Too many- or not enough.

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pjackst

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Jun 5, 2014
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I am posting here because my interpretation of the word "traditional" will shift for just a moment, to indicate "old." Or maybe "well-used" is more appropriate. Its a bit sentimental, so please do not read on.

I recently acquired a Utica/Kutmaster stockman that my late WWII-B17-pilot/dairy-farmer/entrepreneur grandfather carried. It took me about an hour to gouge out all the bright yellow paint that he sprayed all over it (most likely to discourage loss or theft). Aside from the unattractive paint remnants here and there, its a neat little tool- spotty corrosion on the stainless steel to and fro indicate its age, which I like... that, and I just love simple, low-speed cutting tools.

He was a simple dude who happened not to be as interested in knives as those who post (and lurk) here. The amazing thing about this disinterest is that he essentially had this ONE KNIFE (weird right) and that this one knife got used for everything (others certainly came before it of course). The brass has taken on that satiny soft look as it bounced around during years of pocket carry, etc. Any patina-ness on this thing is natural and authentic.

It made me realize that as I accumulate more and more knives (or any tools), two things can happen:

One- there are only so many knife-using hours in a lifetime, and so, as we rotate our four or five or 45 different EDC blades in and out of our pockets on a daily (hourly sometime?) basis, we end up giving each one just a mere fraction of the use for which they may have been intended (some none at all). There are many exceptions, of course, but most knives, like most pairs of Carharts, just kinda look better as they age. Humble opinion.

Two- there is hope. With every new knife we acquire and use that causes us to neglect the ones we already have, we might just be one step closer to something meaningful. To the "Tri Force" of knives. To the one knife to rule them all. The favorite knife ever. Based on my own voracious appetite for the myriad types of beautiful knives out there, I know how silly this sounds- but I think that maybe, some of us are on some kind of quest to find their own one knife. Imagine that for a second. Its pretty hard to do. But I am 32, and I imagine that if I found such a knife, and if I ended up mostly using just that one knife from here on out, it would make it pretty special at the end of my run. More special than some left behind mint-condition AlOx SAK that's never made it into the rotation, for whatever reason (I just picked a model).

Its like those old carbon steel kitchen knives one sees that obtain a natural recurve in that one sweet spot where it hits the hone over years and years. On the one hand, none of my kitchen knives have achieved that level of wear (and that level of wear is cool). However, I haven't found the one I'd be happy to wear out yet, so onward I march, I guess.

Has anyone found it yet? Pics are welcome.

*For the TL-DR version- What knife have you carried the longest that you anticipate might just be the most favored ever, forever?
 
I'm afraid I just don't have a favorite. To me, one of the great benefits of having many nice traditionals is being able to enjoy them all without wearing out any of them. I have a couple dozen that I carry and use with some regularity, but none of them get carried more than a month or six weeks out of a year. And literally any of the hundreds of knives I own might see use on an irregular whim. I am also happily one of those people who are "easy" on things. I have clothes and shoes that are literally 35 years old and still in use. To me the joy of traditional knives is their unique and beautiful pattern shapes, sizes, cover materials and blade choices. And that joy is experienced in the using of them, not in wearing them out. And of course, variety IS the spice of life.
 
I seem to be getting a lot of mileage out of a Victorinox Alox Cadet that I've carried pretty much every day since I got it last year. It's a convenient tool to have along, with multiple functions. My usage of it is not especially heavy or strenuous, and I take care of my knives. So unless bad fortune befalls it, it shouldn't look significantly different in 20 years than it does now.

I guess that one could be my "one knife," though as a knife hobbyist/collector/addict I tend to carry another one in addition to that one, the other one being whatever else I feel like carrying, whether it gets used or not.

My "rotation" period of the second knife slot has expanded to several months, though. I carried a Case Small Texas Jack for the first 4 months of the year along with the Vic Cadet. For the past month or so, it has been a Buck 303 Cadet (dual cadets!).

Once in a while I'll carry something different, but I sure love those two Cadets and have a hard time NOT carrying both of them.
 
I completely agree. Up to a couple years ago, I had one knife. I used one knife until I wore it out, then I bought another-usually a sub $30 one handed opener from WM. It was just a tool, a means to an end, something to cut open boxes, cut wire, open packages, and occasionally slice an apple or start peeling an orange.

But, when I got into knife collecting, well, I've got more knives now than I've probably ever had. But the point of collecting is the hunt for something new, different, beautiful. It's more than a means to an end. Some guys collect paintings, some guys collect knives.

I'm in the second camp: I like pocket knives. I see them as functional art, so I'll probably keep acquiring them as my budget and interest allows. I keep thinking I'll find the one and that'll be it, but I always seem to find another knife and carry it for a while before I find another one.
 
Not too long ago I was reading another new thread here entitled something along the lines of "I've finally found the one!" When I wondered to myself; how many people who have done that have actually never bought another?
 
You know it's funny. I don't actually believe in the One. That implies that there is a perfect knife out there. A romantic idea, but I don't think it exists.

Still, I have a knife that I carry every day. It's not better than everything else, it's not even the best out of the small bunch that I have. I carry it out of sentiment because it was a gift.

I'm doing my best to wear it out though. Nothing wasteful mind you, but just using it the way a daily companion is meant to be used. Throw it in a pocket with keys and coins, carry it with me on my travels. If it picks up a few dings and scratches or gets lost so be it. A small price to pay for having such a fine knife.

- Christian
 
**WARNING: Wall of text ahead**

I'm really glad that you started this thread. For the last 7 years or so I've been carrying a knife that I didn't even like. It's a garbage knife that happened to be what I picked up at random at a sporting goods store, probably based on the fact that it was the cheapest of the ones that looked how I wanted my knife to look. I carried it every day because I needed a knife and that's the one I had. I recently came to the conclusion that I've spent enough of my life struggling to make the most of this knife. It was time to pony up and buy a decent knife.

I'm pretty big on handing stuff down. I cherish the things that I've received from previous generations. I decided that since I was buying the knife that my kids would probably grow up seeing in my hand every day I might as well get one that was worth handing down to them.

I'm not against collecting things. Heck, I've got a box full of Zippos and I don't even smoke. Many of them are virtually indistinguishable from each other. I don't know why I have them, but there's just something about having a Zippo in my hands that makes me feel good. So, when I see one that strikes my fancy I buy it. I'm really happy that there are people out there that buy 100 pocket knives. I have spent a lot of time over the last month looking through these forums in awe of the collections that some of the members have amassed. It's really cool that you're able to do that, and I've gotten myself a little pile in my desk drawer.

The thing is, when I look at the things that I have inherited I don't care about what company name is stamped on them. It doesn't matter to me if they're "the best" model. They're special because of the time that my family members spent with those objects. My family was in the railroad business. 100 years ago if you were a train conductor your most prized possession was your pocket watch. You had a schedule to keep, and if your watch was off you ran the risk of sharing the tracks with a train heading the other direction. I have my great grandfather's pocket watch. I don't know much about the make or model. I don't know what features it has or doesn't have. I just know that he spent a good part of his life with this watch in his hands. My grandfather was a cribbage player. I have his cribbage board. Again, this might have just been a board he picked up at random at the five and dime store. It doesn't matter. What matters is that he took such good care of it through the years that it's still in it's original box. He used it enough that the box is wearing through from the board sliding in and out. I grew up hearing about my father's hiking trip through the Canadian Rockies. He went before he was married, so we weren't around for it. I didn't hear about it every day, but it sure came up a lot when we were camping. My parents sold their house a couple years ago and moved into an apartment. All of my dad's tools came to live in my garage. This spring I was looking for a new camping hatchet. I spotted a 5-gallon bucket in the garage full of old rusty saws. I dug in and pulled out a Craftsman hatchet. It was covered in rust and the rubber handle had split about halfway down and somebody had tried to tape it up. Now, when you touched it your hand came away covered in black tar-like tape residue. My dad looked at it and said "Oh, that's my hatchet from when I was hiking through the Rockies." I cut the rubber off of it, cleaned it up, and fashioned a new handle out of a bit of hickory and some paracord. It's just a Craftsman, but it's the hatchet my dad used and the one my kids will grow up using.

On Sunday I decided on which knife I was going to have in my pocket going forward. It's a Tidioute #23 with pioneer bone scales. I don't know if it's the perfect knife for me, but I know that if my kids grow up seeing that knife being used and cared for it'll be the perfect knife to them. They'll have plenty of Zippos to choose from, and from the looks of it they'll probably get a choice of knives as well, and every one of those lighters will remind them of me but none of them will be "Papa's lighter". I don't have one that I carry regularly enough for that. I'm hoping that this Tidioute will become "Papa's knife", and I think that there's a pretty good chance it will because I've already grown quite attached to it. Being my first quality knife I don't see that going away even if I do accumulate some others. Sorry for the long and boring post, but I definitely related to what the OP was saying.

Here's a bad picture of my little pile of memories, including the knife that I hope will someday belong:

20140723_154607_Android.jpg
 
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I do agree Black Mamba. Too many colors in the rainbow to pick a favorite. But the quest for the one sure is fun.
 
Very cool post Cory. History adds value for me also. I have the hope that my kids will embrace the value in items passed down also. Thanks for sharing.

I have a little Old Timer that was a gift that gets used five days a week for whatever my 50 hour work week throws at it. The others get used the rest of the time. I can't say that there is the "one" out there but there are so many I like and want to add to my smallish collection. I will say that the more human hands were involved in its making the more I like it.

Chris
 
Jc57 I think that the knife WILL SHOW a subtle age/wear after 20 years of lovin. But it's gentle. And it only comes w time.
 
Its like anything else we collect, use, or consume. Variety is the spice of life. Some people like to buy new shoes frequently, trade their car in every new model year, or have a different rolex for every day of the week.

As long as your kids have food on the table and your bills are paid, do what makes you happy. Cant take any of these things or money with you.

My most carried knife that shows the most use is my spearpoint long pull charlow.
 
I can't do it. I tried one knife... is not enough, but I've also had 20+ knives at one point in my less than two years of being on bf.

The time here was well spent. It allowed me to explore, learn and realize what I like and don't like about knives.

For all of the knives that didn't suit me I either sent off to people, sold, traded or did a GAW.

Most knives should be used if you are not of the collector type. I've personally become comfortable with roughly 6-8 knives that all have an almost very narrow purpose.

But in that time I've learned that I really prefer single blades and as much as I think wharnies are gorgeous the humble drop point/ clip point are my most favored blade shape!

Most days I will rotate between a very good at least to me $10 RR or an Alox Sak and I literally have no need to change it up.

I am currently enamored with Schrade 50- 70-T's though and my excuse to get some of those are I would like a nice 3 inch sturdy blade in a folder that doesn't stick out of my pocket in public BC its clipped toy pants as I don't live somewhere knife carrying is the norm.
 
I’ve never done the, “What knife should I carry today?” thing. Why, if I must decide which knife to carry, I might forget to pocket any knife! :confused: I might leave my house naked! :eek:

I keep a Jr. Stockman in my LFP. I keep a larger knife in my RFP. When I put my pants on, the knives come along. The same set rides in my neat pants, and in my grubbies. When I change to clean pants, the knives are transferred with the rest of my pocket clutter.

The small stockman pattern is constant, though the brand might change. Just now I have a Heckles’s Twins that I bought new, back when Heckles made pocket knives. In my other pants I have a Schrade Uncle Henry’s. I bought it when I heard Schrade was going belly up.

The big knife varies. But I’ll pick one and carry it for years. Once it was Buck stockman. One a Case trapper. For a while it was a Buck 110. For the past eight years it has been the Vic Farmer.

That's the way I've done it since my early teens, when I added a larger knife to compliment small stockman.
 
Raymond1000 said:
I’ve never done the, “What knife should I carry today?” thing. Why, if I must decide which knife to carry, I might forget to pocket any knife! :confused: I might leave my house naked! :eek:
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Oh the terror that strikes when I find myself w/o a little folder in my pocket! Oh wait- my obsession/knife neurosis always prevents that lol

I don't really do the "what knife today" thing either- it's either the stockman, the sodbuster jr, or an opinel 8. Shoot- I guess I DO do that
 
I think based on both selection bias and survivor bias of the population of your audience, you are not going to find many one-knife-for-life people on a forum dedicated to knives, unless it is the person who is in the brief stage of doing research before buying the one knife, never to be seen again.

So, the contradiction: Yes, we value and even venerate the *idea* of someone using a trusty old pocket knife for many years, and it getting that well-worn character of an often-used tool. However, once you pick "the one" you are simultaneously foregoing all of the other ones out there. So that's the opportunity cost, and therein lies the paradox of choice.

Me, I'm just playing it by ear. Recently I haven't really changed up what I carry much, as I mentioned in my previous post. But I've got plenty I'd like to get some use out of that are sitting waiting, so some day they'll each get their time in the pocket, and eventually end up in the estate sale!
 
jc57 said:
I think based on both selection bias and survivor bias of the population of your audience, you are not going to find many one-knife-for-life people on a forum dedicated to knives, unless it is the person who is in the brief stage of doing research before buying the one knife, never to be seen again.
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Agreed! The one-knife-guy is not going to stay on this forum long enough to answer the OP. In fact, they might never even have heard of this forum. There's a lot of guys I know who buy a knife, use it till it breaks and buys another. Sometimes they buy the exact same model as previously 'cos it worked for them. Sometimes they ask me for a recommendation 'cos they see me playing with different knives and think I know something about it.
For me, I can't stick to one knife. Even though I've only gotten into traditionals recently, I know I'll always be tempted to try a different blade shape, cover, size etc. I know because it's the same with my fishing rods. I've been fishing for more than 30 years and I've pretty much decided which is my favorite rod but that has not stopped me from trying out different ones. I always go back to the same one but I've accumulated a rack of 20+ rods!!!
To me, it's all part and parcel of a hobby. And therein lies the difference. To me, my knife collection is a hobby. As opposed to a work tool. I don't think there are too many fellas who would accumulate a collection of hammers or saws ;) Those are tools and you only need one.

Linus
 
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