Most Useful Traditional?

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pinnah

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From the standpoint of utility, versatility and durability, what is your favorite traditional knife?

I'm looking to hear from people who use their knives. What do you use them for and what is your favorite knife for getting the job done, day in/day out. Key attributes are:
a) Utility - straight forward functionality; the ability to do the job with no hassle or compromise
b) Versatility - the ability to be used effectively for the widest range of cutting tasks
c) Durability - the ability to take the use and abuse without squawking or complaining

This isn't a thread about the prettiest knife you own. Nor the rarest. Nor the most treasured even. It's about the single most useful traditional knife that you own.

Please tell us about the range of things you routinely use your knife for. I suspect many of live in different places, doing different kinds of work and I'm betting that we'll hear very different knife choices because of that.

And of course, no thread counts unless it has pictures.
 
My work knife, hands down, is my Sodbuster. This traditional folder has always come to the front and has never let me down. Of all the Sodbusters and Sodbuster-like knives that are out there, my AG Russell Cowboy is my favorite. I don't see this one leaving my pocket. Oh, and this Cowboy wears Red Rucarta. :) Pix soon.
Rolf
 
Just my simple Jack Knife. Two blades is just about all I need. I use if for a variety of different tasks throughout the entire day. I have carried one since I was eight years old and I am now 64. It cuts almost anything I run into during the day. I scrape stuff with it, I clean my nails, it digs out splinters, etc, etc. It's the knife for me.


schrade1233.jpg
 
Assuming that we're not counting scout knives or SAK's, I would tend to also go with some sort of two blade jack. With choice of two blades, then I have not only cutting ability, but I can dedicate one blade to scraping, and other dirty work. So guess I'm in the same camp as xbxb.

Yeah, a two blade of some type.

Carl.
 
pinnah said:
SAKs and camper knives are traditional. Endorse them if they're your pick.
Click to expand...

Na, it's stacking the odds too much. I like scout knives and SAK's and do consider them traditional, but for the sake of discussion I'd leave the scout/SAK out of it. JUst too much utility for a knife that's just a knife to compete against. It'd be like coming to a local sports car club event with the local working guys with their hopped up Mazda Miata's or mini coopers, with a all out full blown Porshe followed by a semi rig carrying your pit crew with spare engines and machine shop.

I'm willing to put the knife-knifes against other knife-knives for discussion and eave the SAK out of it. Even a 4 blade congress can't compete with a SAK tinker for utility.

Hmmm, maybe a congress would be a great utilitarian knife. I've never tried one, but with 4 blades, that's a heck of a lot of different cutting. Two good size sheep foot, a pen and a coping blade covers a lot of ground.

Carl.
 
Since I am no longer working outdoors as a carpenter my knives do not see much hard use, so as long as I have two blades I am fine. Jack knife suffices (preferably 3.5" closed or under), but lately I have found a small or medium stockman to carry just as well, and offer the benefit of a sheepsfoot blade.

I agree with Carl about the SAK having an unfair advantage, but when I was building docks and decks on the lakes of South Carolina my Victorinox Fieldmaster got put to use every day, multiple times throughout the day. Except for the saw and the package hook, just about every tool was used at one time or another. Okay, maybe not the toothpick!
 
My most useful is the one I carry. I carry a Boker canoe, and the two blades is all I need for day to day tasks. A small blade and a large blade does everything I need it to do, from cutting open packages to a makeshift eating or cooking utencil.
 
In my humble opinion the Trapper pattern is the most useful. They are available in different sizes, 3 1/2", 3 7/8", 4 1/8", being the most common I have found. Recently however I got hold of a 3 3/4" Gec and feel like it might be the perfect size. It's a good balance anyway.
I have used Trappers in the kitchen for food prep. In the field to to dress and process rabbit, squirrel, dove, and deer. I have also used one to skin and clean a couple of catfish one time.
I have used them on the job to cut a variety of materials. Plastic sheeting, tar paper, rope ect. . The spey blade along with being a good skinner has a strong tip and makes a good scraper in a pinch.
The handle is comfortable and the two long blades put a lot of cutting edge in the knife.
Jim
 
I suppose it all depends upon your intended usage but SAK's aside, a stockman or cattle knife fits all my needs, especially if it's a custom knife where I had input on the selection of blades.
Many whittlers like the Case "Big Whittler" ('80' pattern) are also supremely useful.

In a two blade configuration I'd say the wharncliffe trapper fits the bill.

I like to leave the master clip or spear blade for situations where a larger, longer or heftier blade is required. A sheepfoot blade is perfect for cartons, plastic packaging and straight cuts. The pen or modified wharncliffe blade (which I prefer) is ideal for most everyday tasks.

If a specialty blade or tool is required that's where SAK's and "campers" reign supreme imho.
 
Probably my most usefull all around knife would be one of my case 6318 medium stockmans. Cant tell much carry difference between it and the 2 blade jacks I own. It also seems like I use a sheepsfoot blade more often than a spey blade. A bit heavier to carry but an extremely usefull, durable knife is the Case Trapper.
 
I had to think on this one a while, my tastes have changed a bit in the last year. I mostly carry two blade Jacks now, whether it's a toothpic(GEC), or a Barlow pattern, these get the job done. I keep a Barlow on the bench for breaking down boxes,stripping wire, scraping whatever...these are the knives that just tend to wind up in my pocket as of late...my day to day knives so to speak.
If I'm going to be doing some heavy work, I'll usually go to my large Sodbuster, it's about 25 years old and still going strong, can be pinched open with gloves on, and doesn't mind getting a little messy...
 
I woud have to say for me it would be the Gec pattern 72 or 73 both are very stout knives
 
A two-blade easy-open jack pretty much could serve me for life as The One Pattern.
 
Electrician pattern for me, one good sized general blade, one screwdriver blade that also has a sharpened edge for scraping and as a last ditch cutting tool if the main is dull. Given that one of the most common "real world" abuses for a knife is as a prybar or screwdriver i believe it is a sound choice.
 
You can't ask a question like this and leave out SAKs in my opinion. Of course this is the Traditional subforum, and I, like many others, love our patterns:). I would have to go with my Vic Pioneer for the knife which sees the most work. After that, my most used pattern would be the sodbuster type. I've been forcing myself to carry different knives in my collection, but I keep going back to either my SAK or my GEC sodbuster. My peanut fills a niche really, that of a workplace that frowns on knives, and only allows pocketknives with a blade of 2.5" or less. Friends at work have not blanched in horror at my peanut, but that is just carried at work.
 
I agree with Elliott on the stockman or cattleknife. Three different blades, with a variety of shapes, gives you all the utility and versatility you'd ever need in a knife. I don't know about durability. Assuming equal quality of construction, there is nothing I've seen to indicate one slipjoint design superior to others in that regard.

My favorite slipjoints are single blade models though. Think sodbuster or a single blade GEC #73. My typical day doesn't require the versatility of the stockman. I'm well served by a single bladed knife, and to be honest most of the time I give a higher priority to comfort in use than I do to versatility.

- Christian
 
pinnah said:
From the standpoint of utility, versatility and durability, what is your favorite traditional knife?

I'm looking to hear from people who use their knives. What do you use them for and what is your favorite knife for getting the job done, day in/day out. Key attributes are:
a) Utility - straight forward functionality; the ability to do the job with no hassle or compromise
b) Versatility - the ability to be used effectively for the widest range of cutting tasks
c) Durability - the ability to take the use and abuse without squawking or complaining

This isn't a thread about the prettiest knife you own. Nor the rarest. Nor the most treasured even. It's about the single most useful traditional knife that you own.

Please tell us about the range of things you routinely use your knife for. I suspect many of live in different places, doing different kinds of work and I'm betting that we'll hear very different knife choices because of that.

And of course, no thread counts unless it has pictures.
Click to expand...

Out of all of the knives I have ever carried, one of these was most carried (years at a time), Most useful (Spey sharpened to a toothpick, the others well worn) knife ever carried.

Used for about everything outside of food prep. Too much oil/grease, chemical and lead contact, to use for food.

DSCF2004.JPG
 
Rambling post above aside, If I had to pick ONE pattern right now it would be this one:



IMG_2521.jpg



it's comfortable to carry, nice to look at (for me anyway ), and cuts whatever I need to cut. In genteel surroundings the pen blade out, it is more likely to get oohs and ahs, than appear threatening to folks. It also offers a more secure grip than its looks would imply.
 
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Thinking about this knife is why I started the thread on the five most beautiful
Because if we're talking about useful and favorite users...
This is the one
bb3b1691.jpg


In general I agree in the two bladed jack statement for every day use.
Mateo
 
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