What was your "gateway" knife?

My introduction to knives in general was a Mora companion that I picked up for camping. Then a Kershaw Leek was my first dedicated (non-multitool) folding knife, which introduced me to "real" folders. Shortly after that I acquired a mini-grip, and I was a lost cause. My spending continuously spiraled upwards for a while, but it's slowed to a crawl since I acquired a small Sebenza 21. As soon as the KAI/Emerson collabs come out my wallet is going to be empty again, though...
 
Victorinox SwissChamp over 20 years ago. Loved that knife and it's still somewhere. my father got it for me on my birthday from the official dealer as part of a complete fishing kit. Gave it to my father to use while I was serving in the army and that's the last i saw of it. now years later I joined a geological expedition in Spain and decited to get a knife i always lusted for, the AITOR Jungle King 1. that got me back in to blades, and saved me and my best friend when we got lost in the woods in Spain. Magnesium fire-starter, 6 meters of cordage, iodine and water purification tablets, slingshot, compass and companion knife made us a lean-to shelter, fire, safe to drink water and a couple of spears for safety in those woods that night and got us out the next.
 
Emerson QCQ 11. Never bought another Emerson, but now have a respectable collection of Benchmade, Zt, Spyderco and others.
 
In a way, it was a Buck 110.

A bully at school had one, and stabbed me in the chest with it. Not deeply, fortunately, but it left a scar.

Close to 40 years, and I have never been without a knife since.

The knife that made me like NICE knives was an Al Mar ultralight Hawk. Carbon fiber bolsters, sweet blade shape, good steel. Loved that knife. I keep thinking of getting another one, they're still in production.

hawk-ultralight-plain_4f3b4755e27b9.jpg


But never, ever, ever a Buck.


Ever.
 
Mine started pretty early on, I think I was around 4 when I got my first little victorinox and then Dad got me some cheap no name brand pocket knife so I could learn about being responsible for my knives.
 
I was in search of a quality knife after several low end ones I had would fail after a short period of use. Sold off all my junk and got a CRK small sebenza 21 insingo. Now I spend time each day looking for my next knife.
 
The Recon 1 was the first knife I ever spent any descent amount of money on and was impressed by. Shortly after Adamas 275 blew my mind and had me selling stuff off to feed the knife addiction. I think im going to cut down a 8 in. Thick tree today with Adamas and will post some pics later. Hopefully will have some pics of speared white sucker fish also but its raining and is gonna be hard to see them. But hopefully will be eating smoked sucker fish tomarrow.
 
First decent knife I bought myself was a Spyderco dragonfly. I had some SAKs and a few lower end traditionals before that but my first dedicated pocketknife was the Spyderco.
 
An Italian Stiletto folder that my dad dulled on a rock before giving it to me at about 8 years old.
 
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