Starting the search: care to recommend a good multi-bladed folder?

T

Trout Tamer

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Jan 20, 2004
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Once again, I've been bitten by the traditional knife bug. My very first knife ever was a small Old Timer, which I recently found in a drawer. Finding that little, rusty knife has re-kindled my desire to carry a nice traditional folder along with my Benchmade Griptilian. So, what would y'all recommend for a companion to the Grip? Here are my current preferences:

- must be carbon steel or tool steel (such as D2). None of this "surgical stainless" nonsense for me :p
- attractive, traditional scales. Bone and stag are preferred.
- prefer a multi-blade pattern, such as a stockman, but I'm open to a single-blade knife as well.
- small enough to carry comfortably in-pocket. The Queen Mountain Man lockback looks beautiful, but 4.5" OAL is too big for my purposes.
- slip-joint or locking, I'm ok with either. Both have pros and cons, and I already carry a locking folder, anyways.

So, care to help me on this road of discovery? I appreciate any and all input! :thumbup: Thanks much,
Zack
 
Canoes and single-blade, tear-drop jacks are nice pocket carries. Preferably in a bone handle, as the stags tend to be a little fat and heavy sometimes. Just a thought.
 
On another forum I am known to say "gun fit" quite a bit. This "fit" encompasses a lot of things.

Being old school -
Look at your palm and take note of it, lay closed knife , or just measure it - simply put, handle is going to need to "fit" your hand.

What is the knife going to be used for? Now for a "general purpose" knife, a handle a bit small will be fine. Working knife is best if fits that Palm to be more comfortable, less fatigue and safer.

Sorta like a bigger person can shoot a smaller shotgun - smaller person cannot shoot a bigger/ heavier shotgun well.
Sorta - still different - this "fit" business.

Stockmans. Some feel the Sheep's Foot blade is uncomfortable when using the other blades.

Now my hands like the feel of a Trapper. Real good fit to me is a knife like Case 048, Barehead Trapper, single blade , 4 1/8" handle. I like the yellow handles with CV blades. Yellow handles hold up to working with. The Amber Bone that comes in CV is nice looking - just me, if I set a knife down , or drop it, I want to find it besides I can spell "yellow" correctly more times than not...

Single blade, light, fits my hands, fits my pockets ( jeans, casual, front or rear)
I like 1095 or CV blades, patina is nice, sort of a controlled rust ( like gun bluing) holds an edge, easy to sharpen freehand, and for lack of a better word has "elasticity" - rather have some give that hear a 'snap'.

My hands also like the Yellow Handled Trapper Jr. and the Sodbuster Jr.

These 3 knives fit me and my hands. Easy to tote, proven, and I guess some of the history comes into play as well.

Try before you buy is another something I am known for saying/ suggesting to folks on picking out a shotgun.
Bug folks, ask to handle. With permission stick one in a pocket or if a buddy will let you - cut an apple, open some mail, open a box or cut some string.

Fit does not always come out until one actually uses something.

Find what fits - then get more of the same for backups.


One of my Mentors come in with 8 Yellow Handled Sodbuster Jrs one day, this was the knife that fit him.
Another Mentor took note, looked at me, then the other fella and "dadburn it, now I gotta go get 8 of them Yellow handled Trapper Jrs.

Lot of help these Mentors were to young'un like me, I had to go get 8 Barehead Trappers.

Did you know a Farm store sales clerks gets a certain grin when two folks (us) come in.

"Yeah figured this would happen - you boys just got my lunch bought for me - now you want Bareheads and he wants Trapper Jrs - correct"

:p
 
Hey guys its my first post here but I figured I'd just jump in and give my .02 that is worth less than face value.

I have a SS Case Tiny Tapper that is a perfect EDC for me. I wear slacks or kahki's 5 days a week and a "real knife" is too much for my attire. I used to carry a peanut that I liked a whole bunch but the tiny trapper suits me better day in day out. Case also makes a CV red bone butterbean in this same general size that is begging for me to give it a test run.

If your daily wear is denim and such I would recommend a slightly bigger knife like the mini trapper or a med. serpentine stockman. All of these models can be had in Amber bone, jigged red bone, or the good old yellow handles from case and all can be had in chrome vanadium steel that I am quite fond of.

If you can't tell I pretty much like Case knives with CV blades :D

OTOH, my tiny trapper is stainless and it does everything a knife that size could be asked to do and does it pretty good so I can't complain too much about the stainless steel.
 
Try a moose. 2 different blades, which would serve you for just about every cutting need a man can have.
Also, the moose pattern being equal-ended makes it more pocketable (well, if you ask me anyway) than most other patterns.

/ Karl
 
get a case amber bone canoe, with cv steel. it rides real nice in the pocket.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, guys! I'm looking into Case CV; I'm also looking for something with a lockback for my brother, so the search has doubled :thumbup: I'll let you know what I'm thinking as time goes on.

Keep those suggestions comin' :)
 
Try a Case Copperlock for your brother. Its slim, can be had in CV, and can even be had with a Wharncliffe blade if you so desire.

For yourself, you might consider a whittler pattern. 3 different style blades, but they (generally) only have two springs, so it's a little slimmer than a standard 3 spring knife. I like my Boker 280 series in Grand Canyon Bone and carbon steel for all of $35 delivered.

I've recently gotten a few pen knives and a "Senator" pattern myself, for those times when I want the smallest useful knife possible. Most aren't carbon, but they do make good "office" knives. Besides, it's pretty cool to tell people you're walking around with a Senator in your pocket. :)

-- Sam
 
Para -
that Boker looks pretty durn close to what I'm wanting for myself. I'm gonne look around a bit more, but it's now a top contender. Thanks for the link. And, a Case Copperlock is exactly what I've decided my bro would enjoy, so you hit the nail on the head. :thumbup: Now, I've gotta find one in their CV steel, which is proving to be a bit harder than I thought.
 
cool .how about edge retention and ease of sharpening? i never let my knives go fully blunt i touch them up with a sharpmaker or strop as i`m going along
 
Garonne said:
...just the spey and sheepfoot blades are rubbing a little together...
Click to expand...
Occasionally with use, with even a well made and cutlered knife needs to be re-crinked. It is not difficult to do. It just requires a bit of study and patience. I'll leave the description of the "how-to" to someone else. I have to do this to my EDC Premium stockman every month or so, and occasionally to "new" used knives I buy. Some companies still in business will do this for free under their warranty, but it is so simple to do, it isn't worth the postage and down time to me.

Codger
 
- Queen City 1095 Canoes
- Queen City 1095 mini-trappers
- Boker congress, stockmans, barlows... The red bone & grand canyon series are 2 with carbon blades
- Queen Winterbottom series (I'm not a fan of the "Q" shield - so I only get their basic models)

Those are what I like.
 
Like hwp said, (BTW Welcome to the forum) my .02 cents worth.
I would add Eye Brand or Bulldog Brand to your list of manufactures to check out. Those hammer forged, carbon steel blades are tuff to beat!

Dave
 
Trout Tamer said:
Para -
that Boker looks pretty durn close to what I'm wanting for myself. I'm gonne look around a bit more, but it's now a top contender. Thanks for the link. And, a Case Copperlock is exactly what I've decided my bro would enjoy, so you hit the nail on the head. :thumbup: Now, I've gotta find one in their CV steel, which is proving to be a bit harder than I thought.
Click to expand...
Glad to help. I've recommended that 280 so much lately I sound like a shill for Boker, but I'm really happy with mine.

I picked up a Wharncliffe Copperlock with CV steel in yellow delrin last year. I think there's a clip point blade version available, too, but neither are showing up on the vendor sites I frequent.

Good luck!

-- Sam
 
So many on the market to choose from! But some that fit what you're looking for (D2 blades, bone or wood handles) would be from Queen. Lots of patterns, copperheads, trappers, stockmans of three sizes, canoes, etc. I've been looking at a Queen built Robeson camp knife at a local knife shop, the "SAK" style camper with punch, can opener, spear point main blade etc, in jigged red bone. I noticed on ebay that many of them had ATS 34 main blades, and if I had known that sooner, I would have been more seriously involved in trying to buy the thing. Maybe it'll still be there in a few days when I get back to the knife shop. Case makes several different CV carbon steel patterns, and you can still find quite a few German made knives in carbon steel. Queen is pretty cool though, making all of their standard mainstream knives with D2.
 
My recommendation would be a Queen D2, Eye Brand, or Case Cr-V. I have more than one of each of those, and they will all give good service. The Case will cost less, the Eye Brand will come with the best factory grind, and the Queen will hold the edge better (after you reprofile the thick edge they usually come with). Any one of those would make a good user. The older Kissing Crane slipjoints work really well, too.

I have a couple Bokers, and they are well made, but I haven't had as much luck with edgeholding with them.

Of all my slipjoints, I carry the Queens far more than any others.
 
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