Laguiole or stockman?

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Walkerj

Joined
Dec 2, 2014
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Hi everyone, I've been creeping around as a guest for a little while and just joined within the past few days. It seems like everyone has something positive and solid to say, so I'm hoping this is the right place to seek guidance on a knife purchase.

The two im looking at are a le fidele laguiole Classic and a case stockman. Admittedly those knives seem pretty far apart on the spectrum but each are beautiful and useful. I've owned some knives in the past but my tastes have changed and I'm looking for something with a little class for an EDC. The stockman seems more robust and useful but I love the look and story of laguiole. Eventually I'm sure I will have different varieties of each, but which would you start with and why? Fyi...my budget is sub-$100, I'll move on to bigger and better knives in the future.

Thanks, in advance!
 
Stockman.

I have carried single blade knives, and I still have a couple around. But as much as I like them, looking back over my life, I've spent most of it with a three blade stockman or 4 blade scout pattern. When I got the knife knut bug, I wondered off and tried different knives, but either sub-concous thoughts or fate always brought me back to the multi bladed knife.

I just like and am used to, having a second blade available for the dirty work. YOu know, the job comes up that you know is going to snarf up your blade, but it's okay because you are using the blade that is sharpened at a higher angle and is the designated beater blade. On a two blade ack I keep the pen blade a more abrupt angle, on a stockman it's the spey blade that is my dirty deeds blade. I always kind go baby the main clip for some food use and easy slicing, keep the sheep foot pretty sharp for most cutting and box opening, and the spey is my scraper, poking, whatever tool.

And sometimes Ijust like having a short blade on hand for the fine detail and close work. The Laguiole is a fine knife, but just like having a second shorter blade or two on hand when I head out the door in the morning. And, I will admit that the stockman is a pattern that I like the history of. I grew up on Louis LaAmor westerns, so I like the idea that I'm carrying a pocket knife that would fit in while riding for the brand.:D

Now ask me why I like revolvers and lever action rifles!
 
Right on, Jackknife! I agree with your comments on the blades, and currently own about 65 of Louis's books, one of my "bucket list" goals is to get the rest. :D Greatest author ever, IMO, (not counting the Bible).
 
Welcome to Traditional Knives WarkerJ. You'll find a great community here and a real wealth of information. Would either of these knives be your first traditional knife?

A lot can be said about these two types of knives. You've got a lot of options for Case Stockman and a lot of option for Laguioles. Laguiole is a place in France, in the Aubrac region, so the name isn't trademarked as a brand name, but rather covers a type of knife that is widely imitated by companies around the world. These knives can vary widely in quality, but IMO you'll be best served by one made in the general region or from a fine French cutlery town like Thiers. I'm far from an expert on these knives and they're not the most common on here, though there are plenty of admirers for them here and I do count myself as one. If you're looking for a Lag I'd check out these companies for starters - Forge De Lagiuole and Laguiole En Aubrac. There are other very fine French producers, but these 2 companies are very authentic and offer models that would fit your budget.

Now before getting into a lengthy discussion of Laguiole producers, I'd start by identifying what its useful for. The standard model is rather long, usually around 5 inches with nearly a 4 inch blade. These knives are beautiful as well as strong, but from my own experience they are sort of more of a date night, special occasion knife. They excel as a portable steak knife when you're out to dinner, and the elegant filework and materials make it something of a conversation piece. That said I wouldn't necessarily choose it as my first general purpose Traditional as I would want to have something with at least 2 blades, one bigger and one smaller. If you're just carrying a Lag and you need to cut a loose thread from your coat in public, you are forced to flash a relatively huge knife for a task that requires a bit more discretion.

That brings me to the Stockman. The stockman will introduce you to 3 traditional blade types in one package. A medium stockman (around 3.5 inches closed) or a large stockman (around 4.25 inches) , will give you a clip (good for cutting apples and other food prep), a sheepsfoot (great for general utility) and typically a spey or pen blade (for smaller detailed cutting tasks. This makes it much more versatile. I would start with a mediuim or large stockman with CV (carbon) blades to get you used to oiling and caring for the blades and to get the experience of watching the blades patina with use. Case Stockman are also much cheaper, starting around 35 bucks, whereas the Laquiole will be closer to 80 or 90 bucks. The thing about the Stockman is its so useful with three blades in such a compact package that it may make you ask why you'd ever need another knife, but seeing as you're already planning to get a bunch of knives, I'm sure you'll find the will to resist satisfaction. LOL

Before getting a Laguiole you might consider another classic french knife, the Opinel, to start out. Available in many sizes with either carbon or stainless blades and very inexpensive. They even make a slim version that has a profile similar to the Laguiole. Another option is to try out some toothpicks as these knives share some common ancestry (up for some debate) with the Laquiole, as they're both derived from the navaja clasp knife.

I hope this is helpful as a start. I'm sure folks will pipe in with more specific recommendations as you refine your selection. There is a lot to be said and I just scratched the surface. Get ready LOL
 
I'm European, so I have a long line of single bladed knives in my history.

I started wearing a Laguiole en Aubrac as EDC about four years ago and it performed fine. But I started feeling guilty when I was cutting tie-wraps and wire with it.
It felt like damaging a really nice knife which is intended for steak, cheese and sausage.
There's a selection of Opinels in the box, but they are a little too bulky in the pocket.

So I changed to a Spyderco Endura for a while which performed outstanding, but it lacks style.

Now I'm fully committed to the American traditional style knives, I never understood the appeal of a Barlow until I had a cheap one in my pocket.
It's a bag and boxes champion and looks really nice. I sharpened a little girl's coloring pencils with it and skinned and quartered some pears. It's great.
So I'm waiting on my first trapper and after that I'll probably buy a stockman (it never ends).
 
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stockman pattern is very useful,3 blades gives you choice.
Laguoile is pretty cool looking, I believe personally I would opt for a regular size Toothpick instead.
mho.

buzz
 
Thanks for all the opinions and information! I'm leaning towards a case stockman, just need to figure out which handle material I like the best. While I still love the laguiole look and story, I'd feel awkward using it to cut a thread off a shirt or open a box. You all also make a good point about having multiple blades for clean and dirty work. Thanks again I'll let you know what I end up with and how I like it.
 
Case has many styles and sizes of knives that fit the "Stockman" pattern. Buck has some great stockman patterns too. If you want to go upscale, look into GEC (Great Eastern Cutlery), though in most of their 3-blade patterns you'll be running up against your $100 budget. Many Case patterns can be had for $30-40, Buck 301s or 303s are generally sub-$30.

If you want to browse the current Case offerings, their web site has them listed. There are 12 pages of results for the word "Stockman" http://www.wrcase.com/sidesearch/index.php?q=stockman&Submit=Search

Queen is another option if you want something between Case and GEC price wise, in D2 steel.
 
My standard recommendation for somebody new to Traditionals is to cap spending at $25 per knife and to try a wide variety of knives.

Knives are like shoes and beer choices. It's helpful - like super helpful- to get the input from others but at the end of the day, it comes down to highly personal tastes.

Some of the things to think about... Single blade vs multi blade? What shape of main blade works best for you? What blade grind works best for you? What frame size do you prefer?

It took me years of what I call promiscuous experimentation on cheap knives to learn my own more enduring tastes. Where I ended up has no bearing at all on what you'll like.

Some of the knives your talking about and you budget are quite high. If you drop $100 and find the style just doesn't live up to your hopes for it, well... You wouldn't be the first.

If you're going to spend $100, you might consider buying 4 inexpensive knives of different patterns. Most of us end up gravitating to some core tastes and this is a way of finding your own. Later, you gift the cheapies to friends or strangers and start your hunt for a nicer knife knowing what pattern you reallyike the best, and not just buying a pattern on my enthusiastic recommendation.
 
Thanks pinnah, you make an excellent suggestion. I'm not totally new to knives or carrying a knife, just to these styles and while buying cheaper knives to test them out is a great theory I have one question. Is a stockman a stockman? If I wanted to try different beers and I buy a cheap saison, I might be turned off as the quality isn't as good as a pricier selection. I agree that $100 might be too much to experiment with but I don't want to buy a $10 knife and be disappointed with the quality. In that respect I'd rather have a $100 knife that I don't use but is well built and I could resell.

I've looked at a lot of the brands others have suggested and am gravitating towards the aesthetics of the case and queen stockmans ($40ish). Would you agree that at this price I would be able to find a knife and judge it solely on the knife and not the, possibly cheaper materials and manufacturing processes?
 
Welcome to Traditionals Walkerj. I think what it is being suggested - excuse me if I'm wrong Pinnah - is that you try some different patterns to assess the PATTERN, and how you like it, rather than assessing the QUALITY at this stage. So that if you find you like that pattern, you can then upgrade to a higher quality version of that pattern. Of course you may not think this necessary, and both Case and Queen make some excellent Stockman knives, but it's not bad advice. We've all thought we might like a particular pattern, only to find that it then doesn't suit us for one reason or another :thumbup:
 
Without hesitation I'll suggest the Case Stockman is a fantastic choice. They run $35 to $50 and their high quality has impressed me. Those three blades on tap are a great selection for every day use and will perform nearly any cutting task in day to day activities.

Here's a Review I did on mine and have updated off n on since I got mine in July. It's my most-carried knife by far.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1201192-6375-Case-Large-Stockman
 
I completely understand and agree with jack black and pinnah, I just don't want to be turned off by poor quality. Which is why I asked if, aside from quality of materials, a cheap knife would give me a lesser opinion of a certain pattern simply because the quality isn't there, bringing the whole knife down. No one wants to waste money, $10 or $100, and I also agree that maybe a stockman isn't for me and I would rather a trapper, congress or canoe pattern...or maybe all three!? I could also be completely wrong and quality has no bearing on ones impression of a particular pattern or style.

I am convinced that a laguiole wouldn't be a good 'first' knife for me, which was my original question. I need something more versatile with a shorter blade to remain inconspicuous in the office. I appreciate everyone's input and opinions, all great advice. I'M not one to join many online forums so it's nice to see a community of gentlemen (and some women?) that are really looking out for one another. Thanks!
 
You could try a mini Copperlock from Case. Very slim. A lot of knife in a small package, or a Peanut.
 
The Stockman is better
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Walkerj said:
I completely understand and agree with jack black and pinnah, I just don't want to be turned off by poor quality. Which is why I asked if, aside from quality of materials, a cheap knife would give me a lesser opinion of a certain pattern simply because the quality isn't there, bringing the whole knife down. No one wants to waste money, $10 or $100, and I also agree that maybe a stockman isn't for me and I would rather a trapper, congress or canoe pattern...or maybe all three!? I could also be completely wrong and quality has no bearing on ones impression of a particular pattern or style.

I am convinced that a laguiole wouldn't be a good 'first' knife for me, which was my original question. I need something more versatile with a shorter blade to remain inconspicuous in the office. I appreciate everyone's input and opinions, all great advice. I'M not one to join many online forums so it's nice to see a community of gentlemen (and some women?) that are really looking out for one another. Thanks!
Click to expand...

One might suggest getting a USA made Schrade 34OT stockman off an auction, which can be had for around 20 bucks if you wait a bit and will let you know whether or not you like the pattern while still being a very solid and classic example of the pattern. You won't be turned off by the quality with an Old Schrade so it won't be a waste of money. From there you can upgrade to a bone handled Case Medium or Large Stockman (only about 10-15 bucks more) and feel assured that you'll like the style of knife. But sure if you feel like you like stockmen just go straight to the Case.
 
WalkerJ, my beer analogy falls flat with repect to the quality/diminishing returns issue. About the worst thing you're going to find in a $15 or $25 traditional is soft 420J2 steel which will still be workable for EDC use.

If I had to pick a 4 pattern sampler (doable for about $100) I would pick:
- stockman
- sodbuster jr or canoe
- single blade lockback (eg Buck 501 used)
- 2 blade jack (many frame styles)

You get the idea. Choose 4 that YOU want to try. The what are you carrying thread is a great source of inspiration.

One thing to note is that most traditionals use relatively inexpensive steels that perform similar to 1095, which means just fine. So you don't need to pay an arm and a leg for more expensive steel to get a good quality knife.

Lastly, I would urge getting at least 1 flat ground knife and at least one hollow ground knife.

Last, last comment. You might want to read up on the back stories of the different patterns. You carry history when you carry a traditional. Laguille is not the only story out there. The different stories may speak to you.
 
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