was a single blade traditional locker. For many years I carried a Gerber Silver Knight drop point, then when I lost that it was a Buck Lite 424 for another decade or so, and finally a Queen #06L teardrop linerlock.

All of these were/are 3¾" closed. My next infatuation was stockmen, primarily the 4" variety, give or take an eighth of an inch. For all this time I was never really comfortable with a knife much under 3½ inches.

Two new classes of knives for me just in the last six months have been SAKs and small jacks. At Christmas time I got my first SAK, an alox Electrician.

It has truly astonished me what a pleasure this utilitarian piece is to use. The checkered alox and perfect pulls are pure tactile joy, and the spear/sheepfoot combo covers all cutting needs, plus you still have the other tools. I just never thought I would warm up to the aluminum covers, but I have. So much so that just last week I snagged a green alox cadet for the keyring. No sheepfoot, but paired with a larger stockman it makes a grand combination.

My second epiphany is on small knives. I'm a big guy at 6"1" and 250 pounds, and I just never liked a small knife. I always liked an equal end knife, and about six months ago I got a Robeson Rochester swell center pen @ 3.1" closed. The tip bolsters and gorgeous bone swayed my decision.

This little guy feels so good in the pocket and still does 95% of the cutting I need to do. Upon the success of this three incher I got my first peanut, and now I understand the alure of small knives. I guess you really are NEVER too old to learn!

 

[dewingrm]

But this is what I'm saying. On a day to day basis ,I rarely ever clean a fish or animal & when I do I'm totin' more suitable knives. So this EDC rotation thing makes one realize a knife that was once tossed aside for the same reasons as you say,is in reality,very suitable for EDC,after all.

Now you just convinced me that I need to buy a swayback. It wasn't hard to "sway" me since I've always been fond of the look.

 

[Markesharp]

Nice knives Jeff. I really like that Robeson and the bone jigging is top notch. I am on a quest to find one now as I have seen a few posted on this forum. :thumbup:

What is a ballpark price for a knife in that condition if I may ask?

 

[VCM3]

I appreciate all the great posts so far,to this thread that was merely a pre - second cup of coffee ramble. It is good to be a part of the bunch here & I appreciate everything throughout the years.

 

[paulhilborn]

As a leather worker and slip joint addict I tinker with other blade shapes but my go to cutter is always a straight edge, this one being my all time favourite.

Best regards

Robin

[/url][/IMG]

[/url][/IMG]

Robin, I've seen you post this before but that is simply one of the nicest slip joint knives I have ever laid my eyes on!!!

The shield, the stag, the blade----everything about it is superb. WOW!!!

Now my input would also be as mentioned above the Barlow. I didn't care at all for the long bolster, the weight it had compared to a regular or smaller bolster. Then came along Charlies grand tribute to the almighty Barlow and there was just something that said "buy one". I did and have never been so taken by a traditional pattern in my 50 plus years.

There are obviously many blade choices available in the "Charlows" and the one I settled on was the Clip/Pen and I am now a Barlow man for life---or whats left of it

I'll switch things up from time to time but my Barlow will be and has been a true "every day carry" since it's arrival. I'll pair it with another knife but my Barlow will be the mainstay of my daily carry. I'm giving up on settling into one or two patterns that suit me best, I'm a knife addict and the sooner I finally accept that I can move on

Paul