Then and now?

The Magician

The Magician

Illusionist
Joined
Jan 19, 2000
Messages
1,580
It seems that in the last few years knives made giant leaps in the field of design and materials. Thanks to Spydeco and the pocket clip, Buck and the 110 lockback, knife carry was revolutionized. Most knives before were slipjoints or friction folders. They were purpose driven and named accordingly. Trapper, Stockman, Doctor, whittler, etc. Basically carbon or stainless was your choices, along with how many blades. Anywhere from one to five was quite common. They did not change for a long time. In fact these knives are still very popular. I started out carrying these knives and never had a problem. I moved on to tactical folders when I first saw the AFCK. Seems now I am back to where I began. The ninjadeathmongertacticalfolder craze seems to have ended for me. How about you? Getting tired of black G10, liner,axis,rolling,arc,lockback,compression,phantom locks? With Lawks?

Getting interested in traditionals? Something else? Am I the only one?
 
Although my focus now is more functional (Sebenza is my EDC), and I am saving for a Mayo, Ralph, or the like, I never did stop collecting traditional slip joint folders -- specifically Barlows. I also have a number of antique high quality slip joints, many that belonged to my Grandfather. I still love them, and occasionally will carry my Queen Barlow with a razor main blade, or my Grandfather's 4" Hammer Brand Equal End. SNAP! Gotta love the walk and talk of a good old "pocketknife".

-Al-
 
I didn't hop on the one-hand-opener wagon until about two weeks ago. I was pretty excited about it, too. The novelty wore off in less than a half hour after the UPS man dropped it off. It is a Mini-AFCK. Very good materials and workmanship, but not at all comfortable in my hand, and not all that handsome face to face, imo. It was a momentary distraction for me. Give me a fixed blade, a slipjoint, or an old man style lockback hunter and I'm grinnin' again. :) :) :)

OK .... the Camillus EDC still looks pretty good to me.:D
 
kinda similar knife history here. When I was a kid I carried one of every kind of knife at one point in time or another, but I mostly remember Swiss army knives and three bladed stockmen the best. Chicago Cutlery, Uncle Henry, Remington, Case, etc.

When I turned 18 or so I started most frequently alternating between my Swiss Tinker and an Adventurer. (loved the slightly larger locking blade on the Adventurer) At this point in time I was really starting to drool pretty heavily over the offerings from Cold Steel, Spyderco, and Benchmade, but I never could really justify one of thier folders, even though I was saving up for a Cold Steel fixed blade for knocking through the woods.

The day I in earnest turned towards "ninjadeathmongertacticalfolders"
(love that term BTW) was when I was attacked by a 150 pound Newfoundland that had literally "snapped" I was fighting this dog off me for about two minutes (which is a LONG damn time for any fight, especially with a large dog snapping at your throat) And the whold time I kept trying to get my Trusty old Swiss Adventurer out of my pocket, but could never even come close, cause of everything happening so damn fast and the constant movement. I was scared out of my mind, and REALLY think a knife in the hand would have been quite beneficial. by the time I had a chance to work my way into my parents house I had a couple of puncture wounds on my calf, and the dog had quite literally ripped my pants from crotch to leg. Anyhow that night while I was recovering (mostly mentally) I decided it was time for a tactical folder. A decent blade, one handed opening, and a pocket clip, and it was a month later that my wife bought me a BM mini-AFCK for my Birthday that I fell in love with.

And of course then started the downhill slide Mini AFCK, Spydie Endura, Spydie Rescue, BM AFO, then finally the Microtechs, Daltons, Protechs,and once even a Sebenza.....and I basically got to where I am now...broke as hell, but always looking for the next purchase or trade...

:D

Anyhow, I was reminiscing the other day (alright, I'll admit it-knifesturbating with old stock!) and dug out my old Adventurer. Now I've got it well oiled, razor sharp and ready to go, and I REALLY want to start carrying it more frequently, but...I'm also awfully fond of my tactical folders also. I'm still teetering on an edge of which way I'll wind up going, but I've definitely been thinkin' long and hard about going back to the knives I grew up with instead of the kind I grew up dreaming about. One of these days I might even pull my old Chicago Cutlery Stockman out of the safe and put it back into use.

Sorry if I got long winded.....AGAIN!:D
 
My experience is the same. I had cheap knives as a kid, and was in my early twenties when a got a Buck 110. I got on the CQC-7 bandwagon and bought similar knives from Microtech. I really like 154-CM and bought an Edgepro. Then, first I quit buying combo edges, and then I bought a Microtech LCC. I guess you could call the LCC a tactical knife, but the overall blade shape got me away from the tanto profiles. My EDC for today? I have a Kershaw Whirlwind with a mirror edge. It's about one-third the cost of the "black stuff" and opens boxes just as well.
 
Like many I went through a bunch of tupperware knives, both folders and fixed blades. I have a box full of Benchmades, Emersons, CRKTs, Kershaws, Cold Steels, Spydercos... They're nice, and I must admit that I do use them quite often, but they're UGLY. The more I look at them, the more I realize that they have no soul, no feeling.

What excites me today is something with natural components. I like gracefull lines, fine wood, a Damascus pattern that compliments the furniture. I like well done hollow ground blades and form that encompasses function.

Who knows, maybe this too will pass;)
 
I started out in the MacGyver era, and had a Wegner SAK, (it wasn't until years later I found out he carried a Victoinox!) Then on to tacticals with the advent of the AFCK and BM Emersons (remember when these were advertised in the same ad on the first page of Tactical Knives in the early 90's?).

The big mofo knife trend started for me in the late nineties, with SIFU, Gunsite, Vaquero, etc. And then I layed off on those for a while.

The SAK started showing up in my pocket last year. I have just started to get over that craze, and am on to small(er) knives. William Henry's, EDC'S, Lil'Temperance, Salsa, etc. I am stuck on 3 inch knives now. I think the smaller knife trend will continure for a while, due to sheeple and the way the world is. As long as we have mega-high quality on these smaller knives, I really don't mind. It is fun to slip a Gunsite or SIFU in the ol'pocket once in a while though. I guess that's the beauty of owning more than one knife!
 
I picked up a Delta-Z Prototype on BA a couple of Months ago. It's got CF handles and a "sandvik" coated clip point plain edge. This is my first Delta-Z and I have beaten the crap outta this thing and it still looks like new. I have to sharpen it every day, just about 60 seconds does it, but this knife is as durable as a Benchmade and has the Fit and Finish of an MT. I really gotta hand it to them. They seem to be keepin with the 21st century........wolf
 
"Then and Now" is a good discription of knives in general.

The "Then" is all the centuries of folding knives of character
used by people who knew what made up a good looking and
beautiful knife. The slipjoint and friction folders were both the
"tactical" and utility knives of the day and , unless jeweled and
gold inlayed, were used for many more things than we do today.
These knives march on yet today with little if any fanfare.

The "Now" is all the pandering to the current trend created by
the marketing genius of a few makers and magazine publishers
to"create" a new market for a "new" product that is dresses and named
differently........all these souless black militaristic styled folding knives
sold as magic do it all tools. I doubt that our forefathers would have liked
them much just as the general population passes them by today.

I owned a few of these black one hand wonders myself finding them
to be limiting by way of having just one blade. I still carry and use a lockback
at times, but , the ones I use have both visual character and practial appeal.
The "tactical" knives I own are being sold off over time.

With the growing interest in slipjoint I have to wonder if the knifenut
community isn't returning to the roots of knives as objects of pride and
usefulness. We never used to have to worry about the "sheeple" affect.
Heck, that despicable word didn't even exist until recently. There was no need.
Not until the "tactical" knife craze appeared. These knives brought both
mechanical & materials advancments dressed in souless black. They
do not project friendliness of purpose. But that is not how they are sold.
 
im tired of all the black g10 and micarta,black blades,serration,etc..

im still into liner locks w/thumbstuds,but i prefer something with a little more class...woods instead of g10, damascus instead of black or tigerstriped blades,etc etc etc.

your not alone...
 
I think that MAurice hit the nail on the head for th position that I am in. I went through the newest and greatest phase, but now I am into woods and different steels and great custom makers. I owned a Terzuola ATCF with G10 blackened blade. I loved that knife. I adore ATCFs, so now I like wood(ironwood on a current model) and a clean hand rubbed blade. I think I will probably stay in this mindset for quite some time.
 
i am new to the knife scene (one year or so as a hardcore knifenut) and i love ninjadeathmongertacticalfolders, but i think that it is all due to the generation you belong to. I dont know how old you guys are but i am 20, so i grew up in the hayday of the ninjadeathmongertacticalfolder.

Now i do hate the lower quality ninjadeathmongertacticalfolders more than perhapse any other type of knife, because for me there is beauty in the technology of the ninjadeathmongertacticalfolder, i love spydies, benchmades, and microtechs, and i think that they will always have a place in my heart.

But now what i desire most is the dressed up ninjadeathmongertacticalfolder, DDR for example.

I also love classic styled knives but i tend to gravitate towards the fixed blade variety.

Now what will be interesting is that i will be talking about 20 years from now, in the then and now catagory, when the AFCK is thought of as the 110 of its day, it will be interesting to see where the future takes us.
 
I don't know about "then and now", but I think this is an "us and them" issue. People carry knives for different reasons, both "then" and "now".

Ninjadeathmongertacticalfolders are just today's equivalent of latter year's stillettos/"fighting" knives. They're carried by people that feel a need to have a knife that's for self-defense. The only differnce is that these days we have folding ones because fixed blades are illegal.

On the other side of the coin, you get those that carry a knife primarily for work. Again, the reason we use folders is because fixed versions are illegal. The whole slipjoint/friction folder idea was for people to carry thier "working" knife easier and lighter than having a "working" fixed blade.

On the edge of the coin, you have people that carry knives because they just like the way they look. In latter years, everyone had "dress" knives, daggers, and swords. Those slipjoints with jewels and gold etc were a "dress" knife, neither for fighting nor for working, but merely because they look good and will also have the secondary ability to cut.

I carry a Leatherman Wave for it's various uses and not for its blades (although the serrated one gets some use), a Boker Orion for showing to people and because I love the way it looks (there's no way to decribe the sheer beauty of that blue crystalline blade) and because when I use it in front of people/show it to them, I get two comments. Males say it looks "cool", females say it looks "pretty". It's a knife I won't get arrested for. But in my rear right pocket, I have my actual "working" knife. The actual knife varies, but they're all one-handed openers with various locking mechanisms. This is because I need to use it quickly, but they aren't for self-defense, they're for cutting boxes/paper/plastic. I don't own a ninjadeathmongertacticalfolder because if I need to defend myself, I'll use my steel-toed boots and general "streetfighting", with the knife as a last resort. Killing someone for attacking you/attempting to mug you isn't cool, adn if I needed/wanted to kill someone, I'd use a fixed blade anyway.

Ninjadeathmongertacticalfolders are a reletively recent invention, but as the saying goes "nature abhors a vacuum". There was a gap in the market and they fill it. They'll still be around (governments/lawyers/gods willing) in 100 years just the same as the "old-fashoined" blades will still be around.
 
I can't think of a better setup than a one-hander and a multi-tool. I don't like beadblast blades, but G10 is OK with me (easy to maintain, hard to damage) Most of my knives have black handles, but I've got half a dozen usable blades with some color. Don't think I could get by with just a stockman, but I do own one.
 
I started out carrying SAK's...like so many other MacGyver fans. After a while, I realized how ofen a good knife came in handy. From there I went to Gerber knives, specifically their lightweigt offerings and multitools.
For a while, I thought that my Gerber's were great high end knives...that is until I discovered this forum and started doing research. Now I don't even think twice about spending $100 for a good knife.
While I do like a lot of the traditional slipjoints and fixed blades, I've found that for everyday utility and ease of use, the combination of a multitool and a high quality tac/utility folder will do just about everything. Right now all I carry is a Gerber Multitool and a Spyderco Military. I've always found it hard to open a knife with a nail nick, especially after using well designed studs or well placed holes.
Personally, I find the tactical/modern look more appealing for the most part. However, I do like some of the more toned down versions that still incorporate the more modern features. To each his own...
 
Actually, it was'nt the black ninjadeathmongerwhatever blades that made me stop carrying traditional pocket-knives.
It was swiss army knives and mini-multi-tools like the Leatherman Micra.
I guess because we live in a very mechanized world I find that I need tools almost as much as I need a blade.
The only problem is that most SAKs and multi-tools have rather weak main blades, so I carry a locking-one-hand-pocket-clip-folder as my main blade.
I've tried to carry just a traditional pocket-knife like a stockman, but when I do I always seem to find myself searching for a screwdriver or an awl or a bottle-opener for some task.

One thing is for sure: you can't beat the modern folders for easy carry (the pocket-clip) and easy opening (hole, stud, disc).

Good luck,
Allen.
 
I still carry a one hander and a multitool too. I realize they serve their purpose. I also carry a stockman or other slipjoint. Today has been a blue case baby buttterbean. These are used for light stuff and to handle mostly. I am just intrigued by how many patterns and handles there are. I don't think they can ever replace one handers or SAK/multuitools. Maybe they can still be a useful accessory for the modern man?
 
I “ride the fence” between a few different styles of knifes. I love my modern folders for many reasons. They have pocket clips (which are a huge deal to me), lock when opened, and open and close with one hand. Modern folders are just plain convenient and easy to use. The majority of my cutting tasks are done with modern folders just because it’s too much of a hassle to dig through my pocket for a slipjoint, use the nail nick, and finally get to cut. My more leisurely cutting is done with slipjoints though, because I have time to use them and time to admire their beauty and craftsmanship. Modern folders don’t even come close to traditional patterns in terms of pride of ownership.

The big downsides of modern folders for me are the ugly handle materials and lack of multiple sized blades. If somebody could make a large stag stockman with thumb studs, locks and a pocket clip….. I’d be done buying knives. Well, almost. I’d still be buying fixed blades for outdoor work.

If the Kershaw Double Cross only had a pocket clip......
 
Won't ever buy another flat slabbed, G10 knife. Two was enough. When I look at folders I'd like have, they're usually the more expensive productions (not blacktical though) or nice, gentlemen's customs. With a custom, you can get style, beauty, natural materials, along with the modern conveniences like thumbstuds and good locks.

As a point of reference, my last three folder purchases were Tinives stars and stripes, Camillus 3 blade whittler scout knife, and Calypso Jr with Zytel and VG-10. I know what I said in the first paragraph but it's hard to beat the Calypso Jr if you need a small, cheap all purpose cutter.
 
Interesting how much diversity.., and differences in tastes. I still like 'em all.., but I do think the good old multi-tool of choice, and a high quality one-hander is the best way to go for EDC.., no matter what blade profile you fall in love with.

Great posts guys! Thanks!!




"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
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