How have your knife preferences changed over time?

H

Houlahound

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Aug 2, 2017
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BF convos has really changed what I like in a knife, some things have stayed constant.

Constant: large spear point fixed blades.

Changed: more into natural scale materials, pocket clip folders (I never carried one previously), small fixed blades, traditionals, slicey profiles.

I have lost interest in moderns, thick stock, super high tech, tacticool.

I still haven't bought a custom and laughed at people that spend that much but now i am lurking the custom sites a lot more.
 
I've been through a few phases of knife preferences. I carried a traditional knife back when we called it a pocket knife for about 10 years before I went "tactical" with a Buck knife on my belt. I reluctantly started clipped carry about 25 years ago and still often carry that way, but I've keep going back to either slip joints or lock back knives in my pocket. Modern convenience is great, but give me jigged bone and nickel silver.
 
Started with a buck squire that was given to me when I was young. It basically just rode in my pocket all day. I still used a razor or stripping knife at work.

Then came along knives with a pocket clip. With the convenience of the clip I began using the pocket knife more and ditched the bulky utility knives.
First was a cheaper assisted flipper framelock. Loved it. Eventually the assist broke. Pretty sure it had external stop pins so I thumb opened it after the assist broke.

Then I started really exploring other options. Axis lock, compression lock, liner lock, all sizes blade shapes and materials. Spyderco G-10 and titanium Zt’s is where I landed.

Next step was a left handed large sebenza 21. Took some time after purchasing it but Crk basically took over my rotation and hasn’t changed in quite some time. Not a big fan of flippers bc I tend to fidget with them a lot and it drives me crazy, same with axis locks. I’m perfectly fine with a slow boring thumb stud opener.
 
The biggest one would be having switched completely to traditional knives.
I've also grown to really appreciate knives which are much smaller than I ever thought of as adequate.
And I've started to frequently carry belt knives which is not something I was comfortable with before.
 
I've moved back to thinner EDC knives. More slipjoints. Over the years my enjoyment of over built knives has waned. I still love a big chopper....but have come to appreciate thinner grinds, with distal taper.

I may be a little less of a steel snob as well. 1095 gets enjoyed as much as CPM3V.
 
My daily carry, for well onto two yrs, has been the Mass Keen Laconico... I really enjoy this knife...
It's as close to a "real" Laconico as I can ever get...and close enuf to suit me.
 
I started as a complete gun guy, I always carried a knife but I was a legit gun guy always.

That changed to me wanting to be more well rounded. I upgraded from a chinese kershaw to an american kershaw to a zero tolerance and then it grew, Now I have RHK and CPK but it started with the chine kershaw. I still carry that kershaw sometimes and I still use that same Leek from time time. Now I have nicer dress leek.

Sold the ZT's and now I strive to get more unique knives each time. We will see what next year brings, perhaps I will end up with a Holt specter or something haha
 
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I carried a buck lite in Boy Scouts. Around 20, I discovered Spyderco. For many years I carried pocket clipped and liked tactical. OTF’s etc gathered my attention. Then I held a sebenza. Now, I’m back to traditionals, especially custom stockmans. I still have a very limited range of moderns, mostly shiros, and still have a couple of sebenzas, but I always have a traditional, usually a custom one on me.
 
I remember most of my progression from Boy Scouts through full addiction. My collection now is centered on different types of blade steel and designs by my favorite makers. I used to have no idea about any of that. So my purchase habits have changed with more knowledge.

Gas station knives>Swiss Army>Leatherman>KaBar>Kershaw Blur/Leek>Ontario RAT>Benchmade Griptilian>Spyderco>Zero Tolerance>Everything on the spectrum.

Also now I can say that I’ve paid almost a stack for a knife. That is easily 10x more than what I could imagine spending like 5+ years ago.
 
I think one of the biggest change for me is appreciation of non-super steel. I had a chance to use and carried Buck in 420 and many slipjoints in carbon steel for the past year, and they are every bit as functional and reliable as EDC tool as many of my modern folders.
 
They haven't changed, but they have expanded. Going from assisted flippers, to spydie holes, "over built" ZTs, to bucks and benchmades... I love them all. I love the variety of steels and deployment types. The designs. I like taking them apart and seeing the differences in engineering. Cleaning and tuning. Feeling how the steel sharpens.

Wonder when I'll get into traditionals... Lol
 
1996-2013: Tacticool and SOG fanboy

2014-2016: Overbuilt

2016--2019: Flippers, especially ~3" lightweight

10/2019-current: OTF

Many things changed in 2014:

Dislike thumbstuds, assisted, tantos, S30V, partial serrations.

Ergonomics matter.

I've also slowly eliminated G-10 and FRN from my small accumulation.
 
My tastes have never changed. What I like now I liked when I was six.

Traditional Buck knives, KA-BARs, PAL knives, “Demo” knives, Randall’s, Camillus. I lean towards traditional hunting, and pocket slip joints, and American military.

I try other things for the fun of it , but always come full circle to my roots.

The only thing different from the me 40 years ago, is I don’t think I can fix everthing with my Swiss Army knife.
 
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My taste in knives has changed a great deal in some ways, remained chiseled in stone in others.

My taste in knives changed most about size. I used to be a medium size stockman and SAK fan. The Buck 301 and Wenger SI/Victorinox pioneer were my go-to knives. After my dad passed away, I started to carry his old Case peanut just for sentiment. Then one day is actually used it to cut something. Then I used it some more. Then I had a light bulb moment as to why dad always carried that little knife. I went an bought one of my own.

I found out that for my life style and most things in modern American suburbia, that little thin blade a bit over 2 inches was enough to cut most of what I needed to cut. But the gain was a very small package that dropped down to the bottom of my pocket and was actually forgotten about until I needed a knife. It started me experiments in small pocket knives and how much I could do with a 2 inch blade. My stockman and larger SAK got put away and I went to very small pocket knives. Buck 309 companion, Boker 240 penknife, Christy knife, a small Buck Hartsook fixed blade. A Victorinox executive was added in and took over my watch pocket of my jeans or the pocket of my Magellan fishing shorts that are my go-to shirt in Texas summers. . I never carry any pocket knife that won't fit comfortably in the watch/coin pocket of my jeans. If I need more knife, I'll carry a fixed blade like my Buck 102 woodsman or Martini puuko.

But my taste for multi bladed pocket knives has remained the same. I never got into the single blade lockers, just too limited with just that one blade. And I still love a nice thin blade. I found out the thin blade a little Victorinox classic is like a razor blade when sharpened up good. A little pocket scalpel. Likewise the small blade of a Boker 240 or Christy knife.

But the real change is how much my obsession with knives has changed. I stopped collecting/accumulating, and sold off/gave away most of my collection. Kept a small handful of the smaller traditional's and I don't really care as much about knives as I used to. As I got older, it became much more important to me to go out an live life with those that I loved than what knife was in my pocket that day. Doing things with my wife of almost 50 years and the kids and grandkids became what mattered to me. As long as I have some kind of small sharp knife in my pocket to trim fishing line, open packages, or whatever, I'm good to go.

Doesn't have to be big, just sharp. A wise man once told me that.
 
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A nice thin full flat grind or shallow convex has become pretty much a necessity - can't slice hard salami and cured ham with a blade that's thick behind the edge. A nice tall blade for spreading cream cheese/butter/mustard is also high on the list of priorities.

I think my knives are making me fat.
 
bemymonkey said:
A nice thin full flat grind or shallow convex has become pretty much a necessity - can't slice hard salami and cured ham with a blade that's thick behind the edge. A nice tall blade for spreading cream cheese/butter/mustard is also high on the list of priorities.

I think my knives are making me fat.
Click to expand...

I feel a sudden urge to go check out what's in the refrigerator.
 
Started out like most boys, small slip joint in my pocket. When I got my first CCW permit in 2000 I was all about the tactical with a Benchmade /Emerson CQC. After years of that I just graduated into the utility folder and that’s where I am today. Tried all the last greatest wizbang wonder knives and settled on the small Sebenza insingo as pretty much my favorite of all times for a everyday knife and I’m guessing it will be what I carry until God willing I get old enough to return to my boyhood Buck 303.
 
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I think we get bored and want different stuff. I have strange taste to begin with so my buying and trading habits are all over the place. One day it’s a overbuilt folders..... then thin, slicey super steel.... who knows what tomorrow will bring
 
I set some guidelines for myself, based on my expectations of use and financial realities, two years ago when it became clear that I was going to buy more than one knife.
I’ve broken all of them.
The more knives I try the more what I like evolves. I am currently avoiding assisted opening, and automatics. I absolutely prefer tip up. And small fixed blades are on the radar for daily carry. I didn’t see that coming.
 
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