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ktataragasi

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Hello everyone,

I am new the the forum and fairly new to traditionals. I have had a pocket knife for as long as I can remember growing up but remember switching early on in life to more modern folders.

Maybe as a result of being an engineer and doing design on a computer all day every day I have found myself drawn to more traditional things. I use fountain pens for everything I write, I do woodworking with hand tools and now I find myself more drawn to traditional styled knives.

Titanium styled flippers and thick blades have become boring now and the styling and variation in traditional knives just seems to be drawing me in. I have been carrying an Opinel No 6 Carbone for several months now and find that it is more then enough knife for daily tasks and I quite enjoy how it patinas.

My question to you all is what do you think would be a good next knife to own and what style blade do you prefer for every day tasks (clip, drop, sheepsfoot...). Also any suggestions with carbon steel blades and micarta would be a plus.

Thanks for your help and sorry for the long post.
 
Welcome, and brace yourself.
I will guess that several responses will include GEC, CASE ,BOKER BUCK, ROUGH RIDER, A.WRIGHT AND SONS LAMBSFOOT, VICTORINOX SAK.
Either a single blade, double blade or stockman patern, lockback, liner lock-brass. stainless or carbon steel. boy are you going to have fun here.
and did i say welcome.
thanks for listening, Troy
 
I think you should pick a pattern, or "style" of traditional... Do you want to limit yourself to carbon steel, or stainless?
I like trappers pretty well, but I don't care much for the stockman pattern. I also am getting into the barlows and "boy's knife" style... either single or double bladed.

There are many, many good traditional knives out there, and I think you would be better off deciding what pattern you lean toward before investing in a bunch....

That being said, variety IS the spice of life, right? Good luck with your searching...
 
pholder said:
Welcome, and brace yourself.
I will guess that several responses will include GEC, CASE ,BOKER BUCK, ROUGH RIDER, A.WRIGHT AND SONS LAMBSFOOT, VICTORINOX SAK.
Either a single blade, double blade or stockman patern, lockback, liner lock-brass. stainless or carbon steel. boy are you going to have fun here.
and did i say welcome.
thanks for listening, Troy
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input. I suppose I should add that I would prefer for it to be easier to track down. I've looked up many of the knives you all post and they seem difficult to come by. GEC being one of the tough ones.
 
hornetguy said:
I think you should pick a pattern, or "style" of traditional... Do you want to limit yourself to carbon steel, or stainless?
I like trappers pretty well, but I don't care much for the stockman pattern. I also am getting into the barlows and "boy's knife" style... either single or double bladed.

There are many, many good traditional knives out there, and I think you would be better off deciding what pattern you lean toward before investing in a bunch....

That being said, variety IS the spice of life, right? Good luck with your searching...
Click to expand...
I seem to like Barlows quite a bit and I may be too picky on blade type at the moment. I have also seen some beautiful swaybacks. I think I would like to have more carbon blades but I'm open to options.

The one thing I would like to try and avoid is buying a whole lot of knives to try out, even if cheap, and them go unused.
 
A few questions:

1. What is your budget?
2. Do you prefer single blade or multiple blades?
3. What size do you prefer (closed length)
4. What style blade (spear, clip, sheepsfoot) do you like best?
5. What handle material do you prefer?

Answer those questions and you will get a lot of recommendations.
 
Pick a couple or three blade styles you like and a size you like - then find the pocketknife with that combination in a style that appeals to you. I want a Clip main blade, a Sheepfoot secondary, and I want them in a 3-1/2" frame. That is hard to find, but a Medium Stockman gives me those two and a spare (usually a Spey but often a Pen). You'll just have to try some out to learn your preferences. Good luck and enjoy the quest. OH
 
lambertiana said:
A few questions:

1. What is your budget?
2. Do you prefer single blade or multiple blades?
3. What size do you prefer (closed length)
4. What style blade (spear, clip, sheepsfoot) do you like best?
5. What handle material do you prefer?

Answer those questions and you will get a lot of recommendations.
Click to expand...
1) I would like to keep it under $100.
2) Single blade but I've not carried a multi blade since my old SAK.
3) 3.5 - 4 inches
4) I like the look of a sheepsfoot but just want a single knife I can use as long as possible for as long as possible.
5) I like how micarta ages but I've never had a knife with it. So that or wood are preferred.

Thanks for the help.
 
ktataragasi said:
1) I would like to keep it under $100.
2) Single blade but I've not carried a multi blade since my old SAK.
3) 3.5 - 4 inches
4) I like the look of a sheepsfoot but just want a single knife I can use as long as possible for as long as possible.
5) I like how micarta ages but I've never had a knife with it. So that or wood are preferred.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

You may be in luck. GEC is about to make a number of different handle versions of the 93 Ramsfoot. It will be a sheepsfoot swayback pattern, 3 7/8" closed, and being a single blade you should be able to find one under $100. The current production schedule shows them with cocobolo, natural canvas micarta, black canvas micarta, and bone scales. They should be out soon, but once they are out you will need to jump on them fast because they could disappear quickly.

You could also look at the Otter Anchor knives. They come in a couple sizes, but it may be hard to track down a carbon steel version. Mine is stainless. But otherwise, it is a good sheepsfoot pattern that comes in well within your budget. They come with either Sapeli wood handle or a black wood handle. Check the listing, some list the black wood as grenadil, which is African Blackwood and is one of my favorite woods for knife handles. I have an Otter sodbuster with grenadil scales and I really like it.
 
A GEC Bullnose might be a good choice, or a Case sodbuster jr. But of those two I'd definitely say GEC if the toughest. I really like sodbuster types. If you dont mind a mix of traditional and modern, lionsteel barlows look great. But I'll have to let someone else give an opinion on those as I dont have one yet. If a sheepsfoot appeals to you then I say check out its cousin the lambsfoot, browse this thread https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/guardians-of-the-lambsfoot.1406735/page-1118
After I received one I understand the enthusiasm for the pattern.
Welcome to the forum, hopefully we can give you some good advice. I personally think the stockman is a good all around pocket knife, and the trapper. The GEC 44 has quickly become a favorite of mine as well.
 
I’d go to Collectorknives web sight and look at their selection of knives.
My two favorites are the Lion Steel and Maserin knives.
 
lambertiana said:
You may be in luck. GEC is about to make a number of different handle versions of the 93 Ramsfoot. It will be a sheepsfoot swayback pattern, 3 7/8" closed, and being a single blade you should be able to find one under $100. The current production schedule shows them with cocobolo, natural canvas micarta, black canvas micarta, and bone scales. They should be out soon, but once they are out you will need to jump on them fast because they could disappear quickly.

You could also look at the Otter Anchor knives. They come in a couple sizes, but it may be hard to track down a carbon steel version. Mine is stainless. But otherwise, it is a good sheepsfoot pattern that comes in well within your budget. They come with either Sapeli wood handle or a black wood handle. Check the listing, some list the black wood as grenadil, which is African Blackwood and is one of my favorite woods for knife handles. I have an Otter sodbuster with grenadil scales and I really like it.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the detailed response and suggestions. You have given me a couple great options to look into.

Any idea where the 93 canvas micarta will be sold? It doesn't appear to be tied to a specific vendor.
 
Another suggestion for considering a Lambsfoot. I've found the pattern to be very versatile and doesn't take a lot of pocket space. Also, they are available in a variety of scale materials.
Take a look on almost any page of the Guardians thread for pics. Here's as good a place as any to start:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/guardians-of-the-lambsfoot.1406735/page-1117
Also, you might want to take a look at the Lion Steel CK series at Collectors Knives - M390 steel
OG
 
I understand how you feel about finding it difficult to buy GECs. I had the same feeling less than a year ago, but I quickly found out that buying here, on the exchange, was a great way to go, even if I live in Canada.. I bought many GECs from members here, and I’ve been happy with every single one of them. Collectorknives is also great.

Welcome to the forums!
 
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ktataragasi said:
Thank you for the detailed response and suggestions. You have given me a couple great options to look into.

Any idea where the 93 canvas micarta will be sold? It doesn't appear to be tied to a specific vendor.
Click to expand...
Go to the GEC website and click on 'where to buy.'
 
One of the first knives in my current collection was the Case Sodbuster Jr in yellow delrin and CV steel. The blade quickly aquires a rich patina and the handle resembles old ivory. It is a heck of a knife for little money. I also have a couple of GEC Bullnose knives. I like the black micarta handled one best.
 
Sheepsfoot, micarta, and 3-1/2"... may be tough to find right now.
I'm betting the next GEC #15 will fit the bill but it may be a long wait.
In the meantime there are other 3-1/2" single blades out there to try out.
My personal favorites are the Case Wharncliffe Mini Trapper and any GEC #15 single blade.

 
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