Things you've warmed up to

I should stipulate that slim straight spearpoints on Barlow patterns, and I dont like a long swedge on a spear point.
Classic broad tapered spear points are it for me, with the exception of my small brass Mercator.
 
A recent change in my ever evolving cutlery taste has been a newly acquired appreciation of a fantastic knife called the Muskrat. A design that I previously could not understand. Two identical Turkish clip blades, on opposite ends of a big frame made no sense to me whatsoever.
I had tried a China built Muskrat years ago because it was a part of a set I was assembling and... well let's just say it was not for me. Tainted by that experience and my own ignorance I stayed away from the Muskrat. The idea that a Muskrat could be comfortable, efficient, inexpensive and a slicer extraordinaire was inconceivable for me... until I tried Schrade's 77OT. Now I lament those years without one.
Schrade's excellent 1095 combined with it's sleek Turkish clip makes for an absolutely matchless cutter, one that has to be tried to be believed. I miss the original Schrade Co. now more than ever. Fortunately the 77 Old Timers were produced in sufficient quality and quantity that nice ones are usually readily available.
Here's the knife that caused me to warm up to Muskrats... at least Schrade's Muskrat, the 77 Old Timer;

P0kUH2k.jpg
 
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WolfyW said:
I think that refers to using a safety pin to cordon off a section of your pants pocket with a safety pin. So your pocket becomes divided, one section is now just wide enough for your pocket knife.
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I had a friend who sews put the little knife pocket on most of my jeans. I got the idea from Duluth Trading Company work pants . Big safety pin works too.--KV
 
redsparrow said:
A recent change in my ever evolving cutlery taste has been a newly acquired appreciation of a fantastic knife called the Muskrat. A design that I previously could not understand. Two identical Turkish clip blades, on opposite ends of a big frame made no sense to me whatsoever.
I had tried a China built Muskrat years ago because it was a part of a set I was assembling and... well let's just say it was not for me. Tainted by that experience and my own ignorance I stayed away from the Muskrat. The idea that a Muskrat could be comfortable, efficient, inexpensive and a slicer extraordinaire was inconceivable for me... until I tried Schrade's 77OT. Now I lament those years without one.
Schrade's excellent 1095 combined with it's sleek Turkish clip makes for an absolutely matchless cutter, one that has to be tried to be believed. I miss the original Schrade Co. now more than ever. Fortunately the 77 Old Timers were produced in sufficient quality and quantity that nice ones are usually readily available.
Here's the knife that caused me to warm up to Muskrats... at least Schrade's Muskrat, the 77 Old Timer;
Check out the mod that Lansy does to these. Makes one blade a Wharncliffe. I did it to my Case muskrat. One of my favorite edc's now. --KV
P0kUH2k.jpg




Sorry about the redundant pics, they're all I have so far.
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JohnDF said:
Exactly! Like this...


Your knife will slide down between the safety pin and the edge of your pocket and ride vertically.
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This is a fantastic method I learned of from you, John :thumbsup:
I have found, however, that I need to point my pins "tip down" and have also had to resort to heavy duty pins (blanket pins).
 
kvaughn said:
Check out the mod that Lansy does to these. Makes one blade a Wharncliffe. I did it to my Case muskrat. One of my favorite edc's now. --KV
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KV, I actually bought the Muskrat with that mod in mind but after test cutting with the two blades I have not been able to bring myself to perform it. Still an option that may happen someday. :)
 
I haven't changed much in reality. If anything, I am leaning toward smaller slip joints now over the larger ones. The GEC #42's were the berries to me and I thought the GEC 70's were too small. But I still like two blades and not three or four such as you get with a stockman.

The other change has occurred in the last year was a move toward carrying a small fixed blade along with the small slip joint. The slip joint is mostly a small SAK (Small Tinker). But I could go with a GEC #14 or a peanut quite easily. Been using my SAK a lot less since I started carrying the small fixed blade. The most carried fixed blade is the small Condor Compact Kephart and the Arno Bernard Bush Baby Squirrel is runner up. I have others that are about the same size or slightly larger that are very traditional fixed blades and I just need to dig them out and look them over as possibles to the fixed blade choice.
 
I still prefer just 2 blades blades and still have no use for 3 on a knife, but I am warming up to carrying a stockman.
Of course I'd rather have a stockman with the spay blade removed, which of course would essentially be my Case Texas Jack or 33OT middleman jack.
 
kvaughn said:
I had a friend who sews put the little knife pocket on most of my jeans. I got the idea from Duluth Trading Company work pants . Big safety pin works too.--KV
Click to expand...

I like the safety pin idea, but I wonder if that would rub against the leg unless it was on the side facing the pants leg.
 
Started to like the single blade spear points, like the GEC 14(?), and jigged bone patterns, so both together is cool. Also like osage as a material.
 
cbach8tw said:
I like the safety pin idea, but I wonder if that would rub against the leg unless it was on the side facing the pants leg.
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I haven't experienced any discomfort with the pins against my leg. It takes some experimenting, but once dialed in it's a great method of carry. I have also liked using the "second" part of the pocket for my Fisher Space Pen.
 
Put me in the warming up to stainless camp now that decent stainless is starting to become more available, albeit sporadically.
 
cbach8tw said:
Started to like the single blade spear points, like the GEC 14(?), and jigged bone patterns, so both together is cool. Also like osage as a material.
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I also like them and have a couple. I don't dislike spear points as I have been carrying a SAK for 30+ years. I however wanted a two-blade #14 with a clip blade. I finally found one at a show last March from a GEC dealer there. That particular show was canceled this year. I also prefer jigged bone for my users overall. I like the look a lot.

I warmed up to modern folders for a while... but I just prefer a slip joint for the most part and finally accepted that and not really looking much at modern knives any more.
 
22-rimfire said:
I warmed up to modern folders for a while... but I just prefer a slip joint for the most part and finally accepted that and not really looking much at modern knives any more.
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I held on for a while but I realized how foolish it was of me to want the knives and entire modern knife industry to change when theres a whole world of knives that are right up my alley.
It was the materials, the simple aesthetics, and the lack of all the marketing bs and hype driving sales that I was looking for.
I was waiting for an entire industry to change all these things when the solution was really just as simple as warming up to a two handed opening knife.
 
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