What were your gateway modern folders?

[WTF?Shane]

My first knife was a SOG Flash II that I bought in 2006. I handed it over to Japanese customs on my way to my first duty station in Okinawa.

 

[fausto nasafiaschi]

Spyderco Police, Endura and Delica in the early 90's. One hand opening, the spyderedge and the clips combined together were the features that got me hooked to the brand and introduced me to modern cutlery

 

[sfrigon1]

Sog flash 2 , no clue what I did w it

 

[10fingers]

I carried slip joints for a long time, mostly handed down by my father. Then I bought a Buck lockback with micarta scales and a Cold Steel lockback with laminated steel. Then a SOG lockback with thumbstud! Then a Spyderco Goddard with micarta, thumb hole and pocket clip. Then I went 100% modern with a mini-AFCK. I say modern because it had good steel, G10, one-hand opening, one-hand closing, and pocket clip.

What knife is 5th from left with the clip point?

 

[SCWillson]

An early fully-serrated Spyderco Delica with the plastic clip. Hated the handle ergonomics and serrations; loved the Spydiehole and the clip. My next one was the original Calypso, and I was hooked on Spyderco.

I've since tried thumb studs (Cold Steel) and disks (Benchmade), and even a flipper, but the Spydiehole remains my favorite OHO method by far. Doubt I'll ever buy another non-Spyderco modern folder. (I buy the occasional traditional.)

 

[M. Johnwell]

My first "modern" folder that wasn't some Chinese knife with mystery steel was a camillus. It had a vg-10 blade and titanium liners with g10/cf scales. It was actually a pretty good little knife, but the clip sucked and it's somewhere on top of the mountain behind my house.
The next knife I got was a spyderco stretch in super blue steel and the rest was history. Before that knife, I never knew how good a knife could feel in a hand.

 

[Ironbut]

My first modern folder was a Mini-Grip. Still have it.

 

[mmmotorcycle]

An older Gen Spyderco Delica that my Dad bought me more than 10 years ago on a trip to Colorado. Since then, I have loved one hand opening knives.

 

[Bill1170]

I was scratching around and found some of my early "modern" folders (single hand opening, locking, pocket clip). I'd grown up, gone through scouts and the army with SAKs and somewhere in the early 90's picked up a Delica ... the rotation (before it was a word) was this bunch probably until 2005 or so when a switch tripped (and I found online knife dealers), a gate opened and its been downhill from there.

Top to bottom : AUS8 Delica, VG1 Voyager, ATS34 Mini Ascent, AUS6(?) Japanese made Vapor, AUS6 (?) Liner Action, mystery metal Mini Covert.

Looking at it now, I'm not sure why I was into combo edges .... I guess they worked for me in those days.

I still occasionally carry the top three for "old times sake" - so what were your gateway blades? The older the better!!

For me, the gateway modern folders were a Delica 4 and a Kershaw Leek.

 

[ThePeacent]

I think that's why a lot of us would like to see Gerber back making better quality knives here in the USA.

those were the good old GERBERS

 

[brownshoe]

Got it used already, but was one of the first to me

My first modern folder was a Puma lockback, but the Tanto Large Voyager with the same handle was my first knife with a pocket clip. I wanted a pocket "tanto". Be careful, mine took a lot of work and abuse, but now the lockback no longer holds. It closes with a light spine whack, never used to do that. It was my lawn and gardening knife, everything from batoning to split sticks to cleaning out the lawnmower deck. Can't use it that way now... One of these days I'll send it in to see if Cold Steel will honor its lifetime warranty that it originally came with. But they rescinded about 10 years ago. I still got the box...I think!

 

[K.O.D.]

My first modern folder was a SOG Pentagon Elite, circa 1997.

There was an outdoors shop at Woodfield mall that was moving to a new location, and everything was on sale, closeout. I picked up the SOG for $35. This was the liner lock version, before SOG came out with the arc lock.

Combo edges were all the rage, and "tactical" knives were starting to become popular.

It was a slow descent into madness from there.

In 2013 I discovered and joined bladeforums, and it opened my mind and (quickly) emptied my wallet. In one years time, I bought, sold, and gave away over 70 folders, and a few fixed blades.

It's now June 2017, and I now own ten modern, 1 traditional, 1 sak, and one fixed blade.

I'm still hooked, but money is tight.

 

[adamlau]

Early nineties Benchmade Crawford Leopard Cub in ATS-34. Benchmade Emerson models followed, including the first release of the Wave.