Single blades vs Multi-blades

The majority of my cutting needs take place at work and I like to carry a large modern folder as my beater knife and a 3 blade stockman for when I really don't need that much knife.

I have noticed recently that when I reach in my left pocket to retrieve my stockman, it's usually the sheepsfoot blade that I usually use. I used it today to sharpen/whittle my pencil and the sheepsfoot blade is perfect for that. It kind of reminds me of when I used to carry nothing but a folding box cutter. I'll use the pen blade for very small tasks and the main clip blade is almost never used as I like to keep it nice and sharp at all times.
 
ranchmanben said:
I have always carried a two blade trapper, partly for tradition and partly for function.

Tradition: Every working cowboy I've ever know has carried a trapper. My grandfather gave my dad a trapper when he was a boy and taught him how to sharpen and care for it. My dad did the same thing for me when I was eight.

Function: The reason we carry these trappers is branding and castration of calves. The spey blade is for ...(snip)
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Ben, this is just a wonderful post. In my mind, function and authentic tradition are linked closely. As the nature of work changes in our increasingly electronic/service oriented economy, I think it's critical to have things in our lives to remind, if not who we are in terms of our current work but at least who we are in terms of where we came from.

It's a great thing to be reminded that many of the blade shapes and blade combinations are rooted in various forms of animal husbandry. I think of this anytime I carry my 4 blade camper knife, as my understanding is that the combination of spear point and awl derived from the teamsters' need to cut leather straps and punch new holes when repairing rigging.

I think this tie to my own past is why I am so moved by the lock back folding hunter design. I can't handle my Buck 110 without thinking about walking in the Vermont woods with my Grandfather and that 110 goes with me when I drive from very metropolitan Boston to very not metropolitan north wood of Vermont to the family deer camp. The 110 is a lousy EDC knife though and totally unsuitable for deployment in my work place!!!

I'm open to the argument that the modern urban/suburban functional knife is either the SAK or Leatherman type multi-tool. Instead of broken leather straps, many people deal with screws and plastic packaging on a day in, day out basis. So, if by "blades" we mean small scissors, screw drivers and files, I'll take that on functional grounds - almost. As a former bike mechanic, I really can't abide folding screwdriver heads on SAKs and multi-tools. When I look at a screw that needs to be scewed and I look at my multi-tool, I know full well that the outcome is likely to involve some combination of a stripped screw head, twisted blade, loose bolster, barked knuckles and course language. I still carry my 4 blade camper knife a lot of days (may today for the heck of it) but mostly because I carried one as a kid. But I'll insist that its a bottle opener (which I'll use tonight), not a screw driver.

But most days, the intersection of tradition and function for me is a small single blade lock back like my Schrade 5OT. It's a baby hunting knife. It does really every cutting function I can think of better than any slip joint I've owned (I don't castrate bulls, nor punch holes in leather straps) and it reminds me of hunting with my grandfather in a round about way.

Interesting discussion. Would really like to hear from others how and when they find the different blade shapes to be functional for them.
 
When I'm in the woods or on the farm, I carry a single blade because it pleases the eye and the hand. If I needed more blades, I'd carry a two-bladed knife, but I only ever need one for general labour. When I'm at school, though, I like to carry a two-bladed jack. The larger blade is for general cutting and the smaller is for pencil sharpening. Mind you, I could use my single-bladed knife for pencils, but I don't like to get black marks on the blade.
 
For me, one major part of the appeal for carrying a traditional knife is the option of multi-blade knives. While I can certainly appreciate the aesthetic and craftsmanship of a single bladed traditional knife, it's not something I'd be likely to carry. I like at least 2 blades; one being a typical curved blade, and one being straight. The fact that you can fit so much versatility in such a small package, like a Case 63032 or 64052, makes knives like those so appealing to me.
 
This is a tough one for me, I'm sitting here with a single blade Buck 501 in one pocket, and a three bladed Buck 301 in the other. I think it really just comes down to mood, or job, at least for me. When I know that I'm going to work, I pack a couple knives, but one is always a stockman, I've used them for years on a produce farm, hard to beat. When I'm headed to the field to do a little hunting, there isn't a knife that I would want more than a single blade locker. I really only use two blades on the stockman, but I would never just have a two bladed knife on me, even when I carry the peanut something else is close by. I need to have multiple knives on me, I'll get asked if someone cam borrow a knife, almost daily. When I hand one out, I move the other to the main pocket, I never forget who borrowed a knife though, and I trust the people. So right now I have four blades on me, I can't use them all at one time, but I can use them all.
 
This would have been the topic of a new thread I was going to start these days: the relationship between the blade shape and the use it was meant to be, or the use we find comfy for that blade shape(most shapes were born and designed for uses that are way lost in our past).
This thing came into my mind from the Trapper pattern. Now, I admit I am generally a "single bladed knife" guy, but I'm open to multiblades, and I spent a lot of time looking at 2 bladed patterns. The spey blade in Trappers never seemed to me like a good secondary blade at all. Ben's post gave a very detailed reason why he carries his Trapper...but I guess very few knife carriers perform daily castrations. That is why I think the Trapper seems like a bad combination of blades for urban/suburban use. Same reason for the third blade on Stockman's (not to mention the Congress pattern): I admit never carrying one, but on a pure theoretical fact, it's hard for me to find some use or situations where I would prefer to use the third blade.
A Pen knife, or a Jack, do look more handy. Two different blades (in size and shape) that could adapt to different uses. A clip point together with a pen blade does look like a good combination to me. Even more, I like the idea of a clip point together with a sheepsfoot or wharnie, cause the straight edged blade can handle some tasks better than a slightly recurve blade...but I wanna hear ur opinions now :rolleyes:
Fausto
:cool:
 
I too am a single bladed knife fan. Although I have a few two bladed knives, ie) SAK, I like the comfort of a single blade.

For me, the only advantage of my 2 bladed knives, is that the extra tools, that are accompanied with the knife, whether is be SAK or Leatherman. Personally, to have a two bladed knife with out extra "tools" is not necessary for me.
 
While I still love my various Buck 110s I mostly carry and use smaller patterns now,must be age.I was carrying my schrade 340T until my Wife bought me a Case Damascus Peanut,it's all I carry for a pocket knife now.I guess I prefer multi bladed traditionals.-Jim
 
I like both single and multi blades but use a multi blade the most.

Mini Trapper at work, yard/home chores, rough shooting (cleaning game/quarry)

Small Stockman, when in public (sheeple friendly)

SAK Camper or Farmer, camping, hiking, woodland walks etc.

Large Sodbuster, beating on driven game days...even if i don't use the blade it makes a great 'priest' on pricked birds.
 
growing up in Spain, I carried a locking Navaja, single blade
when I came to USA, my dad carried a Case stag pen knife
I currently carry a single blade Spearpoint and a Case Peanut.
the large blade is for food, the pen blade is for reaming my pipe

IMG_6904.JPG


I have tried getting used to a 2 bladed Barlow, the Remington is my current favorite 2 blade over 3" closed, but Im still very weight conscious, so I usually carry the single blade and another knife with a pen blade separately. fwiw, the single blade pictured above weighs 49 grams, the peanut weighs 33gms, and the Barlow weighs 72 grams. So yes, a single blade plus the peanut weighs 10 grams more than the Barlow by itself... But my priority with my food blade is slim and comfortable. I have not yet adapted to only having a Barlow.

Truth be told, I often carry all 3 knives, peanut, single blade, and Barlow. the single blade in my pocket, and the other 2 two bladed knives in my bag. But most of my knife use is nostalgia. In my current urban USA lifestyle, I actually have to look for reasons to use my knife. I buy bread that needs slicing, as well as cheese and salami that is unsliced. Even though all of those are available presliced.

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Jon, do you still have that navaja? Or maybe could you show a picture of a similar one? I'm interested to hear about it - blade shape, what size, steel type, all that stuff. :)
 
puukkoman said:
Jon, do you still have that navaja?
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Unfortunately I have none of my childhood knives, except for one Barrell Knife. About 5 years ago, most of my knives were stolen, including my favorite, a bone handled Puukko with reindeer engraved on the pommel.

but here is a picture of the type of Navaja we had when I was a boy, back in the early 60's

We had this kind, with the locking flip lever at the thumb, and the spring pinned to the outside of the bull horn handle. These are now called Carracas because the notch, or multiple notches, make sound when the spring drops the lock into the notch on the blade spine. fwiw, these knives come from Albacete, even though I lived in Andalucia. Albacete btw is also where the Aitor knife is made.

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Thanks, Jon, very interesting. Sad about your theft, though, you have my sympathy.
I have one that's pretty similar to that, but it's HUGE. The blade alone is over 6" long. The one you carried as a boy was smaller, I assume?
 
As a child growing up in the 80s, my favorite knives were Victorinox SAKs, and when it comes to multi-blade knives, that is what I usually opt for. I generally prefer to carry a single bladed traditional folder, but I still like to carry a jack knife with a secondary pen every once in a while. I just prefer the slim carry and lighter weight of a single blade traditional folding knife. The majority of my traditional folders are single bladed, and the the majority of my multi-bladed knives will always be SAKs.

My single bladed knives (I know the 2011 forum knife is not really a single bladed knife seeing as it has a secondary opener/driver combo tool, but it still has only one blade :) )...
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The Cadet, and the Single Blade TC Barlow make a great combo for my EDC needs (the cadet being even smaller than the Charlow but with four blades/tools)...
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If im drawn to a single blade traditional its usually for slimness and size considerations. For instance the Bull Lock is a big ol knife and should only have one blade. For the most part Im partial to the two blade jack configuration. Simply because it has the potential to be more versatile, but not always....:D
 
I'm somewhat agnostic on this issue. In general, I appreciate the design aesthetics and pocket-ability of a single blade, but also appreciate the functionality/flexibility of a multi-blade. I tend to prefer single and double blade knives over knives with more blades.
 
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