Is your favorite your best?

kamagong

kamagong

Joined
Jan 13, 2001
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I know that the idea of a favorite knife sounds crazy to many here, but for those of you that do have one, is it the finest one you own?

I have a knife I bought a few years ago. Oustanding stag, with an exquisite flat-ground blade. Even came sharp. Sharp, not just kinda sharp. Stainless bolsters, pinned shield, and a flush backspring. The backspring even lines up with the blade in the open position. All in all, it is a terrific example of the cutler's art.

Strangely enough, this knife is not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, I'm very fond of it. It was my primary carry for a while. But the title of favorite was claimed by the GEC 73 I was gifted last year. I have no illusions, by all objective standards the older knife is better. Better steel, better craftsmanship, it even has better looking covers. There is just something about this 73 though. I can't explain it, perhaps it's just sentimental attachment though I've never been considered a sentimental man. All I know is that when I look into the cigar box to grab a knife in the morning, most of the time the knife I grab is my stag 73.

- Christian
 
Great idea for a thread Christian. :thumbup:

I couldn't really pin down a "favorite" knife, but it will be interesting to see some of the replies.
 
The favorite knife doesn't have to be the best, but "the one" is the ONE. Sometimes it just can't be quantitatively explained. I have been carrying a lot of different knives lately, I like them all but there are some that I'd giveaway in a minute without too much thought. My favorite, although it goes against my current EDC preferences, is my Case Slimline trapper in yellow delrin. I can't bring myself to buy another Case knife of any kind. But this particular one is my 39 year favorite. :confused:
 
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Not for me. My favorite knife, and the one that rides most often in my pocket is my GEC #15. I have other knives made from more premium components, ones that are worth more, and ones that are more highly collectible, but this one just jumps into my pocket nearly every morning. Heck, I can't even sharpen the darn thing worth a hoot, but I carry it anyway. I just like it, and that works for me. I just wish I could get a decent edge on this thing!

-Dan
 
To me, 'best' and 'favorite' both depend entirely on how well it sharpens up (in my own hands). I've gone through a succession of knives as my 'favorites', and each new ascendant to that lofty perch has arrived there after I finally figured out how to put my 'best' edge on it. Even more so, if I found a simple and repeatable way to do it.

I have an awful lot of beautiful knives (aesthetically, and in terms of pure craftsmanship). But until I pick one of them up and find how best to produce the edge I like on it, it'll seldom even go in my pocket.


David
 
My Fav. is one of my Gerber Belt Buckles that I have worn everyday since they first came out ~~ the one I wear most of the time now is the one with the old Gobbler all blowed up calling a Hen ~~ I have retired 4 of them and have 3 to go but I don't think I will make it to wear all 3 of what is left but my Sons will.!** Always a good conversation piece and always gets good compliments as well.! Don't really see them anymore.*
 
Christian,
interesting thread...I'm curious to read more thoughts on this topic.
Personally, I think it all comes down to our concept of "best" and "favourite". And while the first one, although personal, does follow some general "absolute" laws, the second one is a very tricky thing to describe.
David's thoughts are a great example of how one particular feature can switch the "favourite" thing on. And I suspect that Christian's emotional bond to his #73 could be considered the same way.
Personally, I don't know what my favourite knife is. I know it might sound weird, but that's the way it is. I think one of my knives is climbing up that stair...and another upcoming knife could take that place in the first minute...but I don't have a favourite knife. Not even one that I carry more often than others, at least not by a large difference (although my SBJ does seem to stay in my pockets a bit more than the others).
But I'm really convinced that favourite and best are two different things (although they might coincide for someone).
And, in the end, and aside from collectors, I don't know why someone should own a "best" knife when he has his "favourite" knife in his pocket.

Fausto
:cool:
 
This thread begs for a more in depth discussion of Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. A starting point of the discussion on the slippery idea of quality is the contrast between the author's favorite old and tired Honda and his friend's better BMW. Somewhere along the way, including a great discussion on writing technical manuals he suggests that quality is that which produces a state of peace of mind. Peace of mind can vary, widely from person to person. What works for one person might not work for another.

But even inside of my own brain I have more than one voice. A wonderfully crafted artisan object produces a different type of peace of mind than a user does.

In the end, I'm more peaceful with a beater user. Something I can use without destroying the art (and the peace of mind that goes with that). I was taught this by friends in a ski school. All skis are rock skis (meant to be skied on days with thin cover). All my knives are users and I'm less peaceful about knives that are too pretty or too good.

I carry an Opinel most days. By best is a production level and modified Buck Duke. That should place me on some spectrum.
 
Pirsig's quote is exactly what I would have expected from Pinnah (in the best sense of it).
I do believe that quality, personal as it can be, has its own rules and obeys to some "general" rules that go beyond personal preference. It's not an absolute feature, but it comes quite close to it, especially in some cathegories.
Example. As much as I can try, I think it's useless to convince anyone that my Winchester jack is "better" than Ken Erickson's swell center jack. It's not. Period.
We're talking about knives...but the same thing could be said about cars, bikes, beautiful women (and men of course), or anything else.
But then we get back to Christian's topic...the "favourite" concept comes into play, and tables can turn. My idea of "favourite" is a very emotionally driven feeling. I'm not talking about the "what one knife would I grab if my house was burning down" sort of thing. It's just something that we can't describe or explain fully, yet we all know it pretty well. I said I don't have a favourite knife, but I have favourites in many other things. And yes, at the end of the day, it has little to do with quality and alot to do with peace of mind.
No matter if it's a Honda bike, an Opinel, a GEC 73, or a high end custom slipjoint.

Fausto
:cool:
 
I love the question!! The answer is absolutely no. I have a "best" knife that I can't use....just can't do it. My favorite is almost always the one in my pocket (and that changes!)
 
Great thread, Christian. My favorite has changed time after time, but my favorite has always been my best. Not best in terms of fit and finish, most expensive, most rare or any of that, but best for that feel you get from using it and having it along with you :)

Kevin
 
I've been giving this some thought, trying to figure out what makes a knife a favorite. It's not strictly a question of quality, at least not for me. As long as my knife is made by a skilled craftsman, proud of his work, I'm happy. I don't require perfection.

I still don't have an answer. I do know that my favorite things all show marks of beausage. Favorite knife, favorite gun, whatever. No longer minty fresh, they look like the valued tools they are instead of museum pieces. Not that I have anything against museum pieces and safe queens mind you. It's just that when I look at things behind glass I see beauty, but it's purely superficial. When I look at my favorite things I am reminded of past adventures, of things done and places visited.

There might even be a pragmatic reason why I prefer things with a little wear and tear. I know they work. My 1911 is a finely crafted instrument. But as good as it was out-of-the-box, it's only gotten better with time. The trigger breaks cleaner, the slide cycles more smoothly. I know where the bullets will go, assuming I do my part of course. Same thing with my 73. It walks and talks with aplomb, now that the factory grit is all gone and the tang and liner have polished up a bit with use. I've got the edge tuned up the way I like, where I can cut a strand of my wife's free hanging hair suspended by my fingers.

Enough with the rambling. Since I think all threads are better with pictures, I'll end this post by sharing both my best and my favorite knives.

mynorthfieldscout4.jpg


- Christian
 
pinnah said:
All my knives are users and I'm less peaceful about knives that are too pretty or too good.
Click to expand...

Precisely why I no longer have a rotten banana bone GEC 66 jack, a special order red jigged bone GEC 66 moose, etc. Others are comfortable putting these beauties to daily tasks. I was not.

And precisely why I usually have an old Schrade or Case in my pocket.

Also, why I would probably answer the question "Yes."
 
kamagong said:
Since I think all threads are better with pictures, I'll end this post by sharing both my best and my favorite knives.
Click to expand...

I had not read this far when I posted. So, here's a sample of my favorites (like others have said, it is a moving target).

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6344Dec31.jpg


ImperialjackDec20a.jpg


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CamillusjackNov9b.jpg


CamillusEENov8a.jpg
 
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No, my favorite is not my best. It is the amber bone mini copperhead that I have shown here so much. Not an expensive knife and not a superb example even of the pattern, but when I saw the one that Mack posted, I knew that I had to have one. I haven't found anything that will knock it off the perch, though some have come close. I have 3 other wharncliffe blade versions that I like just as much, including the blue bone, red shield model that goes to church every Sunday.

The knife:

knives110304-001.jpg


Ed J
 
No, here's my favorite. By favorite I mean most aesthetically pleasing.
Here's my best. The blades are much more accommodating for general EDC tasks. It's also among the most ergonomic traditional slipjoints I've had.

 
I have owned a lot of knives in my past 200+. Since starting a family I have sold all but 3. To this day I can't explain it but my Victorinox Explorer will probably be the one I will never be able to part with. Not the best, not the most expensive, but certainly the most carried and favorite.
 
My favorite would have to be the 63032 CV Small Texas Jack. I carry others but I have to make myself not drop the Jack in my pocket. It's just the right size and shape. I certainly have more expensive ones, and definitely a nicer one.

 
pinnah said:
In the end, I'm more peaceful with a beater user. Something I can use without destroying the art (and the peace of mind that goes with that). I was taught this by friends in a ski school. All skis are rock skis (meant to be skied on days with thin cover). All my knives are users and I'm less peaceful about knives that are too pretty or too good.
Click to expand...

Doug Add said:
Precisely why I no longer have a rotten banana bone GEC 66 jack, a special order red jigged bone GEC 66 moose, etc. Others are comfortable putting these beauties to daily tasks. I was not.
Click to expand...

You guys don't know what you're missing. There's a distinct pleasure in uglying up a beautiful knife through honest use.

- Christian
 
Yes it is.

My yanagi serves me well as I it.

I polish it almost daily, and it provides me a decent salary. (Chef)
 
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