YOUR least frustrating knives...

[pinnah]

Alrighty folks... I know I'm not alone in this. You have knives that you love that frustrate you. Let's hear about 'em. Let's see 'em.

I have a lot of knives that I love dearly for one reason or another but that also annoy me to distraction for other reasons.

The slow water wheel of dissatisfaction grinds endlessly in my brain and in my hands. A knife catches my fancy, gets moved from storage, to my EDC bowl (by my keys) and to my pocket. And by the end of the day, some aspect of the knife has frustrated me and it goes back into deep storage. Till I think of it again. And then it comes out again. For a bit. And then back into deep storage.

Here then is a thread dedicated to my discontent.

My first knife doesn't even get a picture. It was and is an Ulster BSA knife. Gave me my first stitches. When I was a kid, I loved it. Now... the blades just don't give me value. This led me first to multi-tools and then to the diminutive Micra. Long story, not to be told in full here but you'll see the Micra a lot in this thread. It frustrates me very little.

Anyway... Here is one of my most beloved knife possessions. It's a 2-dot Buck 110 that I bought with saved up paper route money from Herter's catalog. Did anybody else have a childhood obsession with Herters? I still love this knife. But...

Buck 110 by Pinnah, on Flickr

It's a brick. It weighs about 10 lbs. That's an exaggeration, of course, but it's close enough to be true. This is a knife that's just too big to be pocket carried. It must go on my belt and I hate holster carry. Just hate it. Bumps into everything. I hate holsters in a car seat and I drive way too much. I also never clicked with the extreme "California" style clip point. It's great for cleaning fish and cutting up meat. But for everything else, there's just not enough blade there.

I often say about the 110, "It's my most loved and least carried knife." I keep one in the center console of my car. I take it out and behold it on my long commute. And when I arrive, I put it back in the console and go to where I'm going with some other EDC knife in my pocket.

As much as I love it, the 110 is among the first to be listed, which means it's among the most frustrating for me.

More to come...

 

[afishhunter]

Nice Buck I don't even notice mine on my belt, even while driving (I'm an OTR truck driver) or when sleeping (I'm an OTR truck driver, I take off my boots, glasses, and hat when I go to bed.)

My most annoying knife would have to beca "small" trapper. It's a bit smaller than a peanut. Its one redeeming quality is it showed me I don't want a peanut size knife for EDC. Maybe to church, or something, but not EDC.

 

[pinnah]

Here's my next least frustrating knife. The Schrade 5OT.

Isn't it a beauty?

Shrade 5OT by Pinnah, on Flickr

I just love this knife. I think it's just great looking. It also slips... no... disappears in my pocket. I still carry it when I have to wear dress slacks. Doesn't imprint at all.

It's also one of the most people friendly knives. Makes public "use the knife as a worry stone" (aka coon fingering) easy.

So, what's the beef?

It's too small. My hands are big - like XL glove sized and while not small, this knife disappears in my hand just like it does my pocket.

And the blade... There's so much I love about the blade. The 1095 is excellent. The blade shape is excellent. The grind is excellent.

There's just not enough of it. I wish Schrade had made a version of this with a 3" blade.

I use my pocket knives for food and while this knife will cut up an apple, it's easier with a longer knife. And, when it comes to cutting an overstuffed Bismark into 2 pieces or slicing potatoes.... Nope. It's just not up to it.

As much as I love the knife, it doesn't make it into my EDC bowl.

 

[jc57]

Soooo.... my least frustrating knives are those that don't frustrate me at all. Which is most of them. Not sure if I understand what I am supposed to discuss?

 

[AreBeeBee]

I get what Pinnah's talking about, and to be honest I share his opinion of the 110, and I'd add the 112 also. Both are beauties of form and feel (even the older, "square-shoulder" models). I love the looks, but they are seldom carried. Too big, too heavy, blades not right, somehow. Ditto, much to my surprise, for the Buck 500. Which again I love for its sleekness — and perhaps dislike it a bit for the same reason.

Since I shifted to become a two-knife carrier (scout/camper and Vic Classic), I find that carrying a single-blade folder with the Classic doesn't provide enough hardware for the daily routine.

I'll say more on this later, as I'm at work and have a presentation to get to.

 

[wundergussy]

Shouldn't it be "most"?

 

[NickelOak]

Shouldn't it be "most"?

Seems so.

Frustrating knives (i.e., knives I don't like) get sold. I don't tend to keep things I don't like, unless there's a serious sentimental attachment. That said, I'm happy to provide an address where frustrating knives may be sent for disposal. I'll even cover the shipping cost in some instances.

 

[davek14]

I get what Pinnah's talking about,

I think I do. A knife you really like, maybe look forward to getting, but for some reason you just don't carry it. You want to carry it but something is just "wrong", and that frustrates you.

 

[Whetstone39]

I think I get it, knives that you have in storage, carry, then remember why they aren't quite what you want them to be, and then end up carrying again at some point because you really want to like them. (Holy run on sentence Batman ).

Right?

 

[40oz]

I got a few.

Large Buck Vantage Force. Love everything about it. Except the size - thin but broad, so easy to carry but blocks access to my pocket. Got a small Vantage which is perfect, but I really like using the large - the size, proportions, everything but it's just not a pocket knife for me.

Case Peanut. Perfect pockect knife, IMHO. But I lost two with brown synthetic within a year of purchase before I could locate a yellow delrin cv version locally. As a result, I carry my idea of the perfect EDC only for special occasions lately - it's so ideal to carry I am reluctant to carry it lest I lose it yet again lol.

 

[mrknife]

im not sure what to say, i dont think ive ever been frustrated by a knife before

 

[pinnah]

Some of you guys are getting it!!

RBB, this one's for you....

I think this knife is among the prettiest production knives ever made.... the Buck 112.

Buck 112 by Pinnah, on Flickr

This isn't just a current, 112. This is on older 2-dot 112. The shape of the clip point is a bit blunter than the current ones and it lacks a nail nick.

IMO, pictures just don't do the 112 justice. There's something about how the lines of the frame and the lines of the blade work together. And of course, there is the classic ebony and brass.

But, like the 110, the 112 is a heavy knife. It's also a bit short and fat and pocket carries not as well as other longer flatter knives.

The handle is very comfortable, but the curved bolster effectively shortens the handle for me. It becomes a 3.5 finger hold for me. This combined with the bulk of the knife... it just doesn't make the cut. I keep mine in my knife storage. It comes out occasionally but never stays in the EDC rotation for long.

This is a knife I could collect variants of. If they made a version a bit thinner, I think I could carry it. Another knife I love but don't carry much.

We're working our way from knives that frustrate me a lot to knives that frustrate me less. I'm happy for people who have knives that don't frustrate them at all. I can't think of a knife I own that doesn't frustrate me a bit at some point or another.

 

[Getahl]

Pinnah, Buck makes (made?) versions of the 112 with micarta handles. No bolsters, same dimensions, I have a jungle-green version. There is/was a maroon version. Not sure if they made a 110 variety. Might be worth looking into.

Edit to add, it's called the Ecolite Paperstone.

 

[btb01]

a

Frustrating knives (i.e., knives I don't like) get sold.

I don't know that "frustrating" knives have to be knives you don't like. From my experience, sometimes that's far from the case. For example, I have few straight blades (sheepsfoot, mostly) from GEC that I absolutely love, but most of them have frustrated me (at least when I first get them) because the edge is never quite straight from the factory. I understand these are handmade knives, with their edges finished on a belt, and I don't fault GEC for this small imperfection (if you can even call it that), but it can be frustrating when you go to sharpen them. Do the sharpie-on-the-edge thing and run them on a stone a few times, and I'll find that I'm sharpening 90-95% of the edge, but the sharpie on the last couple millimeters at the tip is still there. Take the edge and place it at a 90° angle against a flat piece of wood and you'll see that the tip lifts away just a bit. I think I've experienced this on every straight edge GEC I have. So I take them back to the stone and sharpen them until the edge straightens out and I'm finally sharpening the tip along with the rest of the knife. In one instance (a natural stag 25 I got recently) I had to sharpen so much that the little notch between the tang and the edge was practically gone before I got it to even out.

Thing is, I love these knives. I'd never sell my Beer Scouts, or that little 25, and I love carrying them. But until I can get that edge straightened out, they frustrate the heck out of me. And the fact that I had to remove so much metal to even that 25 out really frustrated me. (It's possible I'm doing something wrong there, or that there's a better way to even that edge out without so much sharpening, but that's probably a discussion for another thread.) Point is, sometimes your most frustrating knives are so frustrating because you like them so much, but there's one small aspect of them that nags at you.

As for least frustrating? Probably an Opinel. Never really had an issue with one, easiest knives to sharpen I've ever owned, and their cheap enough that if something happens to them, it's not really going to bother you.

 

[pinnah]

C'mon... I can't be the only person here who struggles with discontent.

Here's another. This one is less frustrating than the others.

The Schrade 51OT, aka the Big Timer, aka the Pocket Buster


Schrade 51OT by Pinnah, on Flickr

This knife is MASSIVE. It is also insanely FUN! The blade locks with a loud, audible and wrist shaking CLACK!.

The handle feels great in the hand. And the blade.... Oh my word... the blade. I call this my folding chef's knife. It's the first folder I would reach to when cutting up a bag of potatoes. The full belly and the flat grind make it a joy to use for this kind of cutting.

Astonishingly, it carries well in the pocket. I think the flat profile of the frame helps with that.

Using this knife for EDC though is sort of like driving a FORD 350 as a daily driver. Really, not the best vehicle for commuting and really, the 51OT, as fun as it is, really isn't the best EDC knife.

That big fat blade is great for somethings like cutting potatoes but less good at others. Not the best wood working blade.

And then there is the whole problem of social acceptability. I've never once pulled out the 51OT and used it near other people and not gotten the whole "eyes pop out of the head" sort of reaction. It's all CLACK! and BLADE.

I think that if Jethro Gibbs were to give up his ZT monstrosities for a traditional, he'd carry a 51OT.

I love this knife. I carry it occasionally for the fun of it. But it's not in the EDC rotation. The size is a tick too frustrating.

Come on folks. I know you all have knives that you love that you can't get to work in your pockets and hands. Let's see 'em.

 

[kamagong]

C'mon... I can't be the only person here who struggles with discontent.

Lol...I don't think anyone who hangs out in a knife forum will ever find contentment. Just not in the cards.

Here's a knife that checks off a lot of boxes for me. 3 3/4" closed, single blade, stag covers.



I carry it almost every day, but there are still a few things that I'd change if I could.

First I'd give it proper clip point blade, like the one on this Reese Bose BackPocket.



Then I'd change the blade steel. Maybe some of Don Hanson's W2, or perhaps some sort of Damascus.

It would need exhibition grade stag of course. And be put together with impeccable fit and finish. I'd want this knife American made, but not cost more than $50 when all is said and done so I won't feel any compunction about using it.

I think that's pretty much the only knife that would preclude feelings of frustration. As you can see it's an impossible task.

 

[Cory Hess]

One that I really loved except for one frustrating aspect was the #48 Diamond Jack:


It's a great knife except for that insane swedge. I really like the Queen #11 utility knife because it's a large blade in a small package. Being able to pinch open the blade is a big plus for convenience. The #48 Diamond Jack should be able to be pinched open as well, but that severe swedge that runs almost the entire length of the blade makes that impossible, at least in the example that I owned. Otherwise it was a beautiful knife and well executed. I ended up trading away the knife because it always got passed over in favor of a similar knife that could be pinched open.

My 2 blade 77 barlow with the spearpoint has this same issue. It's a great knife, best F&F I've ever seen from GEC, with the one exception of having a swedge that extends past the tip of the secondary blade. This makes pinching the main blade open impossible. It always gets passed over for my Tidioute 92 Eureka which has the same blade pairing, but without the severe swedge so I'm able to pinch the spear. It's probably going to end up on the trade pile, which is really frustrating because I love the knife other than this one flaw. I'm all in favor of a great looking swedge, but not at the expense of the function of the knife.

I'm posting these as examples of my least frustrating knives because except for this one aspect I think both knives would have been heavily used. As it is I have been holding onto my 77 barlow for a couple of months already even though I know deep down that I'll never use it.

 

[jc57]

C'mon... I can't be the only person here who struggles with discontent.
...

You surely are not the only one, as evidenced by all of the people who complain about something or another about their knives in any number of threads about it. I find I enjoy my knives more if I don't try to focus on every little detail that might be wrong with them.

You want me to complain about my Buck 110? Ok, I never use or carry it because I don't need a knife that big and heavy. When I bought it in 1979 it served a specific need and I carried it on my belt at work for about 8 years or so, before replacing it with a newer and lighter belt knife. Currently I have no need for it. That's probably why it sat in a toolchest in the garage for about 20 years unused. Not frustrating, just the way things turned out.

 

[mrknife]

One that I really loved except for one frustrating aspect was the #48 Diamond Jack:


It's a great knife except for that insane swedge. I really like the Queen #11 utility knife because it's a large blade in a small package. Being able to pinch open the blade is a big plus for convenience. The #48 Diamond Jack should be able to be pinched open as well, but that severe swedge that runs almost the entire length of the blade makes that impossible, at least in the example that I owned. Otherwise it was a beautiful knife and well executed. I ended up trading away the knife because it always got passed over in favor of a similar knife that could be pinched open.

My 2 blade 77 barlow with the spearpoint has this same issue. It's a great knife, best F&F I've ever seen from GEC, with the one exception of having a swedge that extends past the tip of the secondary blade. This makes pinching the main blade open impossible. It always gets passed over for my Tidioute 92 Eureka which has the same blade pairing, but without the severe swedge so I'm able to pinch the spear. It's probably going to end up on the trade pile, which is really frustrating because I love the knife other than this one flaw. I'm all in favor of a great looking swedge, but not at the expense of the function of the knife.

I'm posting these as examples of my least frustrating knives because except for this one aspect I think both knives would have been heavily used. As it is I have been holding onto my 77 barlow for a couple of months already even though I know deep down that I'll never use it.

check out the big clip 48s? my favorite of the GEC by far. followed closely by the 2014 bladeforums knife

 

[Cory Hess]

check out the big clip 48s? my favorite of the GEC by far. followed closely by the 2014 bladeforums knife

Thanks for the suggestion. I've taken a look at the other runs of 48s, and would probably have picked one up if I didn't have a Queen #11 that I already love. :thumbup:

This one just checked all the boxes with the cool shield and great jigging. All except for one.