What was your "gateway" knife?

Always had knives as a little kid...'course it was the early '70's and all the kids had them. First knife I can remember lusting after was a KaBar 1189 at the hardware store in about 1978. It was $28. At the time my dad was trying to instill in me the importance of saving money, so he had presented me with a leather pouch with an Eisenhower silver dollar in it. Every week that I didn't spend my pouch savings, he'd add a silver dollar. When that pouch had finally collected 28 silver dollars, I was off to the hardware store like my ass was on fire. No more weekly silver dollars, but that KaBar folder was mine. Later when I joined the Navy I loaned it to a guy "for just a minute" which turned out to be long enough for him to drop it in 500 fathoms or so of ocean while rigging a boat boom. I should have made him go after it...

Though I have accumulated some nice sharp and pointy goodies since, as of this morning I have come full circle and am shopping about for an old KaBar 1189, having been inspired by this thread :)
 
Mine was a crkt hawkdog the original version with the steel pivot, notheblackk pivot. Carried it for years before a Zt 560 took. Ita place.
 
Last edited:
1976 Victorinox, Gerber Folding Sportsman 2, The next year I got A G Russell's catalog and got a Canadian Belt Knife with my initials engraved into it, then got a Randall 8-4, a Morseth and exploded into a purchase nearly every paycheck. I strayed away through college thinking I had 'enough' (& had plenty of other thing on my mind...) then a few years back the internet trapped me into purchases again! I'm cool with it now and can show a little restraint, (& being poor again helps that too.)
 
Case Small Texas Jack. I had purchased a few affordable modern folders up until then, but was largely done, having covered my modest needs and satisfied my curiosity about a few styles. Once I got a Spyderco Delica my modern-knife shopping was pretty much over.

But unfortunately the Case knife led me to the Traditionals forum here and it's been a downward spiral into knife collecting ever since. I think I've about stabilized now. Well almost. :)
 
Well as far as my Case XX collection goes the knife that got me started was my papa's Red Bone Texas Jack (1965-69) that I got a almost a year ago. I now have 13 case knives including another 1965-69 dated knife and my Case collection continues to grow.

The knife that got me started in "Tacti-Cool" knives is the Gerber Mini-Covert Applegate-Fairburn (with F.A.S.T.)
 
A long time ago in Scouts, most of us had hand me down buck small pocket knifes(before the clip revolution). I snuck my dad's Buck 110 to camp one year, and it was a real work horse. I saved 3 month's on a paper boy salary, and bought a case lock back(I didn't want Dad's wrath of getting caught with his). Big brass bolsters, molded plastic handles but it had some black swirl in the gray color, and it had a Hammerhead shark on the blade. Loved and used that knife, and I had to keep close tabs on it.

I did some time in the Green machine, I still loved a good lockback, and went through many Bucklite 110 type of blades, all my uniforms had a pocket for them sew on(on the inside), it was nice always having a knife!!! but that case knife started it all for me.
 
Nic S. said:
I always had knives but the first knife that I bought that got me into in the hobby/forums and such was the benchmade mini-grip.
Click to expand...

My first good knife was also a mini grip. I now own several decent knives, but the mini grip is what comes with me every day.
 
When I was around 10 years old I was blessed with a nice fixed blade "Marbles" hunting knife given by my Grandfather. I would cut every thing when spending summers at my grandparents farmhouse in the wilderness in New Hampshire. After receiving this knife I would beg my mother every chance I could ,to buy me a new folder or some random blade I was drooling over.Upon becoming a man I have been buying and collecting sharpened steel, ever since. Im truly happy to have signed up with "BladeForums" and be able to interact with the knife community.

Thanks Everybody !!!!
 
Buck 110 back when you could ride around in the bed of an old pickup(3 on the tree) with a shot gun on the rear window rack.
 
Last edited:
Being in the military, I've always had knives. Mostly $50 stuff you can abuse and put in a drawer when you buy another. CRKT My Tighe, kershaw blur, CRKT M-16. My first "nice" blade was a ZT 0560.....and I was hooked! Now have a boker coye ridgeback, lionsteel sr-1a (traded), CRK Large Sebenza, and saving up for my Hinderer!
 
Gerber Torch I
Torch-I-Tanto-G-10-Black-Serrated_fulljpg.jpg


CRKT M16
M16-10KZ_xlarge_251.jpg


Smith & Wesson CK5TBS
K580_307.jpg


After I had lost/destroyed all of those I was knifeless for a couple years, then somehow stumbled upon Nutnfancy on YouTube. I bought a Benchmade 556 Mini Grip and never looked back.

BM556a.jpg
 
It was actually blade show that got me into this more than a particular knife. I live 30 minutes outside of Atlanta, and happened to be driving through Cobb County while BladeShow was at in town. I stopped by to check it out, and that was that.
 
I'd say it was my blue Al Kershaw Scallion. It was really the first of a bunch of new knives. Later on I bought a Case Mini Trapper that led to a larger traditional knife collection than I ever thought possible.

When it comes to my GEC collection (more than 1/2 of my knives are GECs), an American Elk #25 EO was the first and a Cocobolo 2blade #48 led to my #48 collection which makes up about 1/3 of my GECs.
 
First that got me into modern knives was a CRKT M16 of some sort my uncle had. First one I bought was a Gerber Paraframe, which taught me to not buy cheap knives in short order!

I bought an AUS-8 M16-o3z before the switch to dual flippers and the extra lock. Loved it. Then onto Kershaws, spydercos, and benchmades. Had a Bradley alias for a while too.
 
Spyderco vallotton sub hilt. My first high end knife. Once you see quality like that it's hard to settle for less ImageUploadedByTapatalk1400524518.154996.jpg
 
Could not help but smile thinking about that first one. I had always played with SAKs and cheap folders when I was younger but it was a short Kabar in black with Kraton handle that really started it all. That knife is long gone but there are many, many more followed in its wake.
 
Swiss Army knives and Moras growing up, never saw the need for anything more. Then my sergeant whips out a Spyderco Endura and here I am, many years later and richer in every way other than financially.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top