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sci

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Dec 3, 2006
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I'm looking for my first "real" knife purchase to be a traditional slipjoint (not a SAK), and I'm looking for recommendations on a solid piece I can use everyday.

And beyond recommendations, what was your first knife? Do you still carry it?
 
A Case in Chrome Vandium steel is the only slip I've ever had. I got it for Christmas and have carried it every day since. It is a good looking, solid knife that takes and holds a wicked sharp edge. I highly recomend any CV case.
 
New knifes are ver nice but I ask you why buy a new knife? Go to a local flea market or gun show or perhaps even Ebay and find a nice older 70's vintage Case red bone that's been carried a bit. Maybe you could even find a nice older slip joint Eye Brand, Utica, Boker, Robeson, etc. Try out an older knife that has more personality and maybe more quality than the new one.

That's my $0.02.

Cheers!
ScottK
 
Even though I've decided to go all Queen D2 wood scales, I did pick up a nice Case amber bone stockman with CV steel couple months ago. Great little knife. I would go with Queen however, they make the best production traditionals IMHO.
 
Depends what you want, and how much you want to spend.

Boker makes some fine knives in both carbon steel and a decent stainless, and they're very affordable. Eye Brand and Bulldog have nice offerings in this price range, too. Case is a little more expensive. Queen has more steel options. S&M are a little fancier. Canal Street are gorgeous but some people fault them for using 420(HC, depending on whose review you read) stainless in most of their knives.

They all make knives that will last a lifetime if you care for them. Not all patterns are available from all makers. You're probably better off decided what pattern/style you want, then pursuing who makes the best one you can afford in that pattern.

What's important to you? Slimness? Feel in the hand? Closed length? More than 'x' but less than 'y' number of blades?

sci said:
And beyond recommendations, what was your first knife? Do you still carry it?
Click to expand...

Boy Scout knife from a local shop when I was about 6-7. And I'm afraid I lost that one somewhere along the way, probably not too many years after getting it. I do have a SAK I've been carrying since junior high (~1972). I don't carry it much mainly because I've got a whole collection I rotate through.

-- Sam
 
As far as a good everyday user, look around on e-bay or flea markets for a old Schrade Old Timer model. They had good 1095 carbon steel, and cut very well. I carried a stockman for a couple of years, both the senior stockman the 80T, and the middleman. Both were top notch working knves.

Old Camillus pocket knives are a good value, and can be picked up for very resonable amounts.

In the 1980's, both Camillus and Ka-bar made the barlow pattern with 1095 blades. Very good everyday knives.
 
In addition, my first knife was a Boker two blade congress with the dogs on the handle, steel handle, my little bro has it now.
 
When I was a kid, I bought kid knives - scout knives mostly, a few butterfly knives and foriegn crap... Then when I was 10 or 11, I bought my first "real knife." It was a Schrade LB7. I saw it on sale in a catalog and asked my mom to drive me to the local Service Merchandise store. We were poor and all in it cost $27 in Brooklyn NY in 1983.
Early in 2005, I went to my local hardware store to buy a replacement and heard the bad news. Buying one on eBay got me into trying a few smaller, lighter, sharper pocket knives.

I can't really make any recomendations, it's too personal of a choice in my opinion. I can say that it's been my experience that a flat-ground carbon steel blade is a very USEful tool to have around. Stainless steel is nice for COLLECTING, but requires alot of effort for a mildly sharp edge. I don't know much about the D2, ATSC, etc... advanced steel characteristics
 
If it looks good, feels good, and says Germany or USA on the blades it will be a very good first pocket knife. Case, USA Buck, Queen, hen and rooster, boker, german eye, bulldog, german bull, buck creek, USA schrade, Schatt, etc etc.


To answer you question about my first real knives:

Case barehead trapper soon followed by a Case CV trapper with yellow handles.
 
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