Victorinox ........ Stag

coyote711

coyote711

Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Messages
1,679
Relax, it's not what you think ...... I'm not that crazy ...... just bored and too much time on my hands! Been kinda slow around here on the Traditionals Forum lately, so I'm just trying to generate a little ..... interest ..... conversation ..... ?

Where I'm going with this is the matter of the "heart" (can't bring myself to use the term "soul") of a knife. What qualities in a knife are important to you?

I chose the Victorinox/Stag headline to get your attention and to represent what might be the extreme points in the issue. Victorinox representing function, utility, consistency, etc ..... but not necessarily beauty in the traditional sense. Stag representing uniqueness, textural variation, a sensual quality, etc. Not that these qualities are mutually exclusive, but when the cost is factored in, trade-offs usually have to be made.

I realize there can be beauty in a SAK, and that a stag handled knife is more than just something pretty to look at. ;)

What trips your trigger when it comes to knives? What makes YOU pull the trigger?
 
1) a pattern and size that I like: 3-1/2 to 4-1/4 inches, round bolsters, rounded (ala teardrop) or upturned butt (ala saddlehorn)
2) quality blade steel: carbon, tool steel, or upgraded stainless (minimum 440C with good HT)
3) natural handle materials: ram's horn, stag, jigged bone, smooth bone, wood (in that order of preference)
4) logical blade choice: if multiple blades, should be different shapes, sizes, profiles for extended usefullness.

Oh, and anything else that strikes my Irish fancy!
 
For me the most important thing that causes the "pull of the trigger" is the person or company making the knife. If I do not have respect, no matter how great the knife is, I pass on the knife. (Keep in mind there is no way I can afford every knife from a person or company I respect though :D).
 
Size is important to me. I find knives in the 3 5/8" - 4 1/8" range the most useful. Peanuts and dinky knives you have to hold with your fingers rather than in the palm of your hand don't appeal to me.

A knife must have a measure of aesthetic beauty. Not too fancy (it'll never get used) but not too plain. I find TL-29's and sodbusters too utilitarian, but I'm trying to learn to like them. Now a sodbuster in stag, like a Vic, is something special. Maybe I just dislike delrin handles. :confused:

Stag, horn, wood, all of God's natural materials stand out to me as having a measure of soul. I dig em.

I like slipjoint patterns that have a history. Carrying a stockman reminds me of living out the western prairie as a child. Scout patterns have an aura of Americana and car camping and being a kid in the woods with a knife. Jacks remind me of hardworking dockworkers or coalminers from decades ago. Barlows remind me of reading Mark Twain as a kid.

My biggest turn off of knives is ones that go out of their way to look intimidating, which IMHO just makes the carrier look like they're trying to make up for a lack of character. But that’s not this forum. We're all about cutting fishing line, slicing summer sausage, whittling sticks for no real purpose other than boredom.
 
I wish I knew. I know what I like, and what I don't like, but there's not really any one thing that makes me pull the trigger.

This may be heresy, I've honestly never been a big fan of stag. I prefer wood and bone, and have a lot of plain synthetic handles, but don't really favor the wild and swirly ones. And until recently I didn't care too muck for SAK's, but they are growing on me. So maybe I'll get the stag bug someday, too.

Almost half of my knives are autos, and almost half are traditionals, with a couple of Spydercos and Kershaws and Benchmades thrown in here and there. Pretty much any folding knife is liable to make it onto my wish list. As long as it's functional and well made and appeals to me. Kind of like the man said: "I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like."

So I guess to make me pull the trigger, a knife needs to have a pivot pin, and I need to be able to afford it.:D

.... Except for the fact that I'm really wanting an Izula. And a Microtech OTF. And a Nessmuk style fixed blade. And a gravity knife.... So maybe a pivot pin isn't required either.:o
 
this is a question analogous to what turns you on in a woman. really ca'nt answer since i havr everything from crusader forge to spyderco to old ka-bars.
 
If it looks like it would be at home in a Tom Selleck western or a Humphrey Bogart movie, that goes a long way to tripping my trigger.
 
All of the above mentioned are factors...another I've considered in some of my purchases recently, is:

Would this be a good knife to hand down to my Son in 12 years?
 
It's high quality fit and finish for me. Unfortunately, that typically limits my choices to customs and a rarefied selection of "mid-tech" production offerings like the excellent Case/Bose collaborations. Often as not, regular production slippies suffer from too many cost-saving shortcuts, so I'll usually choose one relatively expensive knife made with higher tolerances and more stringent quality control over several hit-and-miss mass-produced patterns. I just don't have the patience or inclination to participate in the crap-shoot quality game and hope that I get a "good one" next time.
 
Fit, finish, quality of steel, if it has those three things I don't care were it is made. Being a good value helps of course.
 
For me, one word makes all the difference: Function. If it can't hold up under decades of use, I'm not interested in it. Fit and finish are nice, and I really appreciate the workmanship that goes in to a custom/high end slipjoint. But, when it comes right down to it, if I'm afraid to carry and use it, I don't want it. I prefer medium to large size folders, simply because my hands are just too big to keep ahold of Peanuts, small stockmans, when cutting tough materials. Medium stockmans and sodbuster jr's are about as small as I'll go. Generally I avoid stag and wood handles, as they are generally for looks and add to the cost of the tool without increasing function. That said, the GEC pioneer in my pocket right now is wearing Bocote, so take that with a grain of salt.

My fixed blade fancies are fairly diverse, but as far as folders are concerned, slipjoints are where it's at for me. They are a perfect marriage of form, function, and durability. I'd love to take it to the next step and get a custom slippie, but that will have to wait until I'm older and wiser (and have a bigger paycheck). For now, GEC, case, and vintage flea market finds will see me through.
 
Besides fit, finish and an overall small-ish package, steel really trips my trigger. If I see a knife with good carbon steel with a decent heat treat, or premium stainless, I have a hard time saying no. I like GEC's 1095 and Case's CV because they hold edges well, and being carbon they kind of take on the history of what I cut. Premium stainless steels like D2, 154, ATS34 etc. allow me to thin the edge quite narrow for pure cutting performance.

I like the utility and close tolerances of SAKs, and I have a couple, but the steel leaves me wishing for more.
 
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