What traditional knives/patters do you love the least?

longbeachguy

longbeachguy

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Oct 11, 2005
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This thread is a copy of one going on in the Knife Reviews and Testing forum, but there's little if any discussion of traditional knives -- mostly people bagging on CRKT's, Gerbers, and Cold Steel.

In any case, I doubt any of us have very strong negative feelings about any traditional brands or patterns, but I thought it would be interesting to know what knives leave people cold, for whatever reason.

In my case, it's the canoe. I know it's just me, and I do think it's a very nice looking pattern, and I do own a few. There's just something about two spear point blades, neither of which has a penetrating point, and the way it feels in the hand when open, especially when using the small blade.

Looks nice, rides well in the pocket, but I just cant help it -- they leave me cold.
 
I really like my Opinels, but I find the shape at the end of the handle to be less than perfect. I sanded the upper portion down to a curve and it feels worlds better. Kind of wonder why they didn't just make them that way from the start.



Click the image for an in-hand shot. Still need to put on the final touches, but you get the idea.
 
There's a long tradition of customizing Opinels to suit your specific tastes, which is one of the things I like best about them. I modified my 5" opie to make it a hefty wharncliffe, and it's one of my favorite wood carving knives now.

IMG_0271.jpg
 
I've thought about making a recess like that more towards the pinky area. Suit my grip better and make the blade easier to grip when opening. I like the Wharncliffe idea, I've seen it a few times and I've thought about trying it. Opinels do make great woodworking knives.
 
OK,

This ought to get me roasted...
Elephant Toenails. I do not personally see the incredible prices asked, and paid, for this pattern. It is staggering to me, to watch people pay big bucks for a production knife of very little use. It must be the ART concept. This is only my opinion, and I know it is a popular pattern with many folks.

Bill
 
I'm not familiar with Elephant Toes, but I just googled them and they seem plenty functional to me? Seem like they'd work wonder with peanut butter :)
 
I'm not fond of the peanut or the coke bottle or the gunstock. I do have one gunstock. And I don't care that much for canoes either even though I have a few. The sunfish or elephant's toenail would be heavier than I would want to carry but I do like playing with them and have several.

Barlows? I collect them as well as congress (and the Case Eisenhower) so I guess these would be among my favorites. For a carry knife it's pretty hard to beat the congress or the stockman - compact and plenty of blades. I also like the good old classic jack (similar to a two blade barlow, I guess) and I'm surprised so few of them are made any more. The ones I carry are all over 30 years old.
 
With me its the congress.

It seems like a knife with an identity crisis, dos'nt know witch end is witch. With a good old stockman, barlow, daddy barlow, whitler, coke bottle, peanut, texas jack, trapper, scout, sodbuster, church window, elephants toenail, dogleg jack, at least you know what end is the master end.
 
I ordered a canoe a while back. When it arrived I sent it back the next day. I know alot of folks really like them but they just are not for me.
 
Congress. . . . . :barf:



Elephant Toe / Sunfish = heavy use / working knife ! :thumbup:
 
Gotta be the Barlow for me. My dad carried one for years belore he lost it. I never did warm up to it. Too fat and bulky feeling.
 
Probably the saddlehorn. I'm not much on the sowbelly or the copperhead either, though I do have one copperhead and was bidding on an engraved bolstered, Case Select sowbelly that was quite attractive. Gunstocks and Coke bottles don't normally appeal to me either, though I did really like the looks of some of those Cokebottle Hunters being shown in a previous thread. So some of these patterns it just depends on the knife for me. But I've yet to really see a saddlehorn that really appeals to me, nor am I yet drawn to get anything in a gunstock, or a Cokebottle. Oh yeah, I pass right over doctor's patterns. They have no appeal for me.

Each to his own though. Some don't like the conress or the barlow. Me, I like the congress pattern, possibly cause my Dad had a nice Kissing Crane so there is some of that in there. However, I really do like my stag Boker congress, but find the Camillus 712Y Yello-Jaket congress with one of the sheepsfoot blades serrated to be the best carrying knife I've had, with only the Case peanut and the KC37 sodbuster coming in just a gnat hair's distance behind it. I like barlows for looking at and a daddy barlow I have carries surprisingly well. I don't much care for regular Barlows for EDC as they concentrate their weight in too small an area and are bulky, but that doesn't keep me from being fond of them. There's some childhood history with the barlow as well. I got to retouch that history a little thanks to a member on here. (Thanks, Charlie!) Muskrats and trappers are quite favored. Since being introduced to harness jacks under the dark influence of our resident HJ collector, I've come to really like not only HJs, but jack knife and swell end jack knife patterns as well.

Guess you could say I have a much larger list of knife patterns I like than those I don't.
 
:thumbdn: Pen knives :thumbdn: If I have to clean my nails (That's about all they are good for) I will use my nail clippers or whip out a 4 1/4" Trapper..It makes a better impression on those around you anyway...;)

Sunburst
 
GigOne said:
Congress. . . . . :barf:



Elephant Toe / Sunfish = heavy use / working knife ! :thumbup:
Click to expand...

I agree. I can't stand the congress. I have no need for 4 blades in one slip joint. Also, just something about the way it looks. Can't get past it :confused:
 
Personally, I don't really like the wharncliffe whittler. Don't have any love for that one.
I wasn't overly fond of the stockman pattern either, until today; got a jumbo Moore Maker stockman, and it's great! They just always seemed a little small, with a master blade that was too short for the handle size. I'd always preferred trappers to stockmen, but this one evens the score.
 
I agree. I can't stand the congress. I have no need for 4 blades in one slip joint. Also, just something about the way it looks. Can't get past it
Click to expand...

I have always felt that way until I picked up a couple like this with the extended signature bolsters...Now would I want to carry one of these? The answer is no, but the quality and craftsmanship for a collector piece has changed my attitude on this style of congress.

SchattMorganPearlCongresssmall.jpg


FileWirecongresssmaller.jpg
 
a Congress, here too. I want to like them, but something keeps me from pulling the trigger all the time on one. Also, trappers. I think that they're sort of pointless-2 almost identical blades.
 
For me it is the toothpick. The long skinny blade just looks like it is going to snap off any time.
 
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