What's the most useful traditional pattern to you.

K

kidwholaughs

Joined
Jan 17, 2004
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Hey guys,

Thanks to people like jackknife, I have been compeled to downsize while getting more knives at the same time. I know it sounds like a contradiction. It's just that I am experiencing a shift in how I view knives. A change of perspectives if you will.
Now, I am thinking about getting some Cases in the classic yellow CV. Most likely a trapper and a peanut, maybe a canoe. However, true to trying to be a minimalist, I don't want to get more than two knives, one if i could resist my self :D. So I would like y'all's advice on the pattern that are the most useful. That way, I won't just have a knife sitting on the shelf. So here is the question. What traditional pattern do you find to be the most useful and acutally use it the most?

God Bless
 
Tough to beat a stockman for all around versatility, a congress or whittler will give it a run though. It kind of comes down to which you like best. I usually go with a congress.
 
Stockman. I like having three blades--I use the clip the most, keep the spey razor sharp and in reserve, and use the sheepsfoot for the rough stuff.
 
I am a wharncliff whittler fan.

My wharncliff and coping blades see the most use otherwise I would say stockman.
 
The trapper and the peanut are jackknives. They are stronger than the stockman, which has a third blade, making it more versatile.

My thoughts are this. Get something that fits inbetween the peanut and trapper. Maybe a Texas Jack. Maybe a small jack. You can do a search and read up on them.


And then get a stockman. You'll have strength and versatility.
 
For my knife needs the pattern is irrelevent; almost any knife will work. So personal preference, particularly pattern aesthetics, is the deciding factor for me.

-Bob
 
I agree about the versatility of the Stockman, but I also love a good Trapper. Trappers are really good for someone who might wind up eating with their knife and/or cleaning fish and game with it sometimes. Somehow Trappers just feel good in my hand and in my pocket. I like the rounded end of the handle. :thumbup:
 
3.5 - 4 inch Wharencliff trapper, since I left the ranch all my cutting on pork or beef is done on a plate, so the spey is useless to me. Now wharencliff allows me the ability to clean small and medium size game, and the clip does the hole making and joint seperation on critters. The rest of the time, paper is a wharen for rope, cardboard,apples, steak etc......clip.

Now the perfect set to me is a 4.5 BackPocket Clip and a 3.5 single blade whareny swayback/trapper, not to many critters in the U.S. you can't handel with this set.

James Culpepper
 
As soon as I read the title of this thread, I thought "stockman". Sure I like the other patterns, trapper, congress, but I end up having more stockmans than any other pattern and I use them the most.
 
Slip joints are inexpensive. I have several and rotate. The stockman may be the most versatile, but I carry a Barlow most often. I like a Barlow as it gives one large and one small blade. Trappers, copperheads and muskrats usually have two large or at least mine do. Whittler is a good design too and to me the setup makes more sense than a stockman - small blades each have their own spring. They runtogether combined to make a double spring for the main blade. I've been shopping for a stockman.

I hate to say it, but if you are being a minimalist, you may want to think SAK.

PS: Boker has a good selection of carbon steel blades at good prices.
 
I don't hang out in the traditional forum much but my vote would be for a "camp" or "scout" pattern. To me, it is a classic, traditional pattern that doesn't get mentioned much here. I know some consider these more SAK/multitool. Otherwise, trapper for me.
 
A hard one to decide! Depends on need and mood, but the Mini-Trapper esp with Wharncliffe blade serves me very well.But Sodbuster, Barlow or Peanut are never far off either.Then there's Copperlock and Teardrop....that's the extent of my minimalism...
 
I'm torn between either of the foloowing two answers:

1. It all depends on what you are going to do with your slippie.

2. Come on...You know you're going to get more than one, eventually.
 
I have to agree with the stockman pattern being the most versatile model. As stated already by Kamagong, my clip blade gets the most general use, the spey blade stays like a scalpel and is reserved for skinning, and even though I keep the sheepsfoot sharper than I need to, it's used for rougher cutting. All and all, if I had to ditch all my knives and only have one pocketknife to handle all pocketknife duties, it would be a stockman pattern. That being said, I do have a nice full size trapper that serves as a great outdoors kind of knife. The blades are a little thicker and robust and the long spey blade does a terrific job of skinning. The trapper comes in at a very close second, but either pattern is tough to beat.
 
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