If you could only have one knife...

[Xfuzz]

Near impossible choice for me.
I have been pleased with this $3.00
gun show find about 5-6 years ago.
Case XX 3 Finn.
Takes a great edge that lasts.

 

[Texas Star]

That is a fine looking knife. We have one of the modernized versions here.

Who makes that lower knife, with the rubber handle? Is it Finnish?

 

[mrrick]

Mad Dog Pygmy ATAK

 

[kmyers]

Who makes that lower knife, with the rubber handle? Is it Finnish?

The name on the grip is J. P. Peltonen, Finland. It is called the Ranger Puukko, he also designed one with a 5" blade as well. Kellam knives sells them and that one was a birthday present years ago from the little woman, although she is apt to slap me if she hears me call her that. LOL

 

[holo]

for my e.d.c. this one
benchmade with custom g-10 scales

 

[Rangerpat]

Ka-Bar 1282, D-2 Extreme fighting / utility knife, 7" blade with Kraton G handle.

I bought the Camillus version of the famous Ka-Bar 1217 in 1971 while serving in the Marines. Years later I gifted it to young soldier who went to Iraq and Afghanistan with it; happily, he still owns it today.

 

[Qball]

I always carry a Swiss Army knife, it have helped me out of many problems.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

ONE OF THESE:

 

[jag312]

If I had to pick a knife, it would be a Randall. Now, which one? #1, #14, or #16? I think it would be the #16.

 

[edge357]

My Favorite Knife

I guess my favorite if I only could have one knife would be my SYKCO (Scrap Yard Dog Knife Company) 711. It is a branch of Busse Knives

 

[garddogg56]

ONEONEone lets see I have to make money that means stripping large cables.....I have to hunt and fishIt will have to be a Buck .112. with 440c steel

 

[garddogg56]

I'd like to have my Grandpa's Gladstone Mich. Marbles too

 

[Cyrano]

I'd go with my old Buck #102. I bought this knife in the PX at Ft Richardson, AK around 1965. As you can see from the sheath, it's gone a lot of miles. I acutally have two of them: this one goes in my bug-out-bag, the new one in my knife collection.

If I wanted a brawnier blade, I'd go with the Fallkniven S1. Texas Star speaks highly of this knife, and I followed his recommendation, to my extreme satisfaction. It's a great knife if you need something larger than the Buck 102.

 

[Texas Star]

I always carry a Swiss Army knife, it have helped me out of many problems.

What happened to the silver Victorinox symbol on the handle?

That model is sold in the USA as the Camper. I have a couple, one with white handle and one with the usual red. It's basically a Spartan, plus a saw blade. I was surprised to find how effective that little saw is.

I once carried various models of SAK for several weeks, trying to decide which was the thickest that could be carried in a pants pocket without undue discomfort. The Camper was it, but I usually carry the slimmer Spartan or an 84mm Wenger similar to the Vic. Sportsman model. The Wenger was bought at a gun show and was in a bucket of knives that were confiscated at courthouses or airports. I think I paid the massive sum of $3.00 for it, and it was nearly new. Has the name of some company on the handle, so was an advertising knife. Those can be interesting to collect. I've seen pics of Vic. knives marked with the names of firms like Knorr (soups) and Hero, a brand of Swiss jams and preserves that I like. Thinking of contacting the Swiss Embassy for their addresses or just finding it on their products and asking if I might buy one of the knives. The Vic. logo is on the opposite scale of the brand name on these ad knives.

I've seen pics of Vic. knives with dark green plastic handles. I have a couple, but only in the tiny Classic model. A green Spartan would be nice, but I guess I'd still carry a red one a lot. I've seen pics of a green Alox handle. The owner said it's made primarily for sale in South Africa. The trouble with colored Alox handles is that the color wears off, so you may as well get the basic silver to begin with.

 

[PR24]

I'd use a blue light saber. It's badass high CDI factor & will cut through EVERYTHING!

Sorry, couldn't resist.....

 

[PR24]

But really, my trusty KaBar leather handled tanto is my go to kaniffy. I have an older Cold Steel Outdoorsman (AUS8A) & it's pretty slick too.

 

[les.b]

The White Hunter is a great knife,but if I had to pick just one,it would be the smaller,more versatile Skinner.



f.t.

Fat Tom:

I agree the White Hunter is a little large for most tasks, and I do love the old "Pumaster" steel, from the old days, but my choice is the "Hunter's Friend":



To me it seems just right. I also have the even more petite "Hunter's Pal" but it seems just a little small.

Just a footnote. I just read all of the posts on this thread. I "liked" every one of them. Why? Well. There is no "wrong" or "right" answer to this question, every one of us gave the "right" answer for ourselves. But I learned a lot. Many of my old friends are on this thread, such as Texas Star, who has studied and written about knives. The OP, Mule Packer, and many others use knives in their work. Big Cholla tells a very compelling and graphic story about his favorite knife. The truth is that each of us have probably found the perfect knife for us through trial and error, and I have learned much reading these posts!! I probably have too many knives. When I used to trout fish a lot more than I do now, my favorite knife was a small Benchmade Automatic knife, that I could flip out one handed to deal with the fish. I still have that knife, but mostly carry a small "Undle Henry" pocket knife that was given to me by the widow of an old friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. It works as well as any for the prosaic everyday tasks, and is always in my pocket.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Texas Star]

Fat Tom:

I agree the White Hunter is a little large for most tasks, and I do love the old "Pumaster" steel, from the old days, but my choice is the "Hunter's Friend":



To me it seems just right. I also have the even more petite "Hunter's Pal" but it seems just a little small.

Best Regards, Les

Les-

I thought seriously of choosing the same basic knife in lieu of the Fallkniven. Mine is the stainless version, called the Outdoor model. The Outdoor and the Hunter's Friend are basically the same knife, apart from blade steel. At least some Hunter's Friends have a fuller or blood groove on one side of the blade. That seems to vary with the date of production.

There's a fancy version of the Outdoor with a wide nickel silver guard and an initial plate inset in the stag handle. That's the Model 3589. I don't think it's been sold here much. Mine was a gift of the President of Puma-Werke (Baron Oswald von Frankenberg und Ludwigsdorf) a few years before his death. I had published several articles on Puma knives and he seemed to appreciate that. I'd wanted one of those knives since seeing it in a Waffen-Frankonia catalog years before.

BTW, this man had been wounded by US forces in WWII. But he didn't seem to bear a grudge.

After he died, his wife's family sold Puma, which had been in their family since its founding in 1769! It has not fared as well since the sale.

I, too, own a Hunter's Pal. Mine is an older one, with three handle bolts and bushings. I've seen pics of new ones and they just have two, a cost-cutting measure. New Pumas are still probably very good knives, but such shortcuts offend older knife buffs with an eye to traditional quality.

 

[Spartan 2]

Hands down my Randall Model 1 or my Randall Combat Companion. Pricey, but worth every penny.

 

[les.b]

Les-

I thought seriously of choosing the same basic knife in lieu of the Fallkniven. Mine is the stainless version, called the Outdoor model. The Outdoor and the Hunter's Friend are basically the same knife, apart from blade steel. At least some Hunter's Friends have a fuller or blood groove on one side of the blade. That seems to vary with the date of production.

There's a fancy version of the Outdoor with a wide nickel silver guard and an initial plate inset in the stag handle. That's the Model 3589. I don't think it's been sold here much. Mine was a gift of the President of Puma-Werke (Baron Oswald von Frankenberg und Ludwigsdorf) a few years before his death. I had published several articles on Puma knives and he seemed to appreciate that. I'd wanted one of those knives since seeing it in a Waffen-Frankonia catalog years before.

BTW, this man had been wounded by US forces in WWII. But he didn't seem to bear a grudge.

After he died, his wife's family sold Puma, which had been in their family since its founding in 1769! It has not fared as well since the sale.

I, too, own a Hunter's Pal. Mine is an older one, with three handle bolts and bushings. I've seen pics of new ones and they just have two, a cost-cutting measure. New Pumas are still probably very good knives, but such shortcuts offend older knife buffs with an eye to traditional quality.

Thanks, Texas, this Hunter's Friend is from 1968, according to the production code, 96083. The photo doesn't show very well, but it has the fuller. My "Pal" is from the 1960s also, but it is home in the safe right now, so I can't give any details. Between the two, though, they make a pretty nice combination.

By the way, I edited my post above, and added a thought or two.

Best Regards, Les