What knives would you include on an all-time landmark/watershed knife list?

The m3 trench knife was certainly iconic, but not really a "turning point" (or "watershed") moment in knives, as knives in the trenches were nothing new, and the Fairbairn-Sykes would be more of a "watershed" knife for wwII trench knives I think. Not to mention the much earlier m1918 and Mark1 and French Couteau Poignard Mle 1916 dit Le Vengeur, and German Nahkampfmesser's which were the predecessors to the wwII designs...
however turning that trench fighting style knife into a bayonet, away from traditional bayonet styles, was sort of a watershed moment as far as knife bayonets go.

 

What exactly makes them irrelevant? A watershed moment/design/product remains so throughout time. Whether they have any interest to you or not, does not change that fact.

The simple pulley has been around for thousands of years, yet is still quite relevant.

The Ford Model T and VW Beetle are still watershed cars in automotive history, and are just as relevant to how the industry in the principles of mass production, or affordable personal transportation.

The 110 is still a big seller, and is in just as many pockets, if not more than many of the more modern knives on your list, and by people who work them hard everyday and no nothing about $100+ knives.

The KaBar USMC is still in countless toolboxes, truck beds, camping packs, etc. Again, possibly more than an ESSE 6 that to some extent, only knife people know of.

Good design is good design, and is always relevant, no matter how long it’s been around, or how dated it may seem. Sometimes it’s because it’s still in heavy use, other times because the standards we use today are built upon those watershed moments.

 

Of course they are. The popsicle tang fighting knife is almost entirely a relic from the past. No modern manufacturer would even consider such a design now. This also echoes to the 110 - a half pound brass and wood folder that requires two hands to open and close. Carbon steel slipjoints have been relegated to the pockets of a small population of septuagenarians and the Opinel still deals with swelling handles same as it has for more than half a century. Regardless, it seems few have the knowledge or inclination to post their own list so I'll bow out of this thread.

 

the first of production assisted opening dinos gotta be watersherd for their technical
innovation and introduction in to the mass
market, perhaps?...

 

Emmerson CQC-6 and the Benchmade versions during their collaberation. The knives that I remember making the liner locks known. And one of first major makers to make them one handed opening from the factory with the disks.
Benchmade 710... the knife that made the AXIS lock popular and popular enough to copy.
Ontario machete.
Woodsman Pal
kukri
any puuko or close enough copy (Mora, the Skramas, etc)
Spydero Police, pretty much the first popular one hand opening with the hole. The Spyder Edge (R) also started the trend of so many knives having serrations 30 years ago.

 

When I bought up mine, my list of production firsts was

LST (first frn handle)
strut n cut (first assisted)
two screw worker (first spyderco knife, first "tactical"/one hand open locking blade with pocket clip)
initial run M16 (first flipper)
explorer (first liner lock, as far as I could find out)
710 (first axis)
version 1 variation 1 Buck 110 (first 110s made, very small number of them)
vascowear sporstman 2 and a chromed hss pixie (closest I could think of of early versions of super steel knives)
couldn't find an early Sebenza for sale when I was buying these up. also couldn't find an early pacific bali, plus quickly realized if I did I wasn't willing to pay for it.

Previously had SEREs, Opinels, douk douks, mercators, peanuts, vic soldiers, camillus demos, italian side folder, etc.

Then I got over the idea of "significant" knives and got rid of them.

 

Buck 110
Almar SERE
Spyderco Worker
Terzuola ATCF

 

I have to disagree. The Buck 110
is still alive and well.

Not only is it alive and well, light weight variances abound. Along with plenty of copies made by other manufacturers.

 

And considering how many knives I see with aftermarket brass and copper scales, I feel safe saying there’s plenty of people who aren’t concerned with what the knife in their pocket weighs.

 

Thank god, bye.

 

I posted a list and it sure as Hell didn't have Ganzo on it.

You can have your opinions about the current validity of past knives but that's not what the intent of the thread was. It was asking for watershed knives. By definition that includes knives of the past.

 

I wasn’t gonna say anything because it has been mentioned several times but after that spoonbot nonsense I’m gonna say most definitely a Buck 110 and the 119 special.
The 110 is probably the most copied model ever and now in many different materials and offshoot models from the factory . I don’t think copy/ fakers would be copying irrelevant models. Lol.
Logical thinking must be irrelevant in their neck of the woods. Lol

 

To add to the pile:

Bark River Bravo 1 - the knife that put BRKT on the map,
Spyderco Native - reversible pocket clip, company flagship model,
Spyderco Military - the model with the most iterations,
Hogue Doug Ritter RSK - the best BM is not made by BM,
Strider SMF - part of the 'Holy Trinity'.

 

And after reading that list I now realize that I don't have to take much else you say all that seriously.

 

But he's good at diatribes... Not really at understanding knives, though. That's another department.

 

I would say these older style stick tang knives work pretty darn good. I would call them many things, but not the word irrelevant.

A Ka-Bar USMC is surely a landmark blade design.

 

The Remington bullet knife style...