what is your fall back pattern?

I carried one of four Stockman pattern knives from 1970 until 2005, when I bought a Case jack knife. Then I got into knife collecting about four years ago and carried a wide variety of patterns, but have settled back into mid-size Stockman knives as a norm (Buck 303 size). That is a hard knife pattern to beat for my uses. OH
 
The stockman pattern is the one I find the most appealing and useful. However, I recently got a Case medium jack in stainless with black delrin panels. I really like the little knife and I've found it to be very useful and the size to be acceptable. Too bad Case doesn't have very many choices in that pattern. Apparently most people go for the peanut or trapper patterns when buying two-blade knives and the standard old jackknife seems to be neglected.
 
I'd have to say that the Wharncliffe Trapper is the pattern that seems to find my pocket most often. I do switch off though. It's a knife nut thing....

One of these is the most likely candidate.
IMAG0615.jpg
 
Not sure I would call it the "pattern that you fall-back on?" 7 days a week I have a small 3 1/4" stockman in my watch pocket. Half the time I have a second knife but always the stockman. I experimented with a buck 503 Prince for a couple years but missed the sheepsfoot blade.
 
For a long time all I ever carried was a Case Trapper of some form or another, the full sized one. But, here lately I have fallen in love with vintage Schrade stockmen knives. And, I've snagged a few that I now rotate out. I really enjoy the 1095 of the old Schrades. My next most carried knife, well probably carry at the same time as the stockman, is a Schrade 25OT or 125OT. It seems now day's I'm carrying one of those all the time. My Case's all seem to be sitting in the safe now day's.
 
I guess my fall back pattern may well be the scout/SAK.

I started out with a scout knife dad gave me. Went in the army and carried the issue 'demo' knife for years. Bought a Buck stockman in the late 60's, and a Victorionx SAK. Then a few more SAK's. Even though I carried the Buck stockman for 25 years, there was always a SAK close by, and sometimes carried in tandem if I was heading off someplace. I went through a sodbuster phase in the late 90's, then my peanut stage until arthritis has killed that.

Now I have another stockman, but my old Wenger SI is still around. Since 1969, the Victorinox pioneer or Wenger SI has been a fall back. When I go on vacation, I send a SAK to myself where I'll be staying, and gift it off when I leave.

A SAK seems to be my lifelong fall back pocket knife. I know I can mail order one and it will be just the same as the last one. Or stop in any big box store and pick one up, and it will be fine.

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jackknife said:
I guess my fall back pattern may well be the scout/SAK.

I started out with a scout knife dad gave me. Went in the army and carried the issue 'demo' knife for years. Bought a Buck stockman in the late 60's, and a Victorionx SAK. Then a few more SAK's. Even though I carried the Buck stockman for 25 years, there was always a SAK close by, and sometimes carried in tandem if I was heading off someplace. I went through a sodbuster phase in the late 90's, then my peanut stage until arthritis has killed that.

Now I have another stockman, but my old Wenger SI is still around. Since 1969, the Victorinox pioneer or Wenger SI has been a fall back. When I go on vacation, I send a SAK to myself where I'll be staying, and gift it off when I leave.

A SAK seems to be my lifelong fall back pocket knife. I know I can mail order one and it will be just the same as the last one. Or stop in any big box store and pick one up, and it will be fine.

14504302427_3253769170_c.jpg
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That's a fine looking stockman and it made me curious to check them out. Is that D2 steel?
 
Pattern and the knife in each.

Case Mini-Trapper



Queen Single Blade Jack (Thanks yet again, Charlie.)



SAK Alox Farmer (though a Tinker or any similar SAK will do.)



While I have been experimenting with some other carry combos I just keep coming back to the Mini-Trapper and the SAK. They pretty much reside in my pants pockets all the time. I may add a knife, but these two are pretty well established for all the time carry.
 
Stockman. I have trried other patterns and other than a Puma packer and Browning lockback in my late teens and twentys none has lasted long as a daily carry. I have tried lockbacks since then as well as a seahorse, a peanut, scout knife, various SAKs and etc. and I do have a couple of knives I still carry sometimes including a SAK Tinker and Sundays find me with a Kent I got from Glennbad in a giveaway. But it seems I always come back to a stockman in short order. Guess its my raising when most of the men around here carried a stockman. It just seems right somehow.
 
Stockman, no question. My primary is always a stockman; and when I go out the door with 2 or more knives in-pocket, the secondary is usually another stockman. And if it comes time to fall back to a 3rd, I'll go dig out a stockman. And if I run out of those, it's time to put the world on emergency hold, and go buy another stockman. :D

(These days, I'm carrying these a LOT -->: Schrade USA 8OT, Case 6375 CV, Buck 301)

( I do actually carry other knives, such as a Sod Buster or Opinel; but those are always carried as 'other use' knives, such as for food prep. But, 'THE Designated Fallback', as back-up for my primary use knife, will always be a stockman. )


David
 
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I really love my single sheepsfoot Barlows & the medium stockman. I couldn't pick just one so those are my fall back patterns. :)
 
I am fond of the single blade trapper. I like single blade knives to begin with but either the normal or slim trapper pattern really floats my boat.
 
Stockman, always a stockman. I carry another pattern for a while, love it, then carry another pattern because I like the knife. For me, it's almost like dating girls you really want to go out with when you feel like it.

But I always get back to a stockman. It is hard for me to beat the utility value that pattern offers. The only close second is my favorite old CASE 4" copperhead, but since I have had it for 40 years, I am afraid I will lose it so don't carry it that much anymore.

Robert
 
As boring as it is sak cadet. Now if my gec #15 scout had a cap lifter there might be some competition
 
Amos Iron Wolf said:
Pattern and the knife in each.

Case Mini-Trapper



Queen Single Blade Jack (Thanks yet again, Charlie.)



SAK Alox Farmer (though a Tinker or any similar SAK will do.)



While I have been experimenting with some other carry combos I just keep coming back to the Mini-Trapper and the SAK. They pretty much reside in my pants pockets all the time. I may add a knife, but these two are pretty well established for all the time carry.
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Amos,

How old is that Mini-Trapper on top? Unless my eyes are deceiving me I think I see the faint remnants of jigging in those scales! That's ALOT of wear... How long did you carry that? That's quite a veteran pocket knife I must say. I just love old worn pocket knives. :)
 
arizonaranchman said:
Amos,

How old is that Mini-Trapper on top? Unless my eyes are deceiving me I think I see the faint remnants of jigging in those scales! That's ALOT of wear... How long did you carry that? That's quite a veteran pocket knife I must say. I just love old worn pocket knives. :)
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;) Believe it or not, that's a Smooth Chestnut Bone Mini-Trapper from waayyy back in 2006. :D

The lighting sort of brought out the scratches and made it look a wee bit more pocket worn, but it has had some carry. I've probably got three or four years of accumulated carry on it and that's probably being conservative. It's gone for a year or solid in my pocket until recently when I was experimenting some and with several months at a time with just short reprieves in between since I got it. Usually those reprieves were compliments of that little Queen Jack until it I got around to doing a full sharpening on the MT and after the Queen started to get where it needed more than a touch up. Then the MT went back in the pocket.

It's back in my pocket again after the short "try other things" hiatus, though it's now in the watch pocket to be easier to get to. But only until recently it was carried in my right front pocket with change and a wad of keys. So it has had plenty of getting roughed. I kind of hope for it to be well worn by the time I'm gone and one of the boys can have it. Hopefully they will appreciate the pocket time and that it was well loved though not babied.

Funny thing is, I bought it by mistake in the last minutes of an auction back around 2006 or "ought seven" (That makes it sound older heheh.) thinking it was a full sized trapper. Only after the auction closed I realized it was a mini-trapper and thought, "Oh cripes. I sure hope I like it." Nope, didn't like it. I loved it! A dream to carry and big enough to cut most anything I need cut.

I just came in from out back with the dog and was using it to cut notches circling a stick then sat down here and stropped it a little.
 
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