What a long strange trip...

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
17,489
It's been.

I wasn't always a knife knut. I mean, I put great value on a good knife in my pocket, but I wasn't going about buying everything under the sun. I guess being around people like dad, Mr. Van, and maybe the era, I liked to look, but if I had a good knife on me, that's all I did. I'd look at the pretty thinhgs in the display case, but in the end, my allowance only went so far, and since I had a knife, that was that.

My dad gave me the Camillus scout knife when I was 12. That little job carried me through till I went in the army, and I left it home so's not to go missing in an army barracks. While in the army, I just used what ever TL-29 or MLK scout knife the supply room had. I was a one knife man at this point of my life. Later, I picked up a Buck 301 stockman at a PX, and for the next 25 years, that knife was my edc. From 1967 to about 1994ish, that Buck did everything knifewise I needed. I was still a one knife man. Oh, there was a sak around I had picked up in my travels, but it was only an occasional carry item.

Then I got bit by the bug. I'm not sure why, but in the mid 90's I got bit by the knife bug, and bought knives. I had my sodbuster phrase I went through for a few years. Then I tried some of the lightweight zytel things. Didn't like them. I think living a whole life with a multiblade pocket knife, I never really got comfortable with a single bladed knife.

I think my very first step in downsizing was when my old friend and co-worker Andy passed on. I ended up with the little Buck 303 cadet he had, that I was always sharpening for him. I got used to a smaller 3 1/4 inch knife in my pocket. After a while, my old 301 Buck felt too big. Then came the day I carried my dad's peanut.

I liked the little knife, but after most of a life carrying a three blade stockman, the two blade litle jack felt like a midget. But I couldn't ignore that it did cut like the dickens. I'd carry it for a day, then go back to the Buck. Then I'd carry the peanut for a few days, then jump back to the small stockman. It's like I was in a battle with myself. It took a long while to make the adjustment to where I was not fighting with myself anymore. The turning point was when I bought my own peanut. A yella one with CV. More and more, I found I was enjoying the lighter weight, less bulk in pocket, and a certain feeling I wasn't sure of what it was. But now I feel like I'm over the knife bug, sort of.

Now what I'm curious abut, is, having lived most of my life after the army, in jeans working in a machine shop, the Buck 3 7/8th stockman was at home, but even then, the 3 1/4 cadet felt better, and still did the job.

Having said all that, I'm curious about what you all really carry when you go about your day? What do you carry to the office or work place, and what do you carry in your pocket at home fixing up the yard or putting that new toilet valve in?

How much knife do you need in your daily life?

Carl.
 
Buck 303 has been with me a lot lately. I carry a SBJ a lot. Or a peanuty knife or small old schrade/western/camillus with two opposed blades. I am with you. I do not carry big knives anymore. Just don't seem to be fighting as many elephants as I used to. :)

I've been eyeing my SAK bantam...that's a good choice, too. Love the alox.

I started out with relatively small pocket knives. Went through a few years of having some single blade plastic thing clipped to my back pocket. Now I like to have a little knife in my pocket I can worry a bit.
 
In my experience lots of people carry WAY to much of a knife on them. At one point in time, I carried a Buck 110 as my edc. But then one day I said to myself, why in the world am I carrying this big ol knife around town? So I switched to a Peanut and never looked back. I still carry the 110 into the woods and on hunting trips tho.
 
In my daily knife at the office not much so most of the knives I carry are around 3 to 3.5 inches usually a 2 bladed jack (swayback or peanut) or a whittler (someones rendition of a Case '83) In the shops I like a little bigger blade that is either a wharncliff or coping, although I prefer the smaller knives there have been a few times I have had to cut a "frozen" dog collar off always a metal quick release type usually on a swimming breed and it takes a tad longer blade to do it in one motion since the collar is usually gunked up with caked on mud and dirt that has penetrated the leather or webbing material and can not be cut with one swipe from a smaller blade.

I have not hunted in years, so these days my preference is sub 3.5 inch two or three bladers. If I am camping I will probably have a littler bigger knife on me. In whitewater it is a fixed blade attached to my pfd.
 
My own cultural background favors the bolo and the balisong so I wasn't really exposed to barlows, stockmen, peanuts, or scout knives. I also grew up in the '80s and '90s so my first pocket knives were one hand opening folders like the Cold Steel Voyager, Spyderco Endura, and CRKT M-16. Most slipjoints are small in comparison.

I prefer slipjoints in the 3.5"-4" range. I don't doubt that a peanut is up to the everyday tasks I encounter. And no one can honestly dispute that a peanut is easier to carry than a harness jack or a stockman. But I don't find a HJ or stockman at all obtrusive, so I'd rather have the extra handle length.

- Christian
 
For normal work days I pick one knife almost at random. I say almost because I just look at the lot and select one in less than 3 seconds. I use a mix of moden and traditional folders, but they all have 3 1/2" blade or less, and almost all are single bladed. My ideal slipjoint size is very slim (if it has two blades they must use the same spring) and about 3 1/2" closed or less. They reside at the bottom of the right pocket.

For weekends at home, doing chores around the house and the yard, it is a one-hand use knife, usually clipped to the edge of the pocket.

For camping, hiking, or on field work, it's a large one-hand use folder with about 4" blade clipped to the pocket or waist band, plus a fixed blade knife of some sort, depending on the purpose of the trip.
 
My own background lead uniquely to traditional Sardinian folders - non locking folders around 3,5" long. But I didn't really start carrying a knife until I was like 12 or 13, when I bought my first SAK. From that moment on, I carried my Spartan (the old model, no toothpick, no tweezers) for years. I wasn't too interested in knives, I just liked that one, and found it useful and handy.
Then I got to University, and during the first or second year I shifted towards the traditional blade.
From what I've seen, in the US users are usually divided between Buck and peanut/stockman/sodbuster/trapper patterns. Here it's usually that one pattern, same length, same kind, lucky ones can afford to carry a handmade one, others make do with a production knife (which, curiously, are usually made outside the island but sold here too). I guess that way made me feel a little more "adult" in terms of knives (a lot of this had to do with my roots and traditions).
I never had any interest (nor I have now) in military style knives or such..they're nice to see but not my cup of tea.
At the same time, I started trekking and camping. I used to carry my traditional folder and some SAK (I had bought some more in the meantime), and that was it.
Only after I finished my residency I started getting to know more about the magic world of blades. My lifestyle doesn't actually make me need a knife as often as others, but still I got interested n modern style folders, bought a few, and enjoyed them. Meanwhile, I started carrying a fixed blade in the outdoors, not that I actually felt the need of it, I just wanted to give it a try, and never went back.
I do carry a knife every day, but only outside my home. At home, I never carry anything (no knife, no watch, no wallet, nothing).
I am now willing to try the "american way" and buy some traditional knife with more than one blade. I don't really think I need it (SAK and single bladed folder are more than enough for my EDC tasks) but lately I got this feeling (and I know I owe it to BF) so I guess I'll follow my instinct....
:cool:
 
I keep my EDCs in a wooden cigar box someone gave me a long time ago. Must have been fancy cigars. In my box right now is: SAK, for the screwdrivers, I only carry on Sunday; naturally a Buck 303, Schrade contract; a old Schrade TL - 29 made without bail; a Buck 309 with elk scales and a ( don't anyone faint) Vantage single blade with Sandvic steel and Dymondwood scales. Near by, across the room is a Buck 112, 307 and Leatherman tool in the sock drawer with the 5 extra 12ga 00 rounds (might need more than 3). Pure hunting/butchering knives kept in box in a drawer. Once in a while I get the urge to change some out and I do. All others in a safe.
I keep a imported Buck some one gave me on my desk, until the next kid needing a knife comes along. Then back to a old beatup Camillus 303.
300Bucks

PS Forgot PFD knife. Buck X-tract with thumbstud blade and pliers.
 
Last edited:
Workdays for me are in an office wearing slacks. Not much need for a large knife. I find that a knife in the 3" range does everything that I need it to and remains unnoticed in my left front pocket. My rotation includes the ever popular peanut, small pen, pocket hunter and a sway back gent. Away from the office, I like a knife in the 3 1/2" - 3 3/4" range. Lately it's been an S&M Heritage (I was disappointed in the fit and finish but its fun to carry). It's not that they can do anything the 3" knife can't, they just feel better in the hand and I don't mind the added bulk in my everyday shorts and jeans.

On a side note, I recently received a true Case Texas jack, my largest traditional folder to date. What a difference 1/4" makes! Its 4" closed and is a MONSTER compared to the Case medium jack at ~3 1/2". I think that its pocket time will be limited.

-Allen
 
A peanut is always in my right front pocket.
I use my watch pocket to carry whatever is flavor of the day, but that's my 'knife nut' pocket for knives that I want, not need, to carry.
Even if the watch pocket is empty, I still always have my peanut.
I have to go to a government building tomorrow, so that means no knives whatsoever, probably for the first time in at least a decade.
Even when traveling by air, first thing I do when I get my luggage back is pop a knife in my pocket.
 
I feel oppositely about multiple blade knives. If I recall correctly I have only owned one in my life, which was some kind of small stockman with black derlin handles. I don't think I ever used the smaller blades for much of anything. The knifes I learned on only had single blades - sometimes additional tools, but that's it. I have always gotten by with one appropriately sized blade and never felt like I was lacking.

I can see a secondary blade if the two are significantly different in size, such as seen in a peanut, but patterns like the congress make me scratch my head. I feel as long as the blade is sized appropriately (2.5-3"), that you can do anything you need to do with one edge.

On a congruent note though, I share the desire to find smaller and thinner EDC knife. I appreciate all styles of knives and materials, but I like to give the nod to traditional stuff. It's got me looking at things like the small Douk Douk, Buck 300 Solitaire, Victorinox Solo Alox, and the Merkator K55Ksm.
 
Last edited:
I still reach for my full sized trapper more often than not. I can get by with less but I like trappers so why not.
Jim
 
My most carried knife lately is a Victorinox Compact. Knife, combo-tool, scissors, hook, corkscrew with the little eyeglass screwdriver, tweezers, toothpick, & a pen. Everything I might need in the course of the day at work. Just got it back from Tom Krein. I had him cut a notch in the blade so I can hook it on my pants pocket an open it one-handed.
 
I have a cigar box, too. Actually two. Dumb. And I always carry the same knives. But hey, better than guns.
 
From day to day I carry a bunch of different knives. At heart I will always favor a two blade Jack, but I have been mostly carrying single blade knives lately. I guess I am just a knife knut when it comes to day to day carry.

As for working around the house I favor a Case Yellow CV Sodbuster. Cuts like a champ, easy to re-sharpen, and ultimately something I wont cry over if it should ever meet an untimely end. And it wasn't a toilet valve recently, it was the old caulk I cut/scraped out between the toilet and the tile so I could put a pretty new white bead down to make the wife happy.
 
FLymon said:
And it wasn't a toilet valve recently, it was the old caulk I cut/scraped out between the toilet and the tile so I could put a pretty new white bead down to make the wife happy.
Click to expand...

Heck, I did that two weeks ago. Used a beat up old Opinel number 7.:D

Carl.
 
I work in an office/retail environment and pretty much stick to two-bladed jacks and pens (anywhere in the 2 7/8" - 3 5/8" range) plus a Vic. Rambler on my keychain.

ETA: Realistically, the little Vic. could handle most of my day to day knife needs but I like having the option of a little longer blade for cutting sammiches and stuff.;)
 
Last edited:
Life started at about 8 with a 1" single bladed pen knife for sharpening my school pencils
At 12, I moved on to a Camper knife on my scout belt along with my stag handled sheath knife
My father would not allow me cigarettes, so I smoked a pipe along with a pipe knife that had a spike and a tamper
At 14, I used my uncle's old British Army clasp knife
At 18, I carried a SAK with a corkscrew and that served all my camping needs
20, I was a Union Electrician, we all has a T29 Colonial electrians knife hanging off our tool pouches

Later on for backpacking with my SAK I used a Bucklite and then an Opinal

Then about 5 years ago i got bitten by the knife bug....

Now as in the Cube Culture, I carry a 3 1/4" to 3 5/8" sized knife in a pouch, mostly a stockman
And when I am out and about camping or mucking around, I carry a larger 4"+ stockman or single bladed slippy
I am quite sold on a SAK Huntsman or Alox Farmer for backpacking, and a Mora or Scandi for my fixed blade

And of course always a SAK Classic with a little red light on my key ring
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top