Your "end of your life" traditional pocket knife

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I don't mean for this thread to be morbid at all, but the holiday season always reminds me of my late grandfather. I carry his pocket knife one day a year...Christmas...because it makes me feel closer to him. He carried his Case jack every day of his life from sometime around 1940 until his death in 2011. The knife rests on my dresser next to his old WWII Zippo and a photo of him and my grandmother when they were both in their twenties.

I'll be 40 years old in a few months, so I have a few decades worth of memories of my grandfather using that knife. I'm too much a pocket knife aficionado to commit to just one knife, but I have tried. I don't define myself as a collector, but rather as a man on a search for "the one."

In the famous opening scene of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles's title character is on his deathbed. In his hand is a snow globe that falls to the floor as he passes on. Substitute the snow globe for a pocket knife. If you could pick one current production traditional to be your companion to the end, what would it be? What talisman would you like to endow with a lifetime's worth of memories to pass down to your children or grandchildren?

I'm too old to ever be able to carry the same knife for as long as my grandfather carried his. But that doesn't mean I have given up on searching for the one--

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Does it have to be a current production knife? I'd carry any of my TL-29s to the grave.
 
Good post :thumbup:

I'm not sure, but I guess I'd have to give some consideration to this one.




 
"Rosebud…"

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All kidding aside, I've actually used only four main pocket knives for most of my life. From age 12 to the army was my Camillus scout knife, then for 25 years a Buck 301, a 303 for just a little while, then a Case peanut from then on. My main edc carry since I put up the stockman has been a peanut. I dabbled for a bit in sodbusters, but that phase passed, as did the barlow or two, and the Few Opinel's I played with. The dabbling with the others was a short-lived affair, and I always returned to my stockman and later, the peanut.

Since I'm already an old fart, with most of my life behind me, I'm probably going to finish up with a peanut. In a weird way, I've become my father, and only now I see the pragmatic logic of his choices. Not to mention I just love the stylish little thing that takes up a minimum of space for function. Goes along with monoculars, Marlin 39TD's, and beer can alcohol stoves.

Yeah, Rosebud…
:D

Carl.
 
If you could pick one current production traditional to be your companion to the end, what would it be? What talisman would you like to endow with a lifetime's worth of memories to pass down to your children or grandchildren?
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I carry a SAK every day. If I had to choose only one pocket knife, that would probably be it. As far as passing on any knives I might own, it's not something I think about. If a relative wants one or three, they can have them. I would hope that my wife would sell the customs, but no big deal even if she dumps them in the trash.
 
I like this question! I like knives too much to ever become a one-knife guy. I know it, my wife and daughter know it. There's no point in denying it, I've been into sharp and shinies as long as I can remember. Besides, what would my family give me for my birthday if I decided to limit myself to just one? Hahaha...that's it. I'm doing it for the children. ;)

I do have one knife that I treasure above all others. It's also my favorite. You'll find it in my pocket most days. If I had to pick a knife that was most likely to be with me the rest of my days, the one that my daughter would know as Daddy's knife, this is it.

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This knife isn't my best, or even my prettiest. But it was the first knife I received from my wife and daughter. That makes it valuable beyond measure.

- Christian
 
Always nice to see you post about that knife Christian :)
 
My answer is similar to 22-rimfire's.

I carry a Victorinox Alox Cadet pretty much every day now. Even if I completely lose interest in pocket knives as a hobby, I'll probably continue to carry that knife or something similar due to the usefulness as a tool.

I don't have any children. Of the next generation, I think one of my nephews enjoys pocket knives so he might like to snag a few out of the heap prior to an estate sale, but I don't know if he would have any deep connection with dear old Uncle John's Vic Cadet.
 
I'll most likely meet my demise when the pile of knives and boxes and such collapses on me. They'll find me with a swiss army knife, most of the implements out, as I tried to decide what tool I needed to free myself. "Here lies Blaine. He should have used the package hook."
 
Great topic, I love this subject - worn old pocket knives is by far the most fascinating thing to me. How awesome to have your Grandfather's EDC of 70 +\- years!! Can you share more pics sometime? I love seeing these old knives and would especially be interested in one with such a LONG history of use. (Wouldn't mind seeing the Zippo either??) :)

Thanks for sharing, thats way too cool.

Now withiut hesitation my "Rosebud" is this Northfield #55 in Autumn Gold bone. It was my first traditional knife since my 20's (I'm 50 now so I remember when these were what everyone carried) when I had a Craftsman 4" folder by Camillus (basically a Buck 110 clone). Before that one it was a Cub Scout knife that I proudly carried to grade school every day.

This #55 has been with me every day since I got it in mid June of this year. I can count on one hand how many days it's not been in my pocket. It is by far my go-to pocket knife, riding solo in my RFP 24/7. I usually do have a second folder, which most of the time is my Pemberton, but it can be my TC Barlow or my 92 also. This 55 is just a part of me. It's always the one I reach for, always the one that just "belongs". Without it I feel sort of naked I guess. So yes this 55 is my Rosebud...

Great topic - more pics please Sub!!

 
For some reason I instantly thought of my Case amber bone Texas Jack, though it gets no more or less carry than any other in my collection. As far as my sons go though, I think they'll always remember me for the Swiss Champ that I carried as a Cub and later Boy Scout leader.
 
jackknife said:
"Rosebud…"

9670389854_8dc4526fee_c.jpg


All kidding aside, I've actually used only four main pocket knives for most of my life. From age 12 to the army was my Camillus scout knife, then for 25 years a Buck 301, a 303 for just a little while, then a Case peanut from then on. My main edc carry since I put up the stockman has been a peanut. I dabbled for a bit in sodbusters, but that phase passed, as did the barlow or two, and the Few Opinel's I played with. The dabbling with the others was a short-lived affair, and I always returned to my stockman and later, the peanut.

Since I'm already an old fart, with most of my life behind me, I'm probably going to finish up with a peanut. In a weird way, I've become my father, and only now I see the pragmatic logic of his choices. Not to mention I just love the stylish little thing that takes up a minimum of space for function. Goes along with monoculars, Marlin 39TD's, and beer can alcohol stoves.

Yeah, Rosebud…
:D

Carl.
Click to expand...

Carl do you by chance have any pics of some your earlier/prior EDC's?

I'll never give up looking for my original Cub Scout knife. I remember it vividly. It's in a box somewhere I'm guessing but I haven't seen it in years. I'm always watching for it and will certainly post it when it turns up. :)

I carried this one from about 1985 to around the mid 90's I'm guessing. In a belt sheath.

 
No idea. With 2 boys to think of, I don't want to go out holding a knife they might want. Then I got one of the boys getting Dad's last knife and the other might feel left out lol. Possibly my Case medium Jack.
 
arizonaranchman said:
Carl do you by chance have any pics of some your earlier/prior EDC's?
Click to expand...

Yes, the next time I see the family members out in California. My daughter and grandson, and of course my son in law, moved out to Mission Viejo a few years ago for job advancement opportunity, and my grandson Ryan is the keeper of the family jewels, so to speak. He has my dad's peanut, my old Buck Stockman, and guards them with a ferocious zeal. He went as far to set them in display cases with photo's of the people and some background captions on the pics. We'll be going out there again to visit, I'll just have to take my camera along to photo the family collection. It will be five years until Jess and son in law Olaf the Terrible return to Maryland. So we just visit now a few times a year. Now that Karen just retired this year, we'll have more time to travel.

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
Yes, the next time I see the family members out in California. My daughter and grandson, and of course my son in law, moved out to Mission Viejo a few years ago for job advancement opportunity, and my grandson Ryan is the keeper of the family jewels, so to speak. He has my dad's peanut, my old Buck Stockman, and guards them with a ferocious zeal. He went as far to set them in display cases with photo's of the people and some background captions on the pics. We'll be going out there again to visit, I'll just have to take my camera along to photo the family collection. It will be five years until Jess and son in law Olaf the Terrible return to Maryland. So we just visit now a few times a year. Now that Karen just retired this year, we'll have more time to travel.

Carl.
Click to expand...

Thanks that's great, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would enjoy seeing them - and your Dad's in fact. That's awesome they have such a zealous "keeper" who appreciates them too!
 
That's a question I've asked myself. I imagine it will be a small pile of slip joints, most with their factory edges.

With the abundance of custom slips out there, I am suprised no one is chiming in with those.
 
Whats funny is, it was actually made by Schrade. Going on 20+ in and out of my pocket.



So you say, Yeah but what about a real Buck. 1989. This one has a lot of my body oil in the scale. Sweat if you prefer. Unless you were going to die a horrible death I wouldn't hand it to you, I might take it out and cut you loose but if I can't reach you, your a goner.


MY father took my Sunday knife to the Here After in his pocket. Haven't settled on another in over 15 years, don't think I will.
 
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I seldom carry the same knife for a whole week. My preferences are all over the place. I have no idea what I'll be carrying when I die but I know I will be carrying something unless I die in the shower or bed.
 
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