Ever Want to go Back?

B

BK14

Joined
Sep 13, 2016
Messages
449
Hi all,
Like I am sure many of you did, I carried a knife, at least off and on, before I really became interested in knives or thought of them as something more than a simple tool. I didn't carry regularly, nor did I take the best care of my knife either. A recent thread reminded me of the knife I carried off and on for about two years, a partially serrated Gerber F.A.S.T. Draw. This was my main cutting tool before I got a Kershaw Blur as a gift and it all went downhill from there. Today I pulled the Gerber out, after all but forgetting I had it. Very dull, wobbly, and scratched up, the knife still functions, and I put it in my pocket. Admittedly, it will not stay there very long, but it brought up an interesting question in my mind. What knives did everyone carry in the "before time"? Were you like me, who didn't necessarily abuse their EDC, but didn't care for it much either? Do you still have those knives, and do you ever carry them now even though you have something better? I look forward to hearing your responses, and greatly appreciate the warm welcome I have received from this forum so far!
 
Awesome topic I was thinking about something similar earlier this week. For me it was the schrade scha3 grey on white tanto. Lame I know lol but it was a cool looking open assisted tool I used everyday for about a year didn't care much about it. It was there when I needed it. Still have it. It's beat up up pretty good, most of the coating is coming off there are rust spots here and there the blade is crazy dull and the pocket clip has fallen off. Still fires out like lightening tho. Then came the kershaw cryo and it was over! kershaw led to zt and zt to spyderco and now onto benchmades.

Not that I would want to "go back" to the schrade but more so the mentality of having that one tool that was my go to without question. Without the desire to have more. Sure would be easier on my wallet lol.


Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
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My most-carried knife in the "before time" (great phrase!) was a keychain-sized, partially serrated $5 Spyderco knock-off I picked out of a bowl at the local army surplus store. Right after I got it, I started a landscaping job.

For the next couple of years, I beat the crap out of that knife in every conceivable way: ripped open burlap bags, pried things open, cut everything from rope to plastic to branches, jabbed it into the root-balls of trees while prepping them for planting, etc. It survived until I quit that job, though by the end it was on its last legs.

Best $5 I've ever spent, and I still look back fondly on that POS beater knife 20 years later. Before that knife, I'd only carried a knife while camping. I credit that knife with opening my eyes to the advantages of always having a small knife on me.
 
BK14 said:
....What knives did everyone carry in the "before time"? Were you like me, who didn't necessarily abuse their EDC, but didn't care for it much either? Do you still have those knives, and do you ever carry them now even though you have something better?
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I guess the "before time" for me was mostly pre-2005 when I joined BF. That also corresponds to when I upgraded from a dial up internet connection to DSL and later to fiber optic. Pictures loaded way too slow for comfort back then. Knife purchases increased significantly following joining here. The forum introduced me to knives that I would have been hesitant to buy. The forum also introduced me to knives that once I handled them a bit, I knew I would never carry them or use them unless they were nearly the last knife in my knife accumulation. It's a learning experience.

So, between the late 90's and 2005, I mostly carried a Vic Adventurer after carrying a Vic Tinker for about 10 years at that point and later a Vic Soldier for a short time. My memory is cloudy as to just when I switched over to the Adventurer, but I picked it up at a gun show. I used a Schrade 250T (large 110 type folder) for work stuff (maybe a 15 year time period) and carried it hunting after a good sharpening. I always carried a sharp slip joint hunting (jack knife pattern) as well for the detailed stuff although the Schrade was plenty versatile. It was in part a backup and in part there for detailed cutting if needed. The Schrade was replaced last year by a new one purchased at a local knife show (USA of course). But I honestly have not used it since getting it other than fondling and opening mail and such.

I still have these knives and knives that date back much longer. My first better knife was a Case Barlow when I was a kid. I have it although it is essentially worn out to where it was unsafe to carry. Knives were always part of my regular carry "tool kit" and I used my knife or knives on a regular basis. This was before I had 30 or 50 knives to choose from as my knife purchases blossomed following exposure to BF and the larger world of knives that I really didn't know existed.

By the way, I don't want to "go back" although things really haven't changed much in reality since I started carrying Vics.
 
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My buddies and my son have my old knives. They are still in use, just not with me anymore hahaha.
 
I carried a Buck 110 and later a 112 in a belt sheath when I was in high school and through the 80s.

I started getting into Case knives, trappers mostly, in the 90s, and then in the mid 2000s, I got a Kershaw Centofante and that started the spiral upward to full blown knife addiction.

An Emerson CQC-7 is the knife that brought me here for information in 2009.

best

mqqn
 
Kalan850, those assisted opening knives sure seemed the coolest to me too! I had a similar progression to your own, but slightly in reverse. My first Kershaw led me to Benchmades, then ZT's then Spydercos. Thanks for responding everyone! It is so cool to hear the stories about how everyone got into this hobby.
 
In high school I carried a $10 folder that had a liner lock and probably a 2" blade. I had a whole collection of $10 knives from the local sport shop, the best being a Buck Crosslock with a plastic handle and padded rubber insert (which I regrettably sold in college). I bought a Benchmade 350 at a gun show around junior year, but never really carried it much. When I graduated someone gave me a Benchmade 330, and that lived in my pocket as my only EDC for over a decade. I bought a couple knives in that time period (literally like two a decade), but none of them worked as well as an EDC. Years back I bought a Dragonfly and it went downhill from there. I can't imagine carrying one knife for a decade now.

I actually still carry the 330 occasionally. Its a perfectly awesome office carry, and still checks all my boxes for most tasks. Opened a lot of beers in college with the butt end...

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Dadpool said:
My most-carried knife in the "before time" (great phrase!) was a keychain-sized, partially serrated $5 Spyderco knock-off I picked out of a bowl at the local army surplus store. Right after I got it, I started a landscaping job.

For the next couple of years, I beat the crap out of that knife in every conceivable way: ripped open burlap bags, pried things open, cut everything from rope to plastic to branches, jabbed it into the root-balls of trees while prepping them for planting, etc. It survived until I quit that job, though by the end it was on its last legs.

Best $5 I've ever spent, and I still look back fondly on that POS beater knife 20 years later. Before that knife, I'd only carried a knife while camping. I credit that knife with opening my eyes to the advantages of always having a small knife on me.
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It is pretty amazing how even cheap knives that don't hold an edge, locks barely engage, and rattle like crazy can still open our eyes and be insanely useful. Thanks for responding!
 
abbazaba said:
In high school I carried a $10 folder that had a liner lock and probably a 2" blade. I bought a Benchmade 350 at a gun show around junior year, but never really carried it much. When I graduated someone gave me a Benchmade 330, and that lived in my pocket as my only EDC for over a decade. I bought a couple knives in that time period (literally like two a decade), but none of them worked as well as an EDC. I actually still carry the 330 occasionally... Its a perfectly awesome office carry, and still checks all my boxes for most tasks. Opened a lot of beers in college with the butt end...

24939217659_92245b3313_h.jpg
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That is a beautiful Benchmade! Unlike one I have ever seen. It has obviously seen a lot of good use but still looks just about perfect. Thank you for sharing!
 
I often carry an AO knife in addition to my SAK. I like them, but am not such a big fan of flippers.
 
BK14 said:
That is a beautiful Benchmade! Unlike one I have ever seen. It has obviously seen a lot of good use but still looks just about perfect. Thank you for sharing!
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Thanks! Its still rock solid and free dropping. Not bad for a 1.4oz, 2.4" folder.
 
abbazaba said:
Thanks! Its still rock solid and free dropping. Not bad for a 1.4oz, 2.4" folder.
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Wow! That is insane. If you got that as a gift, maybe I need better friends;) I assume that model is very hard to come by those these days, but I will definitely have to seek out some more information just for the sake of knowledge.
 
My personal favorite from the before time would have to be an old camilus electrician's knife I picked up at a pawn shop. Loved that thing and it was my edc for many, many years.
 
I gifted a sword in the last couple of years that cost in the area of $1000. Choose your friends wisely. ;)

The biggest change for me has been carrying fixed blades in the woods and AO knives from time to time.
 
BK14 said:
Hi all,
Like I am sure many of you did, I carried a knife, at least off and on, before I really became interested in knives or thought of them as something more than a simple tool. I didn't carry regularly, nor did I take the best care of my knife either. A recent thread reminded me of the knife I carried off and on for about two years, a partially serrated Gerber F.A.S.T. Draw. This was my main cutting tool before I got a Kershaw Blur as a gift and it all went downhill from there. Today I pulled the Gerber out, after all but forgetting I had it. Very dull, wobbly, and scratched up, the knife still functions, and I put it in my pocket. Admittedly, it will not stay there very long, but it brought up an interesting question in my mind. What knives did everyone carry in the "before time"? Were you like me, who didn't necessarily abuse their EDC, but didn't care for it much either? Do you still have those knives, and do you ever carry them now even though you have something better? I look forward to hearing your responses, and greatly appreciate the warm welcome I have received from this forum so far!
Click to expand...

I've gone pretty much back to my roots the past several years.

My first knife was a boy scout knife my dad gave me when I was 12. Carried that thing until I went in the army not long after high school. Left it home as I didn't want some barracks thief getting it. After boot camp I carried the issue 'demo' knife for a few years. For some reason I can't remember, I wanted a dedicated knife. The PX had Buck knives for sale, and I bought a 301 stockman. Liked having multiple blades on hand. Carried that knife for years, until I saw my first Victorinox display in Germany. Big moving SAK in the window of a knife shop in Rothenburg. Going to a SAK was like my old boy scout knife on high test.

Carried that SAK and Buck stockman for many years, kind of on a as needed basis to how I rotated them. Then in my 40's I became a bit of a knife nut. I experimented with all kinds of knives, one hand folders, pocket fixed blades, even a Pacific Cutlery Company balisong. Had a small collection of Randall's. It was a stage that lasted for a few years. Then I woke up. Like coming out of a weird dream, I looked around at all that stuff and thought 'What the hell am I doing?" and I sold off, gave away, gifted off most all my knives. Kept just a few traditional pocket knives and a few SAK's. All I have now is about 6 or 7 knives, and three of them are Victorinox SAK's, so I guess I've gone back. I get up in the morning and don't even think about what knife I'm going to carry, because 99% of the time now it's my Vic tinker. Does everything I need from knife, plus it gives me a few basic tools on hand in a small pocket size package. The knife habit is mostly broken now, and I stop by the forum to just window shop, and see what's going on.

After owning all kinds of knives, I feel very content to be back carrying a SAK like I did in 1969.
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I carried a SAK for the longest part of my life, then had a two-year phase of gas station flippers, linerlocks and junk and then got into the forums, and met Mr.Spyderco, Sir Cold Steel and a bunch of other gentlemans that have killed my wallet and revived my knife interest and passion.

Still have most of the SAKs I had, and keep getting and trying new ones!
 
I always had a bunch of knives. Back in the day they were usually Schrade, Kershaw, Cold Steel... stuff that I found that worked for me.

Never knew a lot about the steels, or the amazing array of brands, styles and such until I joined here back in 2000. Y2K, we called it.

Been ruined ever since. Got into Balisongs, customs, super steels... high end stuff that I was quite happy without back before the turn of the century.

On the plus side, I've carried some really cool, quality stuff, and I've given away literally thousands of dollars worth of knives in the last 15 years.

I'm actually kind of "going back" nowadays. I'm back to digging on the old steels. 1095, AUS-8, 440C and VG-10 pretty much any more.

Cool topic. Welcome to BFC.
 
jackknife said:
I've gone pretty much back to my roots the past several years.

My foist knife was a boy scout knife my dad gave me when I was 12. Carried that thing until I went in the army not long after high school. Left it home as I didn't want some barracks thief getting it. After boot camp I carried the issue 'demo' knife for a few years. For some reason I can't remember, I wanted a dedicated knife. The PX had Buck knives for sale, and I bought a 301 stockman. Liked having multiple blades on hand. Carried that knife for years, until I saw my first Victorinox display in Germany. Big moving SAK in the window of a knife shop in Rothenburg.

Carried that SAK and Buck stockman for many years, kind of on a as needed basis to how I rotated them. Then in my 40's I became a bit of a knife nut. I experimented with all kinds of knives, one hand folders, pocket fixed blades, even a Pacific Cutlery Company balisong. It was a stage that lasted for a few years. Then I woke up. Like coming out of a weird dream, I looked around at all that stuff and thought 'What the hell am I doing?" and I sold off, gave away, gifted off most all my knives. Kept just a few traditional pocket knives and a few SAK's. All I have now is about 6 or 7 knives, and three of them are Victorinox SAK's, so I guess I've gone back. I get up in the boring and don't even think about what knife I'm going to carry, because 99% of the time now it's my Vic tinker. Does everything I need from knife, plus it gives me a few basic tools on hand in a small pocket size package. The knife habit is mostly broken now, and I stop by the forum to just window shop, and see what's going on.

After owning all kinds of knives, I feel very content to be back carrying a SAK like I did in 1969.
16138939598_e8be24b9ce_c.jpg
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Wow, excellent story! I have spent many an hour reading some of your stories in the traditional knife forum, and really appreciate your response to my thread! I find my needs all met by one of my SAKs as well, but just can't yet bring myself to give up other knives as you did for the most part. I am still pretty young however and new to the hobby, and could definitely see myself downsizing as you and others have in the future. Thank you for the reply!
 
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