Pattern recognition: Canoe

By "pocket friendly", what I mean is the canoe pattern has no sharp or square corners to wear your pockets out. The swelled bolsters cover the run-up of the blades, while the spine of the main blade in the closed position makes a smooth arch between the points to prevent them from wearing the fabric. It is a great design, and if I cared at all for spear-point blades, I'd carry a canoe all the time.
 
It seems there was a variation of this topic recently so I repeat...
The single spring Case Canoe is a sweet knife.
When Case switched to two backsprings it made it more awkward IMO.

Case62131.jpg
 
Yablanowitz, thanks for clearing your idea of the "pocket friendliness" of the canoe pattern. It does make perfect sense.
I agree with you that rounded borders make a knife more comfy in the pocket, regardless of the size. Also, "squared" knives tend not to rotate inside the pocket during normal movements (like sitting/standing) so sometimes they get in the way. My Canoe hasn't done any of that so far.
I'm curious to know why some of you guys prefer the single spring Canoe. Is it just for thickness, or is there some other reason? The thickness difference shouldn't be that big...
Thank you again
Fausto
:cool:
 
I only have two canoes to compare, and the single-spring Queen is somewhat thicker than the two-spring Case. The blades on the Queen are also much thicker, giving it a far more substantial feel in use.

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I love two blades on one backspring, and something about the canoe pattern appeals to me, even though I realize a spear and pen blade aren't the two most useful options on a two-blade knife. I've had a couple Queen canoes over the years that I regret selling (single backspring, thick and thin blades as mentioned). I find clip blades practical but ugly, and also love a good spear-point blade (though, truth be told (heresy a-coming), I use a Spyderco for 95% of my daily chores).

That Buck looks like a brilliant concept. My one gripe with the single-backspring canoe is that you get two blades with the same basic shape. I'm a fan of wharncliffe and sheepsfoot blades.

Yablonowitz, I'm curious if the injury was a result of the spear blade profile specifically, or just a coincidence.
 
Both times it was on piercing cuts. I had the blade angled down a little to keep pressure on the spring and hold the blade open, but when the tip pierced the material, the sharp edge cut while the flat spine didn't. The round shape of the spear point pushed the blade toward the closed position far enough to put the tip below the pivot, and the blade folded. The first time it happened was with a Cub Scout knife when I was a kid, and I had no idea what had happened. The second time I was in my twenties, so I analyzed the accident and figured out what had happened.
 
Gobbo_the_civet said:
What a coincidence! I just ordered that one. I can't wait until it gets here. It's good to hear I ordered something good.
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I hope you like it. This is my second Rough Rider, I also have the large toothpick with green scales. Both knives are very well made. And you can't beat the prices. I'm going to buy a number of Rough Riders while the prices are low.
 
The Canoe is my favorite pattern, I have one with me every day. It's been noted already that the two spring Case is slimmer than the single spring Queen and has thinner blades. For a knife that size, I find they are still thick enough and IMO have the advantage of being straight, thanks to the dual springs. The Queen has to have the main blade ground asymmetically in order for them to nest together. I like the Queen just fine, but prefer the Case for daily use.

 
As in any thread of this subforum, nice pics of beautiful knives always come out :)
My trial with the Canoe is slowing down (my new Opinel will take its place very soon, as soon as I decide how to treat the handle and the pivot...but that's another story).
The more I use it, the more I get convinced that I prefer it to have two springs...and that I'd likely have a sheepsfoot/wharncliff as secondary blade.
Meanwhile, here are a couple of pics of my Buck Canoe (the knife that made me start this thread...)

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Fausto
:cool:
 
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That's a good-looking knife, Fausto. :thumbup:

I had looked up a generic vendor pic of the wood-handled version, when you first posted about this. That jigged handled is all-the-more attractive. I assume it's real bone?
 
I assume it is real bone too (that's what Buck says, anyways).
Somehow I'm not too fond of jigged handles, but I didn't really have a choice when I bought this :)
There are two things that I don't really like about this knife: the brass things (don't ask me why, I never liked it, and not just in knives), and the spring on the pen blade (it's way too hard).
But, in general, and considering it's a pretty inexpensive knife (especially on your side of the ocean), I'm happy with it...it's a very good guinea pig for discovering the pattern, freehand sharpening, and so on, and it's a nice knife to carry.
Fausto
:cool:
 
quattromori said:
I assume it is real bone too (that's what Buck says, anyways).
Somehow I'm not too fond of jigged handles, but I didn't really have a choice when I bought this :)
There are two things that I don't really like about this knife: the brass things (don't ask me why, I never liked it, and not just in knives), and the spring on the pen blade (it's way too hard).
But, in general, and considering it's a pretty inexpensive knife (especially on your side of the ocean), I'm happy with it...it's a very good guinea pig for discovering the pattern, freehand sharpening, and so on, and it's a nice knife to carry.
Fausto
:cool:
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The brass bolsters are definitely different, for this pattern. I'm guessing it's a 'Buck thing', maybe a nod to the legacy of Buck's most famous product, the Buck 110. For some odd reason, I initially didn't notice the brass in your pic; assumed the bolsters were nickel. I can understand not wanting to deal with the additional polishing, to keep the brass bright.
 
quattromori said:
I'm curious to know why some of you guys prefer the single spring Canoe. Is it just for thickness, or is there some other reason? The thickness difference shouldn't be that big...
Click to expand...

yablanowitz said:
I only have two canoes to compare, and the single-spring Queen is somewhat thicker than the two-spring Case. The blades on the Queen are also much thicker, giving it a far more substantial feel in use.

DSCF1050.jpg
Click to expand...

I would have orginally said I prefer the single backspring for the slimness and the clean look, but after seeing yablanowitz' picture, I'd have to strike that slimness comment and pull a foot out of my mouth. I might need to get a Case canoe afterall!
 
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