Cult of the peanut , members

J

jacktrades_nbk

Joined
Feb 7, 2007
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Last night it hit me. I've been changing my edc knife for the past months, choosing only from my traditional knives, but still resorting to some fixed blade or larger folder when i went in the woods. That's where the peanut is not enough, at least for me. But concerning the rest, the peanut does all i need, and does it well.
As Carl said, "it don't have to be big, just sharp", and the peanut excels at this. It ain't big, and the very slightly hollow flat grind makes it very sharp, and not just for fun paper cuts. And it's a pleasure to handle such a beautiful knife.
So, i was constantly changing my edc knife, and still going back to the peanut after a while, than changing again...and so on.
But the last days, i only used the peanut, and for the first time ever, maybe after seeing how i can manage to handle quite everything i need with it, i somehow realized i didn't want to change it anymore. Yesterday, it felt so natural in my hand, so easy to control, and it was later that day, during the evening, when i was slicing an apple, when it hit me. I was watching a movie, and didn't even think about the knife..i just cut the apple. It was then when i really understood something. I couldn't explain it still, but it just felt right. I was now trusting the peanut, with real confidence that it will be enough.
Something like if i need to hit some nails, i just grab the hammer. I don't think what hammer i want, i just grab it, and use it. Same with the peanut,if i need to cut something, i cut it. Yes, with the peanut :D The peanut can do that.
And it became what it always was: a tool, my tool.
Now if the Grand High Muckba will allow it, i will truly consider myself a proud member of the cult. Cult of the peanut.

Maybe we can see how many cult members we have..by posting here.
 
you know you can count me in. my yella handle peanut has had a well deserved permanent spot in my pocket since the day i got it.

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You now move to the second level, Grasshopper.:D

It goes like that, the questioning, the hesitation if it's enough knife, then the breakthrough and enlightenment. It took me a while to learn what my father had found out 50 years before.

The peanut is a mostly knife. Good for mostly what you have to cut. Once in a while, like out in the woods, it's not enough, so that's why they make sheath knives. Being a normal suburbanite, my peanut is good for shopping malls, backyard gardening, home projects, opening packages, mail, whatever. Out in the boonies or canoe camping, I have a sheath knife on my belt with a real 4 inch blade. If that's not enough, I have my 12 in Ontario machete or my dad's old homemade 10 inch bushwhacker as he called it, in my pack or boat bag. Right tool for the job. I think the way my old man saw it was, if a small pocket knife was not enough, then a medium size pocketknife was not much better. So he'd grab another tool. I don't think the old man worried about senerios like some people worry about today. He was the most practical man I ever knew. But then he wasn't a knife knut like us. He was just a regular person who knew he needed a cutting tool to make life a little easier, and this was what he carried because it had been a gift from his mother when he went off to school in a suit. He got used to it, and it became a sentimental item. Then it became part of him as he was a one knife man. I think I've finally figured out what he knew. Took me a lot longer though.

In the past year now, my amber bone damascus peanut has not been out of my pocket. It's become my sole single edc. Once in a while if I know the day's got something coming up, I'll augment it with another knife like an Opinel, or my sheath knife. But 99% of the time now, I'm only carrying my amber bone 'nut. So far, it's worked on every cutting job.

Welcome to the cult.

Carl.
 
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I don't know if I'm deserving or not, but I appreciate my peanut.

I carry it and I like it, but there are just so many nice knives out there, it seems a shame to limit myself to one. Of course I could get BY with one, just like you guys pointed out. There are other knives that have the same virtues as the Peanut without being "too much knife." These knives too, deserve a spot in the rotation, no?

Let me end this post by saying that if you have and like your peanut, you should also try a Case Small Toothpick. It has all the virtues of the Peanut, but trades the second blade for even more lightness. We lose the extra grip thickness from the second layer, but we gain a bit of handle length to compensate. The blade is noticeably thinner in use; it can really turn on a dime. It's a perfect apple-peeler. Kind of like a tiny fillet knife.

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Not trying to steer anyone away from the peanut, just saying that it isn't the be-all, end-all of small, traditional, pocket knives. ;) Some will still prefer the slightly beefier large blade and thicker grip of the peanut, others will prefer the more precise-cutting, longer, thinner blade and reduced weight and thickness of the small toothpick.
 
You make a good point, and the small toothpick seems to be a very nice alternative to the peanut :thumbup:
Yes, i agree, the peanut is not the only small traditional, be all, end all, and maybe just around these parts, because of its mystic aura created by the good stories of Carl, it became sort of an icon for the small pocket knives category. And even in this corner of small traditionals, having options is a must, especially for knife nuts like us.
I think it is just about getting by with two inches of steel, be it in many different patterns...
 
In a knife world with so many options the peanut gets overlooked. Having to compete with the big knives, medium knives and fixed blades, almost nobody trusts a small knife. I know from first hand experiences that the peanut will handle a lot, then it will come back for more. I know there is a lot more I could trust my peanut to do, but when it's hunting season he gets left behind. The peanut is sharp and thats all a knife has to be. It doesn't afford the most grip, but it's not a roll of quarters for your pocket either. It's just a good knife, I trusted one for a long time.

Smaug, both my Dad and my brother EDCed a Tiny Toothpick for a long time. They did a lot with those knives, they just never questioned their knives abilities.
 
I've lurked around her for awhile now without really posting. I must say that I really enjoy and appreciate everyone's stories, pictures, and information about all of the great knives. After reading and seeing a lot about the peanuts I knew I had to have one. As a college student I can't afford allll of the knives that I want but felt like this could be a perfect knife to fit my needs. I got a yeller case peanut in cv and have to say that it was just as described. Cheap in cost, aesthetically pleasing, big enough for the jobs a small pocket knife is needed for, and small enough to fit nicely in the pocket. For bigger jobs like hunting i've got a buck 110 or larger fixed blade, but for everyday jobs that I need a knife for the peanut is just right. I'm quite certain that this first nut will not be the last.
 
Smaug, I totally agree with you, that there are lots of small knives just as nice, and just as capable as a peanut. But for me, it was a personal thing that got me into the small knives and peanuts because it was almost a legacy left to me by my father. If my dad had carried a tiny toothpick, Eisenhower, penknife, or some other knife it may have well turned out different for me. But it was my dad's old worn peanut sitting on top of my dresser for a few years after his passing that got me moving in that direction. If you really want to break it down and distill the essence of it, the peanut is almost a metaphor for some things in life. It was his old peanut that got me to thinking about things from his point of view years after he was gone. It was the personal connection to him, by using the very same knife that I saw him use so many times when I was a kid. Made me think. Made me reflect on how much did I need in a lot of things in life.

After a few years of being drawn in by the little thing, I became a convert. And in a weird way, still being connected to him, even though he was years gone. Kind of like like Luke hearing Obi-wan's voice in his head, I'd hear my dad like when he'd gently head slap me saying to me "It's a knife, bonehead. It's just supposed to cut!"

But like I said, if dad had used an Eisenhower, I'd probably have been saying the same things about it.

Maybe.

But the biggest thing about these smaller knives is, they leave room in the pocket for other important stuff that as we age, become important to have with you. Sometimes objects can teach a lesson.

Carl.
 
Jackknife's stories are always worth reading. And to me, many are a reminder of what is important.

Oh yea, and you can count me in as a cult memeber :)

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Count me in, my peanut hasn't left my pocket since it came in the mail a week ago. It goes nicely with my sodbuster for heavier cutting activities.
 
I think the peanut is a great knife and I carry mine often, but I like variety.
 
I've been carrying my Case Damascus Peanut steady since last April.It's an amazing little knife,count me in.As Carl puts it,you almost don't even realize it's there until you need it.-Jim
 
I've still never had a chance to try one- closest I come is a small Ulster jack, bit bigger than the peanut. Someday I'll have to find one cheap.
 
My 'nut and I are certainly in! I've got a great bottle of bourbon I'm saving for the first in-person get together!

-- Mark
 
Count me in. Love my Case redbone CV peanut. Not on me right now, had to make a break for the basement (stoopid tornadoes) and didn't have enough time to drop it in my pocket, and haven't gone up to get it yet.
I should. The twister's passed. Just need to go upstairs.
 
JAB said:
Send me your mailing address - I've got a lightly-used chestnut/CV one that you're welcome to.
Click to expand...

:eek: Holy carp, really? Thanks!

I'll send a message through here. If you don't see it today, let me know- sometimes it seems as if they don't go through.
 
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