Trapper or ???

For my out-and-about food knife (this includes camping, and as I will be retiring soon hopefully a fair amount of travel & camping) my concept is a 2 blade, both full length blades.

One blade with a smooth edge for any cutting not against a plate. One blade lightly serrated only near the tip where it would touch a plate when cutting.

For a one blade knife the Opinel would likely be a fine knife. Thin blade. Looks good. Not expensive. Lock is a bonus.
 
I've seen several people recently comment on not using knives to cut food against a plate...
Do you use wooden plates for steak and such?
What is the concern?
 
A knife cutting food on a hard plate will dull more quickly, of course. When away from home you have less control over the food environment. My theory is a short serrated portion where the blade contacts the plate should help preserve sharpness in that area.
 
JohnDF said:
I've seen several people recently comment on not using knives to cut food against a plate...
Do you use wooden plates for steak and such?
What is the concern?
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CraigTbone said:
A knife cutting food on a hard plate will dull more quickly, of course. When away from home you have less control over the food environment. My theory is a short serrated portion where the blade contacts the plate should help preserve sharpness in that area.
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After I use a ceramic stone to sharpen my blade, I don't want to use a ceramic plate to dull it. 🤔 That's why I order the asparagus. Just move the meat on top of the veggies to cut without contacting the plate. (also, veggies are good for you) ;):thumbsup:
 
r8shell said:
After I use a ceramic stone to sharpen my blade, I don't want to use a ceramic plate to dull it. 🤔 That's why I order the asparagus. Just move the meat on top of the veggies to cut without contacting the plate. (also, veggies are good for you) ;):thumbsup:
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Ditto that.^

Same thought here. A bed of lettuce or a piece of toast or other bread under the steak helps protect the edge (and the bread is great for mopping up all those juices too). And even when I slice a sandwich on a plate with one of our kitchen knives, I'll usually fold a paper towel to 4 layers thick and put that underneath, for the same reason. I know the edge is protected this way, because it remains sharp enough to slice through the top layer of paper towel, each time. And a thinly-ground, acute & sharp edge requires minimal pressure in slicing foods on a plate. That, by itself, goes a long way toward minimizing edge damage.
 
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This is what you need. Unfortunately, it was a fairly limited run some years ago, so not real easy to find.
I’ve always figured it was meant for taking down game animals. The serrated spey works great for separating joints. I like using it for breaking down a whole chicken.

I would not advise doing a home made mod to convert a plain into a serrated blade, without practicing on a cheap knife you don’t care about. You’d need to do it by hand with files and slip stones, since power tools would ruin the temper. But then, you may have experience with that, so forgive me if you know that.

I often take a vintage USA Schrade 293 Trapper when eating out, and never needed a serrated blade. Slice on an angle so the blade never hits the china.
 
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The Copperhead pattern is nice. Case seems to use a short second blade. I want both blades to be long. The Boker looks real nice with flat ground blades I believe. The extra 1/4" or so length of the Trappers bring the blade length to my sweet spot for food eating.

The Case CA80161 Trapper arrived this weekend. The customer service person checked and said it has flat ground blades. It does not. They are clearly concave ground. The number stamped on the blade is "3254 SS". So I order a CA80161 but get a 3254 SS?

This is what is printed on the box:
"No 80161 Yellow Synthetic Smooth Trapper (3254 SS)"

Can any of you folk shed some light on this? I am not a knife enthusiast/collector, just an enthusiastic user, so maybe this is a well known situation
 
CraigTbone said:
The Copperhead pattern is nice. Case seems to use a short second blade. I want both blades to be long. The Boker looks real nice with flat ground blades I believe. The extra 1/4" or so length of the Trappers bring the blade length to my sweet spot for food eating.

The Case CA80161 Trapper arrived this weekend. The customer service person checked and said it has flat ground blades. It does not. They are clearly concave ground. The number stamped on the blade is "3254 SS". So I order a CA80161 but get a 3254 SS?

This is what is printed on the box:
"No 80161 Yellow Synthetic Smooth Trapper (3254 SS)"

Can any of you folk shed some light on this? I am not a knife enthusiast/collector, just an enthusiastic user, so maybe this is a well known situation
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The CA80161 number is basically the 'catalog number' (or 'Item Number', as they call it in their product guide) for that knife. That's different from the 'pattern number' (3254 SS), which will be stamped on the blade tang. No need to worry about the difference between the two numbers. The pattern number, '3254 SS' reflects it's the standard, large trapper ('54) in stainless steel ('SS') with smooth yellow synthetic handles (the '3') and two blades (the '2'). Any other embellishments beyond that would need to be reflected in a unique catalog number. Pics below, of the same trapper as listed in my latest mailing from the Case Collectors Club - their 2021 Product Guide:

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The catalog number reflects more specific traits about the knife overall, apart from the basic pattern number. Some patterns, like the bone-handled versions (like the 6254 trapper), will come in many different colors, with different jigging or with different embellishments, like a unique shield or special blade etching or engraving/milling of the bolsters, etc. Those additional embellishments will be reflected in a different catalog number for an otherwise common pattern, like the 6254 trapper. And '6254', for the pattern, could either be any bone-handled version (jigged or smooth) or any other jigged handle material (bone, synthetic). That's why the catalog number will be unique and more specific, for such variations within a given pattern.
 
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Thank you OwE. My apologies for the delayed reply. Most helpful info.

I really want flat ground blades for my food knife so I returned the Case Trapper. I had tried getting a few old knives (Camillus & Queen) but it looks like they are fakes, and not good fakes. I don't know enough about knives to determine real from fake so I am finished with trying to find a US made with flat ground blades.

I have a Boker Trapper on order.

The Opinel option is intriguing so I purchased a few. Only one blade but maybe I could accept that. My concern is when using with food it needs to be thoroughly cleaned, which often involves getting it wet. I washed a few of my Opinels, a quick wash then dried. The wood swelled and tightened the blade.

Is there any effective way to seal the wood from absorbing water so quickly?
 
5K Qs said:
I haven't oiled the pivot on my Opinels, but I've heated up some Sno-seal beeswax and smeared it down into the pivot area to try to minimize swelling due to humidity. I think it's been quite effective in keeping the action smooth, but the true test will be the next few months. Last summer is when I was having real swelling issues, so much so that I could barely open a #6 I had until I dried it out by keeping it in a hot car for a day.

- GT
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Just in my head, I don’t see the whole blade touching the dinner plate to cut a steak, maybe just the first quarter. I’d dedicate the spey blade for steak duty and the pointy one for the other stuff. If you end up sharpening the spey into something else in the process you’ve eaten a lot of steaks, which sounds delicious.
 
That has been my plan Frank. I still might put some small serrations near the tip of the spey blade. Or not. Will see how long that blade stays sufficiently sharp.
 
I've been using the same Sodbuster Jr as my "meat knife" for a couple of years now... it stays way sharper than any steak house knife I've ever used.
 
A few days ago I received a Boker Solingen Trapper. A very fine tool for sure that I like very much. But even though the seller listed it as having stainless steel blades they are actually carbon steel. I have found a few Boker Trappers with SS blades, only with stag covers. This might be what I get.

But I ask this question to you folk, what knives are available the satisfies my requirements?

- 2 blades, both long
- flat ground blades
- stainless steel blades
- folded length 4" plus or minus
- slip joint preferred with not weak spring force
- well made, preferably USA but not China
- Trapper pattern seems to work well but any pattern considered

There must be some knives available that I do not know about.
 
USA made, flat grind, two-blade Large Trappers are going to be tough to find... start saving pennies and hunting a GEC or start shopping Vintage.
 
If you can find one, I've got the perfect pattern for you. The Camillus 707 pattern with setated drop point. Good size, slim, double lockback. Good luck on the hunt......
 
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