- Joined
- Apr 20, 2018
- Messages
- 4,458
Like many of you, I grew up with folks predominantly using traditional pocket knives and some variant of the Buck 110 (Schrade, Old Timer, et al). We never had the term "multi-tool". Those were called Swiss Army Knives. They were called that because those were the only ones there were.
In the late 80's I joined the military and my job was both law enforcement and air base defense. During my tenure, I really got into Anti-Terrorism and base defense and spent a lot of time in one form or another in the field. By that time, Leatherman was a thing and pretty revolutionary. Man, looking at the advancements of today, that old original Leatherman I still have sure is rough! But, it worked.
Back then, when I was working the gate or on patrol it was almost exclusively "blues", no BDU's for the most part. Gear selection was pretty sparse as well. I bought an aftermarket nylon 9mm pouch and carried my Leatherman in it. It wasn't ideal, and I was fortunate that all my Flight leaders of the time were okay with some personalization. But for me, that old original Leatherman wasn't a knife. It was pliers, a screwdriver, file, saw blade, etc. It was only a knife if I already had it out and realized I needed one.
I can't remember the exact year but sometime around 1990, I bought a Buck 425. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Buck knives were practically mandatory and the BX in Idaho carried a few variants. It's a tiny little lock-back knife. I think today they may just call it the "Mini Buck" and it might be a bit different, I don't know.
I was going through some stuff tonight and my fingers tickled across a very familiar piece of plastic. That ole 425. Man, I haven't seen this little guy in a long time... That knife went through a whooooole lot with me and traveled around the world. It was my constant companion even well after I separated the service.
I gutted some 550 cord and cut about, I don't know, maybe 18" of length. On one end I tied the cord to the little lanyard slot and on the other I tied a loop. I would thread the cord through the loop around my belt loop and then roll up the excess and stuff it in my pocket. It was enough to use the knife at waist level or so and then easy enough to detach from my person if needed but it ensured I never lost it. I carried that knife pretty much all the freaking time, on or off duty, in or out of the field.
From stripping comm wire to scraping crud off an M16 bolt face to cleaning trout to gutting grouse, man this little guy did it all. And I never gave it any thought. It never bothered me that it was two-hand opening or plastic or tiny or...gasp...420HC!!! The blade is getting thin from all the sharpening it has seen and it makes me smile.
In the field I carried a Leatherman (it evolved slightly with time but models were pretty limited back then), the 425 and usually an M9 bayonet. And the combo suited me just fine in some very remote and very hard times.
I had other knives, mostly Schrade and Buck that I messed around with in my off time but the 425 was always with me and more often than not was what I grabbed first. A lot of guys carried different stuff, especially Cold Steel, and sometimes I would get envious of the newness or style or whatever, but my setup always worked and never let me down.
For many years now, I've been a Spyderco fan. But, I'm mostly attracted to what I see as more function over form, simple-style knives, like the Dragonfly, Delica, Chapparal, Manix 2 and so on.
I've never gotten into the flipper craze, or titanium, or fancy locks or what have you. I think it is awesome they are out there and am happy for all who love such things, but I just tend to lean toward simple. And rediscovering this old knife that I haven't seen in so many years just helped remind me of that.
As I type this, the old knife rests on the end table that my late sister made, next to my old, and according to my wife, worn-out chair. The dog is at my feet lapping peanut butter from his Kong and I'm remembering old times.
Maybe tomorrow I'll glide the blade over an Arkansas stone...
Thanks for letting me wax nostalgic.
In the late 80's I joined the military and my job was both law enforcement and air base defense. During my tenure, I really got into Anti-Terrorism and base defense and spent a lot of time in one form or another in the field. By that time, Leatherman was a thing and pretty revolutionary. Man, looking at the advancements of today, that old original Leatherman I still have sure is rough! But, it worked.
Back then, when I was working the gate or on patrol it was almost exclusively "blues", no BDU's for the most part. Gear selection was pretty sparse as well. I bought an aftermarket nylon 9mm pouch and carried my Leatherman in it. It wasn't ideal, and I was fortunate that all my Flight leaders of the time were okay with some personalization. But for me, that old original Leatherman wasn't a knife. It was pliers, a screwdriver, file, saw blade, etc. It was only a knife if I already had it out and realized I needed one.
I can't remember the exact year but sometime around 1990, I bought a Buck 425. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Buck knives were practically mandatory and the BX in Idaho carried a few variants. It's a tiny little lock-back knife. I think today they may just call it the "Mini Buck" and it might be a bit different, I don't know.
I was going through some stuff tonight and my fingers tickled across a very familiar piece of plastic. That ole 425. Man, I haven't seen this little guy in a long time... That knife went through a whooooole lot with me and traveled around the world. It was my constant companion even well after I separated the service.
I gutted some 550 cord and cut about, I don't know, maybe 18" of length. On one end I tied the cord to the little lanyard slot and on the other I tied a loop. I would thread the cord through the loop around my belt loop and then roll up the excess and stuff it in my pocket. It was enough to use the knife at waist level or so and then easy enough to detach from my person if needed but it ensured I never lost it. I carried that knife pretty much all the freaking time, on or off duty, in or out of the field.
From stripping comm wire to scraping crud off an M16 bolt face to cleaning trout to gutting grouse, man this little guy did it all. And I never gave it any thought. It never bothered me that it was two-hand opening or plastic or tiny or...gasp...420HC!!! The blade is getting thin from all the sharpening it has seen and it makes me smile.
In the field I carried a Leatherman (it evolved slightly with time but models were pretty limited back then), the 425 and usually an M9 bayonet. And the combo suited me just fine in some very remote and very hard times.
I had other knives, mostly Schrade and Buck that I messed around with in my off time but the 425 was always with me and more often than not was what I grabbed first. A lot of guys carried different stuff, especially Cold Steel, and sometimes I would get envious of the newness or style or whatever, but my setup always worked and never let me down.
For many years now, I've been a Spyderco fan. But, I'm mostly attracted to what I see as more function over form, simple-style knives, like the Dragonfly, Delica, Chapparal, Manix 2 and so on.
I've never gotten into the flipper craze, or titanium, or fancy locks or what have you. I think it is awesome they are out there and am happy for all who love such things, but I just tend to lean toward simple. And rediscovering this old knife that I haven't seen in so many years just helped remind me of that.
As I type this, the old knife rests on the end table that my late sister made, next to my old, and according to my wife, worn-out chair. The dog is at my feet lapping peanut butter from his Kong and I'm remembering old times.
Maybe tomorrow I'll glide the blade over an Arkansas stone...
Thanks for letting me wax nostalgic.
