What is the One "Must Have" Knife?

rogatsby said:
Obviously, this is not a very good question in many respects because everyone has different tastes, different environments, different needs, etc.

But if you could list one or more "must have" knife, either for function, aesthetics, collection value, enjoyment, or whatever, what would you list?

Please try not to list really obscure items. Let's stick to knives that most people can readily purchase.

So the question is, if you are a knife enthusiast, what knife should you absolutely try owning and/or using at least once?
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rogatsby said:
Obviously, this is not a very good question in many respects because everyone has different tastes, different environments, different needs, etc.

But if you could list one or more "must have" knife, either for function, aesthetics, collection value, enjoyment, or whatever, what would you list?

Please try not to list really obscure items. Let's stick to knives that most people can readily purchase.

So the question is, if you are a knife enthusiast, what knife should you absolutely try owning and/or using at least once?
Click to expand...
Well for me the one knife I carry daily is my Kershaw 1820 Needs work. Its been useful to me on a daily basis. I got my first ones from Snap on and did not know the name of the knife. So years later when I lost mine and felt naked without it I searched on eBay under Kershaw 1820. That's when I learned its name for the first time. I would scroll down viewing the blade I wanted seeing Needs work, Needs work. I thought to myself " Why do they want so much for a broken knife?" Mine had served me well all these years" Finally I went to Kershaw's site and learned the name of my knife is Needs work. Weird name but a truly awesome knife.
 
cutlerycrazy said:
Kershaw 1820 Needs work.
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Interesting; kind of has that Spyderco SpydieChef vibe.

Very recently I "discovered" Kershaw. I know that sounds ridiculous but in the last month I bought a Kershaw Chill (my coworker has one and I couldn't get it out of my mind). I really, really like it. It is too danged thick behind the edge and desperately needs thinning. I was trying to trim the end of a soft rubber tube at work today, about 1-1/8 inch OD, I do this often with a reprofiled SAK Bantam and it works like magic. I put oil on the tube and on the blade and the SAK just does it right now, the Chill kept choking even though it was hair whittling off the Edge Pro. Still it is a fantastic little knife and for under $25 it is a steal and I can't complain one bit. She is going to get reprofiled and maybe thinned as well (I hate to wreck the bead blasted finish and the nice blade etching though; that's all that's stopping me so far).

Next in the Kershaw cheepy line up that I think is a stellar knife is the Kershaw Strobe. The handle on this one is more along the lines of what I was pounding the table about earlier : roundy, squareish and fairly neutral meaning no big finger grooves or prominent hooks in the handle. Good stuff ! ! ! . . . and are you ready ? . . . I picked this thing up brand new but no box for . . . I'm embarrassed to say . . . $17 . . . noooooo not $170 . . . $17 ! ! ! !
Sure it was returned or for some reason lost it's box but the thing is flawless. Perfectly sharp, no sign of use what so ever. The flipper action was quite stiff; I could do it if I dug my finger in at the base of the flipper no problem. I pulled the scale off and tweaked the frame lock just a half a hint and she is a dream now ! ! ! ! Not super steel but NOT BAD actually.

PS: ball bearings and zero, I mean zero, play.
 
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Lapedog said:
I heard when we die we go to a land where everyone carries a smatchet.

@Dogdrawz you’ll figure it out lol. Takes a while to know exactly what you want in a knife.
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Wowbagger said:
Interesting; kind of has that Spyderco SpydieChef vibe.

Very recently I "discovered" Kershaw. I know that sounds ridiculous but in the last month I bought a Kershaw Chill (my coworker has one and I couldn't get it out of my mind). I really, really like it. It is too danged thick behind the edge and desperately needs thinning. I was trying to trim the end of a soft rubber tube at work today, about 1-1/8 inch OD, I do this often with a reprofiled SAK Bantam and it works like magic. I put oil on the tube and on the blade and the SAK just does it right now, the Chill kept choking even though it was hair whittling off the Edge Pro. Still it is a fantastic little knife and for under $25 it is a steal and I can't complain one bit. She is going to get reprofiled and maybe thinned as well (I hate to wreck the bead blasted finish and the nice blade etching though; that's all that's stopping me so far).

Next in the Kershaw cheepy line up that I think is a stellar knife is the Kershaw Strobe. The handle on this one is more along the lines of what I was pounding the table about earlier : roundy, squareish and fairly neutral meaning no big finger grooves or prominent hooks in the handle. Good stuff ! ! ! . . . and are you ready ? . . . I picked this thing up brand new but no box for . . . I'm embarrassed to say . . . $17 . . . noooooo not $170 . . . $17 ! ! ! !
Sure it was returned or for some reason lost it's box but the thing is flawless. Perfectly sharp, no sign of use what so ever. The flipper action was quite stiff; I could do it if I dug my finger in at the base of the flipper no problem. I pulled the scale off and tweaked the frame lock just a half a hint and she is a dream now ! ! ! ! Not super steel but NOT BAD actually.
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Kershaw has gotten a lot of my business due to simply being on the Snap on truck. There really innovative at times. I like the Ripcord. Its an otf knife that you need the sheath of clip to open and close . And there E.T. ( External Toggle ) I carried it as well but had to put it away for I kept losing it due to its incredibly small pocket clip.
 
cutlerycrazy said:
Kershaw has gotten a lot of my business due to simply being on the Snap on truck. There really innovative at times. I like the Ripcord. Its an otf knife that you need the sheath of clip to open and close . And there E.T. ( External Toggle ) I carried it as well but had to put it away for I kept losing it due to its incredibly small pocket clip.
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Oh man the ripcord was an amazing knife. From the Golden Age of Kershaw (imho). I had one with a mirror polish DLC coated blade, plus the rubberized grip tape.

They should rerelease that!
 
Para 3 or PM2 as a main go to knife, been loving my S35VN variant even though I'd like to carry my XHP or M390. Ferrum Forge Pro Series Fortis 2.0 has been my most fondled and beloved otherwise since I got it last July, the FFKW Archbishop 2.0 is pretty damn good as well. Even though I've got close to 100 knives, possibly more, these are must haves for me.
 
It has to be the knife you envision in your mind and finally commission a knife maker to bring to fruition. Still working on it myself.
 
Buck 110/112 and Opinel #8. I have much more fancy and expensive knives, but I frequently return to these classics for EDC. They just feel right, and you can get the flavor you want in them (steel, handle materials etc.)

As for modern folders I'd say a BM Grip. I never fully got the appeal of it until I held/used one- everything in its right place (to quote Tom Yorke) .
 
Man, get a ruike p801 or p831..
- 14c28 steel
- stainless steel framelock (100% rust proof knife)
- not Any blade play
- closes by it's own weight
- sweet finition
- slicy af with the most utilitarian shape I've owned
- centered blade

There is nothing bad to say about this knife but two things :

- It's quite hard to thumb open, but by wearing the small lock ball inside the framelock it's just fine

I honestly have no excuse to get a more expensive knife, and for less than 50 bucks, the 801 is absolutely unbeatable, in action, grind, steel, construction.

Ruike killed it bro
 
Twindog said:
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Benchmade Rukus 610 -- best knife of all time
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On my want list but they are really hard to come by . So let me know :)
 
There is no single knife. For folders, I think an enthusiast should try at least one of each lock type. So maybe the BM 940 for an Axis lock, the PM2 for a Compression lock, the Cold Steel Recon 1 for a Tri-Ad lock, etc.
 
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