Five knives for the rest of your life

I'd pick two pocket knives, two belt knives, and a hand ax.

1. A pen or a peanut.
2. A scout or a SAK.
3. A Kephart or puukko FB.
4. A skinner/all belly FB.
5. A hatchet or boys ax.

Those would cover all of my needs.
 
1. Victorinox Handyman
2. Benchmade 710
3. Fällkniven PXL
4. Spyderco Shaman
5. Benchmade Crooked River
 
Limiting this to folders makes this pretty easy for me:

1. Small CRK Sebenza
2. CRK Mnandi
3. Victorinox Alox Farmer
4. Victorinox Alox Cadet
5. LM Squirt PS4

If we threw in fixed blades it would be a real struggle.
 
Choosing from what I own, I'd use the following 5 folders for the rest of my life:
- Aitor Pequeya. This knife is a small slip joint and a legal carry most places knives can be taken.
- Opinel No. 7. Slightly larger than the Aitor. Super slicey.
- Helle Dokka. Great for bushcraft and hunting, but not legal in some places I have to go (looking at you NYC).
- Svörd Peasant. Rough and ready friction folder for dirty work. Also a bit large for legal carry anywhere.
- Opinel No. 12 Inox. Sometimes you just need a big a$$ knife.
Of course all this goes out the window when I consider future purchases. Glad I am not limited to 5 knives in my lifetime. But if the world turned upside down today and I could only put 5 folders in my bag, these would be the ones that make the cut (haha) today.
IMG-5425.jpg
 
Ok ok, ill play too. Five folders for the rest of my life...
1. CRK Large Sebenza 21 drop point
2. Shiro F95NL
3. Kizer T1 or Grimsmo Rask
4. CRK Ti-lock
5. CRK Large Sebenza 21 Insingo

That was harder than i thought. Good thing this isnt for real. Now im feeling i need to buy a new knife...gonna go check the exchange now...

Edited to change CRK Mnandi to CRK Ti-Lock. Just proves how often we can change as knife knuts.
 
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1) Spyderco Manix 2 LW in BD1 (or BD1N if they ever land) x 3. I would sharpen them away so I'd need multiples.

2) Victorinox Classic x 2 cuz life without a Classic is pretty bleak. Personally, I don't even consider this a knife. You could take the little blade away and I'd never notice, but technically speaking it is one so I had to count it.
 
Eli Chaps said:
2) Victorinox Classic x 2 cuz life without a Classic is pretty bleak. Personally, I don't even consider this a knife. You could take the little blade away and I'd never notice, but technically speaking it is one so I had to count it.
Click to expand...

I’ve been using a two knife system for years. Wenger Esquire (the Wenger version of the Classic) + folder. The Esquire does my tape busting, goo scraping, scissor-snipping, tweezing, etc, which keeps my folder free from adhesive residue so there’s less drag when I do real cutting. The folder has rotated a lot over the years, but I always have the Esquire or Classic in my pocket, without fail.

es2Pwcb.jpg


This little guy is my MVP.

I can’t do an honest top 5 without one.
 
- ESEE 6
- Emerson Sheepdog
- Bradford Guardian 3.5”
- Benchmade Adamas
- Bradford Guardian 5
 
Problem is my tastes will change within a decade never mind the rest of my life. My physical abilities will change too. I'd love to be able to find 'the one', it's what I've been looking for since I started. I've yet to come close.
 
Victorinox Alox Cadet
Police 4
Urban k390
Large Sebenza 21 Micarta inlay
CF s90v Native 5
 
May I gently suggest many posters don't read past the title?

Five knives for the rest of your life
 
Sak Classic, because I always have one nearby. Most useful knife I own.
Utility knife of some kind, second most useful knife I own. Probably a Stanley 99E, because I love how comfy and rugged they are, blade storage is a big plus, but I hate the screw holding it together. Too easy to lose.
I get past those two, and I'm in the want category. I like how Opinels in the 7 through 9 category fill my hand. Case makes the Swayback Jack and Gent, to get my wharncliffe fix, although I have the Stanley for that. Maybe use a medium stockman instead. I like Buck's 303 offering. Lastly, a scout pattern of some sort. I just like them.
 
Victorinox Classic
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Pacific Salt
Spyderco Para 2
Cold Steel Espada XL

I guess for me, Spyderco's only weak areas are really small utilitarian knives, and really big fighting knives. IMO they own every other category. Benchmade, and ZT are either close seconds, or cost more than I am willing to pay.
 
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cant do it. older I get the more I change what I use knives for. sure, could get by with 5 or less, but whatever I picked now 10 years later I'd likely look at the list and shrug my shoulders on why I thought those 5 were perfect.
 
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