Top Five (maybe 7, lol) and that's it!!!

Ironbut Ironbut Heckuva selection!!! Can't beat a good Buck knife! I replaced my 35 at the very end, and if I owed a 66... there's a good chance it'd be in my pile!!! Bose? Great choice! However, I refuse to own one due to personal (mostly financial) reasons. 😂

P.S. That 66 is a beaut! *dibs* lol
 
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pjsjr said:
Well stated Gary, I concur and will try to comply. However, I have spent the last couple of hours thinking about how I could mostly, kinda comply and still get a few more of my knives in the thread. I have knives that I use most of the time, knives that I bought to use but have decided not to and then to ones that I have bought just for their great looks.

So in keeping with the OP's goals of the thread here are my choices...
2arKmzZ.jpeg
Click to expand...
The first fixed blade arrives! 🙌
 
Oh how dare you ask such a question.

I’ll give my best try at this. I will have honorable mentions however.

I narrowed the honorable mention to 4 🤦🏻.

1. Cosimo lamb
2. 77 clip Barlow
3. 39 club knife
4. Albers GL-24 lamb (not pictured)

IMG_7642.jpeg


The final 5 as of right now. It was hard narrowing it down to be honest. 32 was a surprise but I carry it often and I’m liking it.

1. HHB
2. 93 lamb
3. 77 BF
4. 32 NF
5. Grinling Whittler

IMG_7641.jpeg
 
321Bandaid said:
Fellow knife-nerds Blade Enthusiasts,

A little background: I've had a bit of a mental shift lately regarding my "collection" and have decided to "use it or lose it"... for the most part, lol. Crazy, I know.🤦‍♂️With that being said, as I've dug through the various piles, tubes, and boxes in an attempt to "thin the herd" (easier said than done), I've reeaalllyyy had to put some thought into. Interestingly, there have been a handful of knives that have kept me circling back... and, they're NOT the ones I thought they'd be! 😮

So, let's assume (because.. Pfft!.. it'll never happen 😂), that you were limited to ONLY FIVE (5) (or maybe 7, lol) traditionals to USE for the rest of your days. Which ones would they do be?? 🤔

Rules are simple:
Must be a traditional
No brand restrictions
Only FIVE!!! (Ok.. seven MAX!) 🤣

I really hope this catches on! I think it would be very cool to see everyone's "couldn't live without 'em" pile.

I'll get us started.

Not the fanciest, but these five (5) might just do it:
View attachment 2807256
Actually, let's make it seven (7) 😂:
View attachment 2807283
Click to expand...
Where.Is.The.Pony?! :p 😂
 
Okay so I'm constraining this to traditional folding users. Ignoring safe queens and fixed blades and the one modern folder (yup, just one). As you know I don't rotate the pocket often which contributes to my lack of pictures... Anyway, on with it. If I could only keep five of the users in the cigar box on my desk they would be (peanut of course, 68 White Owl, 92 Eureka Jack, 2019 Guardians Lambfoot, alox Electrician):

IMG-4736b.jpg


And for the slightly-over-five it would be these (68 Pony Jack, 62 Easy Pocket Congress, and 34 Camel Back Congress):

IMG-4737b.jpg
 
peanutsxx said:
Okay so I'm constraining this to traditional folding users. Ignoring safe queens and fixed blades and the one modern folder (yup, just one). As you know I don't rotate the pocket often which contributes to my lack of pictures... Anyway, on with it. If I could only keep five of the users in the cigar box on my desk they would be (peanut of course, 68 White Owl, 92 Eureka Jack, 2019 Guardians Lambfoot, alox Electrician):

IMG-4736b.jpg


And for the slightly-over-five it would be these (68 Pony Jack, 62 Easy Pocket Congress, and 34 Camel Back Congress):

IMG-4737b.jpg
Click to expand...
🙌 Another 34 made the cut (barely)!!! Also, hmm... 68s are terrible! Gimme that. 🫴
 
Putting all sentiment aside, I could probably get by with just a single knife -an Opinel 8 in carbon steel. Big enough for most things, small enough for most things, unsurpassed cutting performance, light and comfortable in the hand. I might not want to clean fish with it because of the smell, but that happens so infrequently it’s not really an issue 🤣.
endBWWH.jpeg
 
Dude, I tried. I really did. I got done with the 7 and realized I didn't even have the 86 BF barlow in. Then I found a couple others I'd cry over if I had to leave out. Then I started having anxiety and said the HELL WITH IT!!! 🤣 Sorry Chris. I tried.
 
TylerG12 said:
Dude, I tried. I really did. I got done with the 7 and realized I didn't even have the 86 BF barlow in. Then I found a couple others I'd cry over if I had to leave out. Then I started having anxiety and said the HELL WITH IT!!! 🤣 Sorry Chris. I tried.
Click to expand...
😂 Perhaps, I should have titled this thread the "Dirty Dozen". I've already wanted to revise my pile at least 100x since posting it. 🥴
 
It will be very tough to pick Only 5 to have and USE . But I will have a stab at it .
2019 Blade Forums knife
vYxtd0Y.jpg

Taylors Eye Witness Lambfoot and Old Stag Pruner
Yes , I really do use them both
OGdfB0t.jpg

Kauhavan Puukko with Birch Bark Handles
BIkssOw.jpg

Taylors Eye Witness
VEcGSQS.jpg

And if I was to Stretch it to 7 ?? I would likely choose these as Users also
Gk8uFOz.jpg

Gi0bk1i.jpg

But I will never be able to carry and use any of the knives above as long as I carried and used this Ulster . Bought new in 1961 and retired in 2003.
HHA256W.jpg


Harry
 
"Keep ONLY 5" means that each keeper knife has to represent several aspects of my current knife holdings.
I'll keep this semi-organized by listing in order of number of blades, least to greatest.

1. Watchman W002 with wood handles, hefty sheepsfoot blade, and bail
4HijYTc.jpeg

Until 10.5 years ago, I didn't know what a sheepsfoot blade was, and I thought a pocketknife with only a single blade just didn't live up to its potential. But as I've become more familiar with the immense variety available in folding knives, I've become very fond of the utility and power of knives that have a big wood handle and a substantial sheepsfoot blade. I have several of them now, and I'll let this Chinese Watchman represent that style of knife, since it also has a bail and an anchor shield, two features that I find quite irresistible in terms of utility and of style, respectively.

2. Mohawk stag canoe
8ctQSXw.jpeg

My choice for a 2-bladed knife will have to be a canoe; I own more canoes than any other knife pattern. I also really admire stag covers, even though I don't have many in my current holdings. So I'll choose this stag Mohawk canoe as my 2-bladed knife. It was made in Germany for AG Russell, so I suppose it represents the many European knives I have (from Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic).
Also, the knife represents for me the "community aspects" of The Porch, since a BF member bought the knife in a lot he purchased, then, knowing my "thang" for canoes, contacted me and offered me the knife for a more-than-fair price (thanks, Mike).

3. Case chestnut jigged bone CV sowbelly stockman
Vpmq4Gb.jpeg

My favorite 3-bladed pattern is the clip/sheepsfoot/spey stockman, especially the sowbelly version of the pattern. I'm also a fan of Case as an historically important American cutler, and Case's chestnut jigged bone CV series is one that I have actively pursued over the years, especially after receiving 3 different patterns from that series as generous gifts from 3 different BF members (2 of whom have passed away). So this particular knife represents some very specific things for me, but also checks some "general" boxes: bone handles (which I hadn't seen until first coming to BF), spey and clip blades, and round bolsters and almost sunk joints (2 structural features that I find very appealing).

4. Colonial Forest-Master scout knife from the 1960s
vE3JNLr.jpeg

For a 4-or-more-bladed knife, I wanted to include some sort of SAK, probably with Alox covers. I was having a hard time deciding whether the Farmer or the Electrician should be my choice. But then I realized my first knife deserves to stay with me as long as possible, so it MUST be one of my 5 keepers! This knife was my constant companion on Dad's dairy farm from the time I was 9 or 10 until I left for college in 1969, and I've used it more, for more different kinds of tasks, than any other knife I have. I still think that I should always carry a knife that is a "pocket toolbox" with several tools in addition to a sharp blade. I suppose this Colonial also represents synthetic covers for me, and it represents the inexpensive but decent quality knives toward which I still gravitate.

5. Union Jack, my rosewood lambsfoot
UIsd8Ch.jpeg

Obviously, I've looped back to a single-bladed knife for my last choice. This knife represents my lambsfoot knives, a blade that I've come to respect highly. It also represents my family's support of my "crazy knife habit", since it's a knife my wife and daughter bought for me in a York, England hardware store.

Maybe I'll return to add a couple of more knives later, but I think I'd want to add 2 dozen instead of just 2, so don't hold your breath!

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
"Keep ONLY 5" means that each keeper knife has to represent several aspects of my current knife holdings.
I'll keep this semi-organized by listing in order of number of blades, least to greatest.

1. Watchman W002 with wood handles, hefty sheepsfoot blade, and bail
4HijYTc.jpeg

Until 10.5 years ago, I didn't know what a sheepsfoot blade was, and I thought a pocketknife with only a single blade just didn't live up to its potential. But as I've become more familiar with the immense variety available in folding knives, I've become very fond of the utility and power of knives that have a big wood handle and a substantial sheepsfoot blade. I have several of them now, and I'll let this Chinese Watchman represent that style of knife, since it also has a bail and an anchor shield, two features that I find quite irresistible in terms of utility and of style, respectively.

2. Mohawk stag canoe
8ctQSXw.jpeg

My choice for a 2-bladed knife will have to be a canoe; I own more canoes than any other knife pattern. I also really admire stag covers, even though I don't have many in my current holdings. So I'll choose this stag Mohawk canoe as my 2-bladed knife. It was made in Germany for AG Russell, so I suppose it represents the many European knives I have (from Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic).
Also, the knife represents for me the "community aspects" of The Porch, since a BF member bought the knife in a lot he purchased, then, knowing my "thang" for canoes, contacted me and offered me the knife for a more-than-fair price (thanks, Mike).

3. Case chestnut jigged bone CV sowbelly stockman
Vpmq4Gb.jpeg

My favorite 3-bladed pattern is the clip/sheepsfoot/spey stockman, especially the sowbelly version of the pattern. I'm also a fan of Case as an historically important American cutler, and Case's chestnut jigged bone CV series is one that I have actively pursued over the years, especially after receiving 3 different patterns from that series as generous gifts from 3 different BF members (2 of whom have passed away). So this particular knife represents some very specific things for me, but also checks some "general" boxes: bone handles (which I hadn't seen until first coming to BF), spey and clip blades, and round bolsters and almost sunk joints (2 structural features that I find very appealing).

4. Colonial Forest-Master scout knife from the 1960s
vE3JNLr.jpeg

For a 4-or-more-bladed knife, I wanted to include some sort of SAK, probably with Alox covers. I was having a hard time deciding whether the Farmer or the Electrician should be my choice. But then I realized my first knife deserves to stay with me as long as possible, so it MUST be one of my 5 keepers! This knife was my constant companion on Dad's dairy farm from the time I was 9 or 10 until I left for college in 1969, and I've used it more, for more different kinds of tasks, than any other knife I have. I still think that I should always carry a knife that is a "pocket toolbox" with several tools in addition to a sharp blade. I suppose this Colonial also represents synthetic covers for me, and it represents the inexpensive but decent quality knives toward which I still gravitate.

5. Union Jack, my rosewood lambsfoot
UIsd8Ch.jpeg

Obviously, I've looped back to a single-bladed knife for my last choice. This knife represents my lambsfoot knives, a blade that I've come to respect highly. It also represents my family's support of my "crazy knife habit", since it's a knife my wife and daughter bought for me in a York, England hardware store.

Maybe I'll return to add a couple of more knives later, but I think I'd want to add 2 dozen instead of just 2, so don't hold your breath!

- GT
Click to expand...
Wow Gary, that Sowbelly is off the charts! What a fantastic knife! Lance
 
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