My ideal pocketknife - Volume II

TLARbb

TLARbb

Joined
Jan 24, 2010
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Back in April of 2011, after I had been "influenced" by you fine folks here in this forum I posted the following thead:
I-have-my-ideal-slip-joint-pocketknife

It was a musing of a soul searching for the answer to "Why am I buying all these knives, and which one is the "ONE"? Well, as we sit here in the waning days of 2015, 4-1/2 years later, I have picked up quite a larger number of pocketkives. I decided recently (if you can call a year ago, recently) to sell some of the knives that I have and to put that money into something else that I felt I needed to have. I could go into more detail on that but it would definitely be off-topic to this forum. In any case, this question comes up again as I would certainly not want to offer up the "ONE" for sale.

In the course of this "sell off", I have felt a bit of angst over a couple of them, but so far not to the extent that I felt I had made a terrible mistake and have to find a replacement. I sold a group of my annual Bladeforum knives, an a few somewhat collectible treasures, just because I have found in the last 5 years, closing on 6, of being a member here, that if I'm not going to use it, I don't need to own it. Maybe it's just a phase I'm going through.

So, as I go into the next calendar year, I may (or may not) continue this "sell off", but regardless, I have to be careful that I'm not going to sell "the ONE". Do I know which of the knives I have left is the "ONE"? I can't say with a 100% certainty, but the knife I have called "my precious", an amber bone mini copperhead, comes close. Then there is the "rotten banana" bone 66 jack that has gone through several hands here and stays in my pocket or close by most of the time. There's the harness jack 6 that I have not carried, but I like quite a lot. Could that be the one? It could be, but I haven't yet given it the chance. The eureka jack is a possibly a contender; I've carried it some and like it a lot. The GEC wharcliffe trapper is a really nice knife. Maybe that one's IT. As my inventory shrinks over time, the head scratching and hand wringing gets more serious and I have noticed a phenomenon that can only be described as "these can go" and "I'll hold on to these for a while".

Just an aside to this process of deciding what to sell and what to keep, there have been some number of knives that I have won here through giveaways and few that were given to me by gracious forum members. These all have a permanent place here in either the "users" or "treasures" category as they are all "treasures" because of how I came to own them. They may not be the ONE, but they'll never leave me.

This has been a long post. I hope it not too boring.

Back in the original thread, I had asked for you all to let me know if you had found your ideal pocketknife and to post a photo and tell why it was the "ONE" for you. If you have, please share with me and the other folks here your choice.

Ed J

P.S. Merry Christmas to all. I hope everyone has a great New Year and your dreams and hopes will all be realized in 2016.
 
It would be single blade trappers. my favorite rendition by far i love this pattern so much that i tried to take apart a 2 bladed 48 to make one this afternoon, i actually made a mess of the knife. A single blade trapper is the traditional knife that ive searched for ever since i was a kid. I have quite a few variations but the GEC 48 is the favorite. I actually tried this project as a kid and ripped the spey blade out of a cheap pakistani reindeer trapper. Along long time ago, i remember googling these and finding nothing but 2dead's CSC HMT collections. I didnt know where to buy them and I think i made this account to find more info. I wish i had walked up to the porch and just asked since 2dead did sell me some this summer when I made an appearance. Whats funny is i missed out on the chance to get a single blade 48 on the bay early on in the year before really participating. he did help a lot tho. now i have queen 11, CSC HMTs, GEC 48s. I have come to the conclusion that single clip blade traditionals are usually my favorite, preferably with end cap.
 
I have been down this road a little, and it reminds me of the "Is there a "perfect" knife? Opinions and Philosophies..." thread of late in the General forum. I finally decided there are so many great patterns and combinations of patterns that if I had a custom built today that met all my expectations, tomorrow I would want something else. With boxes and bags and tubes everywhere in the house, I just pick something to pocket and spend my emotional energy on other things.
 
After spending too many years searching for the perfect pocket knife, I came to the conclusion years ago, that Edgar Allen Poe was right on the mark when he penned "Eldorado". The advise from the pilgrim shadow was correct.
 
The perfect knife has been around for a very long time, already. But I just don't feel like carrying an alox SAK all the time.
And so I have many knives. Whim is a wonderful thing to enjoy.
 
It depends on what the intended use of the knife is, and the likely cutting tasks faced by its user. Everyone has their own preferences in terms of what tradeoffs and compromises they want to make. If it's smaller and takes up less room in the pocket, it's got less cutting power due to smaller blade. Thinner, less versatility in number of blades. Larger, it fills the hand, but is heavier. If it's a jack pattern, the blades can be longer but the tang of the unused blade can make a hot spot -but does that matter in a knife that will likely almost never be used for anything too strenuous? If it's a pen pattern it's thin, but does it hold as well, and are the shorter blades too much of a sacrifice? And then we come to covers and aesthetics... What if you find your perfect pattern but it's only made in ugly delrin, or with stainless steel blades, or with an end-cap when to your eye it looks better bareheaded? And what if your perfect knife is available, but at a price you can't afford or stomach? Such is the nature of the quest.

For me, the single-blade jack, single-spring pen, peanut, and smaller whittlers come closest to "the one," but until such a one is made, I consider myself fortunate to be able to enjoy a rotation.
 
Ed,

Thank you for putting forth your thoughts here. I've noticed your setting some really great knives loose, and appreciate hearing some of your reasons why.

I regularly entertain similar considerations regarding my own selection/collection of knives, if with a slightly different focus. I'm not concerned so much about finding The One-- there are so many different kinds of knives even within the Traditional subcategory, I know I would short-circuit trying to choose just one over another!-- but more broadly, how do I enjoy my knives, this hobby? What brings me the most satisfaction? And, am I accounting for if and how those answers may have changed? This last question, especially, came to the fore when my life and schedule changed in such a way that some aspects that had been fun before became burdensome, or felt like an obligation.

Ixnay! This is, is meant to be, the Fun Part of my life. If it's not fun...? I need to make some changes, and in some specific regards I have. (Others may prefer to substitute "rewarding" or "satisfying" or another adjective for "Fun," but I believe my meaning carries.)

In the meantime, I like seeing and hearing how others answer these questions, as most often revealed by what they draw to themselves, and for long, but also as sometimes described outright, as you're doing here.

There's no right or wrong way to enjoy/take ownership of one's own knives, and always something new to learn, whether of the cutlery, our own tastes, and human behavior.

So, again: Thank you.

~ P.
 
I have enjoyed reading you folks responses to my post and so the saga continues. Much has changed in my life in the last two years especially and it has greatly affected me and my participation in this hobby. I still enjoy knives, particularly the traditionals in this subforum and the friends I've made here from around the world and in this country in places I haven't been able to visit.

I sold a few more knives recently and one fellow had purchased 17 knives or had 17 transactions in the last month. All I can say to that is "wow".

I do have a couple custom knives and I think they will be heirlooms for my boys, but they don't seem that interested in my "stash" of pocket knives, so liquidating a portion of my "holdings" allows me to participate in a small way to helping folks that really need a hand up.

Thanks to everybody that responded; I appreciate it.

Ed J
 
I've got to the stage of putting aside certain knives I both use and really like - there are still quite a few of these!

The others are in the never use category and I would sell or trade them, but living in Europe makes it more difficult as there are fewer enthusiasts here and sending them back to the US is costlier.

What it has taught me is more discrimination in taste, less impulse, but let's face it- you can't tell how a knife is going to be for you until it's in your hand.

All the best, Will
 
Ed,

I missed this thread during the holidays.

I confess to living between competing impulses. The first is towards minimalism and with that, the myth of "the one". I happily rode a single bike for all things for decades. The second is the right tool for the job. I'm a backcountry skier and have about 10 different pairs of skis, each for different kinds of trips and conditions.

Here's how I try to find the balance with knives...

First, I don't pressure myself to have a "the one". I keep a change bowl near the door and keep several EDC knives there. Currently there are 3: an Opinel #9, a large Case Sodbuster and a Buck 500. All are similar in size but each is different in feel. Yes, the Opinel is the most commonly carried for me but I've come to accept that my mood can shift and that's OK.

Second, my wife who loves me got me a knife roll. It's a small one and that sort of helps me from going over-board. In it, there are 3 major groups of knives...

First, there are EDC knives that aren't working for me and that I've not made up my mind on. I have a very large Buck stockman and a Schrade 60OT that are both in this camp. Also a Buck 112. I carry them for a day or so and they remind me why I don't care for them and that helps confirm my choices for my EDC rotation. Knives in this set are on the bubble. If they stay there for a while, they're good candidates for finding a new home.

Second, there are EDC knives that I've accepted I won't carry but that I want to keep for sentimental reasons. The Schrade 5OT, Buck 112 and 110 are in that set for me. I'm glad I own them. They make me happy to get out and behold, but I've no delusions about them. I know they're not right for me for EDC and I accept owning them as nice but controlled luxury.

Lately I have a few novelty knives that I'll never carry. Often, these are knives that were gifted to me or off loaded on me. A relative passed along a classic Italian switchblade. A friend gave me a Bladeo. Interesting knives. Novelties.

Anyway, that's how I deal with it. I put a physical fence around them. An bowl for the EDC rotation. A single knife roll for the rest. That's my balance.
 
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