So what do you like more.....

Hkjay

Hkjay

Joined
Nov 13, 2015
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So what do you like more or should I say what is the biggest determining factory when you are picking a knife aside from its function I am thinking more along the lines of what the knife is made of. I will give you a few examples to try and get my point across...

1. Size of the knife like a certain pattern the obvious one that comes to mind are the GEC 15's they seem to be the most popular frame on the porch.
2. Single blade or 2 blade? or even more blades.
3. Is it the handle material jigged bone, smooth bone, wood, acrylic etc..
4. Bolsters or no bolsters, satin blade, polished blade.

I think you guys get my point. I am finding that the handle material seems to be the biggest factor to me and determines if I really like a knife and decide to keep it. Right now I am really loving stag, smooth white bone and Ebony, then probably blade shape, I love sheepsfoot and wharies. So I ask you fellow porch sitters what is it for you?
 
Size is important, but to me the pattern of the blade is more so. I prefer knives with two blades, on the same side, both oriented to the same hand (nail notches on the same side), in natural materials with at least one bolster. If I can get that between 3.50" - 3.75" it's a contender.
 
For a user:
Slip joint w/ good snap
~ 3" to 3-1/2" closed length
Single, pointy blade (clip, sheep, lamb, etc.)
Wood or Micarta handles is what I prefer for a "user"

For a collector:
Just about anything traditional
 
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Size, and blade complement are the two most important factors for me.
I like many kinds of scales.
Oh, and I like a knife that can take a bit of rough use.

Michael
 
Hkjay said:
So what do you like more or should I say what is the biggest determining factory when you are picking a knife aside from its function I am thinking more along the lines of what the knife is made of. I will give you a few examples to try and get my point across...

1. Size of the knife like a certain pattern the obvious one that comes to mind are the GEC 15's they seem to be the most popular frame on the porch.
2. Single blade or 2 blade? or even more blades.
3. Is it the handle material jigged bone, smooth bone, wood, acrylic etc..
4. Bolsters or no bolsters, satin blade, polished blade.

I think you guys get my point. I am finding that the handle material seems to be the biggest factor to me and determines if I really like a knife and decide to keep it. Right now I am really loving stag, smooth white bone and Ebony, then probably blade shape, I love sheepsfoot and wharies. So I ask you fellow porch sitters what is it for you?
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For me it's this set of criteria

*Lanyard hole (allows one to carry a larger knife vertically making it more comfortable)
*half-stops
*clip-point blade
*bone, stag or horn covers
*3.5-3.75" ideally
*brass liners

But a knife will also appeal to me if it's unique, something I don't already have.

This thread was addressed somewhat by this one earlier:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...ng-a-traditional-knife.1631366/#post-18640934
 
I'm right there with everybody else on size.
Handle materials are not as important as the blade and knife size. Two blade knives are probably more practical, but I tend to gravitate to single blade folders and generally will carry another knife if I think I'm going to need a different blade for the job. I guess that's one reason I like the GEC 66 jack, the Case Texas Jack and the GEC 15s. I have just a few knives with more than two blades. I find myself picking up "little knives" a whole lot more as time goes by.

Ed J
 
Hkjay said:
Yeah maybe I like the handle material more because I don't get to use it to cut very often.... :(
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At least I know I'm not the only one. I use my EDC to cut something about as often as I use my driver's license for identification. It happens but it's pretty seldom.

Handle material is at the top of my list too.
 
Thin. It’s gotta be thin. 2-layer SAKs and single-bladed traditionals for me.

Doesn’t hurt it they’re short, as well. I’m all about efficiency.


B2F11C94-0646-4C15-B186-2C8730581B60.jpeg
 
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I prefer a single blade with natural material handles- wood, bone (smooth or jigged), horn, etc. but not stag :eek: except for a fixed blade.
The style of blade and type of steel are very important to me.
Size - the GEC 78 or CK Lionsteel (CK01 or CK02) really rock my boat.
It has to have a visual WOW factor and whether or not it is a bare head or has a bolster on the cap end, a lanyard, etc. is not as important to me as the overall appearance.
 
I prefer multi-blade knives from 3⅜" to 4¼" with a slender, pointy, bellied main blade (clip, drop point or slender spear) and a straight-edged secondary blade (sheepfoot, lambfoot, Wharncliffe, coping). The stockman is my favorite pattern, but the double-end jacks like the GEC Churchills and Possum Skinners, or the 2018 Buck forum knife are becoming favorites as well. If I'm wearing pants with a deep watch pocket, then a larger single blade goes in there, as it will lay vertically.

Life is too short for ugly knives, so cover material is very important, too. Gnarly ram's horn or stag, deep and random jigged bone, highly figured wood, and even colorful acrylics and celluloid appeal to me.
 
black mamba said:
I prefer multi-blade knives from 3⅜" to 4¼" with a slender, pointy, bellied main blade (clip, drop point or slender spear) and a straight-edged secondary blade (sheepfoot, lambfoot, Wharncliffe, coping). The stockman is my favorite pattern, but the double-end jacks like the GEC Churchills and Possum Skinners, or the 2018 Buck forum knife are becoming favorites as well. If I'm wearing pants with a deep watch pocket, then a larger single blade goes in there, as it will lay vertically.

Life is too short for ugly knives, so cover material is very important, too. Gnarly ram's horn or stag, deep and random jigged bone, highly figured wood, and even colorful acrylics and celluloid appeal to me.
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Out of everybody here you probably have the most varied collection I've seen. If I may, "you've never seen a knife you didn't like." Oops, sounds like most of us.
 
Some more rambling.... As far as aesthetics go, I admit that is important to me to get me to purchase yet another knife. That said, I don't generally purchase anything with the intention of squirreling it away; if I buy it, I fully intend to use it. I will admit that I have bought a couple or maybe a few that after I bought them the thought "This is too nice of a knife to use." causes me to put it away. But aesthetics are important; life is too short to settle for an ugly knife, unless you can't do better. Now, having said that, I do intend to use my knives and so that strongly influences my buying patterns and I rarely stray from my 'sweet spot' very far.

As an example, I have a love affair with Case Sway Back Gents and Jacks. Let's say there is a pocket worn red bone gent for $70 and a Wild Horse custom with pearl and inlay stone covers and a damascus blade for $345. The Wild Horse custom will go to somebody else because the bling does really nothing for me. Conversely, the PW red bone knife is one that I would definitely be comfortable carrying and using and I would not get drunk for 2 weeks if I lost it. The little red bone gent is quite nice looking in it's own right and that would be my choice in this scenario.

I kind of doubt this is going to bring all that much to the discussion, but it is what it is. No charge.

Ed J
 
It needs to be unobtrusive in the pocket (even better if I forget I have it). I've never been crazy about opposite ended blades. It needs to be sub-3.5". Bone or wood, typically. Serpentine or straight Jack, typically. Case Peanut, GEC 14, GEC 25, GEC 83, etc.

I think, visually, a single-spear barehead jack or drop point lockback are what immediately grab my attention. As far as actually buying to carry: it's the Case Peanut.
 
In a way, impossible to say as it's shifting sands. Traditional offers so much that it's like fine food, you have many preferences:cool:

Usually single, and if single Barehead. Why chop off fine Stag, Bone or Ram's Horn in full glory to put a metal bauble on it?:thumbsdown::D

But I like multis too;) And I particularly like single-spring blade each end, Jack patterns often have tangs sticking up so when holding the knife with one blade open the other's tang sticks in your hand. And that's another point of importance: ergonomics! The knife MUST feel right in the hand, otherwise I won't be using it even if it's beautiful.

Scales and shields are vital but they are dependent on the aesthetics of the pattern. Blades are all good except Speys which I dislike the look of and have no use for. Possibly do prefer Spear over Clip though but again it's the pattern. There are many blade steels worth having, fortunately;)

Finally, the knife must not be too heavy and certainly not needing a belt sheath. winter does offer more scope for bulkier types as a top coat accommodates them.

Actually, in the end I can't say definitively, happily :D
 
I generally preffer plain bolsters although it depends on the knife really. Some look better with a single flute line, pinched or with a rat tail. IMO GEC goes over the top on certain Northfields. And on jack knives I will almost always preffer an end cap to barebutt.

I like shields with no writing and on certain jacks and penknifes no shield at all is preffered.

I'm sucker for jigged bone, most of my knives sport it. I'm pretty much on board with most natural materials of animal origin. So smooth or sawcut bone, mother of pearl and so on. Not that big on abalone, smooth horn over horn with texture and rather no stag/elk than ugly stag/elk. I kind of avoid wood, but I could do ebony or some really dark rosewood or something along that line. You won't ever see me with micarta, G10 and stuff like that.

I like satin blades but have nothing against mirror polished ones either. Bolsters have to have a high polish though, I can't do matt finish. It seems to me every little scratch and ding is much more visible than on high polished bolsters.

Ideally it should have two blades, more than three is not really needed. I like knives with a spear or clip point main blade and a shorter secondary, usually a pen. I tried liking straight edge main blades, but they're not my thing. They can come handy as a secondary blade though.

Length usually comes anywhere from 3 3/8 " to 3 3/4 " or even a bit more. I started out with a peanut (even earlier I had a 2.5 " knife) but now I wouldn't go below 3 ".

I like jackknives probably the most, but also penknives and stockmen. Swell ends, cigars, swell centers and serpentines are my favourites.
 
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