YOUR 2025 Traditional Knife of the Year

[JJ_Colt45]

Some great choices posted already! Thank you for the GAW Jack Black ... I'm in. I haven't added many knives this year but the few I did aquire have all been keepers.

I'll start with an honorable mention for the 2024 BF Stockman. It couldn't be a real contender for my KOTY as I was unsure if I would keep it because I hadn't carried it much until recently. I just got it back after having Nathan & Travis dye it Autumn Gold for me. It came back looking great and has gotten some carry and use the last few weeks.



I strongly considered these three for my KOTY.



My dad carried a lambsfoot for many years when I was growing up, but I hadn't thought about the pattern in a long time until I got more involved here on BF. After a couple years of searching I was lucky enough to find one of Charlie's GEC 93 in Ebony a few years ago. As much as I like the new Flat Cap lamb ... the Ebony lamb is still the one I reach for most often. So my 3rd place KOTY is Charlie's GEC 93 Flat Cap jigged lambsfoot.



The next knife came to me through a very generous GAW by Mr. Gary W. Graley just after Christmas last year. I got the package on December 30th, but I wasn't home to open it until New Years Day so it fell into this year. It has seen lots of use around home it sits on my desk, but I haven't carried it as much as some others. So my runner up in 2nd place is this Schatt & Morgan sowbelly.



This next knife caught my eye right away and I thought it would be a great knife, but I was not able to catch one when they dropped as they dissappeared quickly. I was so happy when Charlie waynorth reached out and let me know he had an extra if I was interested ... and I couldn't get the funds sent fast enough! I was like a kid at Christmas when it arrived and in my pocket it went. It's been a steady companion every since. It's a beauty and very useful and still puts a smile on my face. So my KOTY 2025 has to be The City Stock.



Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and the best in the coming New Year!

 

[peanutsxx]

Thank you for continuing this annual thread Jack Black ! Always great to see the knives that folks find so often in their pocket. For me I found myself shifting to a fixie in 2024, trying multiple "pocketable" options mostly from LT Wright. In late January of this year I obtained a Frontier Valley pattern and it has been my daily carry nearly every day since. Of course I love the lambsfoot and cherish your 2019 desert ironwood and Charlie's flatcap. That said, given my current trend I respectfully decline your generous giveaway and hope it goes to a new lambsfoot convert!

 

[echoscout]

My KOTY is this Horsewright Cowboy It came late in the year but had won me over.

 

[mitch13]

I'm in.
Some great knives this year.

Haven't bought many knives this year but have been fortunate to been blessed by many great members here.

My KNOY is the Kizer Trestle in Damascus, bit of a splurge and it exceeded all my expectations for quality and performance.

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks for the thread Jack but not an entry.

I also slowed down my knife purchases this year but two knives really stand out, with one being extra special to me.


Both are fantastic Waynorth SFO with great jigging and excellent F&F.


The Flat Cap Lamb and the City Stockman


View attachment 3050582



My KOTY is my Flat Cap Lambsfoot which came directly from Charlie which makes it extra special to me


View attachment 3050583

Excellent choice Steve

I found the right thread now…

View attachment 3050680

LOL! Stunning Barlow

It has been a wonderful year to solidify old friendships and developed new ones here.
Through these said friendships, I have been gifted knives which will always be treasured. So as not to offend, I did not chose one of these, even as I carry them as daily users.

The knife I have selected, is one made for me, and of a design rarely shown. It is well built and very functional.
View attachment 3050700

Runner ups
View attachment 3050981View attachment 3050980
I have already been a recipient of your generosity Jack so I will pass on give away.

Beautiful KOTY Bob

I did not buy a lot of knives this year. I was not going to carry this one. It sat on my computer desk for quite a few months, opening mail. Then it graduated to slicing tomatoes for my lunch sandwich. Once it had a nice patina I decided why not carry it. I only started carrying it a few weeks ago, but it will my carry knife for the foreseeable future. My Waynorth flat cap jigged lamb foot.

I am in for your generous giveaway Jack. Thanks

View attachment 3050960

Glad it got hold of you Dan

 

[Jack Black]

Some great choices posted already! Thank you for the GAW Jack Black ... I'm in. I haven't added many knives this year but the few I did aquire have all been keepers.

I'll start with an honorable mention for the 2024 BF Stockman. It couldn't be a real contender for my KOTY as I was unsure if I would keep it because I hadn't carried it much until recently. I just got it back after having Nathan & Travis dye it Autumn Gold for me. It came back looking great and has gotten some carry and use the last few weeks.

View attachment 3050926

I strongly considered these three for my KOTY.

View attachment 3050928

My dad carried a lambsfoot for many years when I was growing up, but I hadn't thought about the pattern in a long time until I got more involved here on BF. After a couple years of searching I was lucky enough to find one of Charlie's GEC 93 in Ebony a few years ago. As much as I like the new Flat Cap lamb ... the Ebony lamb is still the one I reach for most often. So my 3rd place KOTY is Charlie's GEC 93 Flat Cap jigged lambsfoot.

View attachment 3050929

The next knife came to me through a very generous GAW by Mr. Gary W. Graley just after Christmas last year. I got the package on December 30th, but I wasn't home to open it until New Years Day so it fell into this year. It has seen lots of use around home it sits on my desk, but I haven't carried it as much as some others. So my runner up in 2nd place is this Schatt & Morgan sowbelly.

View attachment 3050951

This next knife caught my eye right away and I thought it would be a great knife, but I was not able to catch one when they dropped as they dissappeared quickly. I was so happy when Charlie waynorth reached out and let me know he had an extra if I was interested ... and I couldn't get the funds sent fast enough! I was like a kid at Christmas when it arrived and in my pocket it went. It's been a steady companion every since. It's a beauty and very useful and still puts a smile on my face. So my KOTY 2025 has to be The City Stock.

View attachment 3050962

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and the best in the coming New Year!

Congratulations buddy, some beautiful knives there

Thank you for continuing this annual thread Jack Black ! Always great to see the knives that folks find so often in their pocket. For me I found myself shifting to a fixie in 2024, trying multiple "pocketable" options mostly from LT Wright. In late January of this year I obtained a Frontier Valley pattern and it has been my daily carry nearly every day since. Of course I love the lambsfoot and cherish your 2019 desert ironwood and Charlie's flatcap. That said, given my current trend I respectfully decline your generous giveaway and hope it goes to a new lambsfoot convert!

Great lines on that one Michael I have to say, if it wasn't for our stupid knife laws, I'd still carry a small fixed blade daily, as I did for many years

I was gifted this Patriot late last year by Paul Jakeywax31

My KOTY is this Horsewright Cowboy It came late in the year but had won me over.

View attachment 3051122

That's a beauty David

I'm in.
Some great knives this year.

Haven't bought many knives this year but have been fortunate to been blessed by many great members here.

My KNOY is the Kizer Trestle in Damascus, bit of a splurge and it exceeded all my expectations for quality and performance.

Interesting choice Mitch, I haven't tried one of their knives yet

 

[calm]

This nice but low cost Marttini. I am trying to find reasons to use it as much as possible.

 

[Buck_Fan]

Some years this would be hard for me. Not this year. Around May I caught the barlow bug. And it was/ is a bad case. But even before I caught the bug I had liked them. It just went into the next galaxy. And before this year my holy grail knife was a barlow. I wanted a Case with my birthyear. Sawcut redbone barlow. They were what my eyes jumped to when I would see one and thought it was such a classic old knife. Well this year I was able to get it. And it is stunning to me. The color of the redbone is just amazing. This knife was carried a lot. But was not used much because the blades seem to be just about full. The sawcut has worn off a lot. But that just makes it even better to me. It has stories. I did clean and polish it up. More then I wanted to. I wanted to leave some of it's old on it. But I got carried away. But that's okay. It will come back as I use it. Since I got it I have carried it just about every day. I will stick to the rules and keep it as just one. My birth year is 1967. And of course Case did not have single year stampings yet. But a 1965-69 is close enough for me. I got a great deal on this. But it is the most I have ever spent on a knife. But I don't care. It was worth it.

IMG_20251122_163505951 by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr
IMG_20251122_163532710 by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr
1965-69 Case Sawcut Redbone by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr
1965-69 Case Sawcut Redbone by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr

 

[afishhunter]

Some years this would be hard for me. Not this year. Around May I caught the barlow bug. And it was/ is a bad case. But even before I caught the bug I had liked them. It just went into the next galaxy. And before this year my holy grail knife was a barlow. I wanted a Case with my birthyear. Sawcut redbone barlow. They were what my eyes jumped to when I would see one and thought it was such a classic old knife. Well this year I was able to get it. And it is stunning to me. The color of the redbone is just amazing. This knife was carried a lot. But was not used much because the blades seem to be just about full. The sawcut has worn off a lot. But that just makes it even better to me. It has stories. I did clean and polish it up. More then I wanted to. I wanted to leave some of it's old on it. But I got carried away. But that's okay. It will come back as I use it. Since I got it I have carried it just about every day. I will stick to the rules and keep it as just one. My birth year is 1967. And of course Case did not have single year stampings yet. But a 1965-69 is close enough for me. I got a great deal on this. But it is the most I have ever spent on a knife. But I don't care. It was worth it.

IMG_20251122_163505951 by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr
IMG_20251122_163532710 by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr
1965-69 Case Sawcut Redbone by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr
1965-69 Case Sawcut Redbone by Bill Friggle Photography, on Flickr

Congrats on obtaining you Grail.
She is impressive.

 

[PenisMightier]

Thank you for your generosity Jack Black, I am in!

My KOTY this year is a type I had wanted for awhile, but could never justify the cost. I love everything about it, the beer and sausage knife by GEC that is. Thanks to some fortunate financial happenings my wife agreed to let me buy a nice knife. I vacillated between this and a an automatic knife. Ultimately the beer and sausage knife pattern was made right when my fortunate financial happenings were happening, so I snagged the last one off a site that I could find, and here we are.

This is the nicest slip joint I have and my first GEC as well! I really dig the fork and comb combo as well as the beautifully swedged full nail nick spear point. The only drawback with it is you can’t use the fork and knife in combo. When I take this to picnic though, I will carry a small fixed blade for food knife work.

Here she is, my favorite slip joint!

 

[Charr]

This one is an easy year for me, even though the knife that won it didn’t come in until September. I’ve been after one of GEC’s stainless Cuban patterns for years now, specifically this Red Wine bone. Finally found the perfect trade this year, where we both had exactly what the other was looking for, and we made it happen.
It’s been almost impossible to take out of my pocket ever since! This one got new edges and started getting used almost the day I got my grubby hands on it, and I think it will stay that way for a long time!



Also, thank you for the very generous giveaway, I’m in.

There are some truly great knives that people have come upon this year!

 

[DaveHS]

I’m IN! Thank you for your generosity Jack Black! (And what fun to be able to share our diverse collections outside the pasture ;-)

Following the lead of the great Charlie C, my KOTY is the City Stock. I never knew how much I needed a two-blade stockman in my life until I started carrying and using this elegant and classic tool. No knife found its way into my hands and pocket (and photos!) more this year.
[EDIT] Hat tip to Sharp & Fiery Coleman for the SOTY (Slip o the Year)


My runner-up is this beautiful purple bone two-blade barlow by Cosimo that dazzles me every time I carry it. It’s a showstopper in appearance but also packs a pair of truly utilitarian blades inside the party dress.

However, since the barlow was a mid-year arrival I have to put the Buffalo Brand first!

 

[DaveHS]

Schatt & Morgan sowbelly

Killer trio for your KOTY selections. That sowbelly is glorious!

 

[Ace Rimmer]

I'm in!
At the end of July I bought a Swiss Army 1 (AKA "Solo") for $22, and by the first of September I had already decided that this was my KOTY. What a fantastic knife! I carry it every day and use it exclusively for food tasks, slicing fruit, melons, homemade sourdough bread, etc. (Plenty of other knives available to handle the more "dirty" tasks.)

 

[EJM73]

Gray bone CS Russlock. Usually paired with a SAK.

 

[KentuckyBlackBird]

I’m in! I have tried a couple of times to quench my thirst for my first lambfoot, with nothing panning out this year. So, thanks Jack Black for the generous opportunity to win one!
I digress.
Now to the business at hand. My KOTY is hands down, given my purchase history this year is small, my Warncliffe Trapper in Kentucky Bluegrass Bone. I’ve wanted one of these for a hot minute and this one is a winner. So much, that I’m gonna order the crimson for myself for Christmas.
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Stay Sharp!