Large Stockman or Trapper?

[sodak]

What do you intend on using it for? If "EDC", what do you find yourself doing and/or cutting in the course of a day? Do you work in a school or an office, or otherwise around people who may not appreciate 4" blades flashing around?

I prefer larger knives and big blades, but find they attract too much unwanted attention in such an environment. So I've taken to smaller knives, and find the little blades do everything I need them to. Again, I'm not quartering game with these knives, just doing day-to-day chores.

A stockman will have smaller blades that can be used at times like these. If that's a consideration, you might consider it. If not, heck, get the biggest baddest banana trapper out there and scoop the peanut butter till the cows come home. (I love trappers, too.)

-- Sam

I never really cared for the trapper pattern until I had to cut up some fruit - apples, oranges, etc. Then I tried it on bagels. I have lots of people that ask for me to cut their bagels or borrow it, no one has yet been put off by the size - they don't talk much with their mouths full!

I don't know why, but I still prefer the stockman overall, probably because of the blade size mix like others have said. I like the sheepsfoot for delicate work, and usually grind it down very thin. This is exactly the opposite of what it was designed for, and what most people do, but there you go - something for everyone.

Get both. You'll appreciate them both for different reasons - they're both great!

 

[Arathol]

Between the two, I prefer the trapper over the large stockman. It's not because of a two blade/three blade thing or what ever, it's mostly because a lot of stockman models that are as big as the trapper - 4" or more- have square bolsters with nice sharp corners on both ends. Not only is this a bit uncomfortable at times but it causes the knife to "print" in the pocket so it is clearly visible to others, and for me this makes it not really conducive for regular pocket carry. The only big stockman I carry is a Case 4 3/8" 5340 pattern that has round bolsters. Other than that its some sort of large round-bolster jack like a trapper or swell-end and/or some sort of multi-blade scout knife.

 

[sgbeskin]

Tony,
You are right about that wharncliff blade on those trappers. That is a handy blade. You can use it for everything. I think I saw that Case is making them now. My father in law had a local knifemaker make him a trapper with a wharncliff blade. I would like to get one of those myself.

 

[shaldag]

I started making wharncliffe trappers about 20 years ago. I don't think that blade combination had been used in a trapper before that. I didn't use the spey blade much and I think the wharncliffe is much more usefull for everyday jobs, One of the knives I always have with me is a 3 1/2" wharncliffe trapper for the past 20 years.

I have one of those knives, and it is a very useful knife for everyday work in a laboratory. I don't need to perform any speying operations, and the wharncliffe blade is very useful to have. Thanks, Tony.

 

[SilverFoxKnows]

My beef with the stockman is that on some models the sheepsfoot sticks up when closed, making it uncomfortable to hold. YMMV

Frank

 

[Grampa]

My beef with the stockman is that on some models the sheepsfoot sticks up when closed, making it uncomfortable to hold. YMMV

Frank

I dislike that as well.

I've found I can usually grind down the little point at the heel of the blade that controls how far up it sticks, so that when closed the sheepsfoot is even with the main blade.

 

[Zip7]

I love trappers... I really do. My Dad loved them too until the day he died. I have about 50 of them. But danged if I don't find a lot of uses for a short and stubby pen or sheepsfoot blade on a stockman. Trappers look and feel better to me though.

The only stockman I can make myself tote is a pretty curvy one like a 47 pattern Case. I have a bunch of those too. My Granddad carried one all the time. I've been carrying a 4 blade Case 47 with a punch lately and like it alright, but it's not as cool as any of my trappers.

If I had a 3 1/2" wharncliffe trapper like Mr. Bose mentioned, I would dang sure carry it instead, but you just don't run across such a thing very often. I like a wharncliffe blade, and for everyday stuff, man that would be the ticket. The old case 6207 with the short pen blade is pretty nice too, but I don't own one.

 

[Zip7]

My beef with the stockman is that on some models the sheepsfoot sticks up when closed, making it uncomfortable to hold. YMMV

Frank

Which is why my two favorite stockmans are 64047 and 06247 Case.

 

[sgbeskin]

Zip,
Prefering Trappers must be a Mississippi-Louisiana thing!LOL! My daddy's family are all from southeast Louisiana. I grew up on the south Mississippi Louisiana line. I knew alot of those old timers carried trapper or jack patterns.
When i was a kid there was an old bench in front of the drug store, on main street. Every Saturday the old men in town gathered there, on that bench, to whittle and shoot the breeze. Most of those old men carried Case trappers or Jacks. Now, the funny part of the story is what all the younger folks in town used to call the bench. The bench was affectionatly called the "Dead Peckers" bench. I'll let y'all figure that one out.......

 

[Tony Bose]

Tony,
You are right about that wharncliff blade on those trappers. That is a handy blade. You can use it for everything. I think I saw that Case is making them now. My father in law had a local knifemaker make him a trapper with a wharncliff blade. I would like to get one of those myself.

Back in the late 1980's when Jim Parker owned Case he had me make a couple WT for him. The next time I saw him he said Case was going to put the wharncliffe blade in 4 of there models and call them wharncliffe trappers. He stold my idea. He was suppose to mention my name when he introduced them but he never ( can you say assho). Later I read an article about how inovative Jim Parker was for coming up with that idea. I went out in the back yard and done 15 double backflips. Case still makes some of them. That's where the wharncliffe trapper came from folks, I it's one of the handiest carring knives there is. By the way, I got the last laugh.

 

[sgbeskin]

Tony, I think that would have made me hot too!!!!!!! I never heard that story about ol' Jimbo Parker. I have heard several others, sounded bout like that one! Like I said, I think I'm going to get this fellow down here to make me one. I have an old piece od of stag I need to put to good use. I figured I'd let him use it for the handle. I really like that wharncliff blade, but those clips are awfully handy too. I like that wharncliff for cutting paper, tabbaco, etc...

 

[culpeppj]

Tony Bose,

What did you think of the slimline wharencliff trapper they did in 1999 the first of the collaberation between case and yourself. I thought it was a giant step forward for case and allowed some of us to have a stepchild of yours. The muskrat with a wharencliff was a great one too. Looking forward to getting my wharencliff 3 1/2 trapper from Reese and see how fast ol' mister bushytail hits the grease. Come november you and Reese need to come to south Mississippi and I'll show ya how to hunt swamp grays, tell Reese to bring a spare Ivory wharencliff trapper, just so's I won't feel out of place and all.

James Culpepper

 

[Zip7]

Cullpepper, If that works, I'll swap you a first class squirrel treeing cur dog for that spare trapper. She'll tree coons too. And, sadly, possums, flying squirrels, rats, pretty much anything furry that's willin' to climb a tree.

 

[culpeppj]

Zip7,

A good dawg is hard to comebye, just about like a Bose knife. What say you Tony?

James Culpepper

 

[Tony Bose]

Tony Bose,

What did you think of the slimline wharencliff trapper they did in 1999 the first of the collaberation between case and yourself. I thought it was a giant step forward for case and allowed some of us to have a stepchild of yours. The muskrat with a wharencliff was a great one too. Looking forward to getting my wharencliff 3 1/2 trapper from Reese and see how fast ol' mister bushytail hits the grease. Come november you and Reese need to come to south Mississippi and I'll show ya how to hunt swamp grays, tell Reese to bring a spare Ivory wharencliff trapper, just so's I won't feel out of place and all.

James Culpepper

If you turn the wharncliffe blade upside down it will zip a squrrels belley open like a droppoint. I've shucked enough of those things to sink a ship. Those 2 blades are the handiest combination there is in a 2 bladed knife.

 

[knifeaholic]

If you turn the wharncliffe blade upside down it will zip a squrrels belley open like a droppoint. I've shucked enough of those things to sink a ship. Those 2 blades are the handiest combination there is in a 2 bladed knife.

That's interesting to hear about the use of the wharncliffe blade for skinning.

I guess that was the logic behind the "Hawbaker's Special" or "Improved Muskrat" which has one regular slim clip blade and one long sheepfoot or wharncliffe style blade. I had never before heard any explanation of that combination in a muskrat style knife.

 

[culpeppj]

If you turn the wharncliffe blade upside down it will zip a squrrels belley open like a droppoint. I've shucked enough of those things to sink a ship. Those 2 blades are the handiest combination there is in a 2 bladed knife.

The way I have done them for years, a bad day in the woods is a lot better than a great day at work.

James Culpepper

 

[Tony Bose]

If you turn the wharncliffe blade upside down it will zip a squrrels belley open like a droppoint. I've shucked enough of those things to sink a ship. Those 2 blades are the handiest combination there is in a 2 bladed knife.

Those Case-Bose knives are very good. Cyro hest treated ATS34, stainless bolsters and frames. They really cut, I know several guys that carry them. After the second year I insisted they pin the shields on and they do. I'm very proud of how far they have come with them. They are even putting bushings in them now.

 

[waynorth]

Those Case-Bose knives are very good. Cyro hest treated ATS34, stainless bolsters and frames. They really cut, I know several guys that carry them. After the second year I insisted they pin the shields on and they do. I'm very proud of how far they have come with them. They are even putting bushings in them now.

When did they start putting bushings in them, Tony?? That's a big step up, itself!!

 

[rzwieg]

Maybe thats why I don't like trappers; no sheeps foot blade. Thanks, I'll have to look into a wharncliffe trapper!