If you could only have one knife...

[Texas Star]

If you thought that Loveless was full of himself and rude (he was) , you should have met D.E. Henry. Both were very talented knife makers who left a lot to be desired socially.

I agree that Jimmy Lile was a very courteous gentleman.

I used to write a lot of knifemaker profiles. I stopped by Henry's table once planning to interview him and photograph his knives and write a profile; I knew he was quite famous as a maker of classical Bowie knives.

After a few minutes, I left, appalled at his personality. He didn't just treat me badly; he was disdainful to everyone there.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I have been around sharecroppers who were nicer to their mule than Loveless was to the knife show patrons.
And back then, these sharecroppers hand rolled their cigarettes.
But They have enough class to flick the ashes off those home rolled cigs.
Loveless just let the ashes fall down on his shirt.

 

[Inusuit]

My 1970 vintage Buck 119.

 

[BUFF]

My steak knife.

Dunno the make, it's been a while since I cooked and ate a steak at home. I don't hunt anymore so I don't know where my hunting knives are.

 

[Texas Star]

One custom maker who impressed me with both his craftsmanship and his courtesy was Dietmar Kressler.

He is German, but speaks English well, and his skill at least equals Loveless's. Some of his knives are quite ornate.

He is so talented and well known in Europe that the German ed. of, "Playboy" ran a multi-page color feature on him. It was probably the best, slickest profile that I've seen on any knifemaker.

You can probably find his knives Online or in various editions of the big annual, "Knives." But they're now priced so high that I seriously doubt that anyone hunts with one. That often happens when a maker gets enough publicity.

BTW, he told me that hunters preferred his stainless Type 154CM blades to blades of Damascus steel. The modern steel took and held a more uniform edge and didn't rust, given good care. The many overlapping layers of steels in a Damascus blade create some spots on some blades that are not the same hardness of other places on a blade, so sharpness may not be as uniform.

Of course, that was back when some men really did take his knives into the field.

 

[BUFF]

"He is so talented and well known in Europe that the German ed. of, "Playboy" ran a multi-page color feature on him." It was probably the best, slickest profile that I've seen on any knifemaker."

I used to look at the German edition of Playboy, but of course I only read the articles.

 

[crazyphil]

O.K. I would like to play too. Photo below on left are my 8 lockbacks:
Left to Right: Buck 110 Hunter, Puma Prince Stag, Marbles Damascus
Stag, Schrade Uncle Henry, Bear, Case Hammerhead, Camillus McGrew,
and Gerber Gator II.
Photo on the right show my 5 automatics aka "switchblades" and one
flipper. Left to right: Piranha Pocket Auto, S&W Extreme Ops, Boker
Kalishnakov, CRKT Anubis, Benchmade Apparition (not actually auto)
"assisted" opener, and Kershaw's Gaylean designed Junkyard Dog II
with "flipper technology".
If I could only have one? Probably the Dog because it's ambidexterous
and with the flipper technology I can carry it clipped in my left side
pocket. I figure if I'm involved in CQC my gun will likely be in my
right hand. I can deploy the Dog with my left.

 

[crazyphil]

OOPS! I forgot this one. I had this old Solingen steel knife but the
handle broke. So I tried my hand at making one, shown here.
My old daddy said "It aint much for looks, but it's Hell for strong."
I took it over to Chris Reeve and had it sharpened. I can shave
with it.

 

[indigo22]

The pocket knife

My Dad imparted a bit of wisdom upon me one day while in camp during one of our annual fall fish and hunts. The men, Uncles, Cousins and distant somewhat related folk, were mulling around camp after a long day of fishing and hunting and my dad pointed out how a few were searching out camp looking for someone who had a knife that they could borrow to clean their take. The ones searching he noted were mostly city raised. One by one he asked his brothers if they were using or had their pocket knife with them. All four replied with a yep or a yes and displayed proudly their knife. He turned to me and said " You can tell if a person is from farm stock by the fact that they have a well used pocket knife." He also noted that a pocket knife's size is less important than the knowledge of how to use it. I watched my uncles and Dad that year and noticed that they used their pocket knives much more frequently than their hunting knives. One of my uncles never had one, "No need for one" was his answer when queried. Likewise I've found that small knife that gets mixed in with my change is used far more often than the large knife clipped to that same pocket. It's a tool I rely on day to day. It is simple and durable as any good pocket knife should be.
As a note ... Being city raised myself I guess my dad was wanting me to learn something on that years outing 30 some years ago. The lesson has stuck with me of which I have passed it on to my boys and now you.

 

[BAM-BAM]

My Dad imparted a bit of wisdom upon me one day while in camp during one of our annual fall fish and hunts. The men, Uncles, Cousins and distant somewhat related folk, were mulling around camp after a long day of fishing and hunting and my dad pointed out how a few were searching out camp looking for someone who had a knife that they could borrow to clean their take. The ones searching he noted were mostly city raised. One by one he asked his brothers if they were using or had their pocket knife with them. All four replied with a yep or a yes and displayed proudly their knife. He turned to me and said " You can tell if a person is from farm stock by the fact that they have a well used pocket knife." He also noted that a pocket knife's size is less important than the knowledge of how to use it. I watched my uncles and Dad that year and noticed that they used their pocket knives much more frequently than their hunting knives. One of my uncles never had one, "No need for one" was his answer when queried. Likewise I've found that small knife that gets mixed in with my change is used far more often than the large knife clipped to that same pocket. It's a tool I rely on day to day. It is simple and durable as any good pocket knife should be.
As a note ... Being city raised myself I guess my dad was wanting me to learn something on that years outing 30 some years ago. The lesson has stuck with me of which I have passed it on to my boys and now you.

I grew up in the "Burbs of the Burgh" ...... but we had land and later a cabin in the Laurel Highlands.... part of a dairy farm where we (Dad and I) would "help out" on weekends and summer vacation..... bailing hay shocking winter wheat etc........

by the time I was a teen I was the only one in my "burb" that carried a pocket knife.............still do 50 years later........ the only thing that gets more use than my pocket knife is my single AAA micro Streamlight......




Yesterday was my eldest's last birthday before heading off to college..... while he got a Apple tablet and a new backpack........he also got a nice 2 3/4 inch Kershaw "Cryo" lock blade and a single AAA micro flashlight.

 

[mg357]

My Tinker its my EDC knife and It has served me well over the years.

 

[vt_shooter]

Hmmm ... if I could only have one knife. My knife that I like the most is my Randall GTR special. The knife I use the most is my mini $10 Victorinox pen blade pocket knife that weighs nothing and is always in my pocket. So do I pick the one I use the most, or the one I like the most? Oddly enough, I guess I'd pick the el-cheapo $10 Victorinox!

 

[fyimo]

I would pick the Marine KaBar Knife just like the one I carried in Vietnam in 1969. For an Infantry soldier it makes a great all round knife. It can used for just about any task needed. It did everything I asked a knife to do, and it even would have been my fighting knife if it was necessary.

 

[Lonegle57]

I guess it would be sentimental reasons, went to college with a knife maker that went through the ranks to become an ABS master smith. He doesn't make many knives of late, he is busy building guns. Come to think of it he owes me a knife. I would carry one of the many I have made by Keith Kilby.