Ergonomics, traction and size

afishhunter · Jan 14, 2020

mike Berkovitch said:
A good production traditional lockback is hard to find

I don't know about that.
The Buck 110 and 112 are easy to find, so are the (now vintage) USA made Old Timer 6OT, 7OT and Uncle Henry LB7 on the secondary market.
BTI makes/contracts the 6OT, 7OT and LB7 offshore.
From my experience, the BTI knives are every bit as good as my (now vintage) USA made 6OT and 7OT. If you worry about such things, the BTI knives have an operational warranty, should it ever be needed.
The BTI Old Timers have stainless steel blades, not the carbon steel of (now vintage) old.
Puma still makes German manufactured lockbacks as well. I think Boker does, too.

Good/Quality lockbacks are easy to find.

If you want other than Buck's 420HC …
I think Boker or Puma has some with 440C blades.
C&C has the 110 and 112 with 5160.
SK Blades has some with CPM154, and may have some left in stock with S20V(?)
The Buck Custom Shop offers a S30V option.

All the Buck blades, including their 420HC, (even though the 420HC does not have the BOS logo etch) have the BOS heat treat.

mike Berkovitch · Jan 14, 2020

afishhunter said:
I don't know about that.
The Buck 110 and 112 are easy to find, so are the (now vintage) USA made Old Timer 6OT, 7OT and Uncle Henry LB7 on the secondary market.
BTI makes/contracts the 6OT, 7OT and LB7 offshore.
From my experience, the BTI knives are every bit as good as my (now vintage) US made 6OT and 7OT. If you worry about such things, the BTI knives have an operational warranty, should it ever be needed.
The BTI Old Timers have stainless steel blades, not the carbon steel of (now vintage) old.
Puma still makes German manufactured lockbacks as well. I think Boker does, too.

Good/Quality lockbacks are easy to find.

If you want other than Buck's 420HC …
I think Boker or Puma has some with 440C blades.
C&C has the 110 and 112 with 5160.
SK Blades has some with CPM154, and may have some left in stock with S20V(?)
The Buck Custom Shop offers a S30V option.

All the Buck blades, including their 420HC, (even though the 420HC does not have the BOS logo etch) have the BOS heat treat.

Good point, I might check some of the knives you mentioned. What I meant was that good LB knives that suits my preference of design and steel are hard to find. Thanks
Mike

gaj999 · Jan 14, 2020

comis said:
Though it is slightly off topic, I do carry and use my SAK daily and find most of my traditional user following a similar spec to SAK--3.5 inch for a good hand hold and preferable man made material for longevity and daily abuse. So far this criteria has worked out fine.

A 3.5" SAK was my EDC until I retired. Once I didn't need those useful tools all the time, I started trying other patterns. Agree that they are nice in hand.

kamagong · Jan 14, 2020

Henry Beige said:
My greater concern is weight, and how much room it takes in my pocket, which it will usually share with two otther knives.

Maybe you'd be less concerned with weight and bulk if you limited yourself to one knife?

Wouldn't be as fun though...

afishhunter · Jan 14, 2020

Henry Beige said:
My greater concern is weight, and how much room it takes in my pocket, which it will usually share with two otther knives.

A belt (and/or suspenders) can assist in helping prevent the weight from dropping your drawers. A "fanny pack" (I don't know if they are commonly called something else these days) can help you carry even more knives (or other stuff) there is no room for in your pockets … or maybe an single strap over the shoulder book/messenger/Safari bag/pack, or a Army Surplus Load Carrying belt and suspenders outfit with a "few" pouches along your .45ACP (in the issue flapped holster), canteen, mess kit, entrenching shovel …

(Some "vintage/antique" (we are not "old") dudes "our age" (I think you and I are of the same vintage.) do wear both a belt and suspenders at the same time … :thumbsup:

)

Prester John · Jan 14, 2020

afishhunter said:
A belt (and/or suspenders) can assist in helping prevent the weight from dropping your drawers. A "fanny pack" (I don't know if they are commonly called something else these days) can help you carry even more knives (or other stuff) there is no room for in your pockets … or maybe an single strap over the shoulder book/messenger/Safari bag/pack, or a Army Surplus Load Carrying belt and suspenders outfit with a "few" pouches along your .45ACP (in the issue flapped holster), canteen, mess kit, entrenching shovel …

(Some "vintage/antique" (we are not "old") dudes "our age" (I think you and I are of the same vintage.) do wear both a belt and suspenders at the same time … )

Utility belts work great.

Prester John · Jan 14, 2020

Ergonomics, traction, and size....

I guess the best way to respond is to show the knives I carry most often:

I have some other knives I give pocket time to, but these are my two constants.

For handles, I like natural materials best: wood, bone, and stag. (Ivory, too, but not in my price range.) It seems I gravitate to wood mostly. Both of the knives shown have superior ergonomics. They feel "right" in my hand. The Laguiole is 12cm (about 4.72 in.), and the Opinel is approximately 4.25 in. I find small knives too hard to manipulate, and am likely to fumble them.

So ergonomics and size are most important to me. Traction not as much, although I do like the feel of the Opinel's beechwood handle. The Laguiole's handle (olive wood) is smoother, polished, but is easy to hold and use. It fits my hand just a little better than the Opinel, and it looks better, I think.

Other things I consider are blade shape, number of blades, and ability to cut and slice. Both of these are single clip blades. I love the convenience of multiple blades, but don't really need them. I never feel under-knifed with either of these.

Also, the clip is my favourite blade shape. Very versatile.

The Laguiole did not come super sharp, but I have taken care of that. The Opinel came very sharp, and is the better slicer. Both of these knives are a joy to use, and are my current favourites.

Just Tom. · Jan 15, 2020

Prester John said:
Ergonomics, traction, and size....

I guess the best way to respond is to show the knives I carry most often:

I have some other knives I give pocket time to, but these are my two constants.

For handles, I like natural materials best: wood, bone, and stag. (Ivory, too, but not in my price range.) It seems I gravitate to wood mostly. Both of the knives shown have superior ergonomics. They feel "right" in my hand. The Laguiole is 12cm (about 4.72 in.), and the Opinel is approximately 4.25 in. I find small knives too hard to manipulate, and am likely to fumble them.

So ergonomics and size are most important to me. Traction not as much, although I do like the feel of the Opinel's beechwood handle. The Laguiole's handle (olive wood) is smoother, polished, but is easy to hold and use. It fits my hand just a little better than the Opinel, and it looks better, I think.

Other things I consider are blade shape, number of blades, and ability to cut and slice. Both of these are single clip blades. I love the convenience of multiple blades, but don't really need them. I never feel under-knifed with either of these.

Also, the clip is my favourite blade shape. Very versatile.

The Laguiole did not come super sharp, but I have taken care of that. The Opinel came very sharp, and is the better slicer. Both of these knives are a joy to use, and are my current favourites.

It’s funny, I ordered an 11 cm Laguiole Robert David, but returned it, mostly because the one I got was not identical to the one I ordered, but also because I discovered that the Laguiole handle shape was just completely wrong for my hand size and cutting style (mostly pull-cuts). I have fairly big hands with long skinny fingers, and with the Laguiole’s wide side-to-side and skinny top-to-bottom shape I just couldn’t physically close my fingers tight enough around it to get a good grip. The Opinel 8 has a very comfortable grip for me.

Another thing I have to consider regarding ergonomics is ease of opening. In the winter I get bad dry skin which causes painful cracks to form in my fingertips. I can handle a strong pull, but it has to be pinchable.

So basically for me it’s mostly big single blade knives. If I think I may need a smaller blade for opening packages and such, I can throw a small MAM knife on my keychain.