Your first 5 knives...

Barlow
Barlow
1970's Era fixed blade hunter
Buck 110
Camillus folder purchased around 1987
 
I don't remember but probably some combination of Shrade, Uncle Henry, Case, Buck and whoever made the 70's Boy Scout knives.
 
My first knives were purchased and used extensively long before any kind of "addiction" set in. The first was a tiny Imperial slip joint (about $0.25-$0.50) (I was 7 years old.); second was a larger Imperial slip joint (about $0.50-$0.75), third was a Case Barlow ($18); fourth was another Case Barlow (replacement for the first after the main blade broke off); fifth was probably a Schrade 250T. At this point, I was grown up and the Schrade was a combination work and hunting knife for me. I used slip joints for years hunting. I considered the Schrade 250T a huge knife.

Many knives started to appear in the late 90's and early 2000's, most of which I didn't need. Never had a use for fixed blade knives until after the Rambo movies.

I remember distinctly and purposely buying a Spydero Native at Walmart to see what the hype is about Spyderco knives. That was not my first modern knife, but it was certainly one of the better ones to that point in time.
 
The first knife I can remember was a cub scout knife sometime back in the 1960's. I know there was a small Boker traditional at some point (still have that). Next was a Old Timer with Sears name on it or a Camillus Demo knife. Can't remember which was first, the Demo or OT. I also can tell you that there was a Puma lock back along the way. All are long gone except the Boker.

Later, I bought a Buck 112 Ranger which was stolen out of my car when it was in the shop. I think that I would trade all of the modern knives I own to get that knife back. I carried it when my father and I went hunting. It's replacement just isn't the same.
 
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Buck fixed blade
Gerber Shorty
Moki Dolphin
G.Sakai Bird&Trout
SAK Traveler

I've lost the first two but own the rest still.
 
SOG Flash I
CRKT Pazoda partially serrated
Kershaw Leek
Ontario RAT I
Byrd Cara Cara 2

Honorable mention:
Boker Plus Urban Trapper G10
SAK Alox Pioneer

The Flash was a birthday present, my first pocket knife, and taught me that I have big hands for that kind of assisted knife.
The Pazoda taught me that I hate serrations, and that not all folding knives have the same flipping action.
The Leek taught me that I like wharncliffe blades, but not too thin, and all black is cool, but assisted opening maybe isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
(At this point it gets fuzzy which came next; I tended to buy knives a few at a time. Honorable mentions were part of the same purchases.)
The RAT taught me that I like hefty knives that fill the hand, and that great knives can be inexpensive, and that I'm never carrying that in an office.
The Cara Cara 2 taught me that lighter, big and capable knives are great in a backpack or briefcase/messenger bag, and that I don't particularly care for FRN handles.
The Urban Trapper taught me that I really like light titanium flippers at 3.25"-3.5" range, that flipper tabs can be too sharp, and that titanium pocket clips bend REALLY easily.
The Pioneer taught me that I love having tools with a knife and that off-center and crinked blades REALLY REALLY annoy me.

Every knife teaches you something about what you like. Sadly, it often takes purchasing and spending time with them to glean what that is. Maybe someday I'll be better about learning just from reviews.

The Flash was passed on to my wife, along with the Leek. Not that she ever carries a knife, but she'll pack one when camping, and I think the Leek is her preferred.
The Pazoda was passed along to my son, who's very happy with it and doesn't particularly care about material, action, et cetera - it's just useful and fun.
The RAT is still around, and comes out when we need a harder use knife - for example, carving jack-o-lanterns.
The Cara Cara 2 is also still with me; it sees no pocket time, but after being used and (inexpertly) sharpened by me (it's sharp but cosmetically scratched), I keep it as a backup around the house. See also jack-o-lanterns.
The Urban Trapper is on hiatus but will be back when I spend time in an office again. It's a great knife, I just with the flipper tab wasn't so sharp.
The Pioneer is also on hiatus; I've added a Gerber Dime Travel to my pocket in its place. I love the size, hate the blade, which has managed to inform and focus my traditional knife collecting plans.
 
Not counting the SAK my wife got me from her trip to Switzerland, my interest in knives started when I was buyung a beginners fixed blade for a planned camping trip that end up never happened.

The shops assistant Instead of selling me a cheap Mora or something like it, He recommend I get a folding knife (a Kershaw actually), I end up with my first zt and the rest as they said is history.

ZT0566cf
ZT0770cf
Chris reeves sebenza large
ZT0801
ZT0562cf

Now 2 years later I have around 20 ZTs....
 
First "real" knife was a Schrade Cliphanger. This was 2000 or so, just before they moved production out of the States. I always liked knives, but the Cliphanger was a pragmatic choice. I would not have been able to pick a "quality" knife if it kicked me in the knee, first.

After that it was a bunch of Mtechs that I bought because they were cheap, and I could try different knife shapes and designs. If I saw a particular design element I liked, why not? It's twenty dollars.

Columbia River Knife & Tool soaked up quite a bit of my money, when I thought $80 was a lot to pay for a knife. My purchases included,

Carson M-14 Tanto (maybe a spearpoint? I didn't care about the difference, yet)
Hammond Cruiser
Lightfoot M-1 (a high water mark in CRKT's history. I still have it)
Cold Steel Gunsite (very slick handle scales and a scary sharp blade)

Others included a Crawford Folding Falcon, and the fixed blade neck knife version of the Falcon, a wee tiny little thing that I eventually passed on to a new home. I can't remember exactly what order I bought them in, and I'm sure there are plenty I forgot. CRKT offered a lot of unique designs, at reasonable prices, and I still buy from them sometimes. Their HT is still hit-and-miss, but I've had mostly good luck.
 
Oldest to newest first 5:

1. Ka-bar USMC Fighter
2. SAK Climber
3. Benchmade AFCK (D2)
4. CRK Small Sebenza
5. CRK Small Sebenza 21 Insingo

The only one I still EDC is the CRK Insingo.

The Kabar and SAK were the knives I carried in the military and have been retired. The Small Regular Sebenza was the knife I carried during my tenure as a Scouter and has also been retired.

The AFCK was just too thick, long, and heavy (bounced around when clipped to cargo pocket); also too long to be legal in DE.

I doubt I'll ever stop carrying the Insingo, though I usually pair it with a 4" fixed blade and small leatherman.
 
mine are a little weird as i got into knives through raffles and my first knife other than the one's i played with as a kid, and the S&W one i owned for a while and lost years ago, was a shiro three bears model...

1. shirogorov F95R
2. kershaw leek (not knowing this was assisted, was sold right away)
3. benchmade small summit lake
4. spyderco PM2
5. ZT0450

i don't own a single one of these anymore, however, i regret selling the benchmade and will probably buy one back
 
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You've got to be kidding me. :D I can't remember what I had for lunch 2 days ago.

The first 5 knives of any note I remember owning are in no particular order are

Buck 186 Titanium
Spyderco C01 Worker
Schrade 51OT
Benchmade AFCK
William Henry First Gen T10-P(earl) Lancet

They were all instrumental in continuing my current interest in knives.
 
My first one that I actually remember was a CRKT M-16 then a M-21. I was happy with those two for a couple years. Then while internet browsing I discovered knife shops and soon I had my first Spyderco Manix. I had more self control back then. A year later I bought a Benchmade Presidio which I really liked. Then along came 2012 and I thought the world was going to end. I searched diligently for what I thought might save me and build a scrap cabin out of the ruins of civilization and open a can of beans that I found on the roadside if I was lucky. I bought my first ZT a 0560. I did end up selling that one to fund my Busse TGLB.
 
Just go into this very recently and late in life compared to most.

1) Kershaw Blur
2) Kershaw Camber
3) ZT 0350SW
4) ZT 0562CF
5) Haven't purchased yet. Did have a ESEE-4 in my hands last night that I ALMOST talked the wife into letting my buy. Pretty sure it will be #5 once I get off the wife's shit list.
 
Well the first five knives, I didn't pick any of them out. All gifts, mostly crap. My first knife I picked out and/or purchased with my own money was a SOG Pentagon Elite, circa 1997. Store was going out of business, it was $35.

After that, I became very much into tactical knives. The next four knives, all SOG.

X-RAY Vision mini
Seal Pup
Trident satin
Trident tanto TiNi
 
well, my first were SAKs, cheap Gas Station flippers, Opinels and Moras, too many and too far back to order them and count them.
But the 5 real hits and "first ones" were:

- First "modern folder": Cold Steel Voyager
- First "quality folder": Spyderco Resilience
- First "serious fixed blade": KaBar Short Tanto
- First "chopper": Cold Steel Jungle Machete
- First "expensive folder": Spyderco Pacific Salt

half a decade later I'm a big Cold Steel and Spyderco fan, owning +30 models from them that are most of my collection.
Thanks BF...:rolleyes:
 
1. Rambo made in Pakistan bought on Atlantic City boardwalk
2. Severla Sak classics.
3. Frost Spyderco ladybug knockoff
4. CRKT lake
5. Kershaw Chill

I jumped to a mini grip, delica and blur right after.
 
Hmm, not sure when I was a kid... but since I joined BF...

1) Delica 4
2) LT Wright Genesis (A2)
3) BK 24
4) DF2 G10
5) Boker Urban Trapper in Cocobolo

and way too many more in the past year and a half or so since I joined...
 
First one I bought was a Boker karambit from a local ad I found online (kijiji). That seller also introduced me to spyderco my 2nd folder, a ZDP-189 caly 3.

About a year after those two, and a ton of research I picked up a ZT 0200 folding tank. It was a 180 from the caly 3 I fell in love with, and it just wasnt me so I sent it back.

My 4th folder was a sage 1, I really liked that one but I ended up trading it. My No. 5 was a.......

I can't remember. It was kind of a blur of packages for about a year. I think it was either a PM2, Yo2, GB1, or something like that.

Out of my first 5 only the caly remains. Still love it and carry it.
 
My first I'll never forget and still have ... only because it was given to me by our neighbor an older gentleman that was more like my grandpa then a neighbor ... it was a case stockman in stag ... my second was bought with birthday money a Buck 110 for running my trapline ...

After that I can't say for sure but I think one was a Buck Stockman I still have but can't remember if it was in the first 5.

And again not positive in the first 5 but my first fixed blade was an Old Hickory knife someone had made a belt sheath for.
 
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