Why do you carry a Traditional?

I have always carried a knife, but after seeing this knife by Ron Newton M.S. years back, I prefer to carry traditional knives.

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Peregrin said:
I saved the day, or at least the dinner, by pulling my trusty Boy Scout knife out of my pocket and handily opening that can with it's can opener.
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Yea, due to this story, I will always be carrying a traditional with me and will be scheduling a trip with my sons to the woods! Thanks so much for this!

Todd
 
I have always carried a knife since I was a young boy. The tactical knives never really appealed to me. Sure, I have a few of them, but I never felt that a folding tactical blade could REALLY do what the fixed blade I usually carry couldn't handle. My dad has always been a fan of the Buck 110 as he prefers a locking blade for the jobsite. In my 34 years of life, I can't remember seeing him dressed without it on his hip. He has one for work, one for beating on in the shop, and one that he let me hone to the razorest of razor edges that he carries when he goes out to dinner. I've seen him use it for everything from a knife to a scraper to a light prying tool (the blade edge or spine, never the tip, of course).

Me? I have always been a fan of being prepared. For years, my daily carry folding knives were mostly multi-tools with a knife blade on them. Certainly not dedicated cutters. For my needs, that was fine. I would have rather had a set of pliers and a saw and 4 or 5 drivers and a basic cutting edge than a stand alone knife. When I'm on the job, a MT will usually do just fine. I might not have the best knife, but I'll always have the right tool.

However, I stumbled back into the Traditional scene about 4 or 5 months ago. While going through my top drawer looking for an ALOX SAK to slip in my pocket for the day, I came across something that had been handed down to me nearly 5 years ago. My late father-in-law's Imperial Scout Knife. The knife had come into my possession shortly after his death following a long illness. My brother in law wanted nothing to do with it as he even to this day has a bit of an issue with being there beside him when he passed away.

My mother in law was cleaning off his night stand a week or so after his passing as there were a plethora of medication pill bottles that really didn't need to be sitting around. There next to his lamp was his old Scout Knife. I had seen him carry it in a belt pouch with a flashlight combo many a time over the 15 years I had known the man. He had spent his youth in gorgeous outdoor wilds of California and earned his way to Eagle Scout. As such, he always seemed to come prepared on any little outing the family would take.

I had never seen the knife up close. It was always in the pouch, and being a knife guy, I never needed to borrow it as I packed my own;) But it was a somber occasion handling the knife when my Mother-in-Law gave it to me. It was ridden hard but not abused, it was sharp (maybe not as sharp as I would have kept it, but I'm anal about that sort of thing), and it was pocket worn from several decades of use. However, there were some telling sad signs as well. One of the dark Scout-blue scales had faded to a dull purple due to sun damage. Near as I could tell, the knife was put on his nightstand and left to sit day after day as the sun beat down on it. Bleached on one side from lack of use due to his illness.

When I was given the knife, quite honestly, I stuffed it in my nightstand and never thought about it. Then, for whatever reason, a few months ago I fished it out and checked the edge. It really needed to be sharpened. I took a stone and strop to it until it popped hair. I stuck it in my pocket instead of my Vic Farmer and used the heck out of it for the next few weeks. It's a small little tool, but it cut open boxes and popped open beer bottles with ease. It also reminded me of my father-in-law. I get a little melancholy thinking about how my daughter never got to meet her grandpa, but little things like the Scout knife are visual aids I can use to teach her about what a cool guy he was. I'm hoping that one day, my brother-in-law will accept it back and give it to HIS son, as he reminds me very much of his Grandfather.

I liked the thin edged blade on the Scout knife so much that I asked my wife to get me a Case of her choosing for this past Christmas. The medium Stockman I carry every day is phenomenal for my daily needs. On top of that, it's small little totem that reminds me of my wife. She picked the pattern. She picked the color. She decided that the medium stockman was probably the best knife for my daily needs. She really doesn't know that much about knives, but, ya know, she was right:) Perfect EDC.

From there I rediscovered the nice little Winchester Toothpick my dad had bought for me on a whim several years ago and carried that as my dress knife. Then I stumbled into a few more older models thanks to flea market finds and a very gracious contest here on this very forum. A real deal old Barlow lives in my truck and the massive full size Old Timer Stockman that Cory gave away gets the nod when I'm heading out to the job site. It's not a lockback like my dad's 110, but it is more than up to the task and has been a welcome companion at work:)

Then of course, I have to thank my good friend Phil for gifting me my first GEC. THAT sealed the deal. Not only did it reaffirm what I knew about the magnanimous nature of this forum, but it showed me what kind of quality one could expect from an upper end Traditional folder. The walk, the talk, the pinned shield, and the polish of the blade and scales. I am firmly hooked thanks to his gift. I'll never handle a high end traditional folder without thinking about Phil...and cursing him when I get my credit card bill;)

Long story short, I carry a traditional because they speak to me more than a modern folder. My dad carries a plain Buck 110. There are millions like them. It's often been called "the most copied knife design in the world", but for me, the classic lines will always remind me of my old man. My grandpa carried a Stockman of some variety for decades. I can't tell you how many splinters that he fished out of my fingers as a kid with that scalpel. No matter what the pattern, the soul of these kinds of knives not only make them beautiful, the polished wood and jigged bone just seem to absorb memories as readily as they do the protective oil we lovingly slather onto them.
 
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I like modern and traditional knives and carry both. I really feel that I am drawn more to traditionals because of a feel or something that I can't quite explain. I find that custom traditionals offer a better value than the modern customs. on the exchange here you can buy a traditional from one of the top makers in the world for around 500 and by someone not so famous for around 250. Modern folders tend to run a lot more if you compare apples to apples (fit and quality of finish). YMMV.
 
Honestly, it's because they fit in my scrubs better than modern folders and are more unobtrusive. Generally lighter and less profile/more rounded shapes.

Plus the diversity, the number of blades, blah blah blah... :)
 
I just simply like traditional knives more. My Dad had one that sadly I lost. They were always what I saw when I was a kid. I've got one-handers but they don't do anything for me and the blades are ridiculously large. I have a selection of blades for different reasons as I carry a stockman pattern. It just makes more sense. Truth be told it is still more knife than I need. I may be headed towards a nice yellow delrin peanut.
 
I agree they have soul and class. So many patterns to chose from and enough different scale color and materials. Those thinner blades cut better I think. I like the few Benchmades I have but they just don't have that warm feel.
 
To me, tacticals are just users. There is nothing pretty about them. Traditions can take on an artistic quality. Nice gnarly stag with deep rich browns and creamy white colors, slanted fluted bolsters, a non-typical shield inlay, a nice clip main blade with matchstrike pull. These make a knife you can set on a table in the lunchroom and all the other guys want to pick it up just to look at it. That's why traditionals rule the roost.
 
They remind me a simpler times. They cause me to take a moment's pause... Remove it from my pocket, open it and perform whatever task... Then close it and return it to my pocket. I like the nostalgia/history behind them. Add to that they're beautiful in their construction and quite useful in daily tasks. I use it every day at least once, but usually several times. It's always there and ready when I need it.

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I think for me it is because when I was growing up there were no modern folders to be found. The most modern looking knife was a Buck 110 lockback. Almost everyone had a traditional knife, and they were found in any hardware store, department store, and everywhere cool things were sold. My most pleasant memories revolve around hanging out with my grandparents, who would let me whittle with my classic pocket knives, and my grandfather showed me how to sharpen a knife.

When I see a nice classic today, I briefly remember my grandparents, now long gone, and feel a momentary warmth from the memories. That never happens with a modern knife, which usually just remind of action movies where a knife wielding person whips one out to perform any of a number of tasks.

As I get older, warm memories just become more important, I guess.
 
Guess it all started when I was working with my dad and he never had a knife on him when something needed to be cut. I picked a traditional two reasons: one my mother didn't go into a fit when I pulled it out of my pocket, two, I love having one tool that can pack a punch. Being at college I tend to only carry a Vic craftsmen (which has been a time save for me and people on my floor), but when I am working as a landscaper/groundskeeper in the warm seasons, I have two on me. A multitool of sorts and a jack. the combination of the two means that whenever I need something, I just need to go into my pockets (another thing that people on my floor have come to realize, just ask Mike) and when they are out, they don't raise alarm, they are just tools to help make the day easier.
 
dma1965 said:
I think for me it is because when I was growing up there were no modern folders to be found. The most modern looking knife was a Buck 110 lockback. Almost everyone had a traditional knife, and they were found in any hardware store, department store, and everywhere cool things were sold. My most pleasant memories revolve around hanging out with my grandparents, who would let me whittle with my classic pocket knives, and my grandfather showed me how to sharpen a knife.

When I see a nice classic today, I briefly remember my grandparents, now long gone, and feel a momentary warmth from the memories. That never happens with a modern knife, which usually just remind of action movies where a knife wielding person whips one out to perform any of a number of tasks.

As I get older, warm memories just become more important, I guess.
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ge·stalt

noun: gestalt; plural noun: gestalts; noun: Gestalt; plural noun: Gestalts

an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts.
 
It's simple really. A Spyderco looks ridiculous clipped to the pocket of my slacks.

- Christian

...agreed. I have a battle scarred Spyderco Co-Pilot where I uninstalled the clip, just so I could carry it daily out of sight.

I only did that because I misplaced my case stockman.
 
I carry and use traditional style pocket knives for many reasons. They appeal to me much more loudly than modern folders, which just don't have the same warmth, character, etc.
And... with their thinner blades, they cut stuff way better than thicker-bladed modern folding prybars.
 
Because they are beautiful versions of practicality, and there's more than enough ugliness in everyday life.

Another reason, just as valid, could be that a voice inside my head told me to do it...:D:D

Thanks, Will
 
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