- Joined
- Apr 20, 2018
- Messages
- 4,458
DISCLAIMER #1: This is not about your favorite knife/knives per se. We can have individual examples of knives that we treasure for a wide range of reasons that go well beyond the pattern. Maybe it has a certain sentimental link, or it's a custom or whatever, but that isn't necessarily what I'm after here. It might well be, but it might not. I'm talking about patterns in general.
DISCLAIMER #2: I thought of this after I got started on the thread - I technically should've included a SAK Classic or Rambler. One of these guys has been in my pocket for a billion years but the thing is, I never think of them as knives. They're just awesome little tools to me. You could take the blade out of them I would never notice. One of these little gems (these days a Rambler) if strictly put into the "pocket knife" category, would absolutely be last one I'd give up.
Okay, with that said...
*******
Five months. Given the run of knives I'm looking at next to me, it's almost scary to contemplate really. I've only been seriously engaged in this "traditionals" world for five months. A life-long knife guy yes. A fan of simple and functional knives yes. But really being open to these knives? Not in probably 35 or 40 years. But here I am and having an absolute blast. I haven't had this much fun with any of my hobbies (which are steadily growing fewer) in many years. For many reasons, these knives and you folks have just been a perfect fit for this time in my life.
Now, being a uh um, seasoned (old) knife user, I did come into this world with a fair understanding of some fundamentals that I knew I was prone to. I've pushed some of those notions but am finding many of them spring back into place and remain constant. For example, size. Even before my exploration into traditional knives began, I was already realizing that for EDC, I was gravitating to smaller offerings. And this is holding true. I reckon medium is about where I'm landing.
Admittedly, there are a ton of patterns, old, new, this maker or that, and so on that I have not experienced and so this is based on what I have and what my initial preferences are. I know a lot of you folks will shake your head at me, but right now, I'm only focused on stainless steels and that quickly brought my options into focus. Obviously, Case became a front runner in the popularity contest and honestly, I'm very happy they did.
They check a lot of boxes for me and I accept the F&F for what I'm paying and what I'm getting. I've also bought some more Buck, SAK, and even a Chambriard.
And so far, my top three patterns are all Case offerings.
The Mini Copperlock, Canoe (I know it's not a Case-specific pattern), and Mini Trapper keep rising to the top for me.
The size is awesome for my EDC uses. All things are a compromise and these ones find just the best balance for me. Capable blade lengths, nice in-hand feel, and not too heavy or bulky. I've refined my overall EDC stuff and my pocket knife pocket is rather set with keys, knife, and a pair of collapsible readers that go into a case about the size of a Zippo lighter. These patterns fit in there well, don't create undo bulk but are still easy to reach in and find.
I feel like I can tackle moderate tasks and they routinely see use slicing up apples, cutting shrink wrap off pallets, opening shipping boxes, and so on.
I'm a big fan of lock backs and the Mini Copperlock, as of today, ranks in my top five pocket knife designs. Sometimes it's in the top three but then I'll play with something and it bounces down and then back up and so on.
Suffice to say, it is awesome and I'm already buying duplicates.
But despite that, the Canoe is actually rising to the top of my EDC list. It doesn't feel quite as good as the Mini Copperlock, or disappear quite as easily, but it edges it out on just general functionality. The pattern itself feels great, even from other makers. It has a slight bit of reverse angle, I guess people call it, where the blade is slightly canted down. It makes for great slicing. And I really like having two blades.
The Mini Trapper is just a great knife. For all the reasons the other two knives are great, this pattern is as well. The practical differences between them, I think are just personal preferences. If Case would offer this pattern with much more handle options in the clip/Wharncliffe combination, I think they'd do very well.
It's really neck and neck with all three of the patterns as to which I really like best and any of them would suit me just fine.
That was very long winded and reckon a lot of folks scrolled right on past the picture and moved on but I just wanted to explain why I'm liking what I'm liking.
You of course don't have to go into this kind of detail! Just post up what are your top three patterns. Text or pics. But I sure would like to know a little something about why. I genuinely enjoy learning about you and the knives and expanding my education.
DISCLAIMER #2: I thought of this after I got started on the thread - I technically should've included a SAK Classic or Rambler. One of these guys has been in my pocket for a billion years but the thing is, I never think of them as knives. They're just awesome little tools to me. You could take the blade out of them I would never notice. One of these little gems (these days a Rambler) if strictly put into the "pocket knife" category, would absolutely be last one I'd give up.
Okay, with that said...
*******
Five months. Given the run of knives I'm looking at next to me, it's almost scary to contemplate really. I've only been seriously engaged in this "traditionals" world for five months. A life-long knife guy yes. A fan of simple and functional knives yes. But really being open to these knives? Not in probably 35 or 40 years. But here I am and having an absolute blast. I haven't had this much fun with any of my hobbies (which are steadily growing fewer) in many years. For many reasons, these knives and you folks have just been a perfect fit for this time in my life.
Now, being a uh um, seasoned (old) knife user, I did come into this world with a fair understanding of some fundamentals that I knew I was prone to. I've pushed some of those notions but am finding many of them spring back into place and remain constant. For example, size. Even before my exploration into traditional knives began, I was already realizing that for EDC, I was gravitating to smaller offerings. And this is holding true. I reckon medium is about where I'm landing.
Admittedly, there are a ton of patterns, old, new, this maker or that, and so on that I have not experienced and so this is based on what I have and what my initial preferences are. I know a lot of you folks will shake your head at me, but right now, I'm only focused on stainless steels and that quickly brought my options into focus. Obviously, Case became a front runner in the popularity contest and honestly, I'm very happy they did.
They check a lot of boxes for me and I accept the F&F for what I'm paying and what I'm getting. I've also bought some more Buck, SAK, and even a Chambriard.
And so far, my top three patterns are all Case offerings.
The Mini Copperlock, Canoe (I know it's not a Case-specific pattern), and Mini Trapper keep rising to the top for me.
The size is awesome for my EDC uses. All things are a compromise and these ones find just the best balance for me. Capable blade lengths, nice in-hand feel, and not too heavy or bulky. I've refined my overall EDC stuff and my pocket knife pocket is rather set with keys, knife, and a pair of collapsible readers that go into a case about the size of a Zippo lighter. These patterns fit in there well, don't create undo bulk but are still easy to reach in and find.
I feel like I can tackle moderate tasks and they routinely see use slicing up apples, cutting shrink wrap off pallets, opening shipping boxes, and so on.
I'm a big fan of lock backs and the Mini Copperlock, as of today, ranks in my top five pocket knife designs. Sometimes it's in the top three but then I'll play with something and it bounces down and then back up and so on.
Suffice to say, it is awesome and I'm already buying duplicates.But despite that, the Canoe is actually rising to the top of my EDC list. It doesn't feel quite as good as the Mini Copperlock, or disappear quite as easily, but it edges it out on just general functionality. The pattern itself feels great, even from other makers. It has a slight bit of reverse angle, I guess people call it, where the blade is slightly canted down. It makes for great slicing. And I really like having two blades.
The Mini Trapper is just a great knife. For all the reasons the other two knives are great, this pattern is as well. The practical differences between them, I think are just personal preferences. If Case would offer this pattern with much more handle options in the clip/Wharncliffe combination, I think they'd do very well.
It's really neck and neck with all three of the patterns as to which I really like best and any of them would suit me just fine.
That was very long winded and reckon a lot of folks scrolled right on past the picture and moved on but I just wanted to explain why I'm liking what I'm liking.
You of course don't have to go into this kind of detail! Just post up what are your top three patterns. Text or pics. But I sure would like to know a little something about why. I genuinely enjoy learning about you and the knives and expanding my education.
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