Knife You've Owned the Longest Time

[Racer X]

A Swiss Army Explorer I got from my parents as a young teenager over 30 years ago (1987ish...?). I had the handle slabs replaced with stabilized rosewood. It still has the original pen, toothpick, and tweezers. Used to carry it all the time, until sentiment made me put it aside and switch to something I didn't mind losing or getting damaged.

mine is an Explorer too. '77ish? before they added the hook, and when they still had the 8x glass magnifier in the grey plastic. Still had a screw for the scissors pivot. I had a Swiss family on my paper route, and they brought it back for me when they went to visit family is Switzerland. I was keeping their yard watered, and this was an unexpected bonus.

 

[stu1ritter]

The Automotive Swiss Army was a gift from a friend in 1965 and the Voyager around the same time. The Automotive was used every day for 30 years when I worked as a Mercedes mechanic.

Stu

 

[Muss Muggins]

I've still got this old Japanese Browning Sportsman folder with the scabbard. My dad gave it to me in the mid-70's for my first year as a Boy Scout Camp staffer . . .

 

[Rob613]

I'm going to sound like Guy Clark here but...

My grandfathers Randall...he passed when I was 9, 30 years ago. My grandmother knew I loved the knife so she called me upstairs a few days after his funeral. She said she wanted me to have it before my uncles had a chance to go through his stuff.

 

[Murdock]

My first Boy Scout knife, received for Christmas 1959. The original sheath died an honorable death many years ago, covered with dried out rubber bands and duct tape residue. It was replaced with this custom item by Chris Kravitt of Treestump Leather in Waltham, Maine. (Chris specializes in knife sheaths of all kinds).

During an airborne assignment with the Marines in Second ANGLICO in the 1980's this blade served as my jump knife for somewhere around 30 paradrops. (The Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic required each parachutist to carry a sheath knife, and I never really warmed up to the issued Kabar).

Dressed out my first buck with it, too.

Be Prepared!

 

[chief38]

The oldest knife I had was my Dad's WWll era Camillus folding pocket knife (same as the Boy Scout version) but made for the USN. He gave it to me when I was 5 years old if memory serves, however I can't post a picture of it because I gave it to my son a few years back. I even gave him the original red box it came in.

The original plastic (Bakelite ??) scales had cracked during his service in the US Navy so he carved a new set out of wood and installed those. They are still in good shape and have survived all these years. The blades (carbon steel of course) are a bit stained but still sharp enough to shave with - at least they were when I gave it to my Son..... Hopefully he will keep it in the family!

Actually he and his wife are coming to visit soon and I'll ask him to bring it with him if it needs a good sharpening.

ADDED:

Actually I just recalled, I do have his WWll USN sheath knife still in its original gray phenolic belt sheath. If I can dig it out, I
ll take a picture to post later. That is from 1943 I believe.

 

[Onomea]

I acquired this Buck Woodsman in the late 1970s. It was given to me by my friend after I lent him a SAK which he then lost somewhere on his sailboat:



I gave it to my third son when he was 10 or so, but he left it at home when he went off to college. I sent it back to Buck last year for Buck's "spa treatment." This last Christmas, my son's 27th birthday, I presented it to him again. (He was well pleased, and took it with him this time, darn it!)

The knife I have now that has been longest in my possession has only been with me since 1995, the year of my father's passing. It is Cattaraugus 225Q which he carried in the Pacific as a Marine in WWII. I recall it from my childhood in the 1950s. I must have been five or so, over 60 years ago, when my dad taught me the word "groove" when I asked him what the fuller was. I admired the knife a lot as a kid, and it is a treasure to me now.

 

[xfarfuldog]

I have two knives I inherited from my father when he passed in 1971. One is a Queen 5" double blade folder with blonde wood grips. He carried it everyday since I could ever remember. It is still razor sharp after all these years. The second is a butterfly knife which has a red ball (sun?) on a white background and black ends.

My few other knives are mostly Gerber. I have a Command one which I purchased in 1981. When I do carry a knife, it is an HK Benchmade flipper.

 

[JS Esq.]

Got it for Boy Scouts in fifth grade. Don't think I need to say where I ordered it from. I always like the Wenger Swiss Army better because of the locking blade. In college, had a nice Wenger watch too.

 

[mikeruns]

A schrade Uncle Henry I recieved in 1977 for my 11th bday...my Dad said he wanted to see me still using it till I am 80....he's gone and I have 25-1/2 years to go lol....I wanted a Buck 110 or 112 and he picked the Uncle Henry for me which I love even more...on my 12th bday, I wanted a .22 rifle with a clip magazine and they instead gave me a Savage model 24 in .22lr/20 guage...I still cherish both gifts...

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I have what is called a "camp knife". Probably have it at least 60 years.

It's literally the 4th knife in from the bottom on the right and the black one next to it is my twin brother's similar knife. Various blades, etc. I recall using it mostly to play "stretch" in our front yard.

Mumblety-peg - Wikipedia

(c) Wikipedia

Seriously, I haven't thought about that in years, I knew the game mumblety-peg was similar, so I looked it up. VOILA! There it was! "Stretch" defined precisely!

 

[bgrafsr]

Western Skinning knife. Had it in Viet Nam 55 years ago.
Bought it around 1960.

 

[mtgianni]

I have an old Barlow folder I bought at the age of 7 in 1961. I replaced the center pin with a sawed off framing nail and riveted the edges when I was 15 or so. It doesn't get out much but it is still mine.

 

[Targets Guy]

I still have the first knife I bought for myself. It is a Buck which I purchased in the fall of 1969 at the Mt Home AFB BX. It has been a great fishing companion.

 

[crstrode]

I'm going to sound like Guy Clark here but...

My grandfathers Randall...he passed when I was 9, 30 years ago. My grandmother knew I loved the knife so she called me upstairs a few days after his funeral. She said she wanted me to have it before my uncles had a chance to go through his stuff.

Reminds me of the US Army jump knife (switchblade) my Dad gave to his Dad after returning from Japan in WW2. Grandpa had it hanging on a nail in the garage. Grandpa had promised it to me, but alas, it was purloined by nightcrawlers that liquidated his estate.

They didn't get Dad's Bronze Stars or his Presidential Citation - I've still got those.

 

[Narragansett]

Both USN Ka-Bar. One from WW2 era (Leather sheath), and one from Vietnam era.

Gifts from my father. One late 50's , the other mid 60's

My prized possessions

 

[GaryHK]

The one stuck in my back from my first wife.....

But, I digress...I've had this Gerber for about 25 years now.

Doh!!!

Schrade Old Timer Sharpfinger for me (not in my back, thankfully)

 

[RalphK22]

A Buck 112 Ranger, I had it since I was 12 or 13, 44 or 45 years. I think it is an early 112 as it is only marked Buck USA. It has micarta nandles and no nail nick I still have the box and original sheath.It was given to me by my youngest, but 14 year older, brother. It has cleaned alot of game and fish. It was the center of my focus one day in my youth, when I foolishly closely approached a hugh black bear near our hunting camp, to try to get a picture with a cheap pocket camera. He decides to get closer to me also, and since I was just a kid and had no money to buy S&Ws at that stage in life, the 112 was my only defense. Young, but wise enough to not turn and run, I slowly kept backing away, and happily he lost interest.

 

[GaryHK]

A Buck 112 Ranger, I had it since I was 12 or 13, 44 or 45 years. I think it is an early 112 as it is only marked Buck USA. It has micarta nandles and no nail nick I still have the box and original sheath.It was given to me by my youngest, but 14 year older, brother. It has cleaned alot of game and fish. It was the center of my focus one day in my youth, when I foolishly closely approached a hugh black bear near our hunting camp, to try to get a picture with a cheap pocket camera. He decides to get closer to me also, and since I was just a kid and had no money to buy S&Ws at that stage in life, the 112 was my only defense. Young, but wise enough to not turn and run, I slowly kept backing away, and happily he lost interest.

Good thing both you and the bear both had the light bulbs go on at the same time. I bet your camera used 110 film.

Great story, love it!

 

[quinn]

Here's my oldest with a more recent acquisition. The smaller Western Cutlery "Bowie" was given to me when I joined the Boy Scouts in 1957. Big brother is marked "Western Bowie" and was reportedly issued to n Army paratrooper in Vietnam but was sent home unused. This one was made between 1965-7 and was a gift from my wife.