Knives you've seriously considered buying, but never pulled the trigger on

[Bob Denman]

A lefty Ferrum Forge in house USA made and a lefty from Olamic. Ended up being too many choices for me to be dead set on one. Plus those are at a price that I wouldn’t feel comfortable using and carrying. Talked with both companies on several occasions. Just couldn’t talk myself in to it.

Get yourself a Wayfarer Classic, Compact, or Busker while you can!!

 

[Alberta Ed]

A few years ago I eyed a brace of Bagwell Bowies at Blade Runner Knives in Tucson, but the cost of the accompanying divorce was too much.

 

[Shorttime]

A few years ago I eyed a brace of Bagwell Bowies at Blade Runner Knives in Tucson, but the cost of the accompanying divorce was too much.

I felt that, right through the internet. My wife has very different ideas about what "justifiable expense" means.

 

[CSG]

Simple answer to the OP's question. The full size Benchmade OTF Infidel. Fabulous toy and totally useless to me. I bought a Sig P365 for a little less money. Also a fabulous toy but far more useful to me.

 

[Drop bear]

The yojimbo or yojumbo. I kind of want a super slick defensive knife. But don't really have a need for one.

 

[Shorttime]

The yojimbo or yojumbo. I kind of want a super slick defensive knife. But don't really have a need for one.

Check out Extrema Ratio, if you want more options for slick defensive knives that you don't want to afford.

 

[Kaizen1]

Wow, this thread is still going. I started it in 2019. Since the first post I've actually purchased the CRK Umnumzaan and the Waved Southern Grind Bad Monkey. I couldn't get used to the weird way the Umnum opened so I eventually got rid of it. I do like the Bad Monkey and I prefer larger knives these days. I still want to reprofile it, though. The edge is a bit too thick for my preferences

 

[Shorttime]

Wow, this thread is still going. I started it in 2019. Since the first post I've actually purchased the CRK Umnumzaan and the Waved Southern Grind Bad Monkey. I couldn't get used to the weird way the Umnum opened so I eventually got rid of it. I do like the Bad Monkey and I prefer larger knives these days. I still want to reprofile it, though. The edge is a bit too thick for my preferences

I dunno if "still going" is quite the right way to say it, it's just me committing thread necromancy. Cool clip on the Southern Grind.

 

[1911Teacher]

Wayfarer 247.

 

[Kaizen1]

I dunno if "still going" is quite the right way to say it, it's just me committing thread necromancy. Cool clip on the Southern Grind.

Ah I didn't look back to see that's what happened. Yeah the clips they come with suck, but they happen to have the same screw placement as Emersons, which I'm guessing isn't a coincidence

 

[hhmoore]

From March 2021:

Cheburkov Raven (Voron) - maybe someday...


I've thought much more seriously about an Umnumzaan Tanto. I'm not really sure why I want one, honestly; but I'll end up buying one at some point. One of the reasons I haven't is that many of the ones posted on the Exchange have been only $10-15 below dealer prices (unless things are missing). Now that the s45vns are showing up, I'll go that route - but it will be awhile because I'm not paying dealer prices or higher for a second hand knife that I figure I'm not going to like anyway.

I've bought both of those.
I'm happy to say the Cheburkov is everything I expected (picture from late '22)
View attachment 2436333

On the other hand, the Umnumzaan is pretty much what I expected, too; but I'm still trying to like it. I added a J2H backspacer & a longer "lanyard" with a brass bead. Seems kinda like putting lipstick on a pig, to me...
View attachment 2436337
(First time tying one, so cut me some slack...and the bead fits better than it looks in the picture.)

 

[Shorttime]

I feel like really appreciating anything from CRK needs you to use it like Dcdavis does: all day, every day, cutting everything from bread to cement bags. Like a pre-emissions Caterpillar engine, they need some dirt, and a minimum of five hundred thousand miles.

 

[Shorttime]

A few of you are still coming back for this? Cool. Here we go then, Thread Necromancy for 2024! Now with additional navel-gazing commentary on some of my choices, as if we weren't already there.


Fixed
Bark River City Knife
Bark River Pocket Bravo
Bark River Bravo Squad Leader (4.6)
Becker BK2
Becker BK16
Boker Plus Outdoorsman
Buck Compadre
Busse Ergo Badger
Busse Game Warden 2
Carothers EDC
Condor Compact Kephart
Condor Huron
Condor Knulujulu
Condor Otzi Knife
Condor Primitive Bush Dagger
Condor Solobolo
Condor Terrasaur
Delia Tactical Lifespike
Fiddleback Forge Bushfinger
Fiddleback Forge Camp
Fiddleback Forge Duke
Grayman Ground Pounder
Gill Hibben Double Shadow
Himalayan Imports Seax
Hinderer Flashpoint
James Brand Hell Gap
KA-BAR Wrench Knife
Khukuri House Mukti
Khukuri House Himalayan Bear Claw Knife
LionSteel H1 Fixed Backup Knife
L.T. Wright Small Northern Hunter
Mercworx Seraphym
Offgrid Knives Tracker X
Offgrid Knives Alpha Dog
Ontario TAK-1
Ontario Journeyman
Schrade SCHF56L Frontier (small)
Spyderco/R J Martin Kumho
Tai Goo Knife (anything, really)
TOPS Baghdad Boxcutter
TOPS Grim Ripper
TOPS Hornero
TOPS MAK7
TOPS Mini-Pry
TOPS Outpost Command
TOPS Pry Knife
TOPS Ranger Short Stop
TOPS Small BOB
TOPS Smoke Jumper
Treeman TASS -Mr. Behring's modern knives are all on my "want" list, really.
Wenger Blades Smatchet -same here, I like most Wenger Blades. The Tracker pattern has never appealed to me.
Wildertools Bushknife Leaf Blade -and, again: Rick Marchand's work is consistently amazing.

These almost all fall into one of two categories. The first is overcompensating. If I really ever did need the "strength of a pocket-sized fixed blade", then I should already be using another tool.

The second category of fixed blade is a version of the fantasy of having complete personal autonomy: the idea that I could walk out into the forest and stay there for however long I pleased, using my trusty knife to carve out a living for myself from what Nature provides.

The third category is things like the TOPS MAK7: dumb fun.


Folding
A G Russell Acies -a real competitor for the Sebenza? Still too expensive for me to want to find out.
Alliance/Laconico Jasmine
American Buffalo Knife & Tool Grunt
Andre de Villiers Impi
Arno Bernard Rinkhals
Artisan Cutlery Wren
Asher Knives Nomad
Asher Knives Spiro Ti Crossbar
Benchmade Adamas
Bestech Slasher
Boker Bad Guy
Boker Boxer
Boker/Gedraitis Pocket Smatchet Dagger
Boker Gust
Boker Plus Evade -very thin lock cutout
Boker Plus Sliplock
Boker Strike
Boker Urbanovsky CFM-A1
Bradley Alias
Brother Cowfish
Brutalica Ponomar
Buck Selkirk
Buck/TOPS CSAR-T
Civilware Pointer II
Civivi Elementum
CJRB Feldspar
CJRB Pyrite
Cold Steel AD-10
Cold Steel Air Lite drop point
Cold Steel Immortal
Cold Steel Kiridashi
Cold Steel Tiger Claw
Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter
Condor Krakatoa
Condor Tactical PASS (folding)
CRKT Cuatro
CRKT Piet
CRKT Hammond Cruiser
Doug Ritter RSK -thumb ramp
Dicoria District 9 Tsunami
Direwire Solo V4
ESEE Folding Izula
Emerson Mini A-100
Emerson Mini-Seax
Extrema Ratio HF-1
Extrema Ratio RAO
Extrema Ratio Ti Rock
Fallkniven GP
Ferrum Forge/Massdop Mordax
Filip de Coene (Ensizen) Explorer
Fox Core
Fox Livri
Freeman 451
Gerber 06 S30V
Great Eastern Huckleberry Boys Knife
Great Eastern Oil Field Jack
Great Eastern (Tidioute) Barlow
Great Eastern (Tidioute) Oregon Trapper
Greg Lightfoot Full Contact Fighter
Heretic Knives Wraith M V2
HEST Urban
JE Made Loveless New York Special Slip Joint
James Brand Carter
James Brand Folsom
JEO-TEC Nº16
KA-BAR BK40 folder
Ken Warner BGG
Kershaw Bel Air
Kershaw Culpepper
Killimanjaro Gear Winkler Folder
Kizer Drop Bear -nice but thin blade
Kizer Hennicke Task II
Krudo Discipline
Laconico Blast
Laconico EDC
Les George/Protech SBR
Liong Mah Field Duty
LionSteel Best Man
Lionsteel Shuffler
Medford Air Jack
Medford USMC Fighter Flipper
Mercworx Three Fates
Miller Bros T1
Mil-Tac MTF-3
Myerchin Generation 2 Folding Knife (rigging knife)
Nemesis Knives MPR-3
North Arms Skaha
Offgrid Knives Badger
Offgrid Knives Black Stallion
Oknife Rubato 2
Pena Zulu front flipper
Pena X-Series Apache
PMP Beast
Rassenti Satori
Real Steel folding bushcraft
Real Steel Phasma
Real Steel Shade
Real Steel Terra
Remette Rhino
Revo Knives Ness
Ruike P662-B
Sacha Thiel Officer
Schatt & Morgan Jess Crouch
Sencut Scepter
Southern Grind Spider Monkey -the most important knife on this list: made me realize that throwing more money at a single purchase wasn't going to stop me wanting more.
Spartan/Harsey T3
Spartan Pallas
SPD X Terrain 365 STS-AT
Spyderco Lum Chinese
Szabo Express
Terrain 365 Otter Slip Joint Titanium
Three River Atom
TOPS Mini-Scandi Folder
TOPS Thunder Hawk
Viper DAN Wharncliffe -too short
Vosteed Nightshade
WE Banter
WE Gentry
Witharmour Stones Titanium -another titanium framelock drop point
Wild Steer WS
ZT 0302

 

[Shorttime]

As I've said before, that's every knife I can remember being interested in, since the Gil Hibben Double Shadow taught me that I liked knives more than the usual amount.

For a demonstration of how my tastes have changed, here is the list of knives I would still want to collect.

For now.

Fixed
Becker BK16
Busse Ergo Badger
Busse Game Warden 2
Fiddleback Forge Bushfinger
TOPS Outpost Command


Folding
Andre de Villiers Impi Lockback
Boker/Gedraitis Pocket Smatchet Dagger
Boker Plus Sliplock
Cold Steel Kiridashi
Condor Tactical PASS
Doug Ritter RSK
Emerson Mini A-100
Filip de Coene (Ensizen) Explorer
Heretic Knives Wraith M V2