"Gateway Drug": what was your first (CRK or non-CRK) knife that started it all?

Krazy Cash said:
My first "real" knife was a Spyderco Tenacious. Worked my way around their Japanese made line. Found Benchmade with their griptilians and the 940s and 710s. Then ZT's framelocks.

Later I get my tax refund and get my hands on a Sebenza 25 from the Exchange. I wasn't ready for it. Too nice to use. I've gone back and forth in between brands and landed with a mixture of them. I stepped away from blades for a while, content with my "collection". Until, that is, friend asks me for advice on knives and I peak back into this room and see all the new stuff. Now the Large plain Insingo has carved itself into my mind and I can't get it out. Looking for used models, maybe i'll feel better about using it.
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Interesting that you say that. I bought 2 wood inlays right away when I first got bit by the bug, a small Box Elder and a small Snakewood.
I had the same experience with those two. Couldn't believe how beautiful they were, and couldn't imagine ever carrying and using them so I quickly sold them.
Fast forward several years and a small Box Elder is in my weekly carry rotation and I have a small mammoth bark with damascus to be delivered today that will be a user.

(Also, where are you in MD?)
 
My first knife was a Mauser hunting knife, a gift from my father.. From there is started the passion for blades, but... The models that I saw around, their bored me, they seemed to have nothing of what I was looking for.. Then, one day, I saw a picture on a website cutlery, two beautiful hollow handle knives, gray like the night, cold like the steel... I absolutely had to have them. And so is started my passion for the Chris Reeve knives
 
This was the first knife that I actively sought out, I spent 6 months trackin' one down back in the 80s, pre internet, it was a Buck Titanium 186. I chased this knife across the country till it wound up in a Hoffritz in Bridgewater NJ. I took a half a day off of work when I got the call it was at the store. That knife had a lot of firsts, first USA made production titanium knife, first USA made knife with a pocket/belt clip, IIRC first USA made knife meant to be disassembled which coincidently hastened its demise in just 2 short years after production started. Made in very limited numbers it was redesigned with rivets instead on 10X32 socket head construction preventing disassembly and released as another model number.

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25+ years later after it first came out, I finally pulled the trigger and got a Sebenza and will never be without one again, actually within 9 months of the first I got a second with CGG scales.

8UBD8S7.jpg
 
arskrg said:
Interesting that you say that. I bought 2 wood inlays right away when I first got bit by the bug, a small Box Elder and a small Snakewood.
I had the same experience with those two. Couldn't believe how beautiful they were, and couldn't imagine ever carrying and using them so I quickly sold them.
Fast forward several years and a small Box Elder is in my weekly carry rotation and I have a small mammoth bark with damascus to be delivered today that will be a user.

(Also, where are you in MD?)
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Interesting. I'm at the southern tip just outside NAS Pax River.
 
T. Erdelyi said:
This was the first knife that I actively sought out, I spent 6 months trackin' one down back in the 80s, pre internet, it was a Buck Titanium 186. I chased this knife across the country till it wound up in a Hoffritz in Bridgewater NJ. I took a half a day off of work when I got the call it was at the store. That knife had a lot of firsts, first USA made production titanium knife, first USA made knife with a pocket/belt clip, IIRC first USA made knife meant to be disassembled which coincidently hastened its demise in just 2 short years after production started. Made in very limited numbers it was redesigned with rivets instead on 10X32 socket head construction preventing disassembly and released as another model number.

005-8.jpg


25+ years later after it first came out, I finally pulled the trigger and got a Sebenza and will never be without one again, actually within 9 months of the first I got a second with CGG scales.

8UBD8S7.jpg
Click to expand...

Your story/ that Buck is very interesting! Really cool!
 
T. Erdelyi said:
This was the first knife that I actively sought out, I spent 6 months trackin' one down back in the 80s, pre internet, it was a Buck Titanium 186. I chased this knife across the country till it wound up in a Hoffritz in Bridgewater NJ. I took a half a day off of work when I got the call it was at the store. That knife had a lot of firsts, first USA made production titanium knife, first USA made knife with a pocket/belt clip, IIRC first USA made knife meant to be disassembled which coincidently hastened its demise in just 2 short years after production started. Made in very limited numbers it was redesigned with rivets instead on 10X32 socket head construction preventing disassembly and released as another model number.

005-8.jpg


25+ years later after it first came out, I finally pulled the trigger and got a Sebenza and will never be without one again, actually within 9 months of the first I got a second with CGG scales.

8UBD8S7.jpg
Click to expand...

Cool story. The pocket clip on that Buck is insane! Way ahead of its time.
 
My first serious folder was a non-crk, its a Ranger Green Strider SmF drop point a long time ago. There were some lower range knives at that time but where I come from, serious folders are few and far between. I still have it although its not getting much pocket time. But it has served me well all those earlier years. The tiger stripes have all gone through wear. Various dings here and there but it still rocks.

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I'd say Benchmades were the gateway knives for me. I consider this forum, and the CRK sub forum in particular, the "dealer". All the pictures and positive comments about CRK lead me to my first Sebenza and then a while later to a 25 which since its purchase has been my EDC.
 
My knife hobby began when I discovered that my $60 dollar Carbon V CRK, that I bought in the 90's and beat the crap out of for 10 years and forgot about, was actually a well admired knife. I had to did through old crap to find it. I never thought of it as something to enjoy but I enjoyed owning something celebrated. Some article advised that a good fixed blade should be supported by a tactical folder. I chose a ZT0350BW and my collection blew up from there.


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Well, I first started out with Kershaw's, moved to Spyderco's and a few BenchMade.
But, the one knife that got me addicted to a point of no return was a Custom Shop Buck 500 with buffalo horn and malachite handle, mirrored blade finish.
It is just a stunning piece.

 
My first gateway drug was an early Spyderco Delica with the integrated clip. From there I've been through so many knives but I always seem to come back to my CRKs.
 
This was mine first and probably the one I still like the best,Sebenza diamond plate.
 
First knife I bought with my own money was a Case Stockman.
First "modern locking" knife was a Spyderco Delica, then a CRK Regular(wish I still had it).
 
I've carried a pocket knife forever. In the past it was mostly SAK and cheap folders that didnt leave much of an impression with me.

One day I figured, what the heck, lets buy a quality knife. I ended up with an Al Mar Auto Sere 2000. I carried that puppy for over 5 years daily. It never let me down.

Not wanting to lose my prized folder, I decided to branch out. It started with a ZT 0350 and the rest was history. I will say, with confidence. No one does it like CRK!
 
Wavicle said:
For me it was a simple Benchmade 707 Sequel. That was in early 2013 and 66 knives ago (24 of them CRKs). Reading through BF I kept finding references to Sebenza and finally made the jump in 2014 with a Sebenza 25. At the time I thought "really- $450 for this hunk of titanium?". Since then I figured it out and developed a CRK habit I can't kick, and don't want to either.

The 707 Sequel that started it all:
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almost an identical story for me...I mean, I've owned knives my entire life (cheaper ones + a few nice ones handed down from my dad), but the purchase of the the 707 is what started my true knife addiction.
 
My first high end knife, was a large BG-42 Sebenza that I bought from Nordic knives, in Solvang, CA. This was in the '90's.
 
I dabbled for a while with benchmade, then spyderco and then ZT. Then I stepped up to CRK with a 25. After that it was CRK and Hinderer for a while. Don't have any Hinderer now but still have three CRKs. But those CRK led me to try out customs knives too. I reside in the custom world now but will always have my CRK's.
 
Growing up on a farm and working construction gave me an appreciation for quality tools. I had done general construction, framing/carpentry and had just switched trades to plumbing. Being an apprentice plumber, carrying an olfa knife daily I didn't feel the need for a better knife at the time.

However, I was always looking for good hand tools on the local classifieds. I saw a neat looking Boker Karambit for 35 bucks. When I met up with the guy with the Boker, he showed me a spyderco caly 3 zdp-189 and I fell in love and bought it.

I carried that caly for about a year before I found BF and CRK. I carry a LG micarta insingo daily and I love it!

As of now I have a ti-lock and ummnumzann on the wish list.
 
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