Traditional knife for a non-traditional knife guy?

M

Mr .44 Spl

Joined
Jul 9, 2009
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I have mostly "non-traditional" knives: kershaw, benchmade, spyderco, etc. Most of them have some sort of gee-whiz steel: S30V, 154CM,VG10, you know the rest. But I've been thinking I might like to add a traditonal to the EDC rotation. This will probably be the only traditonal I'll get (:rolleyes: that what I said about fixed blade knives too!) so I want it to be a good one.

I'm not looking for an entry level knife, but I'm not looking for a big time custom either. I'd prefer for it to be under $100, two or three blades, nothing fancy for the scales, and good solid quantity. I'm not really interested in any odd-ball blade shapes either. I prefer a top notch stainless steel, but I'm not afraid of carbon steel. I've got a couple of fixed blades in 1095 and haven't had any problems maintaining them.

So what would the experts recommend? If you recommend something other than Case or Boker which you can get anywhere, let me know where you would get it from.

Thanks for the suggestions.:cool:
 
How about a nice Queen knife in D2? They have lots of traditional patterns and nice handle materials like abalone and hardwood for under 100 bucks. D2, as I'm sure you know, is near stainless and will hold an edge for a long time. It can be tricky to get them sharp from their initial dullness new out of the box, but it shouldn't be too hard for a guy with a drawer full of S30V.

For top notch stainless, A.G. Russell offers a couple slip joints in BG-42 and ATS34/154CPM. Some might be a bit about your price range, but I can think of a least a couple in ATS on his site for around 100 dollars. His titanium lockbacks are excellent quality, good value and some have very ornate scales (like my abalone example). The lockbacks all feature VG-10 steel and they come super sharp out of the box.
 
Mr .44 Spl said:
So what would the experts recommend? If you recommend something other than Case or Boker which you can get anywhere, let me know where you would get it from.

Thanks for the suggestions.:cool:
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All depends.

What kind of clothing, pants in particular do you wear 90% of the time. It makes a difference.

A small Texas jack will get lost in a pair of Carhart work jeans, but a stockman will be a heavy lump in dress pants.

What do you do for a living and how do you dress?
 
jackknife said:
All depends.

What kind of clothing, pants in particular do you wear 90% of the time. It makes a difference.

A small Texas jack will get lost in a pair of Carhart work jeans, but a stockman will be a heavy lump in dress pants.

What do you do for a living and how do you dress?
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That's a fair question. I tend to carry fairly large knives, but most of them have pocket clips so they don't move around much. The biggest I've carried on a regular basis without a pocket clip is a Vic Soldier and it doesn't bother me at all. So a fairly large knife wouldn't be a problem I don't think.

But to answer your question: either Dockers or blue jeans 95% of the time. I'm an engineer by trade and spend most of my time in an office.:rolleyes:
 
Look into the GEC range, mainly carbon some stainless but all Old School in the best sense of the word. As for dealers, check on the GEC website there are two very good ones there I know for a fact and likely more. Good luck!
 
I am a new convert into EDC slip joints. I started with a toothpick pattern and carried it in my "zippo pocket" or "Key pocket" of my jeans (I also had a SAK that I carried). I liked using it a lot, so I moved up to a Case peanut in the same pocket. Finally I got a Buck Stockman and I carry that in my right front pocket (to add utility I also carry a leatherman micra in my zippo pocket). It is a good trade off from carrying a SAK.

I am looking into Case CV, Queen, Great Eastern Cutlery, and Bulldog brands for new stockman patterns (about 4 inches closed). It has become my favorite pattern and size.

Thats just me, and I am new to this too. I usually wear denim blue jeans.
 
Great report Government. I think it shows the natural progression of someone who "gets" EDC pocket knives.

BTW, the "zippo pocket" used to be call a watch pocket, and is a hold over from the days before wrist watches. The ones in my Carhart jeans are large enough to carry a 4" closed slip joint, so that's where I carry my Stockaman. It prints a lot less riding higher on my leg.
 
Mr. 44spl, based on your user name alone I'd say you definitely need a traditional slip joint. For a really nice EDC that comes in under a $100, take a long look at the GEC line. That is likely where my next money will be spent. The two blade trapper or "Scout" model has been calling to me.
 
You can't go wrong with a Case Stockman CV blades. Either Reg Stockman or a med Stockman.
 
I recommend getting what my first traditional was. Case Medium stockman with CV blades. Like you, I was into tactical knives and had all sorts of spydercos and benchmades. Then all of the sudden, one day I was using my stockman and it just clicked! I ended up selling off almost all of my tacticals and replacing them with slipjoints. Don't regret it one bit, the traditionals are easier to carry and don't attract attention. Plus bone is more interesting than g-10 or carbon fiber and with all the different patterns and makes it's hard to get tired of them.
 
Thanks for the suggestions folks.

I'm really liking the look of the knives from GEC, and I really like 1095 as a blade steel. I'm leaning towards either Stockman or Scout pattern, but also like the look of the Whittler. Which means I've already added 3 to my list of wants? Oh well, so much for limiting it to a single traditional.:p
 
Yep .44spl, that's a very, very slippery slope you're trying to traverse!

Ultimately you'll probably end up owning a few before one of them really speaks to you. One will just start to look better, and better in your hand and in your pocket. Or you may fall in love with your very first one---------kinda like marrying your high school sweetheart.

You've got a PM en route regarding your user name. :)
 
Will do. I PM'd you, and it was supposed to go to the email account you used to join the forum.
 
Fellas, let's just go to email or PM and stop discussing it here...
 
the 2 best brands i've found are queen & gec. gecs are a little more expensive but quality is top notch. the gec 1095 is fantastic, cuts thru deer ribs & wo'nt chip or roll. both brands can be rebeveled acutely & take a razor edge. these knives get so sharp that it hurts your eyes to look at the edges.
 
DennisStrickland said:
the 2 best brands i've found are queen & gec. gecs are a little more expensive but quality is top notch. the gec 1095 is fantastic, cuts thru deer ribs & wo'nt chip or roll. both brands can be rebeveled acutely & take a razor edge. these knives get so sharp that it hurts your eyes to look at the edges.
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Lol, anyone gone blind yet ;P
But I agree, those are very, very nice knives
 
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