What is your favorite pocket knife?

[Cyrano]

I like Swiss Army Knives for daily carry.
Photo 1: I got a knife like this one when I was stationed in Alaska. When I got to Vietnam, I was riding in a Huey, with my butt about 4 inches off the floor, and the knife in a patch pocket on my trousers leg. The knife slipped out and I never found it. I asked my wife to send me another; she did and I carried it until 2002, with the broken scale, and with the large blade sharpened so often that the point stood up a little The only reason I retired it was that the red plastic had worn so the metal edges of the Swiss shield were exposed and they were sharp. I still have the knife but don't carry it.
Photo 2. This is it's its replacement. Still goes into my pocket daily. The black object is my travel flashlight. Very bright and I epoxied a dime to it to prevent it rolling off the bedside table.
Photo 3. I have four of these; one in the glove compartment of the car and the truck, one in my range bag and another in the bag that goes into gun shows with me.
Photo 4. I have one of these in the door pocket of the car and truck in case of accidents that prevent doors an windows from opening (the car has electric window motors). I can cut the seat belt if I have to with the serrated edge, and the metal body makes a good ram to take in my fist and break out the window for escape.

 

[A10]

Right now, this one.....a Bark River Essential in a pocket sheath.

 

[30-30remchester]

Wow...that's a fantastic collection! I can't even begin to pick a favorite out of those, but I like the swell end jacks--especially the EOs--and the big Remington bullet shield trapper a lot. Dang there are a lot great knives there!

While the big Remington bullet trapper is nice, it is one of the most common bullet knives. To its left is a Remington Baby Bullet stag handled muskrat. It is in the top 5 rarest Remington's. I saw a mint example sell for $9,600 a few years ago. Mine is not near mint however, and am embarrassed to admit what I paid for it. The grand total with tax was $3.18. There are some rather unusual ones also. The black and orange fish tale Geo. Schrade is a handle I have never seen in any book. I call it the Halloween knife. To its immediate right is a large single blade knife with the owners name and town under clear plastic on one side and him standing beside a horse drawn farm machine on the other. The town is a small Colorado town that only existed for 10 years from 1914 till 1924. And the large Buffalo Bill knife at the top with the buffalo shield and the hideous goldstone handles are seldom seen. And any Honk Falls marked knife is seldom seen. While in my early collecting days I sought mint condition knives, I now mainly collect vintage used blades with character and history.

 

[Texas Star]

OP asked for a Tactical, a Utility, and a Traditional, all pocket models.

Tactical:

Sort of a toss between the large and med. Gerber Applegate-Fairbairns. Depends on the day and where I'll be. But I sometimes sub. my Benchmade 710, which is less likely to upset a cop if one ever asked to see my knife. Technically, they might make a case against the Gerbers as folding daggers, although the false edges aren't sharp. Having Combat Folder on the blade of the larger might not be the best idea, either, from a legal standpoint. The Benchmade is less threatening, and superbly made. But a good weapon, if need be. The partially serrated blade will slice a seatbelt.

Utility:

Probably, the Victorinox Spartan, but sometimes a Camper, which adds a saw. In my briefcase, I have a SwissChamp, in a fine leather SOS Kit. Used every tool on it at times.

Traditional:

A Case med. stockman with red bone scales and stainless blades. I'd have to go check the model number. Excellent workmanship, but if I carry it or my Uncle Henry King Ranch model stockman, I always need some tool that a Swiss Army knife has. I love my Puma stockman, but the springs tarnish if not kept polished and oiled, so I don't carry it as often as I might.

For about 30 years, I was a frequent writer for knife magazines and was on the masthead of several. I acquired many knives and still have some. Those listed are my current favorites for those roles. In 1978, I published my first knife article, at, "Knife World." I wrote about why I felt the Victorinox Spartan was the ideal pocketknife. I haven't changed my mind. Others are more beautiful or hold an edge longer, etc. But for raw practicality, the Spartan is it, for me.

 

[Cooter Brown]

While the big Remington bullet trapper is nice, it is one of the most common bullet knives. To its left is a Remington Baby Bullet stag handled muskrat. It is in the top 5 rarest Remington's. I saw a mint example sell for $9,600 a few years ago. Mine is not near mint however, and am embarrassed to admit what I paid for it. The grand total with tax was $3.18. There are some rather unusual ones also. The black and orange fish tale Geo. Schrade is a handle I have never seen in any book. I call it the Halloween knife. To its immediate right is a large single blade knife with the owners name and town under clear plastic on one side and him standing beside a horse drawn farm machine on the other. The town is a small Colorado town that only existed for 10 years from 1914 till 1924. And the large Buffalo Bill knife at the top with the buffalo shield and the hideous goldstone handles are seldom seen. And any Honk Falls marked knife is seldom seen. While in my early collecting days I sought mint condition knives, I now mainly collect vintage used blades with character and history.

I've got a modern version of the Remington trapper and it's the knife that goes in my pocket when I'm hunting. I used to have an old celluloid-handled Remington stockman that was my great uncle Homer's. Uncle Homer had a farm and was fire chief of Pell City, Alabama. Unfortunately that knife, along with others, was stolen several years ago. The only one I recovered was the PAL my father carried in the Pacific theater.

Thanks for the tip about the small Remington muskrat. I'll pick up the next one I see for less than 5 bucks.

Do you think the knife with the owner's name and picture was a homemade thing or a promotional deal, or maybe put together by a traveling tinker?

In the second pic, the second knife up from the bottom left appears to be a 62 pattern Case What kind of blades does it have? I've got a couple of 6235 1/2s and a 31 1/2--clip blades of course. Great knives. The 31 1/2 in particular is a great size for a heavy user. Too bad they dropped this frame years ago, but I guess tastes change.

Sorry about all the questions--the old slipjoints are fascinating.

 

[amcline82]

Smith & Wesson extreme ops. Or my CRKT one or the other is always with me.

 

[30-30remchester]

I've got a modern version of the Remington trapper and it's the knife that goes in my pocket when I'm hunting. I used to have an old celluloid-handled Remington stockman that was my great uncle Homer's. Uncle Homer had a farm and was fire chief of Pell City, Alabama. Unfortunately that knife, along with others, was stolen several years ago. The only one I recovered was the PAL my father carried in the Pacific theater.

Thanks for the tip about the small Remington muskrat. I'll pick up the next one I see for less than 5 bucks.

Do you think the knife with the owner's name and picture was a homemade thing or a promotional deal, or maybe put together by a traveling tinker?

In the second pic, the second knife up from the bottom left appears to be a 62 pattern Case What kind of blades does it have? I've got a couple of 6235 1/2s and a 31 1/2--clip blades of course. Great knives. The 31 1/2 in particular is a great size for a heavy user. Too bad they dropped this frame years ago, but I guess tastes change.

Sorry about all the questions--the old slipjoints are fascinating.

Old slipjoints are a passion of mine as well. They were personal items that often reflected the owners personality. The knife with the owners name was a sale gimmicks of the Ariel knife company in the late 1800's. They invented clear plastic. For a few dollars you could send in a photo and have it installed under the scales. Often a young boys first knife had his picture under the handle. Interesting enough, quite a few nude women pictures can be found. Seems this was an early porn thing. Take a picture of your wife nude, then have a knife built around it. My wife said no. The Case you asked about is a TESTED built between 1920 and 1940 and these did not have model numbers on the blades. It has a small pen blade and a modified clip main. The knife directly above that knife in an early XX from 1940 as it does not have a model number yet. Both have beautiful green bone scales. The third up I have carried for decades and has skinned and gutted countless elk, deer and antelope. Interesting the lowest knife is an early stag handled Parker that I actually killed a mule deer buck with. A strange story in itself.

 

[nipperdog]

The Army called it a TL-29. I just call it "My Knife"

 

[mg357]

Tinker Swiss Army Knife

 

[Mister X]

Spyderco Delica usually, sometimes a Spyderco Endura if permissible. I also have a modified Delica with a 2.5" custom grind blade for Chicago carry.

Mine are all Gen 1 with the wide clip because I prefer pinned construction and integrated pocket clips over torx screws mainly to be maintenance free and not having to worry about screws working loose, but also because I don't like the excessive jimping on the thumb ramp and overly aggressive scale texture on the new spyderco's.

 

[Cooter Brown]

Old slipjoints are a passion of mine as well. They were personal items that often reflected the owners personality. The knife with the owners name was a sale gimmicks of the Ariel knife company in the late 1800's. They invented clear plastic. For a few dollars you could send in a photo and have it installed under the scales. Often a young boys first knife had his picture under the handle. Interesting enough, quite a few nude women pictures can be found. Seems this was an early porn thing. Take a picture of your wife nude, then have a knife built around it. My wife said no. The Case you asked about is a TESTED built between 1920 and 1940 and these did not have model numbers on the blades. It has a small pen blade and a modified clip main. The knife directly above that knife in an early XX from 1940 as it does not have a model number yet. Both have beautiful green bone scales. The third up I have carried for decades and has skinned and gutted countless elk, deer and antelope. Interesting the lowest knife is an early stag handled Parker that I actually killed a mule deer buck with. A strange story in itself.

Never heard of the Ariel knives, though I've seen similar knives and wondered.

I asked about the blades on the Case as the nail nick looked off and the profile didn't look like a spear--the modified clip explains that. It almost looks like the back of a wharncliffe.

Do you know if Case ever made a 62xx pattern (or the equivalent before models nos.) i.e. without the "1/2"? I've never seen one with anything other than the clip main and pen secondary. As you know the "1/2" denotes the clip blade. One with say a spear main? I could probably research that but you know a lot more about this stuff than me and may know it off the top of your head.

The 62 patterns I've got I found on the 'Bay. Two were NOS, including the big 31 1/2. I got them for less than $30 each because they're delrin. I wanted them as users anyway.

You need to get one of those nekkid knives to go along with that sexy leg knife you got...

 

[Eaglestroker]

I carry a leatherman Wave on my belt, and a buck 110 or 112 in my pocket during the winter. In the summer the buck gets switched for a Kershaw Leek, shorts pockets have less room for those big bucks.

 

[Frizzman]

I have an eclectic collection of folders and fixed blades. I have autos, assisted, one hand opening and slip joint knives...These days I usually have my old Wenger Tradesman in one pocket and either my Spyderco Paramilitary2 and/or Emerson CQC-10 clipped in a pocket...I don't really know what "tactical" is supposed to mean but they are sharp and pointy so I guess they could be. I consider them tools and I always have the Wenger and something else in addition to a pocket flashlight and firearm and reloads and my watch...I feel uncomfortable when I have gone outside and forgotten to take a knife. Sometimes a small fixed blade in a pocket sheath replaces the larger folders...I like collecting knives because most are not as expensive as guns and I can buy them on the internet. It seems like Christmas when the big, brown truck pulls up out front! I also enjoy getting a little something at favorite knife shops when I travel...Smokey Mountain Knifeworks in Tn. and New Graham Knives in Bluefield, Va. are favorite stops when traveling out that way.

 

[Lightfoot4]

Back in the early 1990s, when I started to carry a knife daily, it was a Sypderco Delica. When the plastic clip broke on that one, I started looking for a replacement because Sypdercos had gone up significantly in price. A friend suggested a Gerber EZout and that's what I've been carrying ever since. Awesome knife that won't break the bank. I don't go anywhere without it, else I just feel naked.

 

[Mule Packer]

My everyday carry is almost always a Case trapper or something similar. It rides in the left front pocket of my Wranglers.

I need something with a fairly substantial blade...nothing huge, but a penknife just won't cut it (pardon the pun) for the things I use a knife for on a daily basis.

And I'll often have a Buck 110 on my belt, too.

 

[30-30remchester]

Never heard of the Ariel knives, though I've seen similar knives and wondered.

I asked about the blades on the Case as the nail nick looked off and the profile didn't look like a spear--the modified clip explains that. It almost looks like the back of a wharncliffe.

Do you know if Case ever made a 62xx pattern (or the equivalent before models nos.) i.e. without the "1/2"? I've never seen one with anything other than the clip main and pen secondary. As you know the "1/2" denotes the clip blade. One with say a spear main? I could probably research that but you know a lot more about this stuff than me and may know it off the top of your head.

The 62 patterns I've got I found on the 'Bay. Two were NOS, including the big 31 1/2. I got them for less than $30 each because they're delrin. I wanted them as users anyway.

You need to get one of those nekkid knives to go along with that sexy leg knife you got...

The early Case knife you are referring is unlisted in any book I have found. It is 3 3/8" long. I always assumed the main blade was modified but I have seen one identical blade in these early Case's. It could be factory or both were modified. I am not completely sure about the 62 pattern knife you speak of. Case knife patterns usually have 4 letters. The first tells type of handle material, the second the number of blades, and the last 2 as a model number. Any 1/2 marking afterwards indicates different main blade than normal. A knife marked 6254 would be a bone handled, 2 bladed knife of the trapper pattern as an example. Many early Case 2 bladed knives had a spear point, and these usually had double cut swedges and a long pull. I really like these type of blades but they are hard to find. Case's before 1941 did not have any pattern numbers on their blades. The multi colored small knife near the center is an unknown early Case as well. I have a number of books I can reference if you have questions you can PM me. As soon as the grandkids go home I can get you some pictures of the blades.

The ladies leg knife is an early Remington for the 20's or 30's.

FRIZZMAN, mention that he carried an EMERSON. This got my wandering mind back on track, remembering that I had an early unlisted experimental EMERSON new in the box hiding in the back of the safe.

 

[DocB]

I'm a little bit like 30-30 in the excellent post/picture above; but, when it comes to the knife I carry for self-defense and use (can't afford to abuse this one) it's a Benchmade switch blade in the Pardue style. It is a bit smaller than my other automatic knives. . .actually the perfect size for me.

 

[JohnPaul]

Have had this Benchmade auto for about 11 years now, great dependable knife.





Someday if I get a thick enough wallet would like to get these

 

[Cooter Brown]

The early Case knife you are referring is unlisted in any book I have found. It is 3 3/8" long. I always assumed the main blade was modified but I have seen one identical blade in these early Case's. It could be factory or both were modified. I am not completely sure about the 62 pattern knife you speak of. Case knife patterns usually have 4 letters. The first tells type of handle material, the second the number of blades, and the last 2 as a model number. Any 1/2 marking afterwards indicates different main blade than normal. A knife marked 6254 would be a bone handled, 2 bladed knife of the trapper pattern as an example. Many early Case 2 bladed knives had a spear point, and these usually had double cut swedges and a long pull. I really like these type of blades but they are hard to find. Case's before 1941 did not have any pattern numbers on their blades. The multi colored small knife near the center is an unknown early Case as well. I have a number of books I can reference if you have questions you can PM me. As soon as the grandkids go home I can get you some pictures of the blades.

The ladies leg knife is an early Remington for the 20's or 30's.

Of course you're right about the numbering system...the last two numbers represent the handle die and thus the shape and size of the knife--or pattern. I'm under the impression that "1/2" always denotes a clip blade, though.

Brain dysfunction at work there. Dang numbers anyway!

The 3 3/8" swell end became the 35 pattern and the 3 3/4" swell end became the 31. In this pic the 35s are on top, the 31 bottom. That 31 has springs like a bear trap.

 

[30-30remchester]

COOTER, my brain went on vacation as well. Yes, 1/2 in the pattern number does indicate main blade is a clip point. I studied your question about the 31 and 35 patterns. These are old pattern knives. I have books on older models and both models were available spear point master blades with both long and short pull. There was even an easy opener model 35. My books list these spear point bladed models listed from 1920 till 1969.