why a peanut over pen?

hardheart

hardheart

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
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There seems to be a lot of peanut love, but I was wondering why it is preferred over the pen knife.
 
hardheart said:
There seems to be a lot of peanut love, but I was wondering why it is preferred over the pen knife.
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Good question.

Answer; I don't know.

For me, the peanut is a personel thing, as I grew up watching my dad go through his life, when he was around, with a peanut. Dad was the first person I ever knew who could really claim the title of minimalist. Even though I did not appreatiate it when I was young, the years gave me the smarts to come to appreatiate the techniques.

But for most people I think its a matter of asthetics. Why do some things become a phenominon by themselves? The VW bug craze of the 60's, for one example. The Harley craze of the 90's? Something about the things looks strikes some chord in people. I think there is a classic beautiy formula that most people will recognize, even if subconcious. The peanut may be in that catagory.

Certainly the pen knife is every bit as good a knife as the peanut, but the peanut attracts more people. The cute factor? Maybe. Or maybe like me, they knew somebody with one and wondered how they got by with that little knife, so tried one out and became addicted. They may have found out the little peanut is capable of much more cutting that one would think. The boxy handle lets you get a really good three finger hold on the knife, and the flat ground thin blade cuts almost like an Opinel.

Or may be it's the curves. Men like curvy little things. The strait pen knife can be a little booring after a peanut has cought your eye. Look how long small serpintine jacks have been popular.

But why ask, just think of the peanut as the strage little knife that is addicting if you get one. :D
 
Well, I can't explain why for others, but I can for myself. I owned a Case and Robeson pen knife, and they were ok, but they just didn't compare to my Peanut. Even though the Peanut's handle is a little shorter then the Case Pen knife, it is boxier and therefore easier to hold and handle. When I used the pen knife, it always felt very insubstantial in my hand. I was always afraid I was going to lose control of it. Granted, I never used it for any big cutting jobs, but then again it was BECAUSE I felt insecure with it in my hand that I relegated it to small cutting duties. My Peanut, however, has been used for many big cutting chores, with no worries or trepidations about losing my grip. The width and boxiness make up for the shorter handle, I guess. Plus, my Peanut feels like a little tank. It is very well put together. Again, I can't speak for the others, but for me, this is why the Peanut is the King of the small knives.
 
Good question indeed...

Well, I can't answer now on a aplicable level since I have yet to get my pen knife, but after it arrives, and i have some pocket time with each, I'll come back and comment from that side of it.

I will say this;
I've been drawn to get a case pen for a while since they make one with scissors, and the scissors on my small SAK has become invaluble, a real blessing to have. so naturally I want a more traditional slippie with scissors.

I am drawn to the curves of the peanut, a pleasing shape to me. Mainly though, I tried it first because of what jackknife said "Or maybe like me, they knew somebody with one and wondered how they got by with that little knife" Seeing him and others here get by with one, I had to try it.


G.
 
ElCuchillo said:
Even though the Peanut's handle is a little shorter then the Case Pen knife, it is boxier and therefore easier to hold and handle. When I used the pen knife, it always felt very insubstantial in my hand. ... My Peanut, however, has been used for many big cutting chores, with no worries or trepidations about losing my grip. The width and boxiness make up for the shorter handle, I guess. Plus, my Peanut feels like a little tank.
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Same here. For a long time I carried a Buck 709 pen knife and I also spent a good deal of time toting a Case 2-blade pen knife from the 70s that is very similar to the Eisenhower models. Neither were bad knives but I never did grow attached to them, they just didn't feel as capable in my hand as my Case peanut does. And this is coming from a rehabilitated Peanut scoffer.
 
I am a heathen among the faithful. I admit my preference for the Pen over the Peanut.

Like most knifely things, it's strictly personal. I prefer the slim profile of the Pen, and it generally does everything I need a pocket knife to do on a daily basis. For me the Peanut is too thick and bulky, and I rarely get around to using the second (dare I name it) "pen" blade.

Strangely enough, I do like the Mini Trapper, which is probably even a little bulkier than the Peanut. And I'm currently on a Slimline Trapper kick, which is a lot bigger, but still (to me) more pocketable. Who knows? I'll probably swap out and start carrying a 'nut later this week...

One advantage I will give the Case Peanut: The large blade is longer than what you would normally find on a Pen, and has that nice almost Turkish clip that Case uses. A nice looking and very functional shape.

-- Sam
 
I'm keen on both, the Peanut does have a thicker handle so that could be a factor but I feel the Pen is underrated actually. I'm now trying out a CASE Peanut with a Hen&Rooster Canoe-another small knife at 3" This has a wider but slimmer handle than the Peanut but I'm not so keen on its appearance.Good fit&finish though.

Does anybody have experience of Peanuts other than from CASE? I have a Rough Rider gunstock bone Peanut, not at all bad -very sharp and thin blade,good finish but not as good as CASE (quarter/third of the price though...)and no half stop which is a real bonus on the CASE version. How about other brands? I hear Henckels made one and Schatt&Morgan too.
 
I don't mind a larger pen like Case's 06247, but the blades on most pens are less substantial than the main clip on a peanut. I actually prefer a small jack like Case's "Texas Jack" to the Peanut. It's like a Peanut-magnum to me.
 
cortopar said:
I don't mind a larger pen like Case's 06247, but the blades on most pens are less substantial than the main clip on a peanut. I actually prefer a small jack like Case's "Texas Jack" to the Peanut. It's like a Peanut-magnum to me.
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I will have to if I feel the same. I have been carring a peanut for a couple of months now and it feels right at home in my pocket, but I wanted a CV knife and on impulse ordered the Amber bone small Texas Jack. It should be here today so I will see if I like it.
 
I like both, but if push came to shove, I'd choose a penknife. My penknife is longer than my peanut (so the main pen blade is slightly longer than my peanut's main clip blade), but fits in the pocket so much easier--both blades are on a SINGLE spring so it's thinner, and the bolsters are rounded AND radiused. It disappears in my pocket. It has a slightly longer main blade than a peanut, and the second blade is a coping blade--I like the straight edge.

The peanut has the advantage of being boxy, therefore easy to hold. I understand that advantage for others. But in my thin fingers it is not much of an advantage.
 
cortopar said:
I don't mind a larger pen like Case's 06247, but the blades on most pens are less substantial than the main clip on a peanut. I actually prefer a small jack like Case's "Texas Jack" to the Peanut. It's like a Peanut-magnum to me.
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Excellent answer, and fun thread. I like all of them. I don't probably have as many cutting duties as some, but for during the week EDC, I regularly rotate three of these patterns.

A Schrade 833UH Prairie Jack
Imperial El Cheapo Serpentine Jack
Case 6220SS Peanut
Western Boulder 651 Pen

edc3.jpg


The cheap Imperial, is a $2.00 knife at best with plastic grips. It is truly a peanut on steroids at 3⅛", but a pattern I'd like to own in a better made knife. Chubby handle and and a fat clip blade. Interesting enough though, the Case nearly packs as much blade into a smaller frame

I love the Western, slim clip blade with a single back spring. I have a couple similar 652 in jigged delrin. The old BOULDER bone examples are hard to find in good condition. At 3½" the Western is shorter than a Case 6247PEN, and I'm still trying to find one of those. Darn you anyway Cortopar. :D

As you can see, I'm not loyal to a certain maker. Quite a few companies made nice knives.
 
RobbW said:
I like both, but if push came to shove, I'd choose a penknife. My penknife is longer than my peanut (so the main pen blade is slightly longer than my peanut's main clip blade), but fits in the pocket so much easier--both blades are on a SINGLE spring so it's thinner, and the bolsters are rounded AND radiused. It disappears in my pocket. It has a slightly longer main blade than a peanut, and the second blade is a coping blade--I like the straight edge.
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I am very interested in a Pen with a single spring.
Which one do you have?

Does any one know if the Case Pen in yellow CV is a single spring?
 
thawk said:
The cheap Imperial, is a $2.00 knife at best with plastic grips. It is truly a peanut on steroids at 3⅛", but a pattern I'd like to own in a better made knife.
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ry%3D320


Those Imperials are good little knives. Mine have great walk and talk and take a good edge.
I like them so much I bought 8 of them on the bay, all new, just like the one in the picture, and all dirt cheap :)
I wish Case made a peanut in that size too.
 
neeman said:
I am very interested in a Pen with a single spring.
Which one do you have?

Does any one know if the Case Pen in yellow CV is a single spring?
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I don't know about the Case yellow CV pen. But, if you can find a Case 6247PEN, it is a single back spring and has CV blades.
 
my yellow Case CV pen has a single spring.

i like the peanut more because it has half-stops and better walk and talk. it just feels better to me, too, probably because of the thickness.
 
Neeman, I have a CASE yellow pen-knife in cv.

Single spring,serpentine with rounded bolster,clip and pen blades, 3 3/8", 1.8oz No.109 (32087CV) Slim knife but plenty of handle to get hold of,think you can get it in stainless too.Hope this is some help.
 
Benny, I agree with you on the half stops and the walk and talk. I just picked up a yellow CV peanut on Saturday. I compared it with the yellow CV medium stockman and decided on the peanut as it has half stops and the walk and talk are really good on this little knife.

As others have commented as well, the curved shape of the handle feels good in the hand and allows for a good grip on such a small knife. This is the smallest knife I have and I was unsure about it until I held it. I went in to look at the stockman but once I got the peanut in my hand, it went home with me.
 
neeman said:
I am very interested in a Pen with a single spring.
Which one do you have?
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I have a Queen-made Northwoods. It's my second Queen-made Northwoods, the other is a mini-trapper. Both are Sambar Stag with D2 blades. This is a small sample size, but the fit and finish, along with the factory edge, are much better than any of the 5 or so Queens I have. I suspect Northwoods are ordered to highter specs, or that Northwoods performs some of the finish work themselves. Very nice knives.

The blades on the Pen are really thin--it is a super knife for slicing and push cutting. I keep the D2 razor sharp, but suspect the blades are so thin they would cut well even if dull.

Here is where I got mine:

http://www.vintageknives.com/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jmnpnqhqg
 
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