Tell Me More About The 15

BP_

BP_

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Aug 26, 2015
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Hello all,

Took a little few month hiatus to get some things straight, and upon my return to the knife world I ended up running across (and subsequently picking up) a 15 in OD green micarta with bail&chain. Thought I might get some folks user experiences with it, and see how it measures up.

I assume the F&F is on par with typical quality, I’m wondering as a user how it performs in general. Is it easy to carry, does it slice well, is it “tough” (compared to other slippies), can it be an “only knife for the day” carry? Things like that.

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I’ve really been enjoying carrying my custom from Eric Albers. Good size, good blade shape, carries and uses well. With a fixed blade, it could be an “only folder I grab today” knife. I usually pair it with a Large 21 micarta when I’m in town.

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I’ve also been looking hard at the 66. I’ve never been a big 3 blade guy, but the shapes and grinds on the 66 have been calling me. Nice little stockman (calf roper I believe). If you have any comparison shots of the 15 and 66 that would be great, as well as carry/use comparison (If anyone has a 66 user to get rid of in vgc, let me know).

I’m excited to see how I get along with the 15. I’m traditionally a 1 blade guy, but I’ve been migrating more to multi blade knives lately. I also like carbon steel for its patina and ease of sharpening.
 
#15 Boy's Knife. A great score. :D
Designed by our own Mr. @waynorth, (Charlie). One of his SFO's I believe. :)

I don't have one, but I'm sure it is as suitable for an "only one knife EDC" as any single blade knife is.

I don't have a 66, but I have carried one stockman or another of 3 7/8 to 4 5/8 inch closed, every day since call it "April 6, 1961" when I got my first large stockman for my 6th birthday. (sadly both the knife and youthfulness are long gone.)
 
afishhunter said:
#15 Boy's Knife. A great score. :D
Designed by our own Mr. @waynorth, (Charlie). One of his SFO's I believe. :)

I don't have one, but I'm sure it is as suitable for an "only one knife EDC" as any single blade knife is.

I don't have a 66, but I have carried one stockman or another of 3 7/8 to 4 5/8 inch closed, every day since call it "April 6, 1961" when I got my first large stockman for my 6th birthday. (sadly both the knife and youthfulness are long gone.)
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We are only as old as we tell ourselves we are (although, some mornings my body yaps at me a bit louder than my brain, I’ll admit :D)

JohnDF said:
Picture your Albers with a Spear Point Blade.
There ya go... If you like the Albers, and you like a Spear, you'll like the #15.
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Beautiful. I figured they were about the same size and dimensions. I just really like the shape on the 15, and the way the 1095 will patina over time :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
afishhunter said:
#15 Boy's Knife. A great score. :D
Designed by our own Mr. @waynorth, (Charlie). One of his SFO's I believe. :)
Click to expand...

JohnDF said:
I don't believe that is the case, although he did have a fancier SFO from that run.
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John is correct. The B&C 15 in the OP is from the general run that was done at the same time - you can still find these particular knives at dealers. Charlie's SFO has a single Clip blade and a square bar shield. M&G also had an SFO that was a 2-blade version and had the Federal shield.

I wasn't able to get one of Charlie's but I did get one of the M&Gs. They are fine knives and one is always in my watch pocket.

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I like that size range. Kind of medium. It pairs very well with a fixed blade, and carries equally well alone. I’m glad to hear the 15 is up to the task.

I’ve had several other GEC’s but ended up getting rid of the ones that weren’t neglected. Now I needed another user and came across this pattern, which has always interested me but just recently piqued my interest. I like the good feedback on it so far.
 
The thing bout the 15 is its immense versatility- lot of different blades: Spear, Clip, Sheepfoot, massive choice of scales, some all steel others brass lined, some Barehead some Endbolstered, some 2 blade Jacks, some with openers etc. GEC even did some in Stainless 440C gasp!!!:thumbsup:;) Then there are the TC Barlow variants too :cool: all types carry well, unobtrusively, have good snap and decent blade:handle ratio, Suitable for most hand sizes except perhaps Yeti dimensions.

If I were you, I'd get that chain off and use it as a 'free' pocket-knife;) it's what I did with mine and no regrets.

Thanks, Will

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Ju9T9L1.jpg
 
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Will Power said:
The thing bout the 15 is its immense versatility- lot of different blades: Spear, Clip, Sheepfoot, massive choice of scales, some all steel others brass lined, some Barehead some Endbolstered, some 2 blade Jacks, some with openers etc. GEC even did some in Stainless 440C gasp!!!:thumbsup:;) Then there are the TC Barlow variants too :cool: all types carry well, unobtrusively, have good snap and decent blade:handle ratio, Suitable for most hand sizes except perhaps Yeti dimensions.

If I were you, I'd get that chain off and use it as a 'free' pocket-knife;) it's what I did with mine and no regrets.

Thanks, Will
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Thought about that, and also considered using it as is. I typically don’t do lanyards or anything, so we’ll see how it goes. How does it look without the bail, with the two holes in the scales?
 
Just fill the hole with some stainless or brass tubing and file off a round top, see the 1st photo 2nd knife from bottom.
 
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Will Power said:
Just fill the hole with some stainless or brass tubing and file off a round top, see the 1st photo 2nd knife from bottom.
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Nice. I didn’t even notice it had been done. I think that’ll be just fine if I end up not loving the chain :thumbsup:
 
BP_ said:
We all like to help when we can :rolleyes:

And yes, now I know I’d like to have a 66. That size just seems to work so well. :D:thumbsup::thumbsup:

ETA: does the 66 have half stops? Or do stockman knives in general not have them? (Showing my ignorance and lack of education on 3 blade knives here)
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Most stockman do not have half stops, including the 66.
3 blade Whittlers do usually have half stops on the secondary blades.
 
If you’re thinking more along the 3 blade medium size, the 29 stockyard whittler is a nice knife. The secondary blades are tucked away nicely while using the main clip blade but they’re still easy enough to access. For me a small to medium size knife can afford to have more blades/tools where a larger size seems more appropriate for a single blade. I thought about the 66 calf roper but I wanted the awl on the 29 and it’s been very useful. I’d never had an unequal end knife before but I was surprised at how nice it is to use in its configuration.
 
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