When I was a kid, my dad gave me a scout knife.
The occasion was I had joined the local boy scout troop that met in the old church in Wheaton. So dad, being the wise man he was, gave me a scout knife. It was great. It had four blades, a nice wide spear blade, the cap lifter, can opener, and the awl. Four really useful blades and tools. Of course it became my treasured item. A precious. That scout knife served me well for many years, and I didn't feel the need to get another knife. Only when I went off to the army, did I leave it at home, fearing it would disappear in an army barracks.
Serving in the army, I still kept to the four blade design out of habit. The army had all those MLK knives, the ones the civilians call the demo knife for some reason. They had loads of them in the supply room, and if one broke, which they did on occasion, you just got another one. Somewhere along in my army service, I stumbled on Swiss Army knives. Even more blades and tools, so I bought one. I guess I must have lived the first half of my life with a scout or Swiss army knife in a pocket, and to be honest, they did come in handy on occasion. A loose screw here, a beer bottle there. Okay, lots of beer bottles.
Time went on, and somehow, I never quite figured out how, I got a stockman. Okay, I think I know, but it's the army's fault. They gave us a P-38, and I got to know how useful one tiny item could be. It not only opened cans, but it could be used as a screw driver, scraper, awl, and more. As for bottles, there's many ways to open a bottle without a dedicated bottle opener. I remembered my dad having one in his wallet, and using it as much as the Sear's keychain screw driver. That may have started my weaning of knives with tools. So there I was a the PX, and looking at the Buck knife display, and being drawn to the 301 stockman. For the next chunk of my life, I was a three blade pocket knife man. Clip, sheepsfoot, spey, a blade for all uses. If I needed a screw driver or can opener, I had one in my wallet, like dad did.
Of course, there was dad, still going on about his life with his little two blade peanut. Just two little blades, and it seemed ill equipped to me to be going on in the world with just two blades. But life is for learning. And in 1982, I was in a backpacking store, and they had a jar full of weird looking wood handle knives up near the register. Opinel. What the heck is this, a knife with no springs, not even a second blade? But it was so light, I bought one and used it now and then. But it never got to be a regular carry for a lot of years, as I wasn't done with my evolution. I still had to have more than a single blade on my pocket knife.
The peanut came to use after my dad passed away. I'm not sure why, but I downsized my pocket knife as I got older, and maybe I figured if dad could do it, so could I. I put a Sear's keychain screw driver and a P-38 in my wallet like dad did, and I got by just fine. The Opinel got carried now and then, but never by itself. I was a little leery of it still, having only one single blade in a light weight package, it just seemed soooo delicate. My mistake. Only later did I learn how sturdy the Opinel was.
Only of late, with my new fascination of old school European friction folders, did a really learn to love the single blade knife. These days I find myself in possession of a Turkish, Sardinian, and French folders that are friction folders with a single blade. I carry them as my edc pocket knives, and the world has not stopped turning, the sun still rises in the east, and I've cut whatever I've needed in my day to day life of a retired gentlemen of leisure. THis means I actually need and use a pocket knife more now than when I was working. There's fishing, picnicking with a Texas gal that has been with me for more years than I want to contemplate. There's hot dog sticks to whittle for the grandkids, and house stuff I never had time for when working, like the garden out back.
It's only taken most of a lifetime, but now I seem to get along very well with a single blade. Maybe old dogs can learn new tricks.
But I think it was Fausto's Resolza that was the tipping point. I never had a knife feel so nice in the hand as the Sardinian knife. The horn handle sculpted so well that it nestles into the hand with no other blade to upset the exquisite design and feel. Now I'm spoiled.
Carl.
The occasion was I had joined the local boy scout troop that met in the old church in Wheaton. So dad, being the wise man he was, gave me a scout knife. It was great. It had four blades, a nice wide spear blade, the cap lifter, can opener, and the awl. Four really useful blades and tools. Of course it became my treasured item. A precious. That scout knife served me well for many years, and I didn't feel the need to get another knife. Only when I went off to the army, did I leave it at home, fearing it would disappear in an army barracks.
Serving in the army, I still kept to the four blade design out of habit. The army had all those MLK knives, the ones the civilians call the demo knife for some reason. They had loads of them in the supply room, and if one broke, which they did on occasion, you just got another one. Somewhere along in my army service, I stumbled on Swiss Army knives. Even more blades and tools, so I bought one. I guess I must have lived the first half of my life with a scout or Swiss army knife in a pocket, and to be honest, they did come in handy on occasion. A loose screw here, a beer bottle there. Okay, lots of beer bottles.
Time went on, and somehow, I never quite figured out how, I got a stockman. Okay, I think I know, but it's the army's fault. They gave us a P-38, and I got to know how useful one tiny item could be. It not only opened cans, but it could be used as a screw driver, scraper, awl, and more. As for bottles, there's many ways to open a bottle without a dedicated bottle opener. I remembered my dad having one in his wallet, and using it as much as the Sear's keychain screw driver. That may have started my weaning of knives with tools. So there I was a the PX, and looking at the Buck knife display, and being drawn to the 301 stockman. For the next chunk of my life, I was a three blade pocket knife man. Clip, sheepsfoot, spey, a blade for all uses. If I needed a screw driver or can opener, I had one in my wallet, like dad did.
Of course, there was dad, still going on about his life with his little two blade peanut. Just two little blades, and it seemed ill equipped to me to be going on in the world with just two blades. But life is for learning. And in 1982, I was in a backpacking store, and they had a jar full of weird looking wood handle knives up near the register. Opinel. What the heck is this, a knife with no springs, not even a second blade? But it was so light, I bought one and used it now and then. But it never got to be a regular carry for a lot of years, as I wasn't done with my evolution. I still had to have more than a single blade on my pocket knife.
The peanut came to use after my dad passed away. I'm not sure why, but I downsized my pocket knife as I got older, and maybe I figured if dad could do it, so could I. I put a Sear's keychain screw driver and a P-38 in my wallet like dad did, and I got by just fine. The Opinel got carried now and then, but never by itself. I was a little leery of it still, having only one single blade in a light weight package, it just seemed soooo delicate. My mistake. Only later did I learn how sturdy the Opinel was.
Only of late, with my new fascination of old school European friction folders, did a really learn to love the single blade knife. These days I find myself in possession of a Turkish, Sardinian, and French folders that are friction folders with a single blade. I carry them as my edc pocket knives, and the world has not stopped turning, the sun still rises in the east, and I've cut whatever I've needed in my day to day life of a retired gentlemen of leisure. THis means I actually need and use a pocket knife more now than when I was working. There's fishing, picnicking with a Texas gal that has been with me for more years than I want to contemplate. There's hot dog sticks to whittle for the grandkids, and house stuff I never had time for when working, like the garden out back.
It's only taken most of a lifetime, but now I seem to get along very well with a single blade. Maybe old dogs can learn new tricks.
But I think it was Fausto's Resolza that was the tipping point. I never had a knife feel so nice in the hand as the Sardinian knife. The horn handle sculpted so well that it nestles into the hand with no other blade to upset the exquisite design and feel. Now I'm spoiled.
Carl.
Last edited:
