Not Just for Florists

S

shopdoc

Joined
Mar 24, 2020
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I'm a pretty nice guy. Care about my friends. Try to help others out. I'd like to say it's been reciprocated until now. I've just realized that my knife friends have been holding out on me. It wasn't until browsing the threads last week that I heard mention of the SAK floral knife. What really caught my eye was that it was purported that the floral knife could slice as well as an Opinel. No way! Impossible. So, I went online and purchased one.

The amazon box arrived this afternoon. I quickly opened it up with my Executive. I then tore down the box with the small blade of my Executive. Not bad actually. But back to the Florist... I love the feel of the handle. I wish they'd ditch the cellidor for these polyamide (is that fancy for nylon?) scales. Extremely light, thin in pocket unlike the Opinel, and...what a slicer! Absolutely love this blade. If you were the kind of guy who likes a one bladed pocket knife that will handle most any edc task sans cutting your food, this is the blade for you. Sheepsfoot are one of the most versatile edc blades in my opinion. Not the best for food prep, but I'm sure it will do the job. I've carried single bladed sheepsfoot knives in the past and never felt that they were lacking. Work better for opening those plastic packages, tearing down boxes, and working in the yard in fact.

I bought 3 btw. 2 red ones for me and a pink for my wife. Now that I hear they are being discontinued, I'm having a bit of a panic attack and almost purchased more. Would make a great gift. Alas, I'm trying to scale down my knives so I'll just stick with the three I purchased.

I reluctantly placed the Floral knife on my workbench and the Executive went back in the pocket for the remainder of my 30 day challenge.
 
Doc, if you get the experience I did, you're toast. You will become both a fan of the garden knife, and a fan of chisel grinds. Like I said in the other thread, my Leatherman squirt started this ongoing experiment in the chisel grind, and my 25 year run with my old Buck 301 stockman and its sheep foot blade had madam a fan of the sheep foot. It was my most used blade on the stockman.

Go do a google search for the steamship Arabia and look at all the knives they were shipping west. The majority of them were of the sheep foot blade style. This was back in the 1840's when people really worked with their hands and needed a good pocket knife several times a day.

I predict you're gonna be a fan now. I keep a Vic garden knife in my car for a heavy duty back up cutter. And you're right, they need to ditch that cellidor and go with nylon for ALL SAK handle scales!!!! Both grippy and durable. Both of which cellidor is NOT!
 
I totally agree that Victorinox should upgrade their basic line to nylon scales. IMO, the fragile cellidor is the only thing about Victorinox that I feel is something of a liability. Even though I’ve never completely broken a cellidor scale before. The cellidor scales from the 1980s and earlier seemed tougher (less hollowed-out) than the current ones.

Jim
 
There is also the little known Vic graft knife. It has the exact same blade as the floral knife but has nice beefy wood (walnut?) handles and brass liners. If I can ever figure out how to post a photo a post a comparison pic.

In regards to the Arabia, I have to say that I’m quite envious of all the sheeps foot choices. If I’m not skinning anything or using my knife for food prep it seems that the sheeps foot is the more practical choice. I wonder why they fell out of favor?
 
The Victorinox Gardner as I've always known it is a great knife, and I wore one out as a kid with my poor use and over sharpening.

I've been meaning to get another, but I'm thinking I just might rather have a day packer instead.
 
Yes,victorinox should put nylon scales on all their knives,i i carry spartan spart and have dropped it countless times,and used it every day for few years and is even today almost like new,same as my alpineer.Plastic translucent scalles broke,first time i dropped the knife on wooden floor,which is ridiculous.All colours nylon scales should be available as option.
 
Country_Squire said:
There is also the little known Vic graft knife. It has the exact same blade as the floral knife but has nice beefy wood (walnut?) handles and brass liners. If I can ever figure out how to post a photo a post a comparison pic.

In regards to the Arabia, I have to say that I’m quite envious of all the sheeps foot choices. If I’m not skinning anything or using my knife for food prep it seems that the sheeps foot is the more practical choice. I wonder why they fell out of favor?
Click to expand...

I don't know, Squire, but if you find out, give me a call!

It's apparent from just looking at market catalogues from the 1800's, that the sheep foot never really died out. By the time of the American civil war, the congress pattern pocket knife had become very common and popular. It had two shepfoot blades on either end. Post civil war, the cattle knife morphed into the premium stockman, and traditionally the sheep foot blade rode a bit proud. Like it stuck up there a bit more than other blades; like on the Old Timer stockman, the sheep foot is the easiest blade to grab. I suspect that many a cowboy and others found the sheep foot the nicest blade to use on many cutting jobs.

Look at all the Navy issue as well as private purchase knives used by seamen right up through WW2. They are for the most part large heavy duty sheep foot blades. Most had a built in marlin spike, and maybe a screw driver end on a liner that stuck out a bit we the knife was closed. Even the British army in WW2 issued a sturdy sheep foot bladed knife with a checked black composition handle that may or may not have had a marlin spike. Likely the British found that the army guys needed a sturdy knife just like the sailors did. The U.S. Coast Guard issued its own knife that was a sheepdog blade with a can opener on it.

Some years ago I had a little Vic classic that I did an experiment on, and filed the blade into a small sheep foot. It was great!!!! More useful for opening packages, scribing wood for cutting, even gutting a panfish off the line. Its a great way to make a fine point on a non locking blade knife that you can bear down on with no danger of the knife folding on you.

Then you have the British with the 'Real Lambsfoot' blades. A slim sheepsfoot for all intents and purposes. Its a great seller even nowadays over in the traditional forum.

If the nail nick was a bit farther back, I'd be tempted to make my executive blade a sheep foot. But Victorinox didn't leave me enough blade up front to play with.

But it does seem like outside of gardeners and florists, the sheep foot has faded from popularity. I think thats a damm shame!!!
 
I purchased a GEC single blade sheepsfoot in oil bone about a year ago. Aesthetically, the sheepsfoot is not my favorite blade style...that goes to the clip point. But in terms of usefulness, the sheepsfoot is my favorite. Unrivaled in opening blister packs and other types of packages, making a straight cut, scoring, you name it. It's only downfall comparatively is in food prep. But it will work if it has to. The fine tip will even dig out a splinter in a pinch.
If I were to carry a knife with a single blade, that would be it.
 
Ya know, a statement on how well a sheep foot blade still works is, go look at any construction site, home improvement remodeling project work site, upholstery shop, drywall worker, or other real work place and see how many utility knives are in use. Stanley, Huskey, Milwaukee, Gerber EAB, or other brands from the big box hardware stores. All with the familiar sliding replaceable blades that are a more angled sheep foot blade. I know that I've used my old Stanley 99 to the extreme when I don't want to ruin or screw up a 'nice' knife on some dirty work.

I don't know of any home improvement guy that doesn't have a utility knife clipped on or in his tool pouch. So maybe the sheep foot is still going strong, just in another form. One with replaceable blades. Companies like Screwpop make keychain size holders for the replaceable utitly blades that are light and small. They sell well.

It seems like the old sheep foot is still around, just modernized a bit in a different form.
 
I have a few Case medium stockmans, and my favorite and most useful blade on them was the sheepsfoot. Personally, on those stockmans, I’d be happier with them changed to only the clip blade on one end and the sheepsfoot blade moved to the other end, without the spey blade. Though for many years now, I don’t carry traditionals other than SAKs, due to their versatility.

When I delivered newspapers as a kid, the blade I used the most on my Buck Cadet stockman was the sheepsfoot. It worked the best cutting the straps holding the newspaper bundles, and was also better for sharpening pencils at school. Of course, you’d get into big trouble for doing the latter nowadays.

Jim
 
James Y said:
I have a few Case medium stockmans, and my favorite and most useful blade on them was the sheepsfoot. Personally, on those stockmans, I’d be happier with them changed to only the clip blade on one end and the sheepsfoot blade moved to the other end, without the spey blade. Though for many years now, I don’t carry traditionals other than SAKs, due to their versatility.

When I delivered newspapers as a kid, the blade I used the most on my Buck Cadet stockman was the sheepsfoot. It worked the best cutting the straps holding the newspaper bundles, and was also better for sharpening pencils at school. Of course, you’d get into big trouble for doing the latter nowadays.

Jim
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:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Jim, I totally agree with you. The most used blade on my old Buck 301 I had for all those years, was the sheep foot.

I don't cary the traditionals that I loved do much anymore, as the SAK's are just too versatile to say no to. But you know what I'd really love to see? What I'd fly to Switzerland to hold a gun on someone if I had to...

A sak like a tinker, recruit, spartan, whatever, with a main sheep foot blade. Now that I'd pay extra for. And if it was a chisel grind line on the garden knife, they I'd be sure I'd died and went to SAK heaven.
 
jackknife said:
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Jim, I totally agree with you. The most used blade on my old Buck 301 I had for all those years, was the sheep foot.

I don't cary the traditionals that I loved do much anymore, as the SAK's are just too versatile to say no to. But you know what I'd really love to see? What I'd fly to Switzerland to hold a gun on someone if I had to...

A sak like a tinker, recruit, spartan, whatever, with a main sheep foot blade. Now that I'd pay extra for. And if it was a chisel grind line on the garden knife, they I'd be sure I'd died and went to SAK heaven.
Click to expand...

I wonder how well the florist's blade would fit in a Tinker or whatever. There should be plenty room for it. I prefer the spear myself but for someone like yourself, it might be a good solution. It's a relatively simple mod.
 
jackknife said:
Ya know, a statement on how well a sheep foot blade still works is, go look at any construction site, home improvement remodeling project work site, upholstery shop, drywall worker, or other real work place and see how many utility knives are in use. Stanley, Huskey, Milwaukee, Gerber EAB, or other brands from the big box hardware stores. All with the familiar sliding replaceable blades that are a more angled sheep foot blade. I know that I've used my old Stanley 99 to the extreme when I don't want to ruin or screw up a 'nice' knife on some dirty work.

I don't know of any home improvement guy that doesn't have a utility knife clipped on or in his tool pouch. So maybe the sheep foot is still going strong, just in another form. One with replaceable blades. Companies like Screwpop make keychain size holders for the replaceable utitly blades that are light and small. They sell well.

It seems like the old sheep foot is still around, just modernized a bit in a different form.
Click to expand...
I think that’s probably a fair assessment.Certainly there are jobs that absolutely require a utility knife and they work great but man, utility knives are just so ugly. They don’t have nearly the charm of the working knives of the past like the old lambs foot or sheeps foot styles. One benefit of the sheeps foot pattern that is often overlooked is the added safety. When working in confined or ackward spaces, especially when working quickly, a sheepsfoot is nice to have. It gets the job done and won’t poke out your eyeball along the way.
 
jackknife said:
A sak like a tinker, recruit, spartan, whatever, with a main sheep foot blade. Now that I'd pay extra for. And if it was a chisel grind line on the garden knife, they I'd be sure I'd died and went to SAK heaven.
Click to expand...

Pomsbz said:
I wonder how well the florist's blade would fit in a Tinker or whatever. There should be plenty room for it. I prefer the spear myself but for someone like yourself, it might be a good solution. It's a relatively simple mod.
Click to expand...
Or maybe you could reshape the Vic spearpoint into a sort of sheepsfoot by
1. grinding off the tip just after the nail nick, at a lambsfoot angle,
2. then reshaping the edge to make it straight. There shouldn’t be much belly to remove.

That way only a little of the blade height is lost. You might lose about 10mm of blade length. Cutting or grinding off the tip at right angles to the nail nick is more straightforward, removing practically all the belly, but you'd lose about 13mm.

Creating a chisel grind would be another story.
 
View attachment 1329002 I’m missing two blade styles, but one’s on the way - the hawkbill pruner. The other is the budding knife. That has a hawkbill on one end, and a brass budding blade which is round and blunt and used for holding bark open in grafting.
I’m looking forward to having the pruner for ....
Pruning.:eek: I have larger, vintage hawkbill pruners that I use on fruit trees and berry bushes, but for smaller and more delicate plants like tomatoes, I think this Vic will be great.

Here’s some things I know about this knife:

~I’ve seen them called both the Florist, and the Day Packer, but I think the names are interchangeable. Or maybe the clip is the Daypacker???
~All three blade styles, sheep, clip, and hawkbill are chisel ground-only sharpened on one side.
~Chisel ground comes from their horticultural roots (catch that pun?).
The flat, unground side of the blade will not crush the delicate vessels in a plant, so the flat side goes toward the plant.
~The flat side is unbeatable if you ever need to cut along a steel rule - it rides tight against the straightedge, so it makes a fantastic drafting knife.

I suppose I could also chase the other colors... I sorta like the flourescent green.:D
 
Sawl Goodman said:
Or maybe you could reshape the Vic spearpoint into a sort of sheepsfoot by
1. grinding off the tip just after the nail nick, at a lambsfoot angle,
2. then reshaping the edge to make it straight. There shouldn’t be much belly to remove.

That way only a little of the blade height is lost. You might lose about 10mm of blade length. Cutting or grinding off the tip at right angles to the nail nick is more straightforward, removing practically all the belly, but you'd lose about 13mm.

Creating a chisel grind would be another story.
Click to expand...

Thanks to your suggestion, I tried it, and it turned out great. Thanks to Jackknife’s post, I might do a Classic too. Thanks, guys. I love a sheepsfoot, and a good wharncliffe. ;)

VlXqEwl.jpg
 
I have to ask, how did you find room to file the Classic’s blade to a sheepsfoot, Jackknife? Did it cut into the nail nick?
 
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