New to Traditionals

T

triggahappy28

Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Messages
232
Hey guys,

Like the title says I'm very new to traditionals (folders) and I have suddenly fallen in love. Right now I only have two, a Case Amber Trapper from say a decade, maybe less, ago and a new Case Stockman I bought the other day. The new stockman was what really got me to take the Emerson or ZT out of the pocket for once and I've really fallen for traditionals. So the point of this thread is what do you all recommend? What patterns and companies should I try to experience? I really have no funds, but I'd still like to dig around.

Thanks for the help,
Chris
 
You need to look into the wide variety of jack knives out there. The trapper is one example of many patterns of jack knives. Also look at whittlers. You can hardly come to this subforum without quickly becoming aware of peanuts and sodbusters. There's lots to see and do. Look at the "What traditional are you totin thread". Everything winds up being posted there; hide your wallet before you go - that thread is not particularly friendly to your wallet. Poke around; you're sure to find much to look at. Welcome to our corner of the internet.

Just an example - GEC boy's knives (their pattern 15):

100_2545_zpsaed0a82e.jpg


Ed J
 
Hi and welcome.

I was a crazy EKI user and now Tradtionals.

I can't suggest specifics, far too many, but I like GEC and Case/Bose knives. You can find O1 steel with GEC in the work line. 154cm with Case Bose. D2 with Queen and I have HEARD the newer Queens are awesome, as are the older ones when they did it right. I have some queens that were disappointing in fit and finish and somewhat subpar to GEC.

Also, if you like regular Case, Boker Tree Brand is worth a look.

I know other's will chime in with a lot more. The main concern with tradtionals is if you go lock back watch out for play. This would bother most converts from moderns.

Oh and Buck Stockman DOY how could I forget. USA for the sense of pride.

Kevin
 
Case, Buck, Great Eastern Cutlery, Queen Cutlery, Canal Street Cutlery, Tuna Valley.

On the budget side, Rough Rider.

Pattern-wise, well, you have a journey of discovery ahead of you. Things that some people loathe, you might love, and vice versa. Patterns you originally hate may become one of your favorites. Or you may buy them and sure enough, you really do hate them.

So with that out of the way... I prefer 2-bladed jack knives (both blades hinged at the same end) in the 3 1/4 to 3 3/4" length range. I've got some in carbon steel that are developing a nice patina from use, and some with stainless blades that stay shiny with no effort.

I also like the 3-blade stockman patterns and rotate between a stockman and a medium jack for carry most days.

My suggestion is to go slowly and don't be in too much of a hurry to buy a lot of knives. I have more knives now than I want or need, and wish I had been a bit more deliberate and saved up for fewer, nicer knives. I guess what I'm saying is that I'd rather have four $100 knives than ten $40 knives.
 
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Case and GEC and to a less extent Boker (for lockbacks). I started collecting Case copperlocks then I discovered GEC. Great Eastern Cutlery.

For obscure try Henckels and kissing crane. (looks like the new ones are chinese)
 
Mercator K55!

If you can find it, a Camillus TL-29! (electrician's knife, also a barlow)

Another tip:

If you live in a super humid area coupled with living near salty water, then like me, your knives will rust. Very. Easily.

Keep them oiled, or get a patina.

Stainless blades help too.

:D
 
That GEC #15 clip really has caught my eye! thanks for all the input, seems like a great group over on this forum
 
You need to try a 300 series Buck, they're great workhorses for money, I really enjoy the 301, and 309, they're under or around 40 bucks if you look around.
 
triggahappy28 said:
I'll take a look! A local shop might have one, I'll head over tomorrow
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Careful! Small knife shops like one near me will really stab you with their prices. (on Moderns at least, which is good because I prefer traditionals anyway)
 
Oh they do, theres a family owned Ace hardware about a mile from here with incredibly fair prices, but another outdoors store where overpaying $20 is lucky!
 
Welcome to the forum. My suggestion is to get to know your knives a little before you try any others. Take some time to develop a taste for what you might like. Stay on these forums and read a lot. You will likely find your taste changes a lot at first. Taking a little extra time can save money and help you form a more focused collection :)
 
triggahappy28 said:
That GEC #15 clip really has caught my eye! thanks for all the input, seems like a great group over on this forum
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The GEC #15 pattern, it all its variations, it one of the more popular jack knives on this subforum, and with all the different runs of them being put out lately, people are buying and using them a lot, and talking about them a lot. For good reason.

I wanted an ebony wood spear main blade pen secondary 15 for a long time. Seen photos of the old ones from decades ago and it basically became my grail knife. I couldn't find one of the GEC ones still available, but the same thing with clip blade instead of spear blade was available on several dealer sites. I ended up buying a clip/pen blade in ebony. Kind of settling for it as I wanted the spear blade version, but it was something at least. Carried it almost everyday for the last few months. Finally GEC released another run of the spear blade ones. I bought one, and as much as I loved it, I wasn't using it. It was a great knife, my grail knife at the time, and it was fantastic. But I'd developed such a close bond with my clip blade version, used it so much, put a deep patina on it over the few months I'd carried it, and I kept going back to it. Gave away the spear blade version to someone else who wanted one and thought of it as their grail knife. The 15 clip sits in my pocket as we speak, The only knife I have that I favour above my sodbuster, my other most common carry.

One of the BF approved dealers that has a bunch in stock in different configurations is knivesshipfree.com. I'm not affiliated in any way, just a great dealer, fantastic service, that has a lot of the in stock. There are other great dealers as well. You might want to try the #15, you might favour another knife over it, but it won't disappoint.

Speaking of sodbusters, give one a try;)

Edited to add: As others have said, though, don't go too crazy spending on different patterns. With traditionals, there are too many patterns to spend money on if you let yourself get carried away trying to try them all. Pick one or two patterns, and carry/use them a lot for a while before trying another. Get acquainted with it. You get a feel for it and develop a bond with it that you just don't get by clicking the order button again and again. The I have about three knives that I actually feel a bond with because I've used them a lot, the others that don't get used much are pretties, curiousities my eyes move across from time to time and nothing more. For me, right now, that' snot money well used. I'm trying to be more selective right now. In short, just order a GEC#15 :D
 
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CJZ said:
Careful! Small knife shops like one near me will really stab you with their prices. (on Moderns at least, which is good because I prefer traditionals anyway)
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Small knife shops have a large overhead that allows folks to come in, look at and handle the latest releases from different manufacturers. Usually then the folks, having made they're decision, go home and search the Internet for the absolute lowest price to make their purchase. I have seen various posts on this forum from people complaining they had no where to see or handle a knife before making a purchase. Without our support these knife shops can't exist.
 
For sure! I always try to support my local shops as much as possible! At the very least they provide someone to talk knives with.
 
Yeah, ya can't go wrong with a #15. I'm the guy that was lucky enough to get his mitts on that one of NoNameNomad's, and I gotta tell ya it was better even than I had thought it would be. Getting something like that early in the traditional-collecting game is a bit like buying a $20 S&W, and jumping straight to a CQC-7 though. Almost too much to handle. Whatever you end up buying, hold on to your wallet, and enjoy the hunt!

Edan
 
I picked up a case sodbuster jr today and overall I like the single blade idea (since I'm used to moderns) but with so-so fit and finish and blade shape, I think a number 15 will be perfect!
 
If I were going to own a Sodbuster variant it would be a Queen Country Cousin. Better blade shape for my liking and the D2 steel intrigues me.
 
rma100 said:
Small knife shops have a large overhead that allows folks to come in, look at and handle the latest releases from different manufacturers. Usually then the folks, having made they're decision, go home and search the Internet for the absolute lowest price to make their purchase. I have seen various posts on this forum from people complaining they had no where to see or handle a knife before making a purchase. Without our support these knife shops can't exist.
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Small mom and pop shops can be great people to deal with. I try to do business with them when I can provided they treat me fairly. I don't even mind paying a little extra to help my locals out. That being said, I grew up in a town with musical instrument shops, car dealerships, or whatever else I was buying that were really sticking it their customers. I way overpaid for guitars and amps before you could get on the internet or before I could drive to the next big city to check and compare prices. Sometimes I was paying 40% more than I should have.

I remember when my dad bought a Nissan Hardbody truck back in 1993 for $10K. He checked out the prices in the state capital, came back home and asked the local shop for the same truck who offered it for $12K. $2K was a lot of money for us, and they would not budge on price. They even had the nerve to get upset with my old man for not buying from them and basically informed him that they wouldn't repair the truck under warranty if it needed it. I'm sure they couldn't actually do that, but why would you even want to after that threat?

The internet has been a great equalizer for both the consumer and small businesses if they learn how to use it properly. I still try to support my local shops, but only if they have what I want and treat me fair.
 
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