High quality knives in the wild?

I was at a corporate clay pigeon shoot recently and at the braai afterwards (barbeque) the one guy was using a Kershaw Chive to check if the steaks were done. I had to compliment him on his style.
 
I see a lot of nice knives being EDC'ed here in Oregon.

Autos are actually really popular to carry (mostly Benchmades are what I see). USA Kershaws are not even surprising anymore. It is also really common to see leatherman MTs in belt sheaths.

There are also quite a few people who carry belt knives.

Who is to say what the old timers are carrying...;)

I wouldn't say it is the strongest knife culture, but it is certainly surviving.
 
Have seen maybe a handful knives in the wild. Once at the range one of the instructors had something clipped in his pocket - do not remember the model but it was an auto. Most surprising instance was in college when hanging out with an acquaintance back home who went to my high school - he had a Kershaw Leek on him. I loved the assisted opening and purchased one myself the very next day.

If I recognized a nice folder in your pocket, especially something pricey or a custom (as unlikely as that is), you bet I am going to try to strike up a conversation. No one else I know is into the hobby :(
 
I see random low end kershaws, a few nice benchmades regularly, seen a crkt ripple, a cold steel Spartan, that's about it
 
I agree with The Government (feels weird saying that), here in Oregon there is a strong knife culture, at least where I was raised and among the crowd I tend to associate with. Mostly I see Leatherman and Kershaws, a few Benchmade and ZT's, several of my coworkers formerly worked at one of the Portland area knife companies, so many have knives left over from those days, one coworker even has a one of a kind Benchmade he put together using parts from discontinued knives.
Most of my coworkers carry knives and it's pretty common to see pocket clips on the street.

Traditional knives are becoming popular with the hipster and urban farmer crowd, several local boutique shops have started carrying Svord Peasants, Opinels, Bear & Son lockbacks, Case Sodbusters, etc.
 
Druk said:
I agree with The Government (feels weird saying that), here in Oregon there is a strong knife culture, at least where I was raised and among the crowd I tend to associate with. Mostly I see Leatherman and Kershaws, a few Benchmade and ZT's, several of my coworkers formerly worked at one of the Portland area knife companies, so many have knives left over from those days, one coworker even has a one of a kind Benchmade he put together using parts from discontinued knives.
Most of my coworkers carry knives and it's pretty common to see pocket clips on the street.

Traditional knives are becoming popular with the hipster and urban farmer crowd, several local boutique shops have started carrying Svord Peasants, Opinels, Bear & Son lockbacks, Case Sodbusters, etc.
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Every time I talk to a hipster my age, I feel like I'm talking to my grandpa:D
 
I work at the airport in a large city here in Texas, and so far all I have seen is a "Winchester" branded knife, which I'm assuming is some sort of imported junk. The guys on the floor may have a few, but I haven't seen them yet. Up here in Engineering, other than me, there's nothing. Sad, that. :(
 
Absolutely nothing I've seen fits the mid/high to high grade knife categories. IRL I have the most expensive knives out of everybody I know......and they're just a Kershaw Leek (I'm one of those guys^^^) and an Esee4. The average quality on sites like this though.... you guys make me look like I'm buying from the dollar store. :sorrow:
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Spyderco and Kershaw are the most common knives I see. For Kershaw, the Chive, Leek, Blur, and Skyline. For Spyderco, the Delica, Endura, Military, Paramilitary, and Dragonfly.

I interact with quite a few LEOs on a frequent basis and the quality knife I see most often that a LEO carries is usually the Spyderco Endura (and I have seen a lot of the ones with GLOCK tools). Talking to many of them about knives, the feedback I often hear is that the Spyderco Endura is a good size for their usage, strong enough to perform many of the chores that are harder on knives, has a tip that is much stronger than most other folding knives, sharp enough and practical enough for fine work, is easy to use with gloves, is light and practical for carry in most any location (big plus if you are already carrying a lot of gear as-is), is easy to sharpen or easy to send out for sharpening, and very affordable (and this is a key trait as almost everyone I have talked to mentions "value" in the same sentence with "Endura"). I've also talked to quite a few carrying one of the Spyderco blades with the blunted tip like from the Rescue series, and I have noticed this knife is very popular with many of the first-responders who the people first on scene and the ones who handle emergency situations.

I also have talked to many who carry the Kershaw Blur and Kershaw Skyline. Reasoning for choice is generally the same: a hell of a good knife that gets the job done for a great price.

Seeing this always makes me chuckle given how many expensive knives brand themselves as having some sort of "tactical value" or "preferred choice of first-responders" and the Spyderco Endura, Kershaw Blur, and Kershaw Skyline are probably the most "UN-tactically-advertised" knives around.

I have noticed the Benchmade Triage is getting popular by word of mouth, and that sheepsfoot blade, plus the rescue hook, makes a really well-rounded tool (literally and figuratively).

I know a few guys in the military who have an Adamas Folder (good matched knife for their work IMO) and they say it's a pretty popular knife.
 
Up here in Maine I've been seeing a lot more clipped knives in the last five years I started with a 1999 905 Stryker.I really like Bucks Vantage line,Benchmade,spydico and Kershaws...but most in construction still carry Buck 110&112 in a sheath ,lots with Leatherman in sheaths.As far as slip-joints old USA Schrades and Case knives lead the way..Most hunters still prefer the old style fixed blades.
 
I saw a really high quality knife in the wild once.
I fed it a little of what I was eating it wanted more but I refused.
It ate my little sister.
 
A friend at work has carried a first generation Endura for 20 years. It had a broken tip. I told him he could send it back to Spyderco for a fix. He just asked them sharpen the original blade and flatten the tip so he could use it as a screw driver.

Another guy at work carried a damascus bladed Buck 110.
 
I took a wilderness survival class a couple of years ago here in north GA. One of the state park rangers teaching the class carried Striders. He actually took the time during the class to talk about the importance of a good blade in the woods and talked about the difference in quality knives vs. gas station / flea market stuff. We talked about knives afterward for a while and I told him about BF. Don't know whether he ever joined or not.

There's a gun shop in Athens where the guys behind the counter carry some decent blades. One guy carries an ESEE 3, IIRC. I saw the top of the handle in his RFP, but I couldn't tell whether it was a 3 or 4. There's couple of Kershaws carried at the gun shop in McDonough. Other than that, what I've seen "out and about" tends to be less expensive stuff. I almost never see anyone out in the woods 'round north GA with a knife... except me and my wife.
 
silkworm said:
A friend at work has carried a first generation Endura for 20 years. It had a broken tip. I told him he could send it back to Spyderco for a fix. He just asked them sharpen the original blade and flatten the tip so he could use it as a screw driver.
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I can just imagine that the person at Spyderco who received the request had to pause for a second and collect themselves after that part. Either laughter or tears, something was being held back.

Another guy at work carried a damascus bladed Buck 110.
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Wait, aren't those super rare and valuable? If so, that's awesome to hear. I like the idea of valuable practical knives seeing actual use. I want to one day see a mechanic using a 0777 Herringbone without knowing how much it's worth - just a user enjoying a well-made product without any concern or hesitation.
 
Over here it's mainly SAKs and small Leathermans (mostly a Micra) and sometimes traditional knives like German sodbusters or Opinels. Modern quality folders are mainly carried by knife nuts.
 
Comeuppance said:
I want to one day see a mechanic using a 0777 Herringbone without knowing how much it's worth - just a user enjoying a well-made product without any concern or hesitation.
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If I find him first, I'll swap him a Gerber for it.
 
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