Switching over to traditionals

B Hess

B Hess

Joined
Feb 20, 2006
Messages
1,471
After years of buying tactical ridiculously over built folders and never needing them for more than simple cutting chores I finally just decided to start carry slipjoints. I sold off a few of my tactical folders and placed orders for a few slipjoints today. I ordered a Case Sodbuster, back pocket and slimline trapper. I also ordered a GEC Serpentine. I'm very excited about these knew knives and actually carrying more job appropriate knives. Who really needs a Manix 2 to open a package or cut fruit?
 
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There's a time and place for those "overbuilt folders" too. :)

Variety is the key to getting the maximum enjoyment from our hobby.
 
Welcome aboard!
Sit a spell while I get you a pair of well broken in bib overalls to replace your tactical pants...:D
 
B Hess said:
After years of buying tactical ridiculously over built folders and never needing them for more than simple cutting chores I finally just decided to start carry slipjoints. I sold off a few of my tactical folders and placed orders for a few slipjoints today. I ordered a Case Sodbuster, back pocket and slimline trapped. I also ordered a GEC Serpentine. I'm very excited about these knew knives and actually carrying more job appropriate knives. Who really needs a Manix 2 to open a package or cut fruit?
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I can relate to your revelation 100 percent. Welcome to the light. :-)

-- Mark
 
I guess I just don't ever encounter those times and places. And I was a contractor for 12 years.

Bob W said:
There's a time and place for those "overbuilt folders" too. :)

Variety is the key to getting the maximum enjoyment from our hobby.
Click to expand...
 
I carry both a traditional and a one-hander most of the time. The traditional does ~90% of my cutting. But, sometimes I gotta hold something with one hand, while I get my knife out with the other. The one-handers are handy that way.
 
i agree with Knarfeng

a traditional is pretty much better in every way ...except one
there are indeed times when being able to open a knife with one hand is extremely useful!
 
I'm more or less at the same point, last christmas I got a spy para2 and a delica 4 only to realize that is a pleasure to handle them at home and play open-close open-close and that are very well constructed but also that it's a pain in certain place to sharpen them to the point I like and that they are bulky and big in the pocket,etc. And also that when I need more cutting power is usually in the woods and there I always carry a fixed blade on my belt or into my rucksack. So for me they are nice but pretty much useless, I repeat it is a personal opinion. But I guess it's a path we have to walk before seeing the "light"
 
I may be wrong, but I've long felt that the core sales drive in the tactical knife market is over hype of situations that have a .001% chance of occurring. Plus, a little browsing of the general site, tells me that a hard core of repeat sales is high, as it a high percent who see them as 'cool' weapons because so and so uses them on a certain TV show or movie, or even video game. I would venture to guess that a very high percent of the sales are to a demographic of under 25 year old males if not under 20. They feel they need a knife in case 'someone gets on them' as I've seen it described. I do not make any claims to understand it. And I know I'm badly dating myself here, but growing up, a knife was looked at as a punk's weapon. It seemed to fit the ducktail haircuts and pegged pants and black leather jackets.

I know I've heard it said that the one hand opening feature can be handy. I don't know. Somehow I've made it to old fart status with normal pocket knives, somehow managing to open my knife when I need it, as did my grandfather and father. Even crawling into a wrecked old Datsun that was upside down and filling with black greasy smoke from the burning oil on the hot engine black, I managed to find and open the sheepsfoot blade on my Buck stockman to cut a seat belt. Didn't even have a serrated edge available like on the Syderco, but the seat belt got cut, and a idiot driver saved.

To hear tell some of the younger guys, one must have the very latest wonder steel of the month, with the latest tactical knife magazine cover knife. Yet somehow I've backpacked large sections of the A.T., camped in most of the National forests in the U.S., Black forest in Germany, been to a war, and raised a family in outdoor activities with nobody getting killed for being under equipped. Maybe I've been lucky. But then so was my grandfather, all our grandfathers, cowboys on the range, sailors on wooden ships in century past, and craftsmen for the past couple hundred years.

Carl.
 
Same here. I prefer the traditionals, but sometimes the one hand opener comes in handy. And besides, being a knife nut, there is no reason I should not carry more than one knife. :)

knarfeng said:
I carry both a traditional and a one-hander most of the time. The traditional does ~90% of my cutting. But, sometimes I gotta hold something with one hand, while I get my knife out with the other. The one-handers are handy that way.
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jackknife said:
I may be wrong, but I've long felt that the core sales drive in the tactical knife market is over hype of situations that have a .001% chance of occurring. Plus, a little browsing of the general site, tells me that a hard core of repeat sales is high, as it a high percent who see them as 'cool' weapons because so and so uses them on a certain TV show or movie, or even video game. I would venture to guess that a very high percent of the sales are to a demographic of under 25 year old males if not under 20. They feel they need a knife in case 'someone gets on them' as I've seen it described. I do not make any claims to understand it. And I know I'm badly dating myself here, but growing up, a knife was looked at as a punk's weapon. It seemed to fit the ducktail haircuts and pegged pants and black leather jackets.

I know I've heard it said that the one hand opening feature can be handy. I don't know. Somehow I've made it to old fart status with normal pocket knives, somehow managing to open my knife when I need it, as did my grandfather and father. Even crawling into a wrecked old Datsun that was upside down and filling with black greasy smoke from the burning oil on the hot engine black, I managed to find and open the sheepsfoot blade on my Buck stockman to cut a seat belt. Didn't even have a serrated edge available like on the Syderco, but the seat belt got cut, and a idiot driver saved.

To hear tell some of the younger guys, one must have the very latest wonder steel of the month, with the latest tactical knife magazine cover knife. Yet somehow I've backpacked large sections of the A.T., camped in most of the National forests in the U.S., Black forest in Germany, been to a war, and raised a family in outdoor activities with nobody getting killed for being under equipped. Maybe I've been lucky. But then so was my grandfather, all our grandfathers, cowboys on the range, sailors on wooden ships in century past, and craftsmen for the past couple hundred years.

Carl.[/QUOT

JACKKNIFE, speaking as one old fart to another, you nailed it with this post. All I might change is the .001 to a more reasonable .0001.
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hey hey, we said HANDY
not life-saving

its a convenience being able to open a knife with one hand
but Carl is right, not something that can't be overcome with a touch of patience or thought

thats all i meant :p
 
I ain't gonna argue the issue. Not by the long white hairs on my chinny chin chin.

I find them both handy. YMMV.
 
I have never had a situation that absolutely necesitated one hand opening. Like was said above my father, father in law and both of their fathers never had that life threatening situation where you needed a one hand opening knife with a super steel.

BTW I just added a GEC Ben Hogan to my haul.;)
 
I was fishing in Tennessee while visiting my uncle at his new place. It was dark and I was walking back up the hill from the river. I managed to walk smack dab into a thorn bush. My left arm and leg were stuck good, and it HURT to move. I had come down with just my Tinker SAK, and I fished it out of my pocket. I stared at it, realizing that I had no way of opening it. Somehow after about 10 minutes I got it open using my teeth, then cut myself free.

My one handed Trekker would have made life MUCH easier. To say they're never useful is simply not true, it just means you were lucky enough to never encounter a situation where it would be useful.

I don't carry one handlers that often, but when I do, it has nothing to do with movies.
 
all of my cutting needs could be completed by slip joints, but I enjoy owning and using larger locking folders much more.
 
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