The cult of the peanut.

[jackknife]

A thread going on right now made me think of this, and raise a question of my own sanity as well. It involves the peanut.

Peanut.

It's such a small word, so innocent sounding of any sinister implications. One would never suspect it of any subliminal influence on your powers of reason. Yet grown men have been known to crumble to the pull of the cult. Yet another purchase on the credit card to hide from the better half. Always yet another one to buy; a pearl one, or a stag one, or a... you get the picture.

I know I'm not the only one here to give in to the cult, if Thomason is lurking about perhaps he'll chime in. The question I wonder about is; why does the peanut have such a pull?

There's a bucketful of nice patterns to choose from, many are better suited for the everyday chores that pop up than a peanut. Barlow knives, pen's, small stockmen, serpintine jacks, sleeveboard jacks, medium toothpicks, small sak's that give you way more than just a cutting capability. But for some of us, the peanut has become more than a knife, an obsession. A love affair.

Even I know there are 'other' knives to carry, but sometimes I can't fight it. I'll ditch my sak of the day at home, and a peanut will go in my pocket. It's like there's a little devil sitting on my shoulder whispering; "Peanut, go with a peanut." And I do.

So, peanut lovers, what is the draw for you, what makes you one of the faithful?

Is it the looks, the cute small size but large cutting capability? or a faint whispering that you think you hear?

Or maybe somebody got a piece of your hair, and made strange incantations down a candle lit basement.

So, peanut lovers, why do you love the peanut so?

 

[Blues]

The question I wonder about is; why does the peanut have such a pull?

Simple...Sometimes you feel like a 'nut, sometimes you don't!

I myself am not (yet) a devotee of the Peanut pattern though my tastes and patterns have generally grown to include smaller patterns as years go by.

I have one from Thomason that's a beauty and judging by that one I don't doubt that down the road I may end up with a passel of peanuts myself.

 

[mnblade]

Lately I've been carrying my Schrade 33OT middleman jack almost exclusively. But when I do feel nutty, I like the way my peanut dares knife snobs or other skeptics to doubt it. I really feel it's a little knife with a big chip on its shoulder. I swear the time I broke down a large cardboard box with mine, I could hear it laughing. DO NOT DOUBT THE PEANUTS' ABILITIES.

 

[johnwaynesandw]

Jackknife,

I too think of why I like the peanut so much, but I can not come up with a specific answer. I only have one peanut and I carry it often. It is an older Queen. The blades no have a nice dark patina (these are old pics from when I first got recieved the knife). I really like the bone on this knife, and it seems to be more rounded than newer peanuts.

The scales have turned more of a greenish color above and below the jigging. The more I carry this knife, the more I enjoy it.

 

[kamagong]

To each his own I guess. I like knives that are at least 3.25" closed. I have a 3" long wharncliffe lockback, and although it's a gorgeous and well-made knife it doesn't get used much. Sure, it carries like it's not even there, but whenever I went to use it, I struggled with getting a good hold on it. The peanut is even smaller. So while I don't doubt the peanut's utility, I'll stick with barlows, harness jacks, and medium stockmans.

 

[kidwholaughs]

I like the size of the knife. It is surprisingly comfortable to use.

 

[338375]

Until recently I've never had the addiction. Not that I didn't like them, I just stayed with knives that are around 3 1/2 inches closed.
Gotta admit though, they are cute, fun to sit and fondle, and will do the bigger majority of the cuttin tasks most of us do daily....

After carrying my old Schrade peanut, I found the fascination that others have already known. They seem to have a personality all their own.

I think a lot of people have the preconceived notion that in order to cut something, you have to have a huge knife. This is evident by the size of some of the hunting knives offered. Some are big enough to cut down small trees..

I have to think that if more folks gave the smaller knives a chance, they would find they really are appealing in many ways.

BTW JW, thats a fine lookin old Queen

 

[johnwaynesandw]

BTW JW, thats a fine lookin old Queen

Thanks for the kind words. I have found that this little peanut hops in my pocket faster than any of the other slippies.

The only thing I find the peanut too small for is food prep. It can do some food prep in a pinch, but I like something a little longer and if I have a choice a fixed blade .

 

[powernoodle]

So, peanut lovers, why do you love the peanut so?

Ok, lets cut to the chase here. You love the Peanut because it was burned into your psyche as a child:

"Maybe growing up with a father who carried one as his only pocket knife has something to do with it." Link.

Reminds me of my dad, who turns 80 this year. When he was a kid (dirt poor, living out in the KY sticks), he was playing with a small metal toy dump truck, and his dad told him not to bend the "dump" back too far so as not to break it. Both of his parents died when he was about 10 years old, btw.

One of my dad's characteristics throughout his adult life is that he is very careful to treat mechanical things gently so as not to stress them. He wants them to last. He's a retired machinist btw.

I attribute this characteristic to what his dad told him about the toy dump truck. And now I tend to want things to last too. My Ford has more than 200,000 miles on the clock.

And your love of the the lowly peanut has that same familial genesis.

Which is a good thing, and something not to forget.

:thumbup:

Peanut, with sweet tuber and butter.

 

[johnwaynesandw]

Ok, lets cut to the chase here. You love the Peanut because it was burned into your psyche as a child:

"Maybe growing up with a father who carried one as his only pocket knife has something to do with it." Link.

Reminds me of my dad, who turns 80 this year. When he was a kid (dirt poor, living out in the KY sticks), he was playing with a small metal toy dump truck, and his dad told him not to bend the "dump" back too far so as not to break it. Both of his parents died when he was about 10 years old, btw.

One of my dad's characteristics throughout his adult life is that he is very careful to treat mechanical things gently so as not to stress them. He wants them to last. He's a retired machinist btw.

I attribute this characteristic to what his dad told him about the toy dump truck. And now I tend to want things to last too. My Ford has more than 200,000 miles on the clock.

And your love of the the lowly peanut has that same familial genesis.

Which is a good thing, and something not to forget.

:thumbup:

Peanut, with sweet tuber and butter.

Well I guess someone is trying to tell me that a peanut can hold it's own in the food dept.

 

[hunterfisher808]

I carry a peanut mostly as a second knife when I'm carrying a Tact/pocket clip style knife or a fixed skinner while hunting. When I'm carrying just 1 knife its always a larger slippie pattern.

 

[texasflyfisher]

Most of my slipjoints are in the 3 1/2" to 3 3/4" range but I do have one 3" and also the peanut. I find the peanut does most cutting jobs as well as the larger knives.

Last year I bought my father-in-law a Case yeller CV peanut which he carries all the time. I have one of the Case Chestnut CV peanuts and it is one of my Sunday church slacks knives. I do love that little knife but haven't joined any cults yet.

 

[Getahl]

I wouldn't say that I'm a Peanut devotee or fanatic, considering I only have the one (yellow, Case CV). It is, however, finding its way into my pocket more often because of its size and weight. Size is seldom an issue for me. One of my favorite knives has a nearly 4" blade. The but, and it is a large one, at a whopping 3 ounces, is a Spyderco Pacific Salt. I greatly dislike heavy things. The heaviest I ever go on a knife is my four ounce Trapper, which is the exception rather than the rule since I really, really like the full-sized pattern. My Buck 112 and 110 sit unused in a box under my bed, as do a number of others, both tactical and traditional.

I will likely get another peanut in the future. Probably of the stainless variety, and to test out another brand. They're good knives, which is why I carry one.

 

[Ice Tigre]

Well, since the only thing I ever post in the what do you carry thread, is a new pic of my 'nut, the same one, the one I can't stop carrying, no matter what I do... I think I better chime in here.

For me, it was a "can that little knife actually be relied on for all tasks regaurdless of cutting size". I believed it could be, after all, not believing it would be not taking Jackknifes' word for all the things he, and his Dad had done with one. BUT. I still had a doubt.

I will add, that part of my doubt, or maybe all of it came from what My Dad has taught, in what he carried, and does carry now. He had a 5" folding hunter for years, and more recently 4"+ stockmans. He also preferers sheath knives. But, he is also of that generation, grew up in the 30s, depression and war years, so i count a lot of wisdom in his preferences.

I am in no way faulting his preferences, but there in lies the reason for the knives I started with, and the start for my awe of what a peanut can do.

(as a side point, I think I will go ask what my grandfather carried... might be interesting, that.)

SO. I had to see for myself.

And I have seen. And learned. Seen it do all I ever need a knife to do. And learned, that even with larger knives, I seldom use any edge length longer than the blade of the peanut.

Its not a small knife that just happens to me a great cutter anymore.

Its a perfect cutter, that just happens to be small.
Although, I still have a moment once in a while where I go; "did I just do that with that little blade?" Then again, there are times where I know I would never have gotten a large knife into the place I was cutting at..

It does its job. it survives, and thrives.
Those being reasons I started, and also reasons I keep on with it, here are a couple other thought that've just occurred to me why I keep on with the peanut..

It fits in well with my traditionalness in all of my life, a draw to the older times, as has been re-counted here by so many; so many men, like Jackknifes Dad, their only knife was a small one. If the men that built this country could do it with smaller hardware, then I should be able to as well.

Easy to carry. Lightweight.

Never left behind because its too big in the pocket, hard to sit on, or pokes me, nor too heavy dragging down pants. (although thats a null point since i switched to neck carry)

Its comfortable to hold. even, surprisingly so in heavier cutting. The curve just lays so naturally in the hand.

Its a great "worry stone" as well, small smooth, and rolls in the hand nicely.

Here is a great point, since I've started carrying it around my neck, it is always visible, I've had several women comment on it(never a negative comment either!). Even by girls I had not yet met, so the peanut was the reason I met them... I'm single, so anything that helps in this field is is definetally a keeper!

G.

 

[jackknife]

Ok, lets cut to the chase here. You love the Peanut because it was burned into your psyche as a child:

"Maybe growing up with a father who carried one as his only pocket knife has something to do with it." Link.

Reminds me of my dad, who turns 80 this year. When he was a kid (dirt poor, living out in the KY sticks), he was playing with a small metal toy dump truck, and his dad told him not to bend the "dump" back too far so as not to break it. Both of his parents died when he was about 10 years old, btw.

One of my dad's characteristics throughout his adult life is that he is very careful to treat mechanical things gently so as not to stress them. He wants them to last. He's a retired machinist btw.

I attribute this characteristic to what his dad told him about the toy dump truck. And now I tend to want things to last too. My Ford has more than 200,000 miles on the clock.

And your love of the the lowly peanut has that same familial genesis.

Which is a good thing, and something not to forget.

:thumbup:

Peanut, with sweet tuber and butter.

I do have to admit you have a point. Being around my old man was a lesson in minimalisim. It may even be a family trait. But I think the real awakening came on a trip that Karen and I took.

When the last child moved out, and we were empty nestors at last, we tossed the camping gear in the Toyota and took off for a month long counter clockwise trip around the country. Bad lands, Custer National Park, Yellowstone, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Canyon lands and Arches National Parks. But it was the experiance in Mesa Verde that made an impression that was burned into my brain. I was just reflecting on it in the survival forum, but I'll recap it here as its sort of relevant.

In Mesa Verde, a park ranger was giving a demonstration with a haunch of road killed deer. He was showing how effective the flaked obsidian and flint tools of the old Anatassi were. He took a little finger size flake of obsidian and skinned the haunch of venison easy as the sharpest knife. That little inch and a half of sharp flake cut right through hide, and meat like butter. I started to really wonder how much blade I really needed. Of course I had my dad as a prime example of the guy who could clean out a 20 inch Rockfish with a peanut in a minute. I think that day at Mesa Verde was one of the coffin nails in my love of large cutlery.

Thinking back, even field dressing a deer, I was only using the first 2 inches or so of the knife. What the heck. Now I carry a peanut and a sak classic, and get most of my knife stuff done. family geneses or just lifes experiance, or maybe a bit of both.

I do know that when I go to carry my old Buck 301 stockman, or my old war horse Wenger SI, they feel big and clumsy in my pocket and hand. Kind of like a meat cleaver vs a scalple.

I'm addicted to the peanut, and have three of them in my edc rotation. I may spring the bucks for a damascus one yet. I find myself staring at the Shepard Hills site.

 

[Voltron]

Anyone know the history of this pattern? I have read the Sodbuster is based on the European penny knife. The Stockman is based on the cattle knife. Anyone know what influenced the Peanut? It is a really neat design, and I was just wanting to know more. Why it's creators made it so small. Why it is shaped the say it is. Anything.

 

[BarberFobic1992]

They definatly looks cute, I have handled a few, but havent bought one yet. Maybe I should resist the urge, based on what it has done to some of you folks

 

[338375]

They definatly looks cute, I have handled a few, but havent bought one yet. Maybe I should resist the urge, based on what it has done to some of you folks

Everyone should own at least one imho... I've had a few over the years, but for whatever reason, it wasn't until recently that I really started to develop a fondness for them. I'm not sure why it took me awhile, because I have always preferred smaller knives

 

[neeman]

I was inducted in to Peanut club by Thomason with the S&M stag.

I inducted my girlfriend with a RR sawbone, which she always carries.
I just upgraded her to a Queen Classic in stag, which she is thrilled about.

I think the thing about the peanut is that it is a very small knife that cuts well.
I very often carry a small stockman, which fullfills the role of a very small knife.
Folks here are carrying the Chestnut Swayback in CV, these too are small.

So lots a folk understand the advantage of small knives, it just is not always the peanut.

 

[Gautier]

Well, I'll give my two pence for what they're worth. I've always carried knives that were about 3.5" and that was that, they were comfortable, accomplished what I needed, and were common place growing up. The medium stockman seemed to be the standard.

After a while, I realized I liked jack patterns more, and only really ever used two blades anyway; One for food prep, or when I required a very sharp edge and the other for all the other dirty chores and things that life tosses at ya.
So, I stuck with those for quite a while, still in the same 3.5" size ofcourse.

Then, along comes Jackknife. Reading about how he and his father got by with a peanut, made me think back about what my own father used, and it was seldom anything very big. After some consideration, I figured I'd give the peanut a try. Was a bit unsure at first that I could do all that I needed with it, it was much smaller than I expected it to be when it arrived in the mail. I forced myself to carry it though, and try to use it first before reaching for something bigger.

The result? I've only carried one other knife(swayback jack when out on the town for the night) in over 6 months. It has managed to do it all, even a little food prep, although granted it's not the best size for it sometimes.

I've fallen in love with how thin the main blade is, all my other knives now seem far too thick by comparison. It makes a perfect companion piece to my pipe, an excellent worry stone, is elegant and simple, never frightens anyone, and because of it's size and weight it's always with me, even at home when lounging around.

So, am I a convert? I'd definitely say the cult has drawn me in. :thumbup:

Gautier