Only One Knife for Everything, Forever!

Blues said:
Well, considering you're in Plattsburgh, it should be able to adjust your X-C ski and snowshoe bindings. ;)
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IMO, that is better left to a small t-handled ratcheting driver with a proper posidrive bit.

Returning to the OP's original and very hard and interesting question, I had a chance to get my hands on an Opinel #9 the other day. Interestingly, I was in a store across the lake fro Plattsburg but I digress.

I've been carrying a #8 as my primary EDC knife for some time and earlier in this thread, I commented that it almost covers the full range of the OP's challenge. But based on what I saw the other day, I'd suggest the Opinel #9 as the winner.

It's not much longer than the #8, but the blade is definitely thicker and that, to my eyes, is the big difference. I could see abusing the #9 in ways that would give me pause with the #8. But, despite how burly the blade is, the Opinel #9 still comes in at a scant and very pocketable 2 oz!!
 
If I have to make do with a single knife, I'm going to go with a fixed blade. This one should do nicely.

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- Christian
 
black mamba said:
You can only have one knife to do everything, EDC, work, church, weddings, shorts & T-shirt, suit, hunting, fishing, camping, bushcraft . . . EVERYTHING . . . FOREVER!
Just the one knife, and if you would not carry it there (wherever there is) then you have to go without, naked (knife speaking!).
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kamagong said:
If I have to make do with a single knife, I'm going to go with a fixed blade. This one should do nicely.
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Christian,

You are among several who've said they would use a fixed blade. I find this interesting or curious. How does this work for Black Mamba's requirements for "EDC, work, church, weddings, shorts & T-shirt, suit.."? I get it in terms of hunting, fishing and bushcraft, but for general EDC, wearing a suit at weddings and in shorts and t-shirt?

Is this a realistic alternative where you live?
 
Simple enough really. I'm a white collar type, so I can conceivably do without a knife during the day even if I wouldn't like it. And I could get by without a knife at church and weddings. If I really wanted to EDC a knife I could keep it in my satchel nearby.

I guess I just wouldn't want to rely on a folder for the rest of my life if I was limited to a single knife. I'd want something a bit more robust and durable.

- Christian
 
kamagong said:
If I really wanted to EDC a knife I could keep it in my satchel nearby.
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Thanks. I pretty much always have a courier type bag with me, so I can relate to this.

Seen in a New Yorker cartoon: "Yes, it is my man purse and it's where I carry my hand gun." Or fixed blade...
 
As stated by several other posters, the answer depends on several presuppositions. First, I’ll go under the assumption other than this “rule” my life goes on as it currently does. I still have kitchen knives and other tools to draw from. Much to my chagrin, it would probably be my Leatherman Wave. It’s not traditional, but I use it everyday and it would be very hard to live without. If I count the Leatherman as a tool, then I would pick a custom medium stockman (3 7/8”); it would have the traditional clip and spey blades, although the spey blade would be shorter, maybe 1 ¼” to 1 ½” long. I would replace the sheepsfoot blade with a 1 ½” wharncliff blade. All the blades would have a shallow (10” to 14” wheel) hollow grind and be forged O-1 steel. The scales would be a very high quality India stag and the bolsters/liners would be one piece stainless and the springs would also be stainless.

For a “life as we know it has come to and end” choice, it would have to be a fixed blade, I’d choose a Randall Trapper. I know there could be less costly choices, but in my mind Randall has an excellent reputation for a long time for a reason, obviously I like O-1 tool steel and if I can only have one knife, (say it ain’t so) I’d like to have something that has real handwork to it.

Q
 
A Buck 110 or a large stockman are the top two contenders in my book....I think I'll pick a Buck 110....

I can carry a can opener,bottle opener,vicegrips,plyers,screwdrivers,tweezers,flashlights,mini saws and other assorted tools in my pack...

CD
 
Only one knife for life, no diversity, no testing new steels and handle materials, I shudder at the thought..

Still if I could only have one knife I think it would be a chef's knife. Most heavy camp chores can be accomplished just as easily with a hatchet saw or axe. Also most EDC type chores could be accomplished with other tools it just wouldn't be nearly as much fun. The only place that I just couldn't make do with other tools is in the kitchen. It's hard to butterfly a porkchop with scissors. It would be a nice Santuko Chef knife for me. About 7.5" of Japanese stainless with a quality heat treat.
 
My one knife, would have to be designed from the bottom up, specifically to my own desires and needs. I'm talking a folding knife, with a locking spear-main, small spear and wharncliffe slip-blades, in a traditional whittler formation, then, on each side of the main, i'd need two u-gouges at an angle, so that i can whittle spoons and suchlike. I'd call it my spoon-whittler. Made from something like cpms35v, with stainless liners, and yellow g10 scales, and i'd be a happy camper.
I doubt i'll ever have such a knife, but it's a fun thing to think about. Any takers for such a project? :)
 
If I had to pick one of my knives and ditch the rest forever, I'd keep my Buck 301 Stockman. Not my fanciest knife by a longshot, not the fanciest steel...but I've had it forever and it's done it all. I have the blades sharpened at different angles for different things...I could live with it as an only. I wouldn't be happy about it, but I could do it.
 
I'd just go with my scagel fruitport. Nothing special but it has served me well for a year and I suspect it would at least last a couple more. I think the greatest threat would be loss so I would have to be lucky. I have always been a 1 blade knife guy so I think I'd just stick to my roots. I hate to regret my choice for the rest of my life. Haha
 
Well,
This thread has been cooking since Oct. and I read thru it from the beginning to end just now and was shocked on how many folks talked about Buck 110/112s and 301s. So, I guess I have to make a comment to hold my head out of the water.

I look at this from two angles. Number one, is that I have to have only one knife in my current life and for the rest of its time. That makes you ponder harder than the next "zombie angle". I am going to walk around with and use as needed only one knife. This would no doubt be a compromise all across the board. I see the long term sruvival of a tank knife say a 112, but it has only one blade and it does weight in the pocket. A stockman or SAK would be lighter and have a couple of blades to insure you always have a good cutting edge. But which one. Something in the 4 inch range would be large enough but small enough. Maybe.

Number two angle is the Man In The Wilderness, End of the Modern World, Zombies invade from outer space, situation. I could do two knives easier than just one. But in wildland living a small knife will "keep your head above water" but a bigger knife can do what a small knife does and a few more things. And it would be easier to stab zombies. I have a cheap, hollow handled, grip guard knife locked away beside the .223. In the grip is a fire striker and some snare wire. And some sewing needles. But, I think my one and only Buck 119 is likely to survive long term. So in the anti-Zombie world a fixed blade is the only way to go. If allowed to include it I would have a tomahawk also.

To be honest I carry a SAK in my hunting gear. It has a small saw and that can really come in handy in some situations. So I just am not sure I could toss the SAK away in favor of the Buck 301, but if left with a 301 or 307 I would be OK also. Actually I think I would grab a old discontinued 319, which is a 301 with clip blade, strong spey and a awl blade. The awl would be really handy for cleaning tight spots in stuff in my modern existence, and make that a stag scaled model, a guy has to have some luxury to look at. Its a toss up SAK or 319 for modern life one knife, I will make do with either. But the SAK may have to be carried in belt sheath and I seldom need a cork screw.....
300Bucks

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Like I've posted before, I've carried the 6217 pretty much every day since 1970, the same knife until it broke a month or so ago. Although I did cheat ocassionally on Sunday's but not a lot. I absolutely love this knife, as well as the new one I replaced it with. I even called Case to see if they would fix it, and they told me that they no longer had the tooling to do the job. It had a lot of wobble when I broke it, but I still used it. It surely did everything I asked it to do. I do have many other knive's, probably 95%of them never been in a pocket, just collected them over the years.

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I did motify the new one that the old one replaced, to make it look somewhat more like a warncliff blade, which I like very much.
So as you can see, Just like JackKnife's dad, it can be done.
Regards,
JOHN
 
I've got to go with my 2009 Blade Forum knife. It is a fantastic design and built like a tank. It would last however many years I have left.


TLARbb said:
Jeff, Jeff! Why are you doing this? You know that I can't make a call like this...

Probably the closest thing I can think of is the BF 2009 Barlow. Genius, just pure genius that knife.

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Ed J
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