The more I use them....

Fred Sanford

Fred Sanford

Joined
Sep 3, 2006
Messages
3,131
The more I use the Traditional knives (I got a couple more Case knives) the more I love 'em.

I am a big fan of the Spyderco Paramilitary, and the Spyderco Delica 3. So I get my Case medium stockman out and start comparing blade sizes.

The main blade on my Case stockman is almost the same length as the blade on the Delica 3. It also has the EXACT same length of cutting edge as the Delica 3. The main blade on the Stockman is only a 1/8" shorter than the blade of my Paramilitary. The cutting edge is very close (within 1/8" due to the finger choil on the Para.

So, I begin to wonder a few things.

--Does the Para or the Delica cut better or slice better? No, ....and No.

--Is the Delica lighter than the stockman? Yes.

--Is the Para lighter than the stockman? No.

--Do I have extra blades with the Delica or the Para? No.

I can feel myself changing....and wondering more and more why I carry the "tactical" stuff. And I'm having more trouble finding good answers. :)
 
My first knives were traditional and I'll always have at least one in my pocket, welcome to the dark side my friend.
 
I'm going through the same thought processes. Tactical knives are starting to seem silly to me for EDC and I really appreciate the extra blades in my traditionals. Not to mention the graceful weathering of carbon steel and natural handle materials. Only have 3 tacticools now and more traditional patterns.:thumbup:
 
You're being seduced by the combination of beauty and practicality in one pocket sized package.

Multiple blades for cutting options, nice thin flat ground blades with fine edges, and natural handle materials that just plain feel like they were ment to be in your hand.

Add in to the mix that many of the traditinal patterns were developed in a time where men worked with their hands, and needed a particular pattern suited for their trade. A cowboy riding herd on ornery longhorns, a frieght wagon driver needing to mend a harness, a doctor mixing up powders that he got by crushing a pill or two, or a farmer or laborer needing a simple yet rugged knife for daily work.

The historys of the many different patterns can be a story in itself. The men like our grandfathers who used them, an even better tale.

Welcome to traditionals.
 
Capt. Carl said:
I'm going through the same thought processes. Tactical knives are starting to seem silly to me for EDC and I really appreciate the extra blades in my traditionals. Not to mention the graceful weathering of carbon steel and natural handle materials. Only have 3 tacticools now and more traditional patterns.:thumbup:
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You know I never really thought about it much before but I suppose it was different for the younger generation. When I grew up slipjoints & fixed blades was all there were. Everybody had a pocketknife even a few girls. I think I got my 1st knife at 6 yrs old. And was hooked right off. So I've always known how a slipjoint cuts. I remember playin "stretch & mumbly peg" the old man grinding me down a crude throwing knife in the shop. I've always been a knife nut. I remember when the Buck 110 came out...had to have 1 of them. When the tactial's came out I got 1 or 2 of those also. But the whole time I still carried a small slippy. They are just more maneuverable for delicate close work, like diggin out a sliver. I've always worked with my hands so I've always needed a knife of some kind. For rougher work a stouter blade, but most of my cutting needs are better suited to the thin geometry of a slipjoint.
I can kinda understand how growing up with so many different choices many people haven't tried those "old man" knives. Every generation wants to set itself apart from the 1 before it to some extent. At least that's how I remember it.:D

Dave
 
I am right there with you I had this realization a couple of months ago and now I am almost strictly traditional. I still carry a Ka Bar Dozier Thorn or a Blade-Tech MLEK but my Case large Stockman does all my cutting chores at work, and when I am not at work its usually a barehead slimline Trapper of a medium Stockman. I love the versatility of the multiple blades on the Stockmans. Traditional patterns are some of the most efficient I have used.
 
David, I hope you aren't going to blame this on me. ;)

Yeah, I have a bunch of tacticools. I've got over a hundred Spydercos. And I carry slipjoints, too. Have been for forty-five years. I appreciate the "tacticals" for heavy work, that's how I got into them to begin with, but there was alway a slippie or two in my pocket as well. If I could get a large stockman in S90V, I wouldn't have much reason to carry my Military.
 
T. Erdelyi said:
My first knives were traditional and I'll always have at least one in my pocket, welcome to the dark side my friend.
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Dark side my gluteus maximus.

Which one is more likely to carry a slipjoint, Darth Vader or Yoda?

:D
 
jackknife said:
Add in to the mix that many of the traditinal patterns were developed in a time where men worked with their hands, and needed a particular pattern suited for their trade. A cowboy riding herd on ornery longhorns, a frieght wagon driver needing to mend a harness, a doctor mixing up powders that he got by crushing a pill or two, or a farmer or laborer needing a simple yet rugged knife for daily work.
Click to expand...

And it wasn't just rugged guys working a specialized trade. Folks needed a knife around a lot more back in the day, period. It was a time before "new improved, easy-opening" everything. Before sliced and pre-cut foods were the order of the day. Before manufacturers felt they had to pre-perforate everything. Simply put, even townsfolk needed a knife on hand throughout much of the day.

Another thought of mine regarding slipjoints: A thread over in the general forum on knife accidents got me to thinking about how most cuts happen. IMO they happen when someone is using a knife too quickly, not taking time to consider what they're doing and what they're cutting (and might be cutting if the blade slips).

Given that, I think the emphasis on speed of deployment by makers of one-hand, clip-to-your-pocket wonder knives plays into that.

Again, I don't have anything against one-hand, clip-to-your-pocket wonder knives - I still own 3 or 4 Spydercos. I respect the hell out of Sal Glesser and any time someone I know is looking for that type of knife, I always steer them to a Spyderco.

It's just that I've honestly found that my thin bladed slipjoints - my SAK and Case and Buck and Schrade knives - are better and more useful for the things I need a knife to do on a day-in day-out basis.

A knife's features bring a benefit - but also a cost. A Spyderco Delica, for instance is easy to access and open one-handed. They also come with a strong lock and high-quality stainless steel. But (IMO) the blade it too thick and stubby, and the pocket clip catches on stuff and wears the fabric at the top of my pockets.

My slipjoints are hard to access (I have to dig all the way down into my pocket and then use two hands to open them). Mine have pretty standard carbon or run-of-the-mill stainless steel. And since they don't lock, I have to use them with a bit more care. But I feel these "negative" features are offset by the benefits. Slowing down a bit (not a bad thing in this life, if you ask me) to access and open the knife really isn't that big a problem. Having to spend a few minutes 2 or 3 times per month touching up the edge with my Sharpmaker really isn't that big of an imposition, and neither is dealing with the staining :eek: on my carbon steel blades.

Oh, and of course there is the romance of carrying the tried and true, a knife like Grandad's, etc., I'll admit that. ;)
 
To some extent, I think the gravitation comes with time due to the following:
1. Variety.

2. Utility becomes more important than the thought that a big thick knife is needed for zombie protection. (At 53, I have never had a need to "protect myself" with a knife.) Size comes into play here too, I don't need a large blade for most of my cutting chores. I do not like to tote a lot of bulk in my pockets. A good example was over Christmas opening clamshells with a pen blade on a Ken Erickson jack. 100% safe and easy. That pen blade just razored through them and the task was effortless compared to using a thicker knife where there is more friction and corners are not as effortless turned. My dad even commented on how easy the knife made the task look.

3. I am a sucker for natural handle materials as well as yellar.

Like mnblade, I have nothing against the one handers. I have some very close friends who specialize in making them. I even own and use several Carsons and a Scott Cook Lochsa. They are great knives but for me, their use is more specialized than my traditional knives and they are seldom casually carried (other than Kit's lockback in bone ;)) I do have a tendency to remove the clips though.
 
Welcome home David and Capt. Carl. Traditionals are like going to Grandmas' house at Christmas ;)
 
David, I agree. I wear dress pants every day, so EDC of a "tactical" knife is out of the question for me. I have two Case knives... both canoe pattern. One is a limited edition tan camel bone and the other is a limited edition red sawbone. I carry them more than any of my other knives. Two blades, not scary at all, get the job done. I'm now looking at my first slipjoint custom from Bret Dowell and I couldn't be more excited! I got a couple of Emerson's recently, and sure, they're cool, but for me, slipjoints are a better knife. Heck, I even carry my Spyderco UK Pen Knife more than most of my locking folders.
 
Congratulations on your epiphany! I had one last year, sold off pretty much all of tactical folders and fixed blades and made the switch over to traditional slipjoints and SAKs. It really started after I cleaned up an old Old Timer I inherited from my dad and the rest was history.
 
MNBlade, you write that even townsfolk needed a knife on hand during the day.

They still DO, at least this one does...

I agree that Traditionals have enduring strengths and appeal, they are not the victims of whim or fashion, and the variety! Liking Traditionals is not an either or thing, it's a broad tendency,look at all the patterns.At the same time, I respect many modern knives,the Benchmade Mini Grip is an excellent,thoroghly engineered and thought out tool.It's very well made and is clearly useful. But I prefer to burrow in my pockets and not get my hand caught on the clipped handle of a knife.
 
We live and learn. I started off with Case knives back in the 50s then the Buck 110 came along. Then it was Bm and Spyderco. I have owned a bunch of them and sold them all off. Now I'm down to a Spyderco UK pen knife and a BM Mini Grip and several Cases and Eye Brand knives. All those do a great job and in a lot of cases cut with much more ease than the tactical type knife since they have the thinner blade. I still think a good carbon blade will do just a well as some of the modern stainless stuff if not better and I still like revolvers over semi auto pistols. Guess I'm getting to be an old fart.
 
Ya know, there's just one more thing about traditional slip joints that has not been touched on yet. It's rapidly becoming a sore subject in some quarters, and unpleasant, but needs to be considered.

We are living in an increasing urbanized age. After WW2, most of the populace was involved in a great shift from rural to urban, and the new suburbuban type of living. This is not going to reverse. I don't have the figures at hand right now, but most of the U.S. is living in an urban/sububan area. Life in general is more compacted, and as a by product, more regulated. The times they are a-changing. Bob Dylan got it right.

These days. like it or not, people see a knife as a threat. Ridiculous I know, but there it is. And the one hand tanto tipped, recurve bladed, black tactical is going to be more in an unpleasant light. And like it or not, knives for the first time have started to share some of the problem of firearms- legislation. Many government buildings have strict knife rules, at least here in the Washinton D.C. area. Going into alot of the public but gov't sponsered buildings like the Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery Of Art, the Aquarium, Botanical Gardens, won't allow some knives. Private amusement parks and sports stadiums are also in the mix.

However...

I can't count how many times I've been going in someplace, put all my pocket stuff in the plastic tray, and walked through the metal detector and had some security personel look at my Case Peanut and smile a little and say "My grandfather had one like that." And then hand it back to me and tell me to have a nice visit. Another time I had a small sak recruit, and the security lady had a question about it. She called over to a male collegue and he looked over and said, "Aw heck, thats just a Swiss army knife, that's okay." I guess everybody liked Macguiver. Meanwhile the kid three people ahead of me in the line is getting a big hastle over some black tactical and being told he can't come in with that.

Fair? No, of course not. But it's a matter of perception, and the way things are being looked at these days. And with the increasing urbanization of our society, and the increase in population density, and creeping liberalization of our outlook as a society in general, its only going to get worse.

I think someday in the not too distant future, a great deal of the tactical knives may well become illeagal to carry. Or so restricted so as to be the same thing. Already in Boston, and California some kinds of folders can't be carried at all. You'll get such a hairy eyeball from the security where ever you are, that it won't be worth trying to carry it. I don't like it, even though I don't carry a knife like that, it's matter of princible and rights as free men.

But the innocent looking slip joint will go on, because it's non threatening, and it may even remind them of a kindly grandad who taught them to whittle thier first hot dog roasting fork. Ot they just may think it's too pretty to be bad. Perception. Pretty=good, Ugly=bad. Too bad people forget that in the book "The Ugly American" the ugly guy was actually the good guy. Perception.

I don't know how many times I used my bone stag peanut in public, and had a lady nearby tell me what a pretty or cute little knife it was. Again, perception. A year ago, Karen and I were downtown at an eatery in National Gallery Of Art, and the dinner roll Karen was trying to slice was very fresh and soft. The plastic knife was going to tear it up,so I opened my bone stag peanut and handed it over to her to slice open the roll. The elderly lady in her upper 70's at the next table made a comment that her late husband always carried a little pen knife like that. We got into a nice conversation and invited her to join us at our table. She was part of senior citizen trip to the capital from Nebraska, and she told us all about thier life on a farm and being married for 53 years to the most wonderfull man on earth. We gave her tips on what to see. Had a nice lunch. But would it have been the same it I had thumbed open some black tactical? Again, perception.

As knife knuts in troubled times, it just may fall to us in our daily lives to be an ambassidor for our knives. Out in public, we may have to put on a better image for the rest of the flock of sheep. If the sheep see another sheep using a non threatening knife, maybe it will stick in thier mind that maybe a knife is not such a bad thing. Bad images take hold faster, and are remembered longer than good. James Dean died so long ago that most yuppies wern't even born when he was on screen with a switchblade. But the image lives on. Perception. Fast opening one hand knife=bad/dangerous. Hollyweird movied are no help.

A nice slip joint will be able to be carried longer, and in more places than a tactical. That could be one real world advantage in the long run. Even in England, you can still carry a small slip joint pocket knife.
 
Wow, awesome replies, especially from jackknife.

As we already know jackknife really knows how to lay down the truth here in a great way.

I could read a book of his posts.

Again, thanks! (as I sit here rubbing my Case stockman with my thumb like a worry stone).
 
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