The Quintessential Cadre

It turns out that two choices are easier for me than four. Thankfully I don't actually have to narrow it down that much (fingers crossed).

This is number 1 no matter which way you slice it. The virtually perfect condition, craftsman etch, and red peachseed make this knife fairly special. If this was my very last knife I'm not sure that I could use it even then.

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I have to have something to carry so I would choose this one. I wouldn't want to be without a jr cattle. This one would fill all my needs very well. The fact that it's pretty doesn't hurt.

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These are some of my nicest and favorite collection knives. I have a number of knives that could be satisfactory in their place but this is what I settled on today for this theoretical question. The wood is not my favorite handle material for the cattle knife but it's condition and scarcity is why I settled on it, and the pattern is one of my tops.

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Wild Willie said:
I included my favorite kitchen knife. What's more traditional than a good old sabatier?
I like your line up, that opinel has a pretty fantastic patina.
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Thanks. I excluded kitchen knives only because I couldn’t pick one of other four to eliminate in favor of one - I cheated, basically. I suppose the Opinel could double as a kitchen knife though. I certainly have used one extensively for food prep in the past.
 
JohnDF said:
I didn't mention any kitchen knives. I stuck to only pocket knives.
If I had to include kitchen knives, I wouldn't have anything left for the pocket. ;)
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It's simple. Kitchen knives are part of "The Commons." They're available to anyone and everyone in the household. The other stuff, the knives I post pictures of, are mine.
 
kamagong said:
It's simple. Kitchen knives are part of "The Commons." They're available to anyone and everyone in the household. The other stuff, the knives I post pictures of, are mine.
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My kitchen knives are only allowed to be touched by the worthy, same goes for any of my other knives for that matter. I even have a separate spatula that nobody else can use, if I allowed that then my dad and brother would make off with my best stuff...
 
Some really great knives posted for good reasons too. For me if I could only take 4 with me and never get any back, I’d have to go with sentimental value.

First is Grandad’s Western he carried on Okinawa. Second is Dad’s little Western. This is his only big game knife he’s ever used. Like Jeff, I’m a hunter and both of these would serve me well in those pursuits.

Third would be my Victorinox Small Tinker. I’ve carried this one all over the world with me and it’s spent the most time in my pocket in the last 31 years.

The last would be a Schrade Old Timer 34OT. This one my Grandad gave me but it’s been a pattern I’ve carried since I was 15.

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Old Hunter said:
Now Jeff said knives, so I’m not including hatchets, axes, mauls, lawn mover blades, Cavalry Sabres, or Roman Broadswords.
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Interesting ideas but i don't find lawn mover blades, for instance, to be that photogenic. May be because i prefer hand tools to powered tools and tools to weapons. However it gave me to think that scythes and sickles blades could be good backgrounds. Thanks to you OH.

Dan.
 
dantzk8 dantzk8 I’ve got a hatchet, a couple of axes, a splitting wedge, an old used up mower blade, and a cavalry Sabre - I’ve never thought of using them for a background but you have given me food for thought. Regards, OH
Ps. Nicely composed photos.
 
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Can I get all the knives you lot can't keep then? :p


Had to think for a while for this one, but here we go. They're all jacks but that's ok since those are my favourite ...

Number 1 is this Robeson 3 3/8 jack that Glenbad rehandled for me with some great stag.
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Number 2 is a modified 15 boys knife. Jdistin added a pen blade to it and it's probably my favourite knife now. There's something about the simplicity of a boys knife that I can't resist.
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Number 3 is my 73 jack, the first GEC I bought myself. An absolute tank, gets very sharp really quickly. When I'm outdoors, I love having this one in my pocket.
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Number 4 is this Case XX era premium jack. It's got great bone, snap and overal build and is just a classic. All I need in a gentleman's knife. :rolleyes:
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black mamba said:
We've had threads like this in the past, but the players change over time, and it should be new and fun once again. If you could only keep four knives that you currently own (oh my!), which ones would they be? Nostalgia, beauty, flawless workmanship, or just outright utility are some reasons I can think of, and I'm sure there are others. Post pics and explain why those four. Here are mine, from largest to smallest.

As a hunter, I've gotta have a fixed blade for use in the field. This bullnose skinner from BluntCut MetalWorks (Luong La) was a collaborative effort between us, and is my ultimate big game knife. CTS-XHP @ 65 HRc, with BluntCut's unsurpassed heat treat protocol, it is tough, corrosion resistant, and holds an edge forever.
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Next is a Schatt & Morgan English Jack from 2005, when Bill Howard was still at the helm. Amazing bone, ATS-34 stainless steel, and the spear secondary was reground into a Wharncliffe by the master smith Don Hanson III. This one resides in our kitchen organizer and gets used daily.
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The GEC Cuban Stockman is MY pattern, the one I have centered my collection on. The big equal end frame is a perfect display platform for a wide variety of handle material. This one is my favorite, the gnarly bark ram's horn. Not the rarest, but superbly matched from side to side, and altogether stunning.
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This one is VERY special, for a couple of reasons. First, it's just the most gorgeous knife I own. The long pull clip, the triple threaded bolster and the glorious red stag just really work. Second, in a time of financial need I tried to sell the knife, but after paying for it the buyer said to keep the knife and the money. This one is never going to leave.
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Just Tom. said:
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I made do with pretty much just the top 2 for many many years so I suppose I could again in a pinch. Since we get to pick 4 I would throw in the Opinel for general utility, and the Okapi because it is my too-large and impractical daily carry (most days), and I just like it for some reason. If I had to pick just one I would have to grudgingly go with the Opinel.

I am assuming for this exercise we are excluding kitchen knives.
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A little more than 2 years since we went through this exercise. Have anybody’s choices changed?

Of course we could just be honest and admit that we could never whittle our choices down to 4…
 
I would probably swap out the Okapi I re-handled with an original moon-and-stars version, otherwise I think my choices stay the same:

Having said that, if I somehow lost the top 2 (dating from 1975 and 1988), I probably would not try to replace them, but go with something like this instead:

(For now…)
 
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Ok, as promised. I'm still keeping the 13 inch chef knife from my original 4. I've replaced the small tinker with the Vic pioneer, by virtue of the inline awl and slightly more robust construction. I retired my old douk douk, and have decided on the svord peasant because it's light, and the handle is far more comfortable for long heavy cutting sessions. My kellam wolverine was lost a while back and has been replaced by an EDChef from David Mary. This knife has done everything I've asked of it in and out of the kitchen, my favorite sheath knife ever.
 
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