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DR.BOOM

DR.BOOM

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I just can't seem to get into traditionals. I want to like them but I'm just not feeling it. Any good inspirational statements that can help me get more of a liking for them? Thanks in advance.

-justin
 
Did your grandfather carry a pocket knife? If so, what was good enough for him?
 
Get you a nice amber bone CV case 6318 stockman (under $40), put a scary sharp edge on it (easy to do) and carry if for a week.
Try the different blades, experience how easy it is to cut with, how comfortable it is in the pocket, to not have to mess with a pocket clip.

If that doesn't do it for you, maybe it's just not for you. But I doubt it! ;)
 
Have you been using one and not liking it or is it just the style that you can't get into? If you've been carrying one with some nice thin blades and you still don't get it then they're probably not for you.

If jackknife's stories aren't inspirational enough then I don't know what is.;)
 
Justin, if you're not feeling it, perhaps traditional slipjoints aren't for you yet. But what is it that makes you say that? You're are here and you're asking, therefore perhaps there's something piquing you interest?
 
I have the exact same problem but opposite. I just can't get into tacticals for some reason. I am
thinking I just need to bite the bullet and pick one up.
 
You don't have to be a fan of traditionals. There are thousands of different knife models to choose from, that's the beauty of the knife world today. Buy stuff you like and enjoy it. You are the only one who has to like it.
 
What don't they have that other knives do? What type of knives do you like? Maybe they're just not your cup of tea.

For me, it was the memories of grandpa's knives--but also the functional elegance of traditionals that won me over. I noticed how much better they cut and sliced than "modern" or "tactical" knives. The modern knives, whose edges were obtuse and whose blades were thick, didn't cut nearly as well. The wee little bit of steel on a traditional blade just seemed to cut and cut, even when the edge got dull it still outperformed modern knives. The profile and bevels are perfectly matched to what I cut everyday.
 
I had that issue too for a while. Just couldn't get into them. I had owned several stockman's, and just didn't like them. That all changed when I picked up a Case G-10 Mini-trapper. I realized that I just don't like the stockman pattern very much. Since that mini-trapper I have picked up a peanut and a tiny trapper, and I love all three of those knives. I will give stockmans another chance down the road, as they seem to be the most popular pattern by a pretty massive margin. Dunno what it is that rubbed me wrong about them.

I did get the traditional bug at just the right time though. Heading to the UK for a 3 year tour in a few weeks, and traditionals are the only knives that are legal to carry there (well that and my Spyderco UKPK).

So try out some patterns, maybe use Rough Rider knives or another budget brand to give a few different types a go. Also, try out a smaller knife that you can carry in addition to your preferred modern knife, and try to make a conscious habit of using it, and see if you start to like it after a while.
 
Reading some of the history of the Traditional knife companies
sheds a different light on these knifes
 
Take a look at the stickies for this forum. You will find one listing "Jackknife's Tales". Start reading. If you get through ten of those stories and don't find yourself yearning for simpler things, like fishing with a cane pole, whittlin' hot dog sticks, and carryin' a stag Case Peanut, you probably never will. Or, you will find yourself addicted to slowing life down, going low-tech, and carbon steel traditional blades. There is just something spiritual about the extra second or two it takes to open a stockman or trapper, time to think about what you are doing, plan the best way to do it. There is a sense of accomplishment in using a small sheepsfoot blade to do a job you used to employ an enormous tactical folder for. There is a sensual feeling to slicing open a package with a razor sharp, thin carbon steel blade.

It may not be for everyone, and maybe not even you, but it is for me.
 
DR.BOOM said:
I just can't seem to get into traditionals. I want to like them but I'm just not feeling it. Any good inspirational statements that can help me get more of a liking for them? Thanks in advance.

-justin
Click to expand...

Back in around November or December I asked about carrying a traditional knife as an EDC. As a "former" tactical folder guy (the Al Mar SERE 2000 was and is my modern folder of choice) I really wanted to get into traditionals, but just couldn't get over not having a quick deploying knife. In my thread, Jackknife wrote a really nice post that I will pass along. I took his challenge at the end of the post and he was dead on right. I carry a modern knife every now and again, maybe a few days out of the month, but for the most part, I just don't need or like 'em very much anymore.

EDIT: I just saw that this was my 700th post. I'm very happy that it was one that is attempting to inspire someone else who was in my shoes a while ago. It sounds silly, but getting into traditionals has really been great for me. Almost therapeutic, although at times I feel like I need therapy to get away from them!

jackknife said:
Carrying a traditional knife after the one hand things, can take a wee bit of time to get used to. You won't be able to quick draw a knife like the ones with the hole in the blade, or others with thumbstuds.

But reaching down and taking a moment to get your knife out and open it, is a way to step back in this hyper speed world and draw a breath. And maybe take a moment to enjoy your knife as you feel the nicely figured stag or jigged bone in your choice of hue. Life is short, and our society is moving too fast, why not take something you enjoy a little slower, and enjoy the beauty of a nice chestnut bone Case, or stag Eye-Brand?

I don't know what you do for a living, but you have to ask yourself, do you really need that one hand opening, or is it the stuff you've been reading about for years in the knife magazines?

I always find it a little strange that in our modern society, the fast opening knife has been touted so well, when in past times where more people really worked outdoors in some very dangerous jobs, the old slip joint did for a couple of hundred years. They had single blade lockbacks in the 1800's, some of witch could opened very easy. But the hard working cowboys pushing a herd up the trail, or a freight wagon driver, or even a seaman climbing aloft in a square rigger in a squall, didn't use them. Most of the seaman's knives of the 1800's were a heavy springed large single blade jack.

If they needed a one hand knife, they carried a sheath knife. Easy solution, and you get a better knife out of the deal.

I'm going to be turning 70 years of age this winter. Not a pleasant thought, but there's little I can do about it. But in my life I have been a soldier, and a machinist. For a bit over 10 years, (1960 to 1971) I served in the army engineers, and everyday was a construction job site, somewhere. In addition to the continental U.S. I had the privilege of serving in Germany, Italy, Southeast Asia, and some TDY duty in Libia. While serving on a wide variety of jobs sites, I cannot recall any time I needed a one hand knife. But I do recall how handy my three blade stockman pattern was. Having three different blades to choose from was a very nice thing to have. There is one very large advantage to a multiblade slip joint; having one blade that you sharpen at a higher angle to have a rough cut blade to save your really sharp blade.

About the only thing the modern one hand wonders do that the slip joint traditional pocket knife can't do, is to be used as a weapon, either defensive or otherwise. Of course, I freely admit my own prejudice on the matter. I've never really considered the pocket knife as a weapon. But in my own very humble and possable wrong opinion, it seems that a lot of the tactical knife thing is a driven market toward younger buyers who take video games and TV shows too seriously. All I know, is from my travels around this globe, sometimes in some not too nice places when I was young and dumb, there always seemed to be a beer bottle, pool que, beer mug, chair, bar stool, fire extinguisher, or other object to press into service, when things got a wee bit dicey.

Just for yuks, try this little experiment; drop a nice slippy into your pocket, and leave the one hand job at home. Do this for a month, no cheating. If after a month, you can honestly the slippy wasn't doing it for you, then maybe it really it is not for you. Won't cost much to find out. But I have a feeling, that once you experience the easy cutting of a thin flat ground blade, some nice jigged bone scales, and the slow down moment you get when you use a slip joint, I think you'll be a new convert to the cult.

Carl.
Click to expand...
 
joe bob makes a lot of sense. remember some folks just do'nt care about having a knife on person. this is'nt deragotory but the 1st thing most women think about with pocketknives is broken nails & then they go get the sissors.---dennis
 
I got into traditionals because it connects me to a generation that's almost gone (and in the case of my family, all gone). There's something humble and honest about a traditional pocket knife that isn't in today's "tactical" knives. Plus, if you go with a multi-blade pattern like a stockman or congress, you have different blades to choose from, which makes it more useful than the folding prybar that's all the rage these days. They don't scare the sheeple, and frankly have a lot of class and elan to them. And jigged bone makes a great worry stone. The only knife that looks prettier than a brand new one is a well used one with a bit of age on the blades and handles worn smooth.
 
joe-bob said:
You don't have to be a fan of traditionals. There are thousands of different knife models to choose from, that's the beauty of the knife world today. Buy stuff you like and enjoy it. You are the only one who has to like it.
Click to expand...

True

I'll use a car analogy. To me, when I see a 1969 Camaro, I think: "That's how a car is supposed to look." When I see a Barlow knife, I think: "That's how a knife is supposed to look."

There's nothing wrong with power windows or seatbelts, but they don't get you where you are going any easier. There is nothing wrong with assisted opening or linerlocks, but they don't make cutting anything any easier.

While I can appreciate the engineering and features of a Prius or a Spyderco, I'm not necessarily attracted to their looks.

Buy what appeals to you. If you're anything like me, you'll find that it will be an ever-expanding list of old and new styles.
 
DR.BOOM said:
I just can't seem to get into traditionals. I want to like them but I'm just not feeling it. Any good inspirational statements that can help me get more of a liking for them? Thanks in advance.

-justin
Click to expand...

Justin, If I may ask, why do you want to like traditionals?

What is the draw for you to a knife type that sounds like it is not what you like?

What sort of knife do you carry now, and is that knife doing the job for you?

I only ask because I am curious as to what is drawing you to them. Traditional knives may not be for everyone. It's a different world with a whole different slant on things, not just the knives. It's a connection to old family, memories, and a way of life that was a bit slower and more deliberate. Plus there's the practical side of it; having a knife with two or more blades gives you options in some situations.

On the other hand, I've never taken to the modern so called tactical knife, in spite of it being easy to open at a time when I had some hand surgery done and needed an easy open knife.

Maybe you could elaborate on what you do for a living, and what kinds of use you put a knife to.

Carl.
 
Why are you trying so hard to like traditionals? Maybe they just aren't for you. The fellows here are all drawn to them for one reason for another. Some grew up with them, while others grew to appreciate the qualities of a fine traditional knife. I don't remember many who forced themselves to like traditional knives.

While this subforum's preferences does lean towards slipjoint and the like, please keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with the modern knives. Folders like the Spyderco Military are perfectly functional tools, and many of us here also have them. The first rule is to have a quality knife, of whatever flavor. That the knife is traditional like a slipjoint or puukko is a secondary consideration, IMO.

- Christian
 
I have been a Modern Knife User for several years, and just had some traditional models by default, having received them as gifts. I didn't start yearning for traditionals until I started visiting this forum, and reading stories by folks like Jacknife (aka Carl).

After seeing the Bladeforums knife from a couple years ago and the amount of participation from all involved, and feeling the presence of Community in this forum, I started to get it. To me it wasn't about the physical aspect of the knives that got me hooked, rather the more ethereal ideas attached to them, as folks have been saying.

Once that clicked in my soul, I found that the physical aspects started gaining beauty in my eyes. The patterns started showing me their differnces and source of appeal. I started lingering on the traditional knives in the A. G. Russell catalog. I went back to my box of traditionals and began carrying them. I found myself able to appreciate them in a way that I hadn't before.

It really is about a connection to soul; yours, others around you, and those of those who have gone before. If you find you are yearning for a connection that you just can't feel with the modern knives, keep searching, and you may find it in traditionals.
 
Okay, I am going to try to give you some different perspectives.

I have never read the above mentioned stories; I don't use slip joints because of stories. I don't mean that in a disrespectful or condescending way at all. I say that to substantiate how I have come around and around again to carrying a slip joint.

When I first got into folders I would pick out whatever struck my fancy. Then I realized flaws in quality construction. So I upped my folder choice to Emerson Knives. Tacticool for sure ;)

With that said, I LOVE each and every one of my EKI's and they are knives that cut. I will leave it at that because I know EKI can be controversial. For me they work as a knife.

I had a small three blade Buck knife that I carried in my jean pocket for work. I was tired of acting like Rambo every time I needed to cut a piece of tape or slice a piece off my apple. Okay, so yeah, I use my knives for a lot more then that, but lets be serious in the world we live in. I live in a house with A/C and heat, I don't live in a combat zone, and I don't live in a tree house in the woods.

Hmmmm, let me think about what I have used my knives for in the past years...???

To cut stuff. To whittle wood. How many times have I worn out a QUALITY liner lock/Frame lock? A few times. How many times did I actually need that knife to even be locked? A few times, but usually I was doing things I should have had a fixed blade for.

I come back around to simple slipjoints. Thin blades meant to CUT. Simple steel choices that are not inferior in my mind. Lets talk about steel choices for a second. I would be willing to bet that a higher percentage of knife owners do NOT know how to sharpen a knife then knife owners that do know how to sharpen a knife. Why is this important? Well, I would also be willing to bet that a high percentage of CRK fans totting 400$+ S30v bladed Sebbies have nothing more then a poorly formed burr they thought was an edge that is now folded over making a mess of whatever they cut. I am not saying this to persecute anyone. I carried a Sebenza before I truly learned to sharpen from the good folks right here on Bladeforums. Now lets say the same CRk user picks up a 1095 slipjoint with THIN blades. He or She had better well be able to at least put a decent edge on with just stones.

Why is that important to me? In a way its not. I have the know how and tools to sharpen every type of steel I have come across. With that said, I find it REFRESHING to sharpen simple carbon steel blades. Okay, so enough on steels, its all just my opinion anyhow.

I like one handed openeners. You know when you are in some crazy contorted position working and you have one piece between your left toe, all of your hands are full, your about to fall over but you NEED to open your knife to cut that piece, and you need to do it as it falls out of your pocket and you fall over, everything gets messed up and your knife stuck in your leg. Okay, so this is crazy talk, but really, if you are working and you are not organized enough to be able to open a knife with two hands, maybe you should take a step back and rethink your style. Now, this of course goes for examples when quick and easy one hand opening is not LIFE or DEATh. A situation I have never been in, nor do I hope to be.

Aha, so I tell you I have found to never really need my EKI's to open as they snag the wave on my jean pockets, maybe the violent act actually prematurely wore out the lock???

Remember, this is all talking to myself, in my own head...I am just putting it into text for you to read. This is not directed at anyone. Yes maybe I am crazy.

So, I have owned traditional knives before I ever knew what a tactical knife is. I always find myself coming back around. Why? In short, they cut, they are easy to sharpen and maintain, easy to clean, they have a ton of patterns to find just your style, they are unobtrusive in your pocket...(did I tell you the times my tacticals opened in my pants and gashed open my hand? or the times they opened in my pocket and I put on my pants to have the blade stick into my leg and GASH me open like a hotdog?? No?)..., I have never had a slipjoint open in my pocket. Yes, the designs and simplicity remind me of the "good ole' days", but that is from from the reason that I carry them. I have a very well founded, functionally based explanation for about every aspect of why I have come to prefer them. As you can tell by my rambling I could go on and on...I had to much coffee and free time this AM.

I will say this, NO ONE talked me into carrying one, nor do I think I would be so passionate of my choice if they had.

I hope this makes some sense :p

Enjoy the hobby each step along the way, and especially enjoy the people.

Oh, and pick up an inexpensive yet quality slipjoint and whittle something out of wood with it. I can guarantee when you have made a few things that knife will have sentimental value. Especially if you make gifts for people with it.

BTW, that 3 blade Buck knife I mentioned earlier, I lost it. It is to this date my favorite knife, I paid about 30 bucks for it.

Kevin
 
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