Being a very typical knife knut, I've carried a wide arraingement of knives over the years. I've carried sak's, Case sodbusters and peanuts, and dabbled with Opinels now and then.
But looking back on the bulk of my life, I've actually carried a Buck knife more than any other knife.
It all started with a Buck Stockman in 1967. I had enlisted in the army not long after high school, and from age 12 to 20 I had carried a Camillus scout knife my dad gave me. That Camillus saw me through a huge number of boy scout adventures and some mis-adventures in my teen years. By the time I enlisted, it had some sentimental value, so I left it home because I didn't want to risk it getting stollen in some barraks someplace. No, sometimes our fellow GI's are not totally trust worthy.
Once in the army I just used the all steel scout knife the supply room seemed to have an endless amount of. They were just okay, I was never that impressed with them. Decent edge holding, but they made all the knife's componants out of the same steel, and the backsprings broke on a regular basis. I ended up carrying the TL-29 by choice for some years. Better carbon steel blades and a locking screwdriver.
Then in 1967 at a PX they had a Buck display, and for some reason the 301 stockman called to me. It was a good call. For the next 25 years that 301 traveled with me over 4 continents. It served as a trout knife in Europe, a camping knife in the U.S., a working companion on construstion sites in Vietnam, and general cutting tool in some places I don't want to remember. Some good and some bad all along the way. In 1971, I was discharged from the army due to injuries on active duty, and the VA got me into a vocational program to apprentence as a Machinist. The Buck stockman went to work in the machine shop. More years of dirty work.
Durring the late 80's I played with other knives for a while, but always coming back to the 301. Even when I was expeimenting with 'other' knives, I had my old Buck stashed someplace on me or close by. None of the other knives ever made the permanent cut. The always got stuck away in the sock drawer till I had the big downsize. I ended up giving all those other knives to kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, old co-workers. But funny thing, I kept my old stockman. It finally went into semi-retirement in the mid 90's. By that time an old friend and co-worker passed away, and his wife gave me his old cadet 303 for old times sake. I'd watched Andy field dress his opening day buck with his Buck cadet, and when it came into my hands, it got a good amount of time pocket carry.
By 2000 I again was playing around with a wide variety of patterns. Sak's, Case peanut, even an Opinels now and then still. I ended up always giving the Opinels away to some person needing a knife.
Now after the second operation on my left hand in a year, I find myself back to Buck again. Conventional slip joints are a bit much for me to open sometimes with arthritis issues, especially on cold/wet days, so a friend gave me a used but good shape Buck Squire. I never liked the single blade lockers because the single blade knife always made me feel a little under prepard. I'm probably the only person on the planet who never had a 110. Looked at them once, but didn't think I needed a boat anchor with a blade attached. Okay, okay, take it easy, just joking, sort of.
I was just so used to carrying two or three bladed knives. But sometimes things change.
For a while now I have not carried my usual sak, or other pocket knife. When I had an operation on my left thumb last year, my go-to knife was a little Buck Hartsook. Easy to put to work, just pull out and cut what you need to and shove back into the sheath. I got used to having a single blade at my call by reason of nessesity. The Hartsook was also a lesson in how much knife I didn't need on a day to day basis. In the time I used the Hartsook, it taught me a lot. Kind of an eye opener and attitude adjuster.
Now the single blade knife does not bother me, I suppose I've got used to the purity of a single blade. If it gets dull, there's a little Eze-lap model L with most of the red handle cut off in the zip compartment of my wallet. I just touch it up when needed. Maybe when my hand heals up I may go back to the cadet, I don't know.
This Christmas season the Buck squire got a real workout. It did everything I asked of it.
But it's occured to me that now I've been a Buck knife user pretty much going on 42 years.
I even find myself weaning myself from the sak. If I need a screwdriver, theres a Sears keychain 4-way screwdriver on my keyring. If I have to open a can, the keychain P-38 does the job. I've sort of went back to my younger days when the 301 stockman gutted trout by a stream in Bavaria, cut sausages camping out in the Black Mountains of Wales, did myrids of small cutting jobs when I did an istructor bit at the engineer school at Fort Leonard Wood Mo. My kids grew up watching me open fathers day gifts of Old Spice after shave with that stockman, tormenting them by slowly with surgical prescission slice the scotch tape holding the gift wrap so it could be removed in one neat piece.
It's made me think, (always a dangerous thing) that with a Buck knife in my pocket, and a few tools on my keyring, do I need any other knife?
I hope Buck continues to make traditional style pocketknives, I can't see myself ever carrying one of those one hand tactical things. The 301 and 303 seem to do it all. I may even get around to trying the companion for a bit. I have this friend Wayne, who is a die hard user of a companion. for a couple decades now I've watched him get by with his companion, and he's about as loyal to that little knife as a samurai to his lord.
I've come to the conclusion its hard to beat a Buck.
But looking back on the bulk of my life, I've actually carried a Buck knife more than any other knife.
It all started with a Buck Stockman in 1967. I had enlisted in the army not long after high school, and from age 12 to 20 I had carried a Camillus scout knife my dad gave me. That Camillus saw me through a huge number of boy scout adventures and some mis-adventures in my teen years. By the time I enlisted, it had some sentimental value, so I left it home because I didn't want to risk it getting stollen in some barraks someplace. No, sometimes our fellow GI's are not totally trust worthy.
Once in the army I just used the all steel scout knife the supply room seemed to have an endless amount of. They were just okay, I was never that impressed with them. Decent edge holding, but they made all the knife's componants out of the same steel, and the backsprings broke on a regular basis. I ended up carrying the TL-29 by choice for some years. Better carbon steel blades and a locking screwdriver.
Then in 1967 at a PX they had a Buck display, and for some reason the 301 stockman called to me. It was a good call. For the next 25 years that 301 traveled with me over 4 continents. It served as a trout knife in Europe, a camping knife in the U.S., a working companion on construstion sites in Vietnam, and general cutting tool in some places I don't want to remember. Some good and some bad all along the way. In 1971, I was discharged from the army due to injuries on active duty, and the VA got me into a vocational program to apprentence as a Machinist. The Buck stockman went to work in the machine shop. More years of dirty work.
Durring the late 80's I played with other knives for a while, but always coming back to the 301. Even when I was expeimenting with 'other' knives, I had my old Buck stashed someplace on me or close by. None of the other knives ever made the permanent cut. The always got stuck away in the sock drawer till I had the big downsize. I ended up giving all those other knives to kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, old co-workers. But funny thing, I kept my old stockman. It finally went into semi-retirement in the mid 90's. By that time an old friend and co-worker passed away, and his wife gave me his old cadet 303 for old times sake. I'd watched Andy field dress his opening day buck with his Buck cadet, and when it came into my hands, it got a good amount of time pocket carry.
By 2000 I again was playing around with a wide variety of patterns. Sak's, Case peanut, even an Opinels now and then still. I ended up always giving the Opinels away to some person needing a knife.
Now after the second operation on my left hand in a year, I find myself back to Buck again. Conventional slip joints are a bit much for me to open sometimes with arthritis issues, especially on cold/wet days, so a friend gave me a used but good shape Buck Squire. I never liked the single blade lockers because the single blade knife always made me feel a little under prepard. I'm probably the only person on the planet who never had a 110. Looked at them once, but didn't think I needed a boat anchor with a blade attached. Okay, okay, take it easy, just joking, sort of.
I was just so used to carrying two or three bladed knives. But sometimes things change. For a while now I have not carried my usual sak, or other pocket knife. When I had an operation on my left thumb last year, my go-to knife was a little Buck Hartsook. Easy to put to work, just pull out and cut what you need to and shove back into the sheath. I got used to having a single blade at my call by reason of nessesity. The Hartsook was also a lesson in how much knife I didn't need on a day to day basis. In the time I used the Hartsook, it taught me a lot. Kind of an eye opener and attitude adjuster.
Now the single blade knife does not bother me, I suppose I've got used to the purity of a single blade. If it gets dull, there's a little Eze-lap model L with most of the red handle cut off in the zip compartment of my wallet. I just touch it up when needed. Maybe when my hand heals up I may go back to the cadet, I don't know.
This Christmas season the Buck squire got a real workout. It did everything I asked of it.
But it's occured to me that now I've been a Buck knife user pretty much going on 42 years.
I even find myself weaning myself from the sak. If I need a screwdriver, theres a Sears keychain 4-way screwdriver on my keyring. If I have to open a can, the keychain P-38 does the job. I've sort of went back to my younger days when the 301 stockman gutted trout by a stream in Bavaria, cut sausages camping out in the Black Mountains of Wales, did myrids of small cutting jobs when I did an istructor bit at the engineer school at Fort Leonard Wood Mo. My kids grew up watching me open fathers day gifts of Old Spice after shave with that stockman, tormenting them by slowly with surgical prescission slice the scotch tape holding the gift wrap so it could be removed in one neat piece.
It's made me think, (always a dangerous thing) that with a Buck knife in my pocket, and a few tools on my keyring, do I need any other knife?
I hope Buck continues to make traditional style pocketknives, I can't see myself ever carrying one of those one hand tactical things. The 301 and 303 seem to do it all. I may even get around to trying the companion for a bit. I have this friend Wayne, who is a die hard user of a companion. for a couple decades now I've watched him get by with his companion, and he's about as loyal to that little knife as a samurai to his lord.
I've come to the conclusion its hard to beat a Buck.
