Traditionals in the Trades?

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pinnah

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So, this question has come up in several recent threads and I thought it might be interesting to explore more directly in its own thread.

What traditional patterns do you use (or see being used) when working in the trades, on the farm, in the shop, in the military?

I think it's a foregone conclusion that the single blade tactical folder and the modern multi-tool are hear to stay. So, the question really is, do traditionals still have a place? And if they do, for what? And why?

Here are some of the patterns I would expect to be mentioned. If you carry one of these in the workplace or you see it carried in your workplace, could you describe how they get used and why they get used instead of a tactical or a multi-tool?

Would also be interesting to hear your thoughts on how common you think your use of a traditional is in your field or line of work.

Lastly, I would love to hear how much you typically pay for a working knife and how much you think your peers are willing to pay.

I really want to emphasize, that we're talking about actual I use this for work type of feedback. Not I think these look cool type of feedback.

Stockman

Camper/BSA/SAK

Lockback hunter (e.g. Buck 110 and similar)

Peanut and small jacks

Fixed blades

Friction folders (e.g. Opinel, Svord)
 
There have been VERY FEW guys at my workplaces that used traditionals. One was a master electrician in his late 50. He had a two blade bone handled jack that looked as old and worn as him. He used it for everything you could think of, but just like myself, he had access to a full shop of tools and personal tool sets. For the most part I saw one hand openers and folding or fixed utility knives. Besides myself, I don't see many people in the places that I have worked using traditional knives, unless they borrowed mine.

ETA, when I sold firearms, my favorite old fart that taught me all the ropes carried his age old 110. That knife did everything.
 
I worked at a factory making diamond drill bits for over 5 years. Just about the only traditional folders I saw there were the Buck lock backs. There were a few floating about.

A lot of one handed folders too (what I carried while there).

In fact, I have never carried a non one handed folder in a "trade" or farm job. I have done some farm work too.

Now, I carry traditional, but it is white collar now. Basically, letter opening.
 
Bigfattyt said:
I worked at a factory making diamond drill bits for over 5 years. Just about the only traditional folders I saw there were the Buck lock backs. There were a few floating about.

A lot of one handed folders too (what I carried while there).

In fact, I have never carried a non one handed folder in a "trade" or farm job. I have done some farm work too.

Now, I carry traditional, but it is white collar now. Basically, letter opening.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I found this to be true on the farms I have worked on around me too. Traditional fixed blades, yes. Traditional folder, not really.
 
Mostly case, boker, schrade, and German eyes here. Small to medium stockmans few trappers and large stockmans. I guess 20$ to 50$ for prices that guys pay. Most of the old farmers carry case stockmans the younger guys carry the 18 pattern stockmans and sodbusters. Very few taticals but u do see a lot of leathermans on guys belts.
 
I spent just a bit over 30 years in the machinist trade, and we had a sheet metal shop, welding shop, paint shop and plating room on premises. Said from myself and a few friends, most of the younger guys didn't even carry a knife. They just dropped a box cutter in their shop apron. A few guys carried a Gerber LST because the Dick's down the road had them on sale for 14.95. By the late 1990's I saw the rise of the Super knife type of things being carried. Most working guys who are not knife knits, don't really care about having a nice knife. They just want to have a cutting tool. I also saw some plastic handle gas station knives like they sell on late night TV made by Frosts. No, not the Swedish Frosts, those 'other' Frosts that are made in a far off eastern place.

About 4 years ago, Karen and I had the kitchen remodeled, and the two guys who dod it both carried the Husky brand folding box cutter type of knife. They liked just popping a new blade in and going on with the day. I couldn't argue with their logic, and I can see where somebody who is not a knife knut would go for it. Most of the young guys I know at the gun club carry a modern knife or one of those folding utility knives with replaceable blades. They think Wayne and I are kind of strange old farts. We even use revolvers!

I sometimes wonder if the traditional pocket knives have much of a following outside of die hards like us on this forum.

Carl.
 
A Boker Stockman & Opinel #9 are what I use, the Opinel gets used the most, need to make clean cuts in R8 insulation to fold over and hem staple, cutting flex, also when fabricating duct work and lining it with closed cell insulation, utility knife just is not long enough. In a pinch i have used it to start holes in 30g,26g and maybe 24g sheet metal, also to scrape off mortar, pry to seat fittings, cut sheetrock & cement board. I've met one electrician that used a Opinel, one electrician that used a Buck 112, and a plumber that used a kershaw leek, another guy I work with uses a Leatherman, the owner of the company that I worked for carried a CRKT tanto OHO. I would say most guys use OHO utility knives that fold Husky mostly.
I have bought and given away 2 Opinels one to an electrician, and one to another HVAC installer.
 
Working on the sheet metal trade, I carry a stock or cattle knife and a one hander. Cattle knife gets used most. Seen lots of trappers around this part of the world. A few russlocks an Opinal or two and a few fixed blades.
 
I worked for a house painter for a few years a while back. I, too, almost always used a folding box cutter of the folding type. For one thing, I spent a lot of time cutting tough things like cove base, ceiling tiles, etc., that dulled blades awfully quick. That, and all our gear ended up covered in paint so I wanted to use something I flat didn't care about.

I always carry a stockman, so it often gets used on jobs I do now. I carry a leatherman as well, but for the other tools more than the blade.

I have some buddies that do farm work. They only carry 'tactical' knives from what I've seen. Last one I saw was a... SOG Vulcan Tanto (I think). Blech.
 
Great Idea for a thread Pinnah :thumbup:

I started down the traditional path within the last year. I have always carried a more modern type single blade folder up until I purchased my first GEC, which happened to be a #79 workhorse whittler. Working in countertop fabrication and installation I use a knife every day. I had owned and carried one or two different folders for years and then I got the bug. I started going through knife after knife, different company after different company. I have had the pleasure of using some mighty fine non traditional knives but I guess non of them really screamed at me as something I really wanted to carry every day and use. They worked for the most part at my job but I still found myself using a utility knife more then the blade I had clipped in my pocket. Then one day I found my old camillus BSA whittler in a box in the garage and boy did that bring back some great memories. I brought it in the house and cleaned it up, started carrying it in my shorts when I got home for the evening. It was only a couple of days before I gave into my urges and strolled into this sub-forum. I started going over my uses of a sharp edged tool during a normal day, scrutinizing over what tool would work best. It was then I realized that I grabbed that razor knife more then my folder because of the blade length, I could control what I was doing with that shorter blade more. But I also realized that I still needed something longer for the occasional task here and there. Most of the time I am cutting open tubes of caulking, cutting shims down. Scraping dried adhesive or cutting old caulking joints. Shaving a piece of wood or cutting a rag or cutting a notch in the cabinet. Opening boxes and cutting templates are tasks I do almost every day. Most of these tasks I would perform with my razor knife, it gave me more control. Now enter the #79 workhorse, a blade that has changed how I look at cutlery and what I consider an edc. It took me a few days of carrying both it and a modern folder before I could fully trust it. Once the training wheels came off I have yet to look back. I have now as of today not a single modern pocket knife in my possession. I also do not own any single blade traditional's yet(and I am sure that will change) because I am still stuck on the multiple applications a knife with more then one blade can be used for. Right now I am not using the #79, I carry a smaller 2 bladed Jack on GEC's #66 frame. It is very close to what I perceive my perfect knife to be. I am starting to lean more to a spear blade as my choice for a main blade. They are typically thicker then a clip and I dont find myself using the fine tip of the clip for piercing. Though I will say that my #66's clip point has held up just fine. I also prefer a straight blade for a lot of tasks, the wharncliffe/sheepsfoot blade on my #79 really opened my eyes to how well that blade shape lends itself to cutting templates and doing the finer tasks like shaving wood. I am still learning and experimenting with what works for me. I have a GEC #66 stockman that should be here soon and am going to give it a try. Its fun trying new patterns and I enjoy it tremendously. Since carrying a multi blade traditional in my pocket I rarely reach for my razor knife anymore and that has saved me money on those blades(not like my knife buying hasn't exceeded that savings :rolleyes: ).

I do not notice many people using traditional's on job sites. Most guys use the modern with a utility knife combo. While I still use my utility knife, its mainly for dirty jobs. I am searching now for a good fixed blade to carry in my tool bag for the rare occasion I need one. A few times I have caught a look using my traditional and I take the time to educate and explain when I can, trying to convert others :) . I recently shared how I gave one of my helpers an older blade of mine, he still carry's it every day. While I am willing to pay more then $100 dollars for the knives I carry, away from this forum I dont know many others that share that same appreciation for a great knife. I think the $50 dollar mark is the roof for most guys working construction from what I have seen. Sure I will occasionally see something pricier then a delica but for the most part I see cheapo gas station blades with the occasional case knife here and there. I do notice that guys are willing to pay good money for multi tools which I really dont understand but that is a little off the topic. Unless traditional's start getting carried in movies or on t.v. shows I really dont see them becoming a trend. Most people scoff at the fact it does not lock open. The modern day folder companys have done a great job brainwashing the locking function as a mandatory design feature on a knife. They have their uses yes, but not for an edc knife, not for me anyway.
 
I grew up on a farm & my pop carried a yeller delrin case trapper for most of my life. He always had some sort of Case or Buck on him. We had around 77 (give or take) cattle at any given time. His day job was same as I do now, state psych hospital, & after retirement he drove a fertilizer truck until death. He always had a traditional on him & that's why I'm startin' to carry one most of the time myself.
 
I carry a leatherman wave, I use it around 20 times a day.
I would love to carry a traditional but unfortunately I don't want to carry around pliers and screw drivers and all that jazz all day.
I'm a apprentice carpenter by the way.
And I abuse the hell out of the wave! I couldnt do that to my case :(
 
I`m an engineer on a ferry. Right now I carry a Stockman. Granted I use this as my backup, as I prefer a one hand tactical folder (Emerson CQC-7).

I must say I prefer to use my modern knife compared to a slipjoint at work. The fact that I can open and close it with one hand and that I don`t have to worry about it breaking and that it can take the use and abuse better than a slippie.

That said, my Case med Stockman is always with me. The 3 diffrent blades make it extremely versitale for the jobs you can take your time with. It`s a great work knife, and some days I don`t use my modern knife at all. It depends on the day and the job. If its really dirty work where I get oil and diesel all over the knife, the slipjoint stays in the pocket.

The guys I work with don`t carry knives, as there are a lot of Mora knives all over the place here, but they definately appreciate me carrying one all the time. I`d pay around 50$ for a slippie work knife, 200$ for a modern folder. I wouldn`t dream of using my GEC852211 for the job here. Too much can go wrong, and it`s not worth ruining it.

In the military I carried a SAK. I also had a retail job where I would carry slippies exclusively. Stockman, peanut, more stockmen, Victorinox Solo alox and so on. Non knife people friendly.
 
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Having grown up working cattle and now as the foreman of a a cattle ranch in West Texas, I carry a trapper everyday. It has been a rite of passage in family for a young fella to get his first trapper. Used for everything. I've used mine to cut hay strings, open feed bags, scrape gasket material off an engine block, dig out splinters, whittle, screwdriver, ear mark heffers, cut bull calves and just about everything in between.

Majority of the fellas I grew up with and and the guys I work with now carry trappers. It is a pattern that is complete function. One blade that has a long, straight, easy to sharpen blade for cutting in delicate places. One for everyday use and jobs that requires a point for piercing.

On the pricing, I'd say I'm the exception to the rule. I'll spend the money for a custom trapper to use. If the other guys on a branding crew knew what I spent on a knife, I'd never hear the end of it. Even though I know some of them happen to have 4 and 5 thousand dollar Crockett, Bayers or Klapper spurs on. Just guessing, the average knife cost for a good trapper is $50.

On a side note, until I joined this forum, I thought a stockman pattern was only used for whittling. My grandad carried a trapper everyday for his work and mountian lion hunting knife. When he got home in the evenings, he'd go out on the back porch, sit in his rocking chair, pick up his whittling knife(stockman) and continue carving on his current project.
 
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its funny, i was a military cop and carried a gerber gator i bought in the PX
carried the thing for 3+ years and barely ever used, it was just too big, but it was cool when i needed to cut cord or what have you, plus it DID open my MRE's ;)

after i got out, i dont even remember when i started carrying, maybe right after i got out, might have been a year or two later, either way it was a SAK, i went through a few ever couple years (lost them and then replaced them), it wasnt until i found this place that i really got into pocket knives. What struck me was whether it was a SAK or my texas jack, but it seems i have a thing for small slipjoints, they just seem to do it for me.

now 9 years out of the military, i am working in a warehouse and edc'ing my texas jack...and the same thing still applies, small slipjoint that is unobtrusive and easy to use is what works best for me :p
 
Well Ben talkin bout trappers got me thinking. Papaw used to carry case trappers for years. He liked a big knife for doin farm chores and especially for hunting. He is a true mountain man. U see these guys on tv with all this survival stuff and papaw would go back in the mountains for days with just sum matches a gun and a case trapper and do fine. Dad farms and is an industrial paint contractor and carried boker trappers for years. But now they carry medium stockmans just because of them being pocket friendly. Dad has a humpback stockman and is ruff on it. I seen him batton with it the other day.
 
When I built docks on the lakes of South Carolina back in the 1980s I carried a Victorinox Fieldmaster and Böker Tree Brand 8113 stockman in my tool pouch. The stockman saw occasional use, but the Vic was in action every day, multiple times throughout the day. The company owner carried a Buck 110, but most of the guys on my crews did not own knives, they were always borrowing mine.

My neighbor across the street is a cabinet maker who just turned 65 last week. He carries a well-used Schrade Old Timer stockman. I'm not sure which model, but it is not as big as an 8OT.
 
My experience is pretty much like Ben's. Growing up in the cattle business, most of the folks I knew carried a trapper, with a few stockmen scattered here and there. I think my father was pretty representative, and he only owned trappers. My cousin who was an electrician for years always carried a 110 on his belt. I don't know many people in their 20s who work with cattle, but when I was taking a range management class at Texas State a few years ago most of the guys in there carried cheap OHOs (thanks for that one, Stich). I suspect more than a couple had a Case trapper tucked away in their truck, though. Everyone my age and older carries some variety of slip joint. I can't imagine ear-marking calves or cutting bulls with any modern locking folder, although I have to think there are a few that are ground right to do the job.

Oh, and Ben's right about the harassment we'd get if anyone knew how much we spend on an individual custom knife. Never mind how much they spend on saddles and spurs. And ropes. And... But you get the idea.
 
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