What slipjoints do you see people using in the real world?

K

knifeaholic

Joined
Oct 15, 2001
Messages
1,365
What slipjoints do you see people using in the real world?

Let me explain the question....I live in the urban Northeast...and almost no one (other than a knife knut like me)....carries a knife of any kind, let alone a traditional slipjoint. I used to see some people carrying SAK's, but even that seems to have died out.

So, I'm curious....in areas of the country like rural areas that are more "knife friendly" and where carrying a knife every day might still be vital to a person's life and livelihood...and I mean among people that are in general not knife nuts and are less educated about knives, and see a knife as a tool only....

What brands/patterns/blade materials/handle materials do you see represented in the slipjoints that "ordinary" people use day to day? Or maybe I'm wrong and slipjoints are not commonly used anywhere. Just a topic that always interests me....
 
Case is king for most stuff, particularly since Schrade went under. As for the Scouts/Utilities, there are mostly Cam ones about- old Scout knives or MIL-Ks.
 
Here in Arizona, most folks carry a Cripple Creek.........

OK, not really.... :eek:

I have to agree that even here, where everyone can carry a handgun, it seems like fewer folks carry a cutting tool than ever..... :(

Those that do, carry "Tactical" knives....very often knockoffs.... :(

I'm trying to be a one man army....talking up the virtures of a good slipjoint. I'm not giving up yet.

Bill
 
Although I live in a city of 100,000, this whole valley's economy is based on agriculture, lots of fruit and nut orchards, vineyards, and dairy farms in all directions for miles and miles and miles (my county was #1 in the entire US for total dollar value of agricultural production last year, and the next county north of us was #2). Most of the younger crowd carries a cheap chinese-made tactical, while the rest carry a folding lockback, but the over-30 crowd tends to favor slipjoints. I recently sharpened a knife for an older guy at work, who drives a truck for a living and ranches on the side. It was a single-blade Schrade Old Timer with a liner lock (the old brass one). Another guy at work usually carries a Kissing Crane brown mule sodbuster (I odered it for him from Knives Plus). I ran into a guy at the local Lowes who was replacing his old worn Case stockman, he wound up getting a 6.5 bone trapper. And a pattern that I see regularly on belts around town (even at parent meetings at school) is the large fruit knife. The knife displays at the hardware stores around here are dominated by slipjoints, mostly Schrade and Case, a few Gerbers, with some cheaper brands like Coast thrown in for good measure. Plus the ubiquitous Victorinox knives. And the ag supply store I was in the other day had at least ten varieties of grape knives, a whole display of Victorinox grafting and budding knives, and a selection of Tina grafting and budding knives (those Tina grafting knives are a little expensive but make great utility knives). And if someone is looking for a good and inexpensive (under $4) fixed blade hawkbill, some of the grape knives are an outstanding value, sort of the Opinel of the ag world.
 
When it comes to slip-joints, I see folks mostly using Swiss Army knives--specificly both Victorinox and Wenger.

Coincidently Walmart, Target, and Lowes sells Victorinox, and K-Mart and sells Wenger. And these are stores frequented by the masses).

I do occasionally see someone using a stockman (usually Case, Old Timer, or Buck).

Surprisingly I see quite a few folks using a cheapo box-cutter/utility blade that you find at nearly any hardware store.

And there are always some multi-tool users around (mostly Leatherman and Gerber--maybe because they are also sold at the big stores like Walmart).

I've also noticed that only the one-hand pocket-clip folder ever raises an eyebrow.

Allen.
 
In working for an electrical contractor, I see alot of different trades on job sites. By far, they are all carrying the Home Depot brand Husky lockblade utility knife. Like a superknife, I guess. (I own a couple myself) For the paltry price of about $10, it is a solid performer. No extra blade storage, though.

In fact, for the holidays, we gave superknives with our logo on it to all of our employees.

I gave a schrade 3-blade stockman to my co-worker the next office over, just to spread the fever. He carries it quite alot now, after not having carried a knife for years.

In the general New Hampshire public, I don't see too many knives everyday.

Glenn
 
Three bladed stockmen are pretty popular around here. Case and Schrade for the most part. Also see some lockbacks worn in belt sheaths.
 
Here in the Czech Republic, SAKs outnumber everything by about 100-1. In the knife shops, most all you see is single-blade folders (VERY few traditional slip-joints), so those must be out there too. But around town, if you see someone cutting an apple, opening a box, etc., it's basically always a SAK. Lately, I've been carrying my new Buck 55. It never raises an eyebrow .... but then again no knives raise eyebrows here. I've carried everything from a keychain SAK to an Old Timer to a Spydie Endura and Schrade LB7, used 'em all openly whenever the need arose -- and no one's ever blanched.
 
I see more multi-tools than any other knife. Mostly the various Leanterman models. Although, most of the people I know don't carry anything sadly enough.

I do see the occasional Buck 110 on someones belt and a lot of guys with clips sticking out of their pocket, usually I chalk them up to Chinese tacticals because I don't recognize the knife or clip style.

A kid at the gas station I frequent seems to be an up and coming knife nut, he usually has one of 3 or 4 Columbia Rivers with him, even the Kommer Bear Claw which is a bit un-pc in my neck-o-the-woods.
 
SAK's are #1 then come the Schrade Stockmans, Trappers, and Pen/Peanuts last.

This is only IMHO.
 
knifeaholic said:
What slipjoints do you see people using in the real world?

Let me explain the question....I live in the urban Northeast...and almost no one (other than a knife knut like me)....carries a knife of any kind, let alone a traditional slipjoint.
Click to expand...
TELL me about it. I live in suburban NJ, and as far as I can tell, I'm the only person in the whole godforsaken state who EDC's a knife of any sort. :rolleyes:

(Well, that's no *quite* true, I know of Esav, Ken and all, I just haven't had the good fortune of meeting you guys in person yet! ;) )
 
Well, Knifeaholic, you gotta keep your eyes open. Depends on where you are looking. If you ar looking in Haaaaaaaaaahvaaaaaaahd Yaaaaaaahd, or one of the many hospitals in Beantown, you porbably won't see too many knives carried by the students or faculty (although I guarantee an exception or two). Then have a look at the maintenence people, and there is usually some kind of sheath on their belts. If you ask them, it's usually a multitool, but more than one of those waddies is carrying a Buck 110. Don't see too many of those downtown though.

Also do not forget that in Boston it is technically illegal to carry a knife over 3" (I think) long. While I don't know of anyone being stopped and frisked by Boston Police, it could happen in theory, especially if you look like a thug or something.
 
Buck and Victorinox are the rulers of the roost here in central Ontario. Lots of single blade import cheapies too.
 
shaldag said:
Also do not forget that in Boston it is technically illegal to carry a knife over 3" (I think) long. While I don't know of anyone being stopped and frisked by Boston Police, it could happen in theory, especially if you look like a thug or something.
Click to expand...

That's 2.5" in Boston, technically making any standard 91mm SAK illegal. I doubt a SAK would really be an issue, but that's the law as it stands.

In Upstate NY, I have only seen SAKs on campus, and multis/buck110 on workers in town.
 
Even though I live in a kind of knife friendly area, I see mostly multitools carried on belts. I still see some Buck 110's sometimes, but not as often as I used to. I'm the only one I know that carries a good slipjoint on a daily basis, most of the knives I see come out of pockets are chi/paki cheapos. Once in a while I'll see a older guy with a Case or Schrade, but its becoming rarer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top