Greetings Arend, great to see you stop by.
I was able to get both my fathers and grandfathers knives after they passed. Both would be laughed at due to their very nature. They were the most inexpensive knives either could find back in the 1940's and 70's respectively.
My grandfathers was an " The ideal" jack pattern, yellow composite. The other was a SAK clone of the keychain knife made who knows where. The Ideal Jack was carbon steel, way too thick edged and saber ground. They used to sell them on paper backed displays in gas stations, drug stores, and similar type places. They were under $2.00 each MSRP back in the 70's before the brand disappeared. The gun show circuit up through the middle to late 80's had cards of 12 for $8-$15 at knife dealers well after the shut down of whoever made them.
The SAK clones? Who knows?
Both were miserly cheap people who ridiculed anybody who in their eyes wasted any amount of money no matter how small. Their life during the "great depression" had a lot to do with it. That was fairly common in fact with their generation. They both did have the best tools they could get their hands on. I inherited both of their tool sets so I know.
They had the cheapest clothes they could find. Likewise food was budgeted and rationed. No money would dare be wasted on pre made or quick cooking foodstuffs ( things like "minute rice, for instance). Being as they didn't do the cooking it was easy to dictate that kind of thing.
My grandfather was still using an 1800's foot pedaled sharpening grinding wheel out in the 1890's era barn.
Things like chainsaws, power mowers, etc. didn't enter the picture. There were kids for that. I was never given a knife, or money to buy a knife to complete chores on the farm that needed them. They quite frankly didn't care if I had to gnaw through stuff as long as it got done, no excuses were made, and nothing made worse during the job.
I have to admit there was a pretty great collection of Scythes, saws, axes, mauls, shears, snips, etc. around so I'm pretty sure they didn't miss their knives. They both did carry bottle openers/aka. "church keys" though.
As immoveable and unchangeable as their opinions were I'm pretty sure either one would take purchase or ownership of a greater than $10 knife as a sign of feebleness of the brain and evidence that their respective spouses must have cheated on them.
My first several knives were broken ones I found in the dirt of old gravel pits or construction sites that I reconditioned as best I could and put back to work. I know I must have one or two around in a box somewhere though I'll be darned if I have a camera to take pictures of them with.
Welcome back!
Joe
