Your Traditional Knife of the Year 2021 (Please read post #1 before posting)

[Jack Black]

I've gotten "a few" nice traditional knives this year, but the award for my favorite of the year has to go to the SAK Alox Electrician. It's not real pretty & the only special thing about it is that it's been in my pocket every single day since I unboxed it back in February, and has probably gotten more use than any of my knives this year, traditional, or modern. It's kinda' like my #35 Churchill. It just checks all the boxes for me.

I rarely leave home without one in my bag

I have had an interesting buying year, with some nice Bruckmanns, the forum knife, some nice old Schrades, etc. However, this has to be my knife of the year. I've been looking for an Erickson for a while, and Mike Robuck was gracious enough to let this one go. It's just beautiful...

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You're right Glenn, it IS beautiful! Congratulations

 

[JonMcD]

My second year of collecting was even more fun than the first. I’m starting to hone in my tastes. Now…if I could just figure out that issue of the knife budget! I bought a lot of knives, but moved many of them on. I also really got into giving away knives to many of my best friends and family. That’s just as addictive as buying for myself.

In the end, these were the new acquisitions that are keepers. 7 GEC and 3 Case.


Even though the jigged Owl and the Muskrat got instant pocket priority and are a close second and third, the 66 Calf Roper is my KOTY. It fits me like a glove. Perfect size and feel. Compact and robust. I thought I might want to trade into a jigged bone version, but the Micarta quickly won me over. I love the simplicity of the Tidioute trim. It really does agree with me in the exact same way my Osage 29 does. Hard to get this one out of my pocket!

 

[Snodgrass]

This year has been nothing short of fantastic from GEC. They started the year off huge with a big run of crowd pleasing 15s, then leapt into lifter 85s and splitback 38s. Three of my top 5 patterns. But after all the constant hunting and relentless refreshing that 2021 brought, my knife of the year goes to the one that I acquired with the least amount of time, effort and money expended. I won this Osage 71 through the Wounded Warriors draw at Rendezvous this year. Although I didn't attend I was very happy to see my name posted on the GEC website stating that I had won. I thought it was going to be a 1 of 1 but apparently Bill make a second one of each of them for special collaborators that he's worked with in the past. Happy 2021 and cheers to an awesome and slicey 2022!

 

[Peregrin]

Thanks for another KOTY thread, Jack!

I've picked up a few nice knives over the past 12 months. A couple of them get an honorable mention, including the Northwoods Fall Creek and the Boker Gent's knife.

An honorable mention also goes to the GMF1-F Giant Mouse fixed blade.

Although I haven't had my knife of the year very long it has been in my pocket since it arrived. I'd been wanting to pick one of these up since they were released in 2017. I had a chance to handle one at the Case-Zippo store in Bradford, PA a few years ago, and that only heightened my interest.

Thanks to a couple of forum members that alerted me to a sale that was going on, I finally pulled the trigger on a Case-Bose Eureka Jack in brown jigged bone. It's supposed to be a Christmas present. I'll have to allow my wife to wrap it up Christmas eve!

To me this knife has the perfect blade combination, is just the right size, with great blade steel and has the walk and talk, fit and finish of a custom knife. I couldn't be happier.

 

[sbh06]

Of the knives that I was fortunate to pick up this year, three stand out as being well like, and thus, carried more than any others.

First up is the 2019 BF knife. I know this came out in late 2019, however, I only received this one in January through the extreme generosity of a forum member.

Next up is this year's forum knife, which came to fruition thanks to Charlie's efforts. It has been in my pocket a lot since its arrival.

While the two knives above receive honorable mention, my knife of the year for 2021 is my burlap micarta 74 Mustang that I picked up in a trade in February with a fellow forum member. You can see below the progression this knife has make from when it came to me looking brand new to how it looks now.

 

[christusvictor]

With all the great knives that came out this year, it is tough to pick. I am going with the knife produced this year that I find myself reaching for almost everyday.

CK Lionsteel Beerlow, Natural Micarta

 

[kamagong]

Great pics Christian How do you find the steel on your dirk, I've been eyeing them up myself?

Seemed to take an edge fine Jack. A bit soft compared to a pocketknife, but I think that's probably purpose driven given the its historical intended use.

 

[Bigfattyt]

The 2AB Barlow will have to be mine.

I received the BF barlow this year, but so far have not carried it or taken any photos.

The GEC Barlow is my first stainless GEC, and I've really been loving it!

Some How...most my pics have food in them...

 

[waynorth]

Nice try Charlie, you old rascal, trying to slip that past me on a Sunday night! You know darn well that Old Boiley can't be your 2021 Traditional Knife of the Year! We're talking knives you acquired THIS year

I must have missed the @r8shell connection to your Rhidian Sfilato, that's nice, it's a very cool-looking pattern

Darn!! Guilty as charged!!
Well, the most amazing knife of this year has to be the Sfilato that Rhidian made for me!!
Pepperoni!!

It makes me feel and experience my ancestry, besides being a true Beauty!!
The Rhidian Sfilato - made in Canada!! My actual KOTY!!

 

[akaMatt]

I look forward every year to this thread, so thanks for kicking it off again, Jack!

I picked up and passed along more knives in 2021 than any other year by far. I was surprised when I looked back over the year just how prolific I was in acquiring new sharp objects. However, my keepers this year really fall in three primary “categories”, (with a couple of fantastic exceptions)… 47s, 86s, and 68s.

My first and second runners up this year are really just about tied, and both have the potential to be long term pocket hogs. But they were just released too late in the year to have claimed that top spot of pocket hog for 2021. Both are two blades jacks, the 86 Angus Jack and the 68 Pony Jack. Exceptional knives that will be very much in my pocket for quite a while probably.

But my KOTY for 2021 is one that I received back in January, and as soon as it made it to my pocket it was there for the majority of the year, at least until the aforementioned jacks came home. It is my 47 Viper in black plum jigged bone.

 

[Jack Black]

Seemed to take an edge fine Jack. A bit soft compared to a pocketknife, but I think that's probably purpose driven given the its historical intended use.

Thanks for the info Christian

Some How...most my pics have food in them...

I like the way you roll amigo! Great pics T

Darn!! Guilty as charged!!
Well, the most amazing knife of this year has to be the Sfilato that Rhidian made for me!!View attachment 1701115View attachment 1701116
Pepperoni!!
View attachment 1701117
It makes me feel and experience my ancestry, besides being a true Beauty!!
The Rhidian Sfilato - made in Canada!! My actual KOTY!!

It is one heck of a cool knife Charlie

 

[Tyson A Wright]

I probably acquired more new knives this year than than any other single year in the last two decades. I love several of these new knives, but there is a clear KOTY for me. First, though, I want to note some of the other good ones that showed up, any of which could have been a KOTY in other years.

This Alox Solo is a winner for me, and is now the first knife I would try to get if I lost everything:


I'm a sucker for a pretty barlow, and my tiny Böker Castlewood and reasonably sized BF Barlow both saw a lot of pocket time (BF Barlow is probably my runner-up KOTY):



My Benchmade Proper is a long list of near misses - there are so many details that feel like they just missed the mark slightly. At the same time, I like this knife a lot, and carry it quite often; in spite of it's flaws they also got a lot right with this one:


I finally got my first A. Wright lambsfoot (thanks to the generosity of Jack Black ). It's fun and useful and sees a fair bit of pocket time as well:


But my KOTY has to be the GEC 97 Allegheny I bought in February. It gets carried as much as all of the others put together (often it's the 97 plus one of the others). With the exception of a three or four week span after the BF Barlow first arrived, I never went more than a couple of days without carrying the 97. This is as close as I have gotten to finding the 'one knife' for me:

 

[afishhunter]

Received a few ... Buck 110 with Oak covers and a 5160 blade ... I a think a vintage 4 pin Schrade Old Timer with a 1095 blade, and a vintage Schrade + Old Timer 858 Lumberjack stockman, (they might have been late 2020) a TIDIOUTE 828318 Dixie Stockman ...
However, I think I'm going to have to nominate this Toferner Celtic Pocket/Neck Knife, based on days (and nights) of consecutive carry. I've had it on me since it arrived on 04, November, 21. I don't see it coming off in the foreseeable future.

Like however many Greats it is Grandfather(s) and/or Grandmother(s) from Ireland and/or Scotland had, carried and used before coming to the Americas?
(I hit the dreaded "parents unknown" at 8th great maternal grandfather, born 1802, somewhere in Pennsylvania ... I forget exactly where.)
I really like the as forged finish, too.

 

[JTB_5]

Looking back on 2021 knife purchases, I realized that this has been a remarkable year for Knife purchases! Customs figured heavily: two Morans, a Ritchie, and a Ashley Harrison lambsfoot. I have one knife not pictured that was an old Robeson I essentially traded for, so I’m not sure if counts.


With such a gaggle of great knives it is hard to pick a favorite. The winner was a surprise because normally a wharncliffe isn’t my favorite blade because it doesn’t appeal to my eye as much as a spear or clip, but this little boy’s knife is so handy and the action and finish are so nice that I just want to carry it and use it as much as possible without neglecting the other knives I own. It is also horn, which wouldn’t be my first choice normally either, but this horn is so mesmerizing with its deep black and wisps of white and cream. I don’t think I’ll be able to top 2021!

 

[tongueriver]

I just looked through my 2021 list of knife purchases and there are some stunning knives in there. I was shocked to discover, however that my short list for this thread ended up being four fixed blades. I knew I was a fixed blade guy but I didn't realize how bad it was until today. So... two Randalls, a Mile Leko puukko, and the winner, a Josh Fisher hunter, which has been on my hip quite a lot.

 

[315]

I didn’t pick up as many on 2021 as I had previously. A couple of Case knives came into the picture, both models I had wanted to try out.

I dearly love a good Swiss Army knife. I picked up one of the Marlboro logo Outdoorsman knives and replaced the scales with the Green micarta. It’s bigger than I normally carry but rides flat on the springs in my pocket so it’s less noticeable. Our very own Spikediesel made up a Passenger with Blue scales and I really, really like that knife. Then I grabbed another made up Vic, a Scientist.

But I can only pick one, so I go back to my roots of absolutely loving a stockman pattern. I picked this Case pocket worn up this last year and was absolutely impressed with it. Very smooth action on all blades, not too strong or weak, just right. It’s the knife I would have picked years ago when I was a kid if I could’ve afforded it. The size is perfect for a one knife collection. Big enough for most work related tasks and small enough to not be cumbersome.

 

[OldHercDude]

I just looked through my 2021 list of knife purchases and there are some stunning knives in there. I was shocked to discover, however that my short list for this thread ended up being four fixed blades. I knew I was a fixed blade guy but I didn't realize how bad it was until today. So... two Randalls, a Mile Leko puukko, and the winner, a Josh Fisher hunter, which has been on my hip quite a lot.
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Beautiful knife.

 

[Old Engineer]

I just looked through my 2021 list of knife purchases and there are some stunning knives in there. I was shocked to discover, however that my short list for this thread ended up being four fixed blades. I knew I was a fixed blade guy but I didn't realize how bad it was until today. So... two Randalls, a Mile Leko puukko, and the winner, a Josh Fisher hunter, which has been on my hip quite a lot.
View attachment 1702262View attachment 1702263

That Sir , is a very nice looking knife .

Harry

 

[Don W]

This is an easy one for me. I nominate my Buck 112. I ordered this knife from Buck's custom shop last January. I received it in March and I have carried it more days than not. Nickel bolsters and elk antler sides with a S30V blade, I also had my BCCI number engraved on the blade.

 

[sitflyer]

This 2AB really won me over this year. It has been a pocket hog since arriving.