What are your favorite 2 knives?

[cnas122]

What are you favorite 2 knives....one having to be your favorite knife you are scared to use, and your other having to be your favorite knife you love to use. I'm interested in this based on the recent thread about whether or not some knives should or should not be used (whether its investment, value, price, sentiment, etc.)

Here are my 2 favorites:

1) Favorite that I will not ever use...Tony Bose 5 blade whittler #1

2) Favorite that I will always use: Kerry Hampton Tennessee Jack Prototype (I live in Tennessee and we were making a jack knife....so the name was pretty obvious)

The only rule in this thread is that you can only show 2 knives and you have to provide pictures

 

[Rsmith_77]

too pretty to use

too tough to not use and abuse

 

[kamagong]

This Hiroaki Ohta is my favorite slipjoint. It's also the finest one I own. I can't say that it was easy dropping it in my pocket, but after a few months I admitted to myself that I'm an enthusiast, not a collector. I'm glad I made the decision to use this knife, I derive much more pleasure putting it to work, in addition to chicken eye'n and coon fingerin' it than I ever did when it was stashed in my safe.

This bowie by Stuart Branson is a knife I'm scared to use, but not for the reason you think. Although Stuart is capable of making beautiful knives, I asked him to make this one a user. The choice of materials, finish, and especially execution were chosen so as to be faithful to the origins of the genre. This is a knife Jim Bowie would be proud to carry. The reason I'm scared to use this knife is because it means that my 1911 is out of ammo and I'm in serious trouble. But if I ever did have cause to use it, I don't think I'd hesitate. This is the knife I'd send my son off to war with.

- Christian

 

[Doug Add]

I will use these quotes from your post in the Use or not use mint vintage knives thread as my guide for answering your first question:

"I never used it to such an extent that it would be considered less than 'mint' . . . So I guess my point is that by not using these knives, I have the opportunity to own them, sell them, and then buy new knives I'm interested in."

Not necessarily scared to use it, but not wanting to put it to daily use like my others, I eventually sold my John Lloyd rosewood shadow, for much the same reason as you stated.

Favorite I will always use is harder to answer. I can somewhat easily narrow it down to five or six. Two is a little tougher, but they would be the Case chestnut bone 6220 peanut and the Schrade Walden propwood 832 stockman. Since you are forcing me to choose just one, I guess I would have to say it is the peanut.

 

[knarfeng]

I honestly don't think I own a knife I am afraid to use. If I were going to be afraid to use it, I wouldn't buy it. This does not mean I am fearless. It just means I have a price limit as to how much I will spend on a knife.

As for my favorite that I love to use, I fear I have become fickle with age. My favorite varies on an almost daily basis. To find my current favorite, I would have to look to see what I put in my pocket today.

 

[black mamba]

The knife of mine that I would never use is the first custom knife I had a hand in designing, made specifically for me. To me it is just too beautiful and special to nick and mar it up by use. It's my David Lisch Feather Fighter in damascus and amber stag.

The "love to use" knife was a much harder choice for me. I have a half dozen that I really, really like and carry on a regular basis. But after weighing everything, I decided on this Moore Maker #6301 in 1095 and stag. The steel, the feel, the size, the blade selection are all just about perfect.

 

[Stich2442]

Well I use and carry all my knives, even my 1900 H. Boker & Co's improved cutlery, I think Pinnah said it best for me in his post on the " use or not use mint vintage knives " thread when he said " I make things " and I think that is the perspective I come from, I always have had jobs that I make or produce a product, and when it's not used I always felt it was a waste of time and materials. With that said I did recently retire my Grandfathers Schrade Walden H-15, but I used it camping for the last 20 years. I would have to say my favorite knife is my Case peanut given to me by my daughter via. my wife, first gift from her at a month old, it has a lot if sentimental value for me, I would hate to lose it, but it's with me all the time.

 

[MT Damascus]

Probably wont use

Enjoy using

 

[Peter Parker]

Favorite two are my two cattleknives stag came from my wife, and the green bone from my parents.

I'm not afraid to use any of them, but the only one that hasn't been used and that is only because I no longer have the time to enjoy the out doors(hunt and fish) is the SLH Marbles fixed blade below...

 

[pinnah]

I honestly don't think I own a knife I am afraid to use. If I were going to be afraid to use it, I wouldn't buy it. This does not mean I am fearless. It just means I have a price limit as to how much I will spend on a knife.

I'm with Stitch and Frank on this. I don't buy knives unless I have an idea that I will use them. The 2 exceptions are an Ulster Camper, which I got to replace a dead Ulster BSA knife that I had since I was 8. I keep that for old time's sake, even though I don't often carry it (although, I do occasionally). The other knife I have but rarely use for fear of damage/loss is my grandfather's hunting knife. Like Stitch's (beautiful) H-15, I couldn't live with myself if I lost this.


grandpas-hunter by Pinnah, on Flickr

As for favorite that get used regularly, like Frank, this changes almost daily. Most often it's a Buck lockback or an Opinel. Generally, something out of this pile.

Folders by Pinnah, on Flickr

Can't narrow down the EDC pile to just one. Just can't.

 

[Doug Add]

The only rule in this thread is that you can only show 2 knives and you have to provide pictures

So, is it cheating if we post a second time with two more knives?

I have used this one, back when I was a kid -- as you can see from the damaged tip of the clip blade. But since it was the last gift I gave my granddad before he died, and my grandma gave it back to me the Christmas following his passing, it now has an honored place of retirement.

Schrade Walden 708Y serpentine jack

As I mentioned earlier, my Schrade Walden 832 stockman is neck and neck with my peanut for favorite I will always use.

 

[Stich2442]

So, is it cheating if we post a second time with two more knives?

I have used this one, back when I was a kid -- as you can see from the damaged tip of the clip blade. But since it was the last gift I gave my granddad before he died, and my grandma gave it back to me the Christmas following his passing, it now has an honored place of retirement.

Schrade Walden 708Y serpentine jack

As I mentioned earlier, my Schrade Walden 832 stockman is neck and neck with my peanut for favorite I will always use.

I don't think so, it's like picking a favorite child its easy for me I only have one.

 

[rockgolfer]

Some really great knives so far. Black Mamba that fighter is just amazing all the way around, I can understand the hesitation to use it.

MT, I love that damascus on the folder especially. Very nice examples.

Damascus envy, I got it bad

 

[supratentorial]

Well I use and carry all my knives, even my 1900 H. Boker & Co's improved cutlery...

How did you determine that it was made in 1900?

 

[Stich2442]

How did you determine that it was made in 1900?

I should have put 1900's it's dated between 1900-1906, the tree stamp changed again in 1907
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/967204-Flea-Market-finds?p=11106522#post11106522

There is a little nub on the trunk of the tree, on the 1907 stamp the nub moves up to the right branch, the branches also change slightly from stamp to stamp, lots of hours with a magnifying glass.

This has lots of info, you might like.
http://www.boker.de/pdf/knifeworld.pdf