A cool, classic knife

[Mycroft]

For a daily pocketknife, I can't do any better than this small, thin Victorinox classic:

I just got one of those as a gift in British Racing Green, it is sweet and super dependale. I think they call it hunter green.

 

[John in Covina]

Swiss Army knives are simply some of the neatest things a man can have. I always have a use for these, especially when camping.

 

[geo]

The "Laguiole" by "Forge de Laguiole". There are many "Laguiole" knives, but the "Forge de Laguiole" is the best.

http://www.couteaux-center.com/boutique/liste_produits.cfm?type=34&code_lg=lg_fr&num=16

 

[Pilgrim]

Any knife that's big enough to really do any work with is too large for my pocket, which is why I carry the Victorinox classic on a daily basis. I've always felt that a gent's pocket knife should be small enough not to cause clothing to bulge.

When I want to carry something that's handy and work-worthy, I usually carry a stainless steel Leatherman tool in a belt pouch. When I was a video producer running around all day, that was a pretty standard item on every shoot. The Leatherman tools are classics in their own right.

I also have a Smith & Wesson knife that has a metal pocket clip and two fold/lock blades (one smooth, one serrated) that I occasionally carry when doing yard work, etc. I got it as part of a flashlight/knife set. The flashlight is similar to a mini-Mag light, and the knife is a good quality piece. If anyone likes the look of this set, it's S&W item SW422CBO and sells for about $25-$30.

 

[dr greg]

cutting edge

OK experts this is my father's old knife, he told me it was cavalry issue and the spike was for hoof maintenance, whereas an antique dealer told me it was naval issue and the thing was a miniature marlin spike, since it has a can opener it doesn't make sense to me to be naval issue because they eat in a mess below decks and not out of tins...so who knows?

 

[John in Covina]

Naval Style similarities

This is very similar to some naval knives I have seen. The spike is used for rope repair, knot making, and rope joining or weaving where they weave the strands back into the rope to creat a loop end. As to the can opener, there was a time in whch all emergency rations even in the Navy, were canned, so a can opener was essentail if you should wind up having to abandon ship. Tough break to have canned food and water and no can opener.

I think the Sportsman's Guide gets these, Sovietsky might have had them ,and Brigade Quartermaster might. It's an older surplus item, so surplus guys may still have some. Also There is some place that has a lot of Antique and vintage Nepalese Kurkuri knives and they may have had these too. Can't think of name right now.

Sincerely,

 

[BellyTank]

Fairly common- British Army, Belgian Army,.... etc.

Clasp-knife/Jack Knife, Para Knife, ..etc...

I have several- it's typically a British Army knife- worn on a lanyard from the belt.
Check for a maker's mark and a 'broad arrow'- British War Dept's. mark.

B
T

 

[Mycroft]

This is very similar to some naval knives I have seen. The spike is used for rope repair, knot making, and rope joining or weaving where they weave the strands back into the rope to creat a loop end. As to the can opener, there was a time in whch all emergency rations even in the Navy, were canned, so a can opener was essentail if you should wind up having to abandon ship. Tough break to have canned food and water and no can opener.

I think the Sportsman's Guide gets these, Sovietsky might have had them ,and Brigade Quartermaster might. It's an older surplus item, so surplus guys may still have some. Also There is some place that has a lot of Antique and vintage Nepalese Kurkuri knives and they may have had these too. Can't think of name right now.

Sincerely,

Those are great, they are so useful becuase of the spike and large blade.

 

[Riley Dee]

Kershaw Ken Onion Whirlwind

I carry this pocket knife with me. I really like the assisted open feature.

A good all around pocket knife.

 

[nobodyspecial]

I just stumbled upon these, http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=39293150&memberId=12500226 and have to say this has some appeal to me. I like the lock blade and the one handed opening on the main blade. From past experience I never wish to buy another Swiss Army knife without a corkscrew.

 

[kenji]

I just received a Benchmade Griptilian in the mail. I'm quite impressed with it. It has a nice heft and opens very smoothly. It's also ambidextrous, which is important to a lefty like me. It will replace the lost Spyderco Endura that was my EDC.

I have a couple of Opinels. I agree that they are great utility knives, but they just don't appeal to my esthetics.

I have a collection of vintage knives. Most of them are in new unsharpened condition, so I don't actually use them. I like the old Bucks, like the trusty 110 and the various fixed blades. I suspect by their ubiquity at Walmart that the newer Bucks are slipping in quality and have turned plasticky and ugly. I have a few Case folders, which are beautiful knives and good collectables. I also have the mandatory USMC Kabar, which is completely useless for any purpose I might have, but is very cool and fun to chop things up with.

For actual use, the Scandinavian fixed blades are (like many Scandinavian designs) beautiful and ergonomic. Does anyone know what the better brands are and if it's possible to get a lefty sheath? For hunting, I carry a custom made drop point in a Scandinavian-style sheath, which I adore. I would like to get a very small (like 4-5 cm) Scandinavian fixed blade to carry when it wouldn't be appropriate to carry my hunting knife.

 

[SamMarlowPI]

here ya' go!

lol lol just kidding...

 

[Luddite]

SCANDINAVIAN RECOMMENDATION

For actual use, the Scandinavian fixed blades are (like many Scandinavian designs) beautiful and ergonomic. Does anyone know what the better brands are and if it's possible to get a lefty sheath? For hunting, I carry a custom made drop point in a Scandinavian-style sheath, which I adore. I would like to get a very small (like 4-5 cm) Scandinavian fixed blade to carry when it wouldn't be appropriate to carry my hunting knife.

I can recommend a Lapp Puukko for simplicity, elegance and ease of use. I have owned and used a Marttiini Lapp for the past thirty years and can recommend them for quality, although the knife is a little loose in the sheath now.

I see from their website that the design of the knife has changed very slightly over the years, and more importantly, the sheath has been improved!

 

[carebear]

The Scandanavian Pukko type knives are good for the field, though they lack a guard. Good classic design, just don't try stabbing anyone with one.

I carry an older model Benchmade AFCK (liner lock) with a 3" blade day-to-day. Safe and fast and works with my defensive knife fighting training. Though, like everyone else's "tactical" knives in the really real world, it so far has only been used for opening packages and cutting food and such.

I don't use it to whittle though, I have utility-type knives for that.

Most major knife makers offer true one-hand opening knives like the AFCK in wood, wood laminate and various types of polymer scales (grip panels). Just hit google to get a list of major pocket knife manufacturers and look at the product lists to find the variant you want. If it says "easy one-hand opening" for a major manufacturer's product, it is, there's no question of their veracity in today's market.

Personally, in my years of carrying knives for utility and defensive purposes, I've not found "assisted-opening" knives of any stripe to be appreciably faster than a quality thumb-stub or thumb-hole type, they're just more expensive. Just practice with the damn thing, like any tool/weapon.

For "vintage", or when I'm wearing a fixed-blade, I have a horn-scaled, old, lock-back 2" Case I throw in the pocket to peel apples, whittle and cut string and such. In the old days (and today, no matter the technology), if you want an actual "field knife" suitable for all-around wilderness use, you need to look at a fixed blade.

I'll never claim to be a Dan'l Boone, but the men who trained me in woodcraft, beginning with my father and grandfather, emphasized the need for a good knife. With a good knife and some training and common sense, you can survive in almost any conditions. And by "good knife" they were refering not to any modern uber-tactical pigsticker, but rather a decent carbon steel blade that will hold an edge and be reasonably easy to resharpen, of just enough length and heft to stand a little prying and chopping.

The same kind of knife that was used on the frontier 2 centuries ago.

Even if you aren't in the woods, to my mind a good pocket or pen knife should be as much a part of every man's daily dress as his wallet or watch.

 

[KY Gentleman]

The Opinel knives look very similar to Mora knives from Scandinavia. I own a couple of these knives and they're very tough and hold an edge well.
I've also been collecting Boker knives lately and I've been very pleased with them also.

 

[Lancealot]

What do you guys recommend in a pocket (or "jack") knife?
I'm looking at "assisted openers" which is, I suppose, as fast
a draw as you can get when switchblades are not legal.

What I want in the knife is:

- safe to put in my pocket
- looks good (I don't like these plastic or cut-away light weight jobs)
- quality blade
- locking blade
- fast to draw
- not terribly expensive

I don't need bells and whistles- I have Swiss Army knives.
Just a single, not particularly long, quality blade.

I like the Cold Steel Voyager knives.

http://search.store.yahoo.com/cgi-b...oreonline&catalog=csstoreonline&query=voyager

They are expense on the webpage but if you hunt around some on Ebay you can pick one up for around 40 bucks. I've got the Medium tanto point plain blade I carry it for work it's a great knife keeps a good edge and is easy to open with one hand.

 

[KY Gentleman]

If you check out the Boker knife website the Magnum division has several stilletos and assisted opening pocket knives. They are reasonably priced, too.

 

[mtechthang]

I just received a Benchmade Griptilian in the mail. I'm quite impressed with it. It has a nice heft and opens very smoothly. It's also ambidextrous, which is important to a lefty like me. It will replace the lost Spyderco Endura that was my EDC.

Good knives, Benchmades. They'll sharpen for life :eusa_clap (if you don't get adventuresome and disassemble it). :eusa_doh: Cabella's has a special one in D2 steel- same price I think. (Do we have any sponsors who sell knives?) Any of the Benchmade axis series will open quite quickly and I don' think they are illegal except in the most restrictive places (some state's laws are very restrictive on the definition of weapon, btw). Actually the whole knife thing can be rather addictive- kind of like . . . . fedoras!!! [huh]

 

[JohnnyGringo]

Be certain to check out A.G. Russell's website online, they carry all types of knives-even some custom made-and cover a wide range of prices. I've always had success with them when I've been seeking something different or unusual in a quality knife, and they have great catalogs as well. Overall a good company to deal with, IMO.

www.agrussell.com

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I use the trusty Kamp-King, in my pocket every day. Got my first when I was a Cub Scout in the 60's. I still have that one but I'm always picking up pristine examples when I can find one. The old ones are good, sturdy knives...they started making really crappy versions of the same knife in the 70's I think. I'm no expert, I just love these knives. Any they look very vintage to me.