pocket knife experiments

K

Knife-Nutty

Joined
Dec 31, 2012
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73
How many of you have experimented with your pocket knives. I don't mean turning them into some kind of frankenstien monster I mean who has restricted themselves to say a single pattern for a period of time to see what could be learned or say using thier pocket knife of choice for all knife tasks or any other such experiments. Any who have done so or similar please share your experiment and or what you learned and took away from it and maybe how it changed how/what you carry? Hopefully some stimulating knife talk will ensue! I myself habe found that after carrying a stockman for a length of time I now feel it is nearly critical to have a shorter blade option aswell as a full sized blade. This is especially true I habe found when cutting things like zip ties on trucks or cars at work when other things may be close to what you are cutting that muat be avoided like hell (Such as wires and hoses! :eek: ) and a short blade gives added control and leverage, the sheepsfoot is perfection for this. What have you gentlemen found?
 
Interesting question.

I've done quite a bit of experimenting but not recently. Most of the experimentation wasn't about how a knife performed, although some of it was. For the most part I wanted to find out what was comfortable for me to carry and use. After each learning experience I was closer to knowing what I would and wouldn't tolerate. Now? I know what I like and I stick to it.

For a long time a small stockman and a Swiss Army Knife were all I carried. Maybe 10 to 12 years. When I got into a position to purchase something that was more along the lines of what I wanted and like instead of what would do the job for the least amount of money I have to admit that I floundered a bit. I dabbled with going to a single spring via the canoe pattern. I liked the slim profile but disliked the heavier weights. I also discovered that I did not like the spear blade as well as a clip of some kind.

From there I went to a mini-trapper. Again, two blades but in a lighter package. I found that I loved the knife but found myself wishing it were in a more slender package. The antique green bone aged wonderfully though and I found that I liked bone even more than I had previously guessed. The biggest drawback was the tiny nail nicks that were very difficult to use especially in conjunction with a half stop configuration. After over 6 years the nail nick broke another fingernail and I decided to change.

I knew I loved single spring pen knives. I knew I wanted large, easy to use nail nicks. I wanted a clip main blade.

This is when I bought the GEC White Owl. It has ~most~ of the properties I loved. It is a wonderful knife and I absolutely love it. Bit I made the mistake of getting an ebony model instead of bone. That left the door open for more experimentation. So this year when the 66 Slim was offered I jumped on it. It had all that the beloved cigar pattern has but with a thinner blade grind, which I love, and bone handles which I also love.

So there you go. My confessional.

Experimentation taught me two valuable things:

1) I love single springs, two blades, clip main blades, bone handles, pronounced nail nicks, and thin blade grinds.

2) When I have something that I really like I am less likely to go searching again. I've bought one knife in two years. Not bad for a knut.

Will
 
Oh man, I love experiments!

I've done a lot of them, restricting myself to a pattern as you say, to see what I can get done with just one pattern. Some of the experiments have been in minimalism. How much do I NOT need to get the job done?

My biggest experiment was when my better half Karen, brought home a Victorinox classic from her office that they had bought a number of to hand out to clients. I had been a bit leary of something that small, so I just watched Karen for a few months, as she tortured the little knife. After failing to come apart at the seems, I put one on my keyring, and for the next few months made a point to use it for any pocket knife job that came up. I had another knife on me, either a Buck 303 cadet, or a Wenger SI, or Opinel number 8. But I'd make it a point to start off trying the classic to see at point it wouldn't work.

Surprisingly, it dod most of what I needed. It cut out the foil del inside the cap of windshield washing fluid jugs, cut fishing line, cut open taped up boxes the FEDEX or UPS guy left on the porch, opened my mail, opened those D--- plastic blister packages stuff comes in now, cut jute twine in the garden, delt with screw both flat and phillips, pried open small cans of spackle or plastic wood while making repairs around the homestead. It's only failing was at food stuff, because it was just too small to cut an Italian sub in half. I did experiment with 2 inch nylon webbing to see if a classic would cut a seatbelt in an emergency. No problemo, went right on through.

I did much the same when I first started to carry a peanut instead of my Buck stockman. I'd use the peanut for anything I needed to cut. The peanut sliced cheese and salami on hikes, rope on the boat out on the bay, crab pot line, nylon rope to sling hammock up in the woods, and many hot dog sticks for the grandkids.

What I found out was, Jeff Randall is right: 98% of the knife market is hype and something else that comes out of the south end of a northbound horse.:D

I've long been obsessed with how small an object can be while still functioning at it's intended job. Knivers, guns, optics, boats. The world of small is fascinating. Sometimes you just have to push the envelope a little. I've found out that 2 inches of sharp blade will do 98% of what you have to do. A monocular is half the weight of small binoculars, yet still let you see what's going on down yonder. A tiny compass that point north is just as good as one twice it's size.
14660643921_f09db5ffc1_c.jpg
 
My folding knife odyssey over the last 50 years has taken three different routes, albeit with some overlap between the three. These were not experiments, per se, but more of a "direction to the collection." I tend to be a pretty analytical guy anyway, so much critical thinking has gone along with these three paths.

1) From locking folders toward slipjoints. Starting at age 8, I used many fixed blade knives for hunting and outdoors use before I ever started carrying a folding knife, so naturally I started out with locking folders for their security and similarity to fixed blades.

2) From single-blades toward multi-blades. By switching more and more to slipjoints, the field of multi-blade knives opened up to me, primarily jacks and stockmen, and more recently, alox SAKs. I have come to appreciate the fact that for me, the combination of a slender clip main and a shorter sheepfoot (or coping) covers 99% of all cutting tasks. The third blade of a stockman or SAK is normally used for something other than cutting, such as scraping, filing, driving screws or opening bottles.

3) From larger knives toward smaller knives. For the longest time I had very little use or attraction for knives smaller than 3-5/8" closed, and 4" or more was even better. Ordering a 3-3/8" stockman by accident (thinking it was 3-5/8") started to open my eyes. Then I received a 3" penknife, which I started carrying a lot, and that really opened the doors of my understanding. For the vast majority of what I use a pocket knife for, the dainty 3" pens are perfectly adequate. I still prefer a larger knife for outdoors and food prep, but the smaller ones have their place in my EDC lineup.
 
Great responses gentlemen those are rite along the lines of what I had in mind. And jack knife I too have the strange curiousity and attraction to small. There is just simething neat about it. Especially when something is high quality and small it somehiw has the effectt of making it seem nicer than something larger that is of the same quality. Like it took more care to get it that way you know?
 
Not sure I'd call it experiments ,but this one's been in my pocket exclusivley for
a pretty solid 6-ish? years. Deer, squirrel's, food, reaming pipe, there's nothing
it has'nt done. Don't know why I carry only one folder, can't say I've ever needed
another blade where this one would'nt do the job. Oh yeah its had quite a few pics
thru the years. Maybe I'm not a knife knut?
Ken.
 
As a challenge/experiment from RSmith_77, I carried nothing but a Case Small Texas Jack and Victorinox Alox Cadet for the first 4 months of the year. For the next two months it was just the Vic Cadet. Here recently I've started occasionally carrying a Buck 303 small stockman in addition to the Cadet.

Main result was that I lost interest in buying new knives, though I have made a couple of exceptions for special circumstances. Just focusing on enjoying what I already have now.
 
Gevonovich said:
What is the closed length on it, Ken? Just out of curiosity.
Click to expand...

Closed length is 4 1/4", however if we look at the way our pockets (at least in jeans)
are sewn it conforms exactley to the curve of the bottom of the pocket. Sooo its as
if it was'nt there. I'll be hard pressed to carry a different pattern,- maybe the same knife
in a shadow.
Ken.
 
kc custom said:
Not sure I'd call it experiments ,but this one's been in my pocket exclusivley for
a pretty solid 6-ish? years. Deer, squirrel's, food, reaming pipe, there's nothing
it has'nt done. Don't know why I carry only one folder, can't say I've ever needed
another blade where this one would'nt do the job. Oh yeah its had quite a few pics
thru the years. Maybe I'm not a knife knut?
Ken.
Click to expand...

Is this the same knife?

100_0473_edited-1.jpg


Looking pretty good with the miles on it. Might want to talk to your dye guy though. ;)

- Christian
 
For a good year or two, I carried a cheap Winchester stockman and used it for everything. I lost it sometime after I met my wife and purchased another one with imitation stag scales. I bought a Buck Redpoint on a whim and carried that for a few years. Once I got into Spydercos, I started buying like crazy but wasn't satisfied until I got a Squeak. That rekindled my love of slippies in a way.

I still have a number of locking folders but my current carry is a Colonial E2 Ranger Electrician Knife and a Buck Trapper. I love the spey blade on the trapper and use it almost exclusively. I want one more knife before I'm good for now, probably a Rough Rider trapper with bone scales.
 
kamagong said:
Is this the same knife?

100_0473_edited-1.jpg


Looking pretty good with the miles on it. Might want to talk to your dye guy though. ;)

- Christian
Click to expand...

Christian that is the same knife, back then I would purposely (before I knew what the hell I was doing)
try for variegated effects. Actually for what its been thru its held fairly well.
Ken.
 
Wow I'm really liking the look of that knife KC, its one of those knives you can just tell by looking it would be very useful, great work.:thumbup::thumbup:
 
jc57 said:
As a challenge/experiment from RSmith_77, I carried nothing but a Case Small Texas Jack and Victorinox Alox Cadet for the first 4 months of the year. For the next two months it was just the Vic Cadet. Here recently I've started occasionally carrying a Buck 303 small stockman in addition to the Cadet.

Main result was that I lost interest in buying new knives, though I have made a couple of exceptions for special circumstances. Just focusing on enjoying what I already have now.
Click to expand...

Heehee
its good to be appreciated (or at least remembered) ;)
plus you did better than i did i recall...i made it the full 3 months and then....
uhh not so much :p
 
Rsmith_77 said:
Heehee
its good to be appreciated (or at least remembered) ;)
plus you did better than i did i recall...i made it the full 3 months and then....
uhh not so much :p
Click to expand...

You were my inspiration, man! Got that knife monkey off my back. :thumbup: ;)
 
With every knife I buy I use it exclusively for a week. I carry it every day and all day. I also use every knife in the kitchen including the tomatoe slicing test. What I've found is that small is better. More often than not, I find a knife to be too large for the pocket or job not the other way around (except for big tomatoes :) ). My sweet spot is now 21/2 to 31/2" blades. Kitchen work shows up problems with the initial factory or custom maker grind and the ergonomics of the handle. You also quickly learn that toothy is better than polished in an edge when it comes to slicing.
 
Well after carrying. Multi blade knives forever , I decided to carry single blade knife for a while
You know a single blade knife suited me just fine
Go figure
 
Nice thread.

As a kid, I was given a Boy Scout knife. Got my first stitches from it at the age of 8. Had several BSA knives as they got lost. Really dug having the tools. Got my first fixed blade for my tackle box a few years later.

In high school, I found the Herters Catalog and got a paper route and this led me to get this Buck 110. It would be my backpacking and hunting knife, or so I thought. I didn't get out as much during those years and the Buck was a beast.

Buck 110 by Pinnah, on Flickr

I got to college and with that the chance to go backpacking and bike touring more. Got bitten by the allure of multi-tools, got one eventually and it took a while to figure out that they really stink as knives nad really the tools didn't get used that much in either setting. Somewhere along the line, I guess in high school, I stopped carrying a pocket knife. And neither the Buck nor the MTs were getting carried.

Much later I downsized considerably for backpacking. I carried a small peanut for several years and later a Victorinox Classic. Both worked fine for backpacking but I still wasn't carrying a pocket knife daily.

About 10 years ago, I traded for some bike parts and got an Opinel in the mix. It slid into my pocket and rekindled the love. But, I longed to carry a US made knife of some sort. So, off I went on my hunt. I tried a bunch. Tried BSA knives again. Tried small lock backs. Tried medium sized lock backs. I did a lot of side by side cutting (I'm an engineer). I busted up some knives. I found that the Buck 110 and 112 were too big and heavy. I found that normal sized slip joints are too small for my hands. I found that flat/convex blades do a better job at the wood and food cutting I do most. I found that I'm hard on knives and that nearly all knives end up wobbling on me, except for one.

EDC Pair by Pinnah, on Flickr

This is the combo that i've settled on for several years now. I do try to swap out the Opinel N9 for something else occasionally but always come back to this. A Buck 500 is an emotionally good alternative, but really, the Opinel is the one for me.

The Micra is an awesome companion. Provides all of the utility of the old scout knives while being small.
 
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