looking for a good pocket knife

[shouldazagged]

Another vote for the older US-made Schrade Old Timers, produced before their QC slipped for a while just before the company went under. The 94OT is my favorite trapper and feels better in my hand than almost any pocketknife I've ever owned. I generally prefer stockman patterns for versatility, and the 8OT is a very, very good one. I think 1095 steel, properly heat treated, is the best there is for taking and holding a fine edge, and for ease of re-sharpening. The patina it develops is its way of fending off rust, and I've patinated a number of knives deliberately.

The short-lived Cold Steel Country Classics pocketknives, which I'm pretty sure were made by Camillus, are excellent for the money if you can find them. They offered a full-sized and medium stockman, a full-sized trapper, a muskrat, and another I can't recall because I never got one. Lockback, I think.

I had a Moore Maker muskrat made by Camillus that was very nice.

I always carry a Swiss Army knife for the tools. Lately I've had a SOG Flash II clipped in my pocket. Assisted opener, 3.5 inch blade, steel seems decent--AUS-8, I think. But I keep coming back to the Schrades.

DO NOT bother with any of the Chinese-made knives bearing the Schrade name. The ones I've seen are junk compared to the originals.

 

[JohnR7]

what is the best pocket knife on the market and i am talking about blades that are made our of the best steel available? i like the trapper 2 blade style. i want to splurge and for once buy the best quality pocket knife i can get. any suggestions

The best workmanship is Case VS Boker as it has been for 50 years. Boker is by far the more modern company today. Case keeps putting out what they have been doing all these years. Otherwise it depends on what the production runs are on the knife your looking for.

 

[JohnR7]

The short-lived Cold Steel Country Classics pocketknives, which I'm pretty sure were made by Camillus, are excellent for the money if you can find them.

Cold Steel hired an attorney and forced Camillus to remove the Cold Steel knives from the auction and send them to Cold Steel to fill their final order. There were hundreds of hand operations that went into making those knives. It was just to much work for this younger generation. Some of the knives I got from them were unfinished and I had to grind and buff them out myself. I do not think I would want to do that 8 hours a day 40 hours a week. That is why people like Frost have the blade made in Germany then ship the blade to China to put into a knife.

 

[George9]

I have have a bunch of Frost knives and they are about the worst knives to hold an edge. Worst steel.. I have one that has a Prof mark Rockwell 56-58 I think it's just a number. Maybe Forst makes some good steel in their knives but I have not seen one. My cheap kershaw knife Model Crown#3160wm I have now for some time is doing a great job.. I just don't have the $$$ so spend on a good knife as much as i would want too.. I know I would lose it for sure! Now the cheaper knives seem to stay with me. George

 

[Ray F]

Cold Steel

I understand that the Cold Steel line is very good. Here is a link.

Espada Series - Cold Steel Knives: World's Strongest Sharpest Knives

 

[Highhawk1948]

Don't buy one til you look at Moore Maker Knives made in Matador, Texas. Great trappers!!

 

[hotrod150]

I have a small Case pocketknife, small but a little larger than what I consider a "pen knife". I'd like to get something a ittle larger with two blades, plus phillips & flat screwdrivers and maybe an awl. But nothing too spendy, too big, or bristling with stuff like the Swiss Armies. Maybe something like an old Boy Sout pocket knife. This won't be used for knife-fighting or sawing off tree limbs-- more likely for opening boxes, cutting string, etc. It's gotta fit into my front pocket without wearing through the material in a month too. Any suggestions?

 

[George9]

For what you want and a little more I like the Leatherman. I have carried one for 10+ years and is all around useful well made tool. knife in it and can be as sharp as you want it.. Has a small leather Belt sheath. Good tool for under $50 bucks.. Can't go wrong with it! George

 

[G.T. Smith]

I like the Buck knives.

I do have a trapper. It is an Oldtimer and a very nice little knife. Easy to sharpen and holds an edge fairly well. It is what I use for cutting baler twine, skinning electrical wires and such. I have carried 2 Buck knives for the last 20 years or so. Currently I carry the one on the left with the green insert. before that it was one just like it with a black insert and the only knife I have ever lost. It is a Buck 180/. The stainless one on the right is a Buck Rush assisted opener and it is very nice. I bought it for my Son a few years ago for Christmas and he just left it here. I truly do love that 180/. It cuts only meat. Skinned a lot of deer and is what I would consider a pretty good SD tool.
Trying to find the perfect knife is going to be as hard as trying to find the perfect revolver..................65......
Peace,
Gordon

 

[indiandave]

Another vote for Case knives. They are made in the USA. Right here in Pennsylvania.
Although not a pocket knife, I also like a Buck 110 folding hunter.

 

[Oldgoat03]

Lots of good responses. You really need to define your requirments in order to decide what is best. Pocket knife to me fits a pretty good range of folders. I prefer lockbacks and have had many including Buck, Kershaw, Coldsteel and others. The knives that i carry daily in various models depending on what i'm doing and wearing are Spyderco. My favorite is the Delica. Perfect for most things and still compact and very strong. I've been carrying it for well over 15years. I also have smaller models without clips for carrying in slacks pockets. Spyderco knives like many mentioned are not cheap but will serve you well for decades.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
OG03

 

[Cooter Brown]

I have a small Case pocketknife, small but a little larger than what I consider a "pen knife". I'd like to get something a ittle larger with two blades, plus phillips & flat screwdrivers and maybe an awl. But nothing too spendy, too big, or bristling with stuff like the Swiss Armies. Maybe something like an old Boy Sout pocket knife. This won't be used for knife-fighting or sawing off tree limbs-- more likely for opening boxes, cutting string, etc. It's gotta fit into my front pocket without wearing through the material in a month too. Any suggestions?

You can find exactly what you're looking for on the Bay. I have an Imperial Boy Scout knife that matches your description perfectly, including a Phillips head driver. It's nice and compact. Delrin scales. Camillus, Robeson, and others made similar knives. They are almost all carbon steel and take a great edge.

 

[byzantiumbeard]

Chris Reeve Sebenza..its expensive but its worth the price.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Go American! There are a number of excellent brands mentioned in this thread. Some of them are all US made and some import and make knives here. You got to read the labeling! But the US made are some of the best in the world.
I own a lot of blades, right now I am carrying a Queen Toothpick.

 

[BuckeyeS&W]

Queen knives are very well made knives,they have new owner Ken Daniels former owner of GEC knives (also very good). I like older Case knives from CASE XX to 1979 Dot knives.Case quality was not very good at times from 80's into the 2000's. I did notice an improvement in quality in their most recent lines. I like the new CV Rancher and the CV bone handled knives they are making now.Never a big fan of their stainless steel blades new or old.
Try looking at Schatt & Morgan.com and Queens website,also check out GEC and Case sites. A good forum can be found at allaboutpocketknives.com

 

[rsl]

knife

Spyderco.. Don't waste you time and money on anything else..

 

[colts4u]

Your going to get a variety of answers, and probably most of them are good solid advice. My advice is going to be different.

Get the one you can lose and not beat yourself up over it.

I have a bunch of knives, but the one's I seem to lose are the one's I think I like the most. So unless your going to carry it around and never use it, the chances of you breaking it or losing it, can be pretty high.

 

[JAT3]

I keep trying to find something better than this, and just keep coming back to this. It is the thinest knife I own after removing the clip. I love the blade design. It has assisted opening. If I loose it, it's not painful on the wallet to replace it. I have bought a many benchmades/gerbers trying to replace it, but I always come back to the kershaw.

+1 I love my Kershaws. 3 of them came thru the snap-on dealer I have only bought 1 knife that wasn't a Kershaw since and its been close to 10yrs. That was a Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops. Local parts store had it on clearence for $5. Couldn't pass it up. I've sent in 2 of the kershaws and they send them back all fixed up like new. Even the one I was using for a screwdriver and broke the tip and arc d it out.

 

[s&wbest]

Practical Tactical Heirloom

Sentimental more than practical $7 schrade old timer with 340T old carbon steel found in a grab box at a tractor show. Has great character with blades showing much wear from being sharpened by previous owners. Sharp and small in any pocket.

Tactical S&W extreme ops assisted open with pocket clip. solid and bad news for anyone if used in self defense. $17 on the heavy side.

Heirloom wish list. Folder with titanium frame and exotic steel blade that sharpens well with no rust. Spiderco serrated would be a bear to sharpen. If I payed over a couple hundered dollars I would fear loss or damage with everyday use.

 

[Muss Muggins]

what is the best pocket knife on the market and i am talking about blades that are made our of the best steel available? i like the trapper 2 blade style. i want to splurge and for once buy the best quality pocket knife i can get. any suggestions

Benchmade or Emerson. No question about it.