- Joined
- Dec 22, 2006
- Messages
- 1,277
I am 25 years old so by the time I was old enough to carry a knife my dad bought me a Spyderco. I had never owned a slip joint, and the only one I had handled was my Grandpa's. His was an old yellow handled Case CV stockman I think. When I was in 3rd grade I showed him the spanking new Spyderco Delica that my dad had bought me, he pulled out his case, I asked him why his knife had yellow handles. He responded with something to the effect of, "so you can find it when you drop it in the s**t". Well skipping forward a few years I was at a local store and I saw a Case yellow handled trapper and it made me smile and remember my long dead Grandpa so I bought it. This man worked in the oil field and on a ranch his whole life and the only knives I ever saw him carry were the previously mentioned stockman and a carbon steel custom fixed blade about 4 inches long. He did more work with his knives everyday than I do in a month, and was known to use them for somewhat abusive tasks. I figured if it was good enough for him it should work for me. So I have carried the knife at least a full week every month since around August and here are my thoughts. The fit and finish on this knife were excellent, and the grinds were even. It is definitely not as easy to to open as a modern one-hand folder, but opens easy enough. It cuts incredibly well, both blades cut extremely well. I know that CV steel is not a high speed super wonder alloy but it is easy to sharpen holds it's edge for an acceptable amount of time. It worked in the kitchen, and unloading the trucks, which means breaking down lots of cardboard. The thin blade was really a treat to use compared to some of the prybars out now. I will admit this was not the only knife I carried, I kept a one hand folder clipped to my pocket, it was the only knife I used while I was carrying it. There were times I missed the one-hand opening, but as strange as it sounds I really didn't miss the lock. I just used it like a knife and the lack of a lock was not an issue. Carrying it was a slight issue but I settled on dropping it in my back pocket. It has formed a little bit of a patina on the blade but I kinda like the look of it. Overall I like the trapper it was the first of several more traditional style knives I just finished a week with the 110, and finishing the 112. I have learned the knives of my grandfather work just fine. As convenient as my Blade-Tech MLEK is; there is just something that feels right about a traditional slip-joint.
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