The Quintessential American Knife to Gift?

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HoosierQ

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Feb 9, 2010
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My probable future brother-in-law is from Ireland. He is one of those Europeans who thinks America is kind of weird...you know, big military, folks owning guns, driving big cars, calling football football...that sort of thing.

He does like it here and I am going to get an opportunity to travel with him on his dime :D in the next year or so. My sister is going to take him to Florida and I may go along on their trip out west. Texas, Arizona, Colorado...you know the real west.

I want to get this chap a present and I want to give him a knife. I EDC a SAK and love it but I want to get him a Quintessential American Knife. There are a lot of things to consider but ultimately I think it will need to be a folder and a pocket knife at that. So I have some ideas. What do you guys thing.

  • Buck Stockman (or other stockman-style three-bladed).
  • Buck or other Trapper style.
  • Sodbuster.
  • The original Boyscout knife (if I can find an American one).
  • Buck 110 (probably too big but certainly quintessentially American!)
  • Barlow of some kind
 
Locking - A Buck 110 or 112 if you want a more friendly appearance to non-knife folk. But then, Americans aren't famous for doing things in small ways, so I lean to 110.
Slipjoint - A Buck 301 or Shrade Old Timer Stockman
 
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Another vote for a Buck 110 or if that's too big,a Buck 55.

Non-locking?A Case Sodbuster in yellow/CV.
 
I would also recommend a Case slippie of some sort. He's probably gonna be very limited in being able to carry a lock blade knife, but a slipjoint shouldn't be a problem and nothing is more traditional American than a Case.

A Stockman is probably the most popular pattern, but I prefer two-bladed Trappers myself in stag or bone and CV.
 
I would get him a GEC trapper - it is better quality than the Case knives, and would represent the USA!
A Buck 110 would be great, but it may be too big for his country's laws - you never know!
 
my first thought was the 110.
close second is a medium 3 blade made in USA stockman
third choice would be a trapper.
 
I'd say a larger Case stockman, either the 47 or 75 pattern, in their older dark red bone. Nothin' more American than that, IMHO.
 
110 or a CASE stockman or trapper pattern(jigged bone/stag etc.etc). keepem sharp
 
Probably a U.S. made Old Timer of some sort, perhaps the 8OT or 34OT, depending on what size you prefer. If not that, then a Buck 301 or 303 would do nicely. For something with a bit more color, can't go wrong with a Case yellow-handled something or another.
 
I doubt that a lockback is acceptable in Ireland. I don't think a big fixed would work either. A 110 or a Green Rive knife were actually my first thoughts but I don't want to get him something he cannot keep. When I was a kid, I bought the old standard spear point green river knife, put a handle on it and that was my EDC fixed with a sodbuster in pocket.

Since I am going to go along on the "out west" trip, I am leaning toward stockman types (think cowboys) or trapper types (think mountain men). I am leaning also heavy toward stag or jigged bone which is popular in these types...or a nice wood...again "old west".

I will be looking up the model numbers you all have provided.

This is my green river, very quintessential and just screams mountain man!

Green_River_04.jpg
 
Nowadays, a quintessential American Knife would be one made in China...;)








To be serious, definately one with a natural material for the handle, they just make me think rugged western wilderness/hunting survival type stuff, and that definately seems American to me. Agreed that a slippie is probably the best bet, since europe has way more knife restrictions than the U.S., but it seems sub 3" blade 2h open slipjoints are almost universally legal.
 
I'd get him a 3-blade stockman pattern, from either Queen or Case. Doesn't get any more quintessentially American than that. :thumbup:
 
I am highly inclined to take the advice of anybody calling himself Puukkoman! I love a nice puuko although I do not currently own one - I do have a Roselli Grandfather. In fact, at one point, I considered a scandi knife but I am sticking with the American theme for this gift.

And the stockman pattern so far is the most highly recommended.

Here is a picture of some Puukkos that I have collected (collected the pictures, sadly not the knives). All antiques I believe.

My favorite one

kalajokilaakso.jpg


A group photo

kauhavan_puukkoja.jpg
 
Well, the barlow made have originally come from Sheffield, but I think of it as the quintessential American pocket knife. But that might be an opinion prejudiced by my love of Mark Twain's writing.

Mary gave him a bran-new "Barlow" knife worth twelve and a half cents; and the convulsion of delight that swept his system shook him to his foundations. True, the knife would not cut anything, but it was a "sure-enough" Barlow, and there was inconceivable grandeur in that - though where the Western boys ever got the idea that such a weapon could possibly be counterfeited to its injury, is an imposing mystery and will always remain so, perhaps.
Click to expand...
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

All the stores was along one street. They had white domestic awnings in front, and the country-people hitched their horses to the awning-posts. There was empty dry-goods boxes under the awnings, and loafers roosting on them all day long, whittling them with their Barlow knives; and chawing tobacco, and gaping and yawning and stretching - a mighty ornery lot.
Click to expand...
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
 
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