first traditional knife...help

GuinnessSynd

GuinnessSynd

Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
545
looking to get my first traditional knife. the only problem i have is that i have no idea about them. i know case is good brand. but dont know much else if anyone could point me in the right direction i would really appreciate it. would like to keep it under 60 if at all possible was thinking about case blue bone cause my favorite colour is blue. any help like i said would be amazing thanks
 
If you like carbon 1095 try GEC they are very spoken for. They also make some in 440c. Case makes decent knives with a lifetime warranty.
 
Hi Guinness! Have you considered what pattern you want? If not, I'd recommend picking up a few Rough Riders and see which one you like best before investing in a higher end folder. Rough Riders aren't half-bad and can be found for around $10/ea.

Otherwise, Case is a pretty safe bet and have several models to choose from in your price range...

Good luck! :)
 
Are you thinking slip joint or locking knife? If slip joint, the Case Swayback Jack is within your price point and will be difficult to beat in terms of quality in that range.

There are many good options from Queen, Great Eastern Cutlery, Boker, and others if you decide to consider brands other than Case.
 
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Hi, and welcome to the coolest subforum of the whole web. :D
Basically, you have two choices.
The first one is, grab the first traditional slipjoint you find in a store, and start from there.
The second one is, take a few hours to browse the threads in this forum, take a look at the websites of the most popular producers /Case, GEC, Queen, and so on) and see if something attracts you more, in terms of looks, function, feedbacks and so on.
Either way, stay tuned here :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
timberweasel said:
I'd recommend picking up a few Rough Riders and see which one you like best before investing in a higher end folder.
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This pretty much sums it up for me too, If you can handle a few that you think you like and just give them a decent run you may find that you love em, or you may find they dont suit you very well. but if you go this route you arnt out hundreds of dollars and still end up with a drawer full of decent knives.
 
I vote for not buying anything right now and instead spending some time reading, thinking, and talking to fans of traditional knives. There is so much variety w.r.t. pattern, blade shape and quantity, size, weight, color, texture, and material that you would be well off to put in the time. It can be daunting and bewildering, but it'll be worth it if you can avoid ending up with a knife that bores you, and/or even better end up with a knife that knocks your socks off.
 
I agree with the idea of getting some rough riders, but I also think you would be happy if you took the plunge and picked up a Case sway back jack. I don't see how anyone could dislike that knife.
 
can you tell me about the steel that case uses? i have read that it is stainless surgical steel which i always thought was a extremely low quality item even below 420 steel. its hard for me to find a place around here that sells traditional knives. the only one i can think of is bass pro shops but if anyone knows of a place in the kissimmee, orlando fl area let me know. gonna head to bass pro before work tomorrow.. i really like the gec carbon steel because i feel their knives would look really good with a nice patina on it.
 
GuinnessSynd said:
can you tell me about the steel that case uses? i have read that it is stainless surgical steel which i always thought was a extremely low quality item even below 420 steel. its hard for me to find a place around here that sells traditional knives. the only one i can think of is bass pro shops but if anyone knows of a place in the kissimmee, orlando fl area let me know. gonna head to bass pro before work tomorrow.. i really like the gec carbon steel because i feel their knives would look really good with a nice patina on it.
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Case's stainless still is pretty darn good. Sure, steel snobs will turn their nose up at it. But for real-world use, it's good stuff.

With that said, if you a patina on a carbon steel, why not buy one of Case's cv knives?

Lastly, I've been in the Bass Pro Shop on I-Drive in Orlando and they had a pretty large assortment of Case knives. And according to the dealer locator on the Case site, Makinson Hardware at 308 Broadway in Kissimmee is a Case dealer. But I'd wager that BPS has more on hand than Makinson.

-- Mark
 
Since Esav moved your thread here, you can take a look at the "What traditional are you totin..." thread (over 10,000 posts long now) to see examples of just about everything you can imagine. If you see something there you think you would like, you can begin your quest. I think you will like that blue bone. The swayback jack is one of Case's best patterns from design to assembly and they make a swayback gent in blue bone w/ a red shield. That blue bone has been whispering my name lately too.

Welcome to our forum. I think you will like it here.

Ed J
 
The best quality knife I know of for around 60 would be a chome vanadium Case sway back jack in chestnut bone.
 
I have a Case 2 blade jack in CV that I paid about 38.00 for and looking around you could probably still find one for about that price. Nice little knife. Sharpens up easy and holds a decent edge. You can't tell much from the picture but it has a pretty good blue patina on it. I really like those CV blades.

P1010812.jpg
 
Bastid said:
The best quality knife I know of for around 60 would be a chome vanadium Case sway back jack in chestnut bone.
Click to expand...

So nice it deserves to be said twice. The swayback by case is a spectacular knife. It's a gateway knife. I bought one three years ago. It was the first traditional I had purchased since I was a little kid. Now I've got 15 or so other traditionals and plans for more.
 
Let the fun begin. :thumbup:

I'm fairly new to the traditionals. IMO it's fun looking for that next traditional.

Like some of the others have said, look around to see what grabs you. There are so many patterns and variations from some fine makers. Looking around this subforum you can see some great pieces. There is also some great knowledge to gain.

Enjoy finding that one. Then you may find another "that one" and another. :D
 
so thinking im gonna get a rough rider to hold be over until christmas then i will ask my brother for the blue bone and the girl for the cv swayback.. unless i see something at bass pro in a few minutes that i just fall in love with and must get lol. i really want to say thank you so much for all the great feedback and info and i think i may be hooked. its funny what started all this was my mom found my old boy scout knife and sent it to me lol. bet she didnt know what she was starting.
 
You might could add 10 dollars or so and buy a Buck 301 ( I'm really quite fond of Buck slipjoints) and have some left over for something out of Case's yellow Derlin/CV lineup.
 
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