The humble little pen knife

[22-rimfire]

Tray of 13 penknives (and one jackknife) that sits on my desk. I can easily pick one out when wearing dress slacks. OH

That's very classy!

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Great thread with some very interesting knives! I think these three qualify for the category:

Case V52109W Mini Copperhead ("vintage" stag)
Buck 309 Companion
Buck 305 Lancer

The 309 is a two-spring configuration, the others are single spring with a catch bit.

 

[screened porch]

Camillus 881.

 

[Jack Black]

Jack Black
Great selection and variety Jack. It’s the metal bodied ones that are the stand outs for me.

Thank you very much Alan, they are among my favourites too, unfortunately I don't have photos of them all

 

[22-rimfire]

At this point in my life, I believe I only own one pen knife (old Western). Peanut size tend to be the smallest I buy unless you want to consider a Vic Classic size a pen knife. The Western pen knife came out of my last pickup when I was doing some house cleaning. I don't recall buying it, so I suspect it was there when I bought it 18 years ago (used).

 

[Jack Black]

Here's some more Sheffield made Penknives, most of which were made either for factors, or as advertising knives, and so, while in some cases, I know who actually made them, the tang stamps merely indicate the city in which they were made

...

 

[Jack Black]

...

 

[Jack Black]

Here's one by Stan Shaw

 

[tongueriver]

Whilst the definition of a Penknife might be elastic; non knife types use the word to denote an old fashioned Traditional type of knife of any pattern; for me at least it's a blade at each end knife. Often single-spring, but not always and I don't think size need enter the equation. GEC's Churchill 35 is a bulky knife but it's EE and meets my promiscuous definition of Penknife same with the Possum Skinner. Muskrats maybe not as they evolved a name and niche for themselves over time. Moose too.

Here, CASE's Half Whittler which was formerly single spring but now comes as a two spring knife.

Those are dandy little pen knives. I just wish CASE did not let some marketing idiot call them 'half whittlers.' A 'half whittler' is obviously a physical impossibility (It only matters to a few of us excessively anal folk). Anyway... Nice knife!

 

[ISKRA]

The 33 conductor makes for an elegant penknife.

 

[Old Hunter]

That's very classy!

Thank you sir!

 

[Jack Black]

Some others:

Case

Elinox

Buck

Guillemine-Renault

Max Weyde

Palo Alto

Boker

Latama

Maserin

Halma

Nahco (Canada)

Victorinox

Stocker & Co

A.C.

Rita

 

[Jack Black]

Some European Penknives with little or no information on the tangs. The best of them were manufactured in Solingen between the World Wars, when a German tang-stamp was less attractive than one simply stamped 'Foreign'.

 

[Jack Black]

Some more U.S. Penknives

Imperial

Hackett Walther Gates Hardware Co

Western

Ulster

Remington

Hammer Brand

Schrade

 

[longbow1968]

How about a Harvest Orange Eisenhower:

 

[JohnDF]

That one is amazing!

 

[runninmike]

Let's see 'em.

I know there are loads of technicalities and such, but to me a pen knife is a smaller pocket knife with a blade on each end and usually one being smaller than the other.
More specifically the classic quintessential equal end is what I think of when I hear pen knife, but I love others as well that fall into the pen knife category.

I'll start this off with one of my all time favorite little pocket knives, because it was in my pocket and handy.

It just disappears in my pocket, punches way above it's weight, and the coping secondary blade is much handier than I ever imagined.

I love it! I have one in my collection too but carry some a little larger at times but it's usually a case peanut...that being said, I love the coping blade and wish they had offered that on the slightly larger Buck 309 Companion-similar to the Buck 305 Lancer but a wee-bit larger ...cheers!
yet the 309 gets lost in pocket as well and they are both very useful!!

 

[Will Power]

Those are dandy little pen knives. I just wish CASE did not let some marketing idiot call them 'half whittlers.' A 'half whittler' is obviously a physical impossibility (It only matters to a few of us excessively anal folk). Anyway... Nice knife!

You are of course absolutely right all manner of odd names crop up with marketing and some gain traction...GEC took aim at this with their humorous 57 Half-Whitt The Forum Knife 2018 from Buck some attempted to call a Half Stockman, emasculated due to the omission of the gelding blade? right, CASE should have stuck with the Penknife name, after all, they have a very small square bolster one Quarter/Quadri Stockman? And the very nice torpedo shaped Eisenhower, which I THINK predated the president but took on his name as it was an alleged favourite of his?

 

[Will Power]

CASE Mini Copperhead, Root Beer Bone

 

[Will Power]

An Old Master: Remington, single-spring, all steel, tip bolsters and still has decent snap, c 1920s