One Man, One Knife, How long can I last?

[mortonm]

Lunch duty today on a wet hike

 

[W.M.B.]

Ok, so I am a guy with too many knives. I gravitate not just to traditional, but old, antique store finds, etc. I love the idea of a man buying one well made knife and using pretty much just that one knife daily, for a lifetime. When I find a well worn old pocket knife it is these imaginings that make it appealing to me. But with a box full of them at home, I certainly don't live the way I idealize. good luck.

 

[Will Power]

Well, if you stay on the Forum then you'll be bound to give up this exercise sooner rather than later.....not surprisingly

The great lure of Traditional knives is their vast assortment and types. Some patterns suit more than others but not one pattern, some marques suit more than others but not one marque, some blades suit more than others but not always one blade. Otherwise, there simply would not be all this variety in knife types.

Confining yourself to one knife is OK if knives mean nothing to you, but otherwise it strikes me as some kind of imposed deprivation for an enthusiast. Would a gourmet confine themself to just one type of food? I would not restrict myself to one kind of book, still less one book, what a limitation. :grumpy: I've been interested in knives ever since I was 7 (that's a long time ago and in another century ) I went through very long periods of not being able to get hold of many knives at all, the internet changed all that, I got by with some rather uninspiring knives in the past. Uninspiring is the word, dispiriting is another...

There's not too much better than getting ignited over a new kind of knife, right

 

[tmd_87]

Just got my antique yellow jigged bone. I like it a lot. The nail nick is new for my collection same as the cap lifter secondary on any of my traditionals. Straight from the tube in my pocket. Gonna be a cool little carry knife. Gonna cap lift some brews next weekend!

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

 

[A.L.]

Every time someone posts knife that someone (such as Grand Father) has carried most of his lifetime, everyone admires how someone can carry just one and that how wonderfully worn the knife is and that if the knife could talk it would tell stories..

..and then when someone wants to carry one knife, everyone is sobbing "but why just one" and that "variance is the spice of life".

 

[jc57]

Every time someone posts knife that someone (such as Grand Father) has carried most of his lifetime, everyone admires how someone can carry just one and that how wonderfully worn the knife is and that if the knife could talk it would tell stories..

..and then when someone wants to carry one knife, everyone is sobbing "but why just one" and that "variance is the spice of life".

It's like alcoholics envying the man who just drinks socially. Or the inveterate playboy admiring the man who has been happily married for 30 years to the same woman.

 

[mortonm]

Still holding strong

Patina is coming in pretty good and the etch is starting to fade out, apologies for the cell phone pic

 

[chickenfried]

your pics are reassuring me that I made the right choice of an ebony crown lifter. will you miss the etch?

 

[mortonm]

your pics are reassuring me that I made the right choice of an ebony crown lifter. will you miss the etch?

nope, wasnt a huge fan of it to begin with, so not a big deal losing it

I am sure if you wanted to keep your blade clean and patina-free you could keep it longer but acidic things will hasten its departure

 

[A.L.]

It's like alcoholics envying the man who just drinks socially. Or the inveterate playboy admiring the man who has been happily married for 30 years to the same woman.

Something like that

 

[traumkommode]

I'm following you on Instagram. I hope this grows into a saga.

 

[chickenfried]

I think the etching is cute. But while I take care of my stuff I don't coddle. So it'll be gone soon enough:blue:...

nope, wasnt a huge fan of it to begin with, so not a big deal losing it

I am sure if you wanted to keep your blade clean and patina-free you could keep it longer but acidic things will hasten its departure

 

[mortonm]

I think the etching is cute. But while I take care of my stuff I don't coddle. So it'll be gone soon enough:blue:...

You can always look again in pictures, or buy another for the the drawer if so desired, I do understand why people like the etchings, this particular one was just not my cup of tea

 

[Sword and Shield]

I've kept a Case Peanut in the pocket for 2 straight years. Not to say a bottle opener and Craftsman 4-way aren't on my keyring, but I have yet to feel under-knifed. Anything that the Peanut can't do, I'd need a fixed blade for as is, and there isn't much it can't do.

 

[mortonm]

I've kept a Case Peanut in the pocket for 2 straight years. Not to say a bottle opener and Craftsman 4-way aren't on my keyring, but I have yet to feel under-knifed. Anything that the Peanut can't do, I'd need a fixed blade for as is, and there isn't much it can't do.

Some truth in this. I feel a peanut is just a touch to small for me (not that it wouldn't do just perference) but I feel a 3.5" is about right and as you said anything more I would want a fixed blade.

 

[farmboy]

That's going to depend on you.

From about the late 70's to the early 90's I carried the same knife every day. But I didn't own a great many pocket knives from which to choose. In those days carrying a knife was just a daily occurrence for me, as opposed to a hobby as it is now. So it wasn't any big thing to carry the same knife.

These days I rarely carry the same knife for more than a week at a time. And sometimes I change knives as I go through the day...because I can.

Pretty much the same here.

I've been carrying a pocket knife since I was 8. I'm now 57. I was always told to carry a knife, a wristwatch, and a wallet. You can figure everything else out from there.

My stock and standard carry was an Old Timer Stockman. My Levi's usually ended up with holes in the front pockets, where the knife eventually wore them out.

I applaud the OP. It's nice to see someone trying to do it the way many of us used to do it. It may come as a surprise to many, but "EDC" is a new term that's nearly a fashion statement. It used to be that a boy (or grown man) was prepared for nearly anything, not to display his cool new toys, but to show that he was confident that he was in control of his life.

I agree, this is a cool hobby, and I applaud the participants as well for their knowledge and experimentation with new designs and ideas. But, the OP has a great thought: can a guy of today manage with only one knife in his pocket?

 

[Sword and Shield]

Some truth in this. I feel a peanut is just a touch to small for me (not that it wouldn't do just perference) but I feel a 3.5" is about right and as you said anything more I would want a fixed blade.

You're right, of course. The peanut falls in a weird gray area. Less than that is uncomfortable, more than that up to 3 5/8 is uncomfortable, 3 5/8 to 5 1/4 works best. The peanut is a true anomaly in my comfort continuum. SAK classic? If I must. Small toothpick? Pass. 2 7/8 is a weird island of stability.

 

[jackknife]

You're right, of course. The peanut falls in a weird gray area. Less than that is uncomfortable, more than that up to 3 5/8 is uncomfortable, 3 5/8 to 5 1/4 works best. The peanut is a true anomaly in my comfort continuum. SAK classic? If I must. Small toothpick? Pass. 2 7/8 is a weird island of stability.

:thumbup::thumbup:

The peanut is an anomaly all by itself on a couple of grounds. It is weird how other knives in that category are not comfortable in hand, but the boxy shape of the 'nuts handle does manage to give it a bit more grip than other sub 3 inch knives. And the little legume does not know it's a small knife. Kind of like a jack Russell terrier not aware he's a small dog.

As a peanut aficionado, I will be the first one to admit they are a weird gray area.

 

[mortonm]

Still holding strong



Patina update

 

[jc57]

Still holding strong
...

Congrats! I know when I did a similar challenge thing a couple of years ago, after about the first month it became perfectly natural to carry the same knife every day.