One Blade, Two Blade, Three Blade, Four

PocketEdge

PocketEdge

Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Messages
566
Most of us feel one knife is not enough to cover the tasks in life that require us pullinging out our favorite tool. Besides, if one were enough, we wouldn't have a reason to buy more. But... lets talk about the number of blades we really use and what we use them for. If you carry a stockman, what specific tasks do you do with each blade. If you never use a particular blade, please tell us. If you carry a two blade jack or a four blade congress how specifically do you use each blade and why? If you are a single blade guy or gal, why? Have you ever wished you had a second? I would love to hear others opinions and how you use your knives cause I'm sure I would learn a few things!!

Personally, though I love the stockman pattern, I have never speyed anything with the spey blade. I took my dog to the Vet to get that done. I suppose I could have saved a couple hundred bucks but that's why my dog still loves me.

I like single blade slipjoints for general tasks, working, play, everything.. when I need a light weight knife. Specifically in the summer when wearing shorts. I have some just for work that have little nasty germs and some dedicated to dinner out and the weekend to cut apples, open mail, etc..

Two blade jacks are probably my favorite. The main blade for cutting cardboard, opening anything new in that damn plastic packaging (invented by Satan), whittling, cutting fruit, eliminating Irish penants, etc.. As for the small blade, usually a pen blade, I keep it scalpel sharp to cut hangnails and do very small tasks. Sometimes, the pen blade is used to open boxes, it cuts the box tape without going through to possibly cut the item inside.

So... Please tell us how many blades you use and why!
 
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You seem to poke fun at the spey blade but there are people on farms and ranches who use them regularly just for the task they were intended to be used for.

Most all of my knives have as the main blade a clip blade. I prefer the sharp tip on that blade.

On my stockman knives, I use the clip blade for general cutting/slicing chores, the sheepfoot blade for scraping and other mundane chores, and the spey blade for what it was intended for; however, this year is the first year that I did not participate in any local roundups so my spey blades got a break this year.
 
I had the same problem with the spey blade. Didn't really have a use for it as i don't have cattle yet. But...the Spey does do great work on basswood for whittling and I could see the benefits in bushcraft if it was necessary. Love the stockman but he two blade jacks have caught me eye!
Axe
 
I guess you could put me in the two blade jack group.

I carried a stockman for many many years. A Buck 301 to be exact. I loved having a choice of blades, but I never found a good use for the spey blade. I used the main clip for general cutting, the sheepsfoot for rougher use like breaking down boxes and stuff. The poor neglected spey blade got left dull and used for a whatever scraper, putty knife, boot cleaning blade.

Now I carry a peanut, and two blades seem right. One for general use, the other for fine surgery.

I guess there's a reason for the popularity of Barlow's, Texas jack's, pen knives, and even (cough cough) the humble peanut.:D

Carl.
 
Except on a SAK, I think 4 blades is too many - makes things cumbersome

Three blades is good, and I like the stockman pattern precisely because of the general utility of the spey :)

Two is better. And there isn't a lot to surpass a well made Moose or a broad bladed jack

But a good knife, with one good blade - especially if it happens to be the right one on the day and for the job - can't be beat :D:D

Personally, I think the archetypal pocket knife is a one with a single clip point blade in a 4" to 4 1/4" frame, with a jigged bone handle and decent carbon or stainless steel - not all that bothered which :)
 
If I'm heading out for the day I found I only really need 2 blades. I like a longer one that I probably use with food most often and a shorter blade that does all the other stuff. I work in an office environment and the toughest one of my knives can expect is to have to break down a small box or open some plastic packaging. Clip or spear for the long one and a pen, wharncliffe or sheepsfoot for the second. If I'm carrying a stockman then I found I really only use the clip and sheepsfoot unless I just feel like using the spey for something. At home, I have a choice between 1, 2, and 3 blades (a small collection sits together next to my computer) and I'll just pick one up that I feel is most appropriate to what I'm doing.
 
I like the stockman most of all. The clip blade is a perfect letter opener and steak knife, at least. The sheepsfoot blade is ideal for opening packages, cutting leather, and THE PERFECT BLADE for slicing open clamshell packaging. With every spey I've sharpened, I've found that the 'belly' of the blade really takes a scapel-like edge. So, it gets reserved for more 'surgical' tasks. In particular, I've found it very adept at slicing off those annoying little bits of split, dried skin near the edges of my fingernails (my apologies, if this sounds a little gross). It's also very useful for removing loose threads from clothing, especially when cutting close to the body, such as from a shirt collar. The rounded end of the blade is less likely to 'poke' me, if I'm a little clumsy.
 
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A single blade works for me. If I need a small pen blade, there's a tiny one on the Vic Rambler, which I have on my keyring.

pocketstuff.jpg
 
I like the muskrat pattern with two full sized clip blades. I keep one lightly oiled for general use and the other I wash with soap and water and save it for food stuff.

But lets be honest, I love a variety of 1,2,3 and 4 bladed patterns.
 
I normally prefer single or two bladed knives. I only end up using two at the most, even if the knife has more than that. On those that have a pen blade, I find myself using it on cardboard or clamshell packaging since the thinner blade offers less resistance. The main blade gets the rest of the general use.

On knives with on straight edge, that blade is mostly used for opening packages and some whittling unless it's the master on a Swayback or Half Congress. In those instances it's the all purpose blade.

With Trappers, the clip blade does most of the work while the spey is good for using on food. I rarely find the need for a pointy blade while slicing up a snack or a steak.

These are just what I have noticed myself using the different blades for and not necessarily what I always stick to. Sometimes the decision is made by which blade happens to be sharper at the moment.
 
Modec Ed, please don't misunderstand me. I'm only making fun of myself. I know what the spey blade is for and I know many people use it for its intended purpose. Although, I come from a family of farmers where my father and grandfather would rutinely spey hogs, I am merely poking fun at myself with my inept ability and inexperience with the spey blade. As with many (most) farming families in the midwest, farming has changed and we have had to find other ways to earn a living.
I love the spey blade but since I don't work in a field that requires its specific function, what do I use it for? I know I'm not alone and thats where I intended to plant the question.
 
I guess if I had to choose a category to be in, it would be of the two blade jack.

I carried a stockman almost everyday for about 3 years while working on a produce farm. I used it everyday and it never quit on me. My favorite blade was the Spey, but it was never used for it's intended purpose either. I really don't care for the Sheep'sfoot blade though, so it got abused and it handled the dirty work quite well. I never connected with the Stockman like I thought I would, I looked at it as just a tool, while my other knives have soul.

I did carry a four blade congress for a while, I never needed the edge of four fresh blades, but the knife was fun. I used the pen blade for almost everything, gutting trout, opening letters, splinter removal, apple pealing. That little blade was a favorite, it got called upon more than any of the others combined. But, it was just a trial, I wouldn't stick with one.

I love a single blade, especially a locker. I think it has to do with the fact that when I was a kid almost everyone I was around carried one for hunting season. A single blade was my grandfathers constant choice, so if it was good enough for him. I remember when I would bring a knife home from a flea market, or garage sale, I would always show him. He never approved of a stockman when there was so much to be accomplished with by a light locker. When I go out for Whitetails I always take a single blade locker, I don't know if it's just habit, or what it is? But, they get the job done so well, that I don't try anything else. Easier to clean after the work is done anyhow. I carried a toothpick knife for trout season and I will never again leave for camp without it. That blade was perfect for this chore.

Now that I'm really trying the two blades out, I like them. There is something all to classic about a jack knife, good carbon steel blades and a decent handle material.

Here are the knives that have taken over my fall EDC.
P1011759.jpg
 
All good, Just different.

For Years I carried a One Blade Schrade 123OT, using for everything from Cutting limes for Tequilla to Cleaning Trout.
Then I went Three Blades with a Buck 307 big big Stockman.
Then I was a two-blade Jack Knife afficiando; Or sometimes a Two-Bladed Moose.
Sometimes I'll carry four, like a Congress, or more recently a GEC Castro.

and on a rare day, I've got a Moore Maker 5-Bladed Sowbelly, For Fun.

Of them all, probably the Single Bladed Schrade got the most use.
 
Lately and for a while I have been carrying a large stockman. Im in school to be an electrician and I use the sheepsfoot everyday to strip wires and cut insulation and such. I use the clip bade for random tasks and the spey blade for smaller task and clipping hangnails and stuff. Im also a fan of congress styles and just like the idea of the different blades. I really want to get a smaller jack with just a large clip and small sheepsfoot and a tl 29 for work. As far as single blade knives I love my 110 and want to get a hawkbill.
 
2-4 blades for me, and of different types. The more variety the better. At least one curved (spear/clip) and one straight (wharncliffe/sheepsfoot). For me the appeal of a slipjoint is having different blades for different uses in a small package. Probably the only single-blade slipjoint I would care to carry regularly would be a wharncliffe, since I always have a SAK on me as well.
 
I've been in the habit of either carrying a little Toothpick , or my beautifully modded AG Russel 2.5 in Ti lockback in my 'watch pocket' on my jeans , in addition to whatever large folder I carry. What i'm getting to is I have solidly went from liking Slipjoints with more than one blade to Slipjoints with a single blade.

The Toothpick is my favorite overall pattern although I am in love with the idea of a single bladed Jack , maybe a wharn , spear or sheep's as it's one and only blade. I find the longish blade on my toothpick suitable for near any task that does not require my larger folder , but most especially for those gentle , percision cuts that we sometimes run into.

I have several Slipjoints with more than one blade that never see pocket time.... I'm really soul searching for "that one" single bladed knife that hits home , that sings to me.. One day , I shall find it ~!

Tostig
 
I could live with two blades if they were the right shape. Need to be a clip combined with either a sheepsfoot or a Wharncliffe. I've never found a production one that I like. (Customs are just not my thing. Yes, I know that Case made a Wharncliffe Trapper and that they are still available if you look real hard. But they only made those in Tru-Sharp, which I don't really care for. )

So, with that huge parenthetical stated, I end up remaining, true to my roots, a stockman fan.
 
I was born and raised in a land of single bladed knives, and actually I never felt much need of a secondary blade.
Anyway, I'm not against having two blades, one for "dirtier" tasks and the other one for "cleaner" tasks (such as food, etc). This is why I started carrying a two bladed knife and see how it goes (too early to have a definite opinion over the matter yet). For food tasks, I like the drop and clip blade (in all its variants). For general/dirty use (cardboard, boxes, and so on), drop/clip is surely fine, but a straight blade (wharncliff/sheepsfoot) may be the winning choice for me.
Actually, maybe I should rather carry two single bladed knives (after all, if both blades are lying side by side, the "clean" and "dirty" thing kinda loses part of its sense). Just like Frank (knarfeng), I would love a combination of a clip and a wharncliff/sheepsfoot (either on the same knife or on two separate knives), but the only ones I've seen and liked so far are customs...awesome, but too expensive for me, at least at the moment (maybe someday I will get one made...who
knows?).
Personally, I don't really see much use in having three or four blades (I'm no farm guy myself, just use my knife for "general purpose"). Nor do I have much use for a spey blade. Spear blade is fine for general purposes, just like the pen blade, but I'm no big fan of either.
And in the end, even on a pure aesthetic side, I guess I will always prefer single bladed knives...and even if I might end up carrying two blades, I'm sure I don't actually need anything more than one clip point blade.
Fausto
:cool:
 
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I have carried a small stockman for most of my life but I can get by with just two blades and prefer a spear point and a pen blade. I'll use the larger blade if required and the smaller blade for mail and fingernails etc. My first pocket knife was a KampKing. My longest carried knife is a Schrade 108 OT. My newest favorite is a Case Eisenhower.
 
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