Ever had a knife choose you?

[Halfneck]

My latest obsession has been a 2001 Case jackknife with black delrin scales & stainless steel blades. Picked it up at an outdoor skills gathering on a trade blanket for $10-$15. I was looking for a Peanut to try out, but decided to get it anyway. Figured I could use it as a gift idea for my father in-law. Somehow it has become my knife. I prefer Case knives with CV steel and jigged bone - this has neither. Typically I prefer square bolsters - these are rounded. Yet somehow I have found this knife in my pocket for the last few weeks. Fit & finish on this one is superb, reminds me of the Case knives from my childhood. After a slight touch up on my medium grip ceramic stone, the blades are razor sharp. I burned through a yellow sticky notepad at work just slicing them up. Heck, I was thinking on it so much I even wrote up a story on it. Got to admit it is nice to have a Case knife this well made in my pocket. Lots of good childhood memories coming back.

 

[whetrock]

My Buck 301, was a result of a similar phenomenon. It's yellow, which is an incredibly cliche around these parts. It's 420, and for some time I felt I was "too good" for this steel. When in reality this is a near perfect folder for my usage. Did I mention it's a Stockman, a pattern I wouldn't have been caught dead carrying seeing, as it's all too much the norm here. Wound up being one of my most frequently carried knives, and one I hope I never part with. It's a folder, I felt like was common and exhausted, when in reality I've never seen another person carrying a Yellow Delrin 301, everybody else's I've seen in person is the old saw cut Zytel.

 

[ddml]

Schrade Walden 804. Jigged delrin covers. A whittler pattern.

I have had a whittler before (Eye Brand) but I never bonded with the pattern.

When I first saw my Schrade in a dim antique shop, in the dim light I thought it had bone covers. I normally avoid delrin. And to be frank, in my haste I thought it was a stockman.

But somehow, I just love this knife. The authoritative walk and talk. The precision of its construction (split back, no blade crinkling). The ease of sharpening. The stout feel of the knife in hand.

I just bought another with bone covers!
I NEVER buy duplicates of a knife, so that is saying something.

I would have never picked this knife if I saw it online and read the specs. Taking it home made the difference.

 

[ddml]

 

[paulhilborn]

This very same thing has just recently happened to me. I've been totin traditional knives of all sizes, patterns and blade configurations since I was a very young boy. Enjoying the variation of all different cover materials and the like.

I ordered one of Charlies 2 Blade Clip Barlow's in Gabon Ebony. It arrived on my birthday a little over a month ago---honestly I have never been so taken by a knife in many many years, and that's saying something.

I still have knives I'll never part with for sentimental reasons etc...but this one might be "The Knife"---boy I've said that before but I really think this is it. I'll carry others with my Barlow and rotate those from time to time but I really think this one will take me to retirement

I just ordered the recent Spear version in a 2 blade set up as to be able to pass along a Clip version to one son and a Spear version to the other, whats that tell ya

Paul