What’s your favorite traditional pattern?

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I found the Swayback Jack not long after finding this website. Took over a year to find one. It hasn't left my pocket in almost two and a half years now.
 
image.jpg Wish I had a favorite pattern. Jackknife/barlow with the pen in front of the main, single spring two bladed. Started off single blade now have gravitated towards two, barehead or capped, long pull or crescent nick. Half stop or cammed, nail breaker or “weak/moderate”.
I’m hesitant to sell any because I may regret it (read nickel plated 70 series).
I have narrowed it down to not liking a sheepsfoot for a main but I’ll take a beerscout six days a week and twice on Sunday.
 
JohnDF said:
The GEC #76, Serpentine Gunstock Jack is my favorite pattern.
Mine is currently @glennbad for new covers, so I'll post an older picture...


The Krack-a-Jack version is my all-time-grail knife. Never see one for sale though. (hint hint, I know a couple of you have them) :)
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I too am a huge fan of the GEC 76 and the gunstock pattern in general. Good luck on that Krack-a-Jack....

I found the standard Northfield edition after a few years of searching and it’s almost the same, sans shield and etch. Oddly, the Primitive Bone it’s shown with it here has become my favorite.

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Another Root Beer Float?! Now one of 24 I guess.
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Older GEC stag really is good. Other stag 76’s I’ve seen are just as good.
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The Western Outlaw moose version is great as well. That etch is fantastic!
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I have several more of the 76’s and am still on the hunt as well, if anyone wants to part with one.

Other than that, I really like the larger cigar patterns and the older GEC 78 clips are great. Those have bear trap springs...

The 77 spear Northfields are among my favorites as well.

I suppose it depends on which way the wind blows each day!
 
draggat said:
I too am a huge fan of the GEC 76 and the gunstock pattern in general. Good luck on that Krack-a-Jack....

I found the standard Northfield edition after a few years of searching and it’s almost the same, sans shield and etch. Oddly, the Primitive Bone it’s shown with it here has become my favorite.

fd90f5.jpg


Another Root Beer Float?! Now one of 24 I guess.
ot3nrt.jpg


Older GEC stag really is good. Other stag 76’s I’ve seen are just as good.
1071bmq.jpg


The Western Outlaw moose version is great as well. That etch is fantastic!
mmwc0.jpg


I have several more of the 76’s and am still on the hunt as well, if anyone wants to part with one.

Other than that, I really like the larger cigar patterns and the older GEC 78 clips are great. Those have bear trap springs...

The 77 spear Northfields are among my favorites as well.

I suppose it depends on which way the wind blows each day!
Click to expand...
Those are all very gorgeous knives.
Those that like the #76 get it... It's the main clip blade that sits behind the pen blade so you can pull both blades from the same side. It's that the pen blade is tucked tightly into the frame taking full advantage of the gunstock pattern. It's the easy to grasp serpentine handle, and it's the perfect size for carry and it rides so nicely in the pocket. Just a great two blade Jack.
 
My favorite traditional starts life out as a muskrat ... the ratcliffe just works perfect for everything I do with a knife.

Funny, I was thinking - in some ways, it's alot like the GEC #35 Chruchill - 2 opposite ended blades ... 1 clip, 1 straight edge (sheepsfoot vs wharnie), about the same length - the Case is a bit slimmer; GEC a bit stouter. The one potential advantage I can see of the Case is that the muskrat is the only Case pattern that I've found that without exception, consistently has way above average snap (I' ve modded 13 of them so far, and they all snap nice and hard) .... my #35 is lackluster in the snap category (but I won't judge an entire pattern on one example). The GEC carbon steel might cancel out any Case snap advantage to even up the running. Bottom line - absolutely can't go wrong either way ...

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I do different jobs with my knives, so I use several patterns regularly. For EDC use I prefer a medium Stockman from many brands with the Case 6318 being my favorite of all of them. For deer hunting, and general woods use, I prefer the Buck 118 Personal. I usually skin my deer with the 118 then switch to a Buck 110 for deboning the meat. I have also cleaned wild turkey and ducks with the 110 (although I prefer a Buck 121 and 102 respectively for those chores). I could get along nicely with these three. OH
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OP, you should check out GEC #56 . Kinda similar but very comfortable in hand. Those are my favorite GEC pattern so far, in my short time collecting them.
 
GEC patterns that are my favorites are: #76s, #66s, #56s, #15s and #14s
 
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For me it goes:

Stockman
Whittler
Congress
Barlow
Trapper
Pen

My collection shows otherwise.

Pen
Stockman
Trapper
Congress
Barlow
Whittler

ETA:
I really like the single blade Sowbelly even though I have only one, a Case/Bose single blade Sowbelly with Winterbottom Bone scales.
 
Modoc ED said:
The OP said he liked Sowbelly knives. Here are some of my Sowbelly knives.

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As to me, I don't have a favorite pattern but my most carried pattern is the Stockman.

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Nice collection!!!! Thanks for sharing. My itch just got a little worse.
 
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