Zeroing In...How About You?

[Zulus]

Some 25 years ago I zeroed on CS Voyager VG-1 large part serrated tanto
Tried to "replace" few times, even last month - no way
All are worse :^)
Sorry fans of x, xx, xxx ...

BTW - about sharpening, I don't do that
Maybe few passes on diamond rod once/twice a year ...

But I really enjoy looking at your ones :^D

 

[K.O.D.]

I salute you, sir! The journey is the goal when it comes to knives, and if you try to find "the perfect knife", you end up with either a PM2 or a Sebenza.

I stopped trying to refine and define my tastes long ago, because I realized it was impossible. Now I look for interesting knives.

I agree. I like having a variety of styles and colors. My recently found (missing for four years! ) Digicamo PM2 is getting burlap scales and black screws. Can't wait for it to get here and start the mods.

I love modifying, taking things apart, repairing, etc. I wish I knew more about metalwork, I'd like to make a lockbar cutout for my Spyderco Gayle Bradley.

 

[Shorttime]

I agree. I like having a variety of styles and colors. My recently found (missing for four years! ) Digicamo PM2 is getting burlap scales and black screws. Can't wait for it to get here and start the mods.

I love modifying, taking things apart, repairing, etc. I wish I knew more about metalwork, I'd like to make a lockbar cutout for my Spyderco Gayle Bradley.

Abom79 and Blondihacks, over on the Youtube. Save up, get yourself a milling machine and a small-ish lathe. You'll never have to interact with people, again.

 

[craytab]

I thought I had things figured out pretty good for folders. My requirement of at least 3.5" of blade for my modern folding knife EDC narrows the choices down quite a bit. Besides that, I am fairly open to designs. I really need to try stuff before I know it is a keeper. For fixed blades, I like over 3" and under 6" blade length for daily carry. Kitchen work is firmly settled into the CPK Veggie knife, North Arm Trillium pairing knife, and the assortment of Becker/Esee collab set I was lucky enough to score years back.

I do keep a rambler on my keys and classics have found their way into nearly every corner of our house. I'll carry a MT most of the time and a Super Tinker at times.

Now, this whole pandemic has meant not going out much at all, so I took a dive in to autos since I can't carry them out of the house any way. This is a rabbit trail all on its own. Now I have to figure out what I like about those...

Luckily, with the knife world ever expanding, there are a multitude of options to fit nearly every style. We truly live in great times, knife wise.

 

[91bravo]

I thought I had things figured out pretty good for folders. My requirement of at least 3.5" of blade for my modern folding knife EDC narrows the choices down quite a bit. Besides that, I am fairly open to designs. I really need to try stuff before I know it is a keeper. For fixed blades, I like over 3" and under 6" blade length for daily carry. Kitchen work is firmly settled into the CPK Veggie knife, North Arm Trillium pairing knife, and the assortment of Becker/Esee collab set I was lucky enough to score years back.

I do keep a rambler on my keys and classics have found their way into nearly every corner of our house. I'll carry a MT most of the time and a Super Tinker at times.

Now, this whole pandemic has meant not going out much at all, so I took a dive in to autos since I can't carry them out of the house any way. This is a rabbit trail all on its own. Now I have to figure out what I like about those...

Luckily, with the knife world ever expanding, there are a multitude of options to fit nearly every style. We truly live in great times, knife wise.

I'll call dibs on that potato knife if you ever decide to get rid of it! I also didn't know they made micarta scales for the Beckhart knife. That's one reason why I didn't keep mine, it had wooden scales and I'm not a fan of wooden scales.

 

[craytab]

I'll call dibs on that potato knife if you ever decide to get rid of it! I also didn't know they made micarta scales for the Beckhart knife. That's one reason why I didn't keep mine, it had wooden scales and I'm not a fan of wooden scales.

Get in line for the potato knife. Several have called dibs. I think trevitrace is first in line. Matters not though, as it isn't going anywhere. The micarta handles are a game changer on the bk62. They make it a home run. I dyed mine:

 

[91bravo]

Get in line for the potato knife. Several have called dibs. I think trevitrace is first in line. Matters not though, as it isn't going anywhere. The micarta handles are a game changer on the bk62. They make it a home run. I dyed mine:

I assume the scales are available through Tomars?

 

[Ace Rimmer]

I agree with a lot of this. I think the Rambler far exceeds the Classic, although I've given my Rambler to my wife and replaced it with a Minichamp for now. I'm thinking of getting a Manager, which is essentially a Rambler with a pen. As much as I admire large fixed blades such as the Kabar USN Mk2, and I like my Buck 119 and 105, I think the 102 is about ideal for anything I'd use a fixed blade for. As far as small(ish) lockbacks go, a Case Tribal Lock and a Buck 112LT are my usual choices and sometimes a Buck 532 Bucklock.

 

[babykujo]

I find that my little Spyderco ladybug gets more use than any other knife I own.

 

[abcdef]

i WANT nice stuff, always have and always will ( funds allowing )...….but i NEED butt ugly beaters that get the job done and laugh at me when i try to push them to far.

This speaks to me. I refuse to mess up an expensive knife. It is all perspective. A billionaire might throw away a knife I would be afraid to photograph.

 

[craytab]

I assume the scales are available through Tomars?

I think they are everywhere. I got them directly from Ka-Bar. I saw knifecenter had them too.

 

[craytab]

I'm thinking of getting a Manager, which is essentially a Rambler with a pen.

I did the same thing. Even got a night manager which adds a little light. Remember though, each one adds thickness. I found that it was too much for my key chain and stuck with the rambler size.

 

[trevitrace]

Get in line for the potato knife. Several have called dibs. I think trevitrace is first in line. Matters not though, as it isn't going anywhere. The micarta handles are a game changer on the bk62. They make it a home run. I dyed mine:

You know, you're a big meanie. I get an alert just to be teased?

 

[Ron Sabbagh]

Not quite 40 years but after about 30 years I'm trying to zero in on 5 knives

1. Classic Puukko. Lightweight, comfortable and extremely functional. I'm at the age where I don't need a knife to do any heavy duty work like wood chopping....so this fits the bill
View attachment 1367215

2. Case Bose Premium Stockman. Well...can't get a more functional traditional than the good ol' stockman. I prefer the Case Bose because it is stainless steel, constructed like a custom, and guaranteed for life. And dammit, it's just plain sexy.
View attachment 1367216


3. Case Bose Norfolk Whittler - for days when I feel like carrying light. Beautiful piece. Same as above...
View attachment 1367217


4. Shirogorov F3 NS. Ok I am a fat middle aged professional and I don't necessarily need a tactical. But this knife fits my hand like a glove and is just gorgeous. This is what I carry when the fixed blade is too much and the traditional is just not enough. One of the best liner locks I've ever used.
View attachment 1367218

5. SAK. I mean, who doesn't need a SAK? My current preference is the new #79...the first SAK with a cigar cutter - for my other hobby consuming all my expendable income.
View attachment 1367219


I have learned that I do not prefer frame locks, compression locks or any other fancy locks. A strong backspring or a well designed linerlock suit me just fine. I do not favor Titanium or metal handles, or overly complicated designs. I like organic and natural, which means wood, bone, and minimalist designs.

 

[K.O.D.]

Abom79 and Blondihacks, over on the Youtube. Save up, get yourself a milling machine and a small-ish lathe. You'll never have to interact with people, again.

Unfortunately, I have neither the money nor the space...

 

[Shorttime]

Unfortunately, I have neither the money nor the space...

Balderdash! You don't need silly things like food.

 

[knarfeng]

After 40 odd years of carrying and using knives, I'm finally genuinely starting to zero in on what really works for me.
I encourage everyone to try out different things and push the limits and really be open to different styles and such so that you can find what really works for you.

What say you all?

I'm pretty close to mirroring your thoughts.
I've carried and used knives for about 60 years now. I no longer hunt or fish, but use knives on a daily basis as an urban homeowner.
I started carrying a pocket knife as a kid because in the 1950's, most men did that, and I wanted to be like my dad.

I carried a Vic Classic on my key ring for years, but have recently switched to a Vic Rambler. like you, I don't use the blade on it, just all the other items.

I own and have carried a Dragonfly, and while the blade is awesome, I don't find the handle particularly comfortable. So it doesn't get used as much as it might.

For the last 15 years I've had some money to explore cutlery and find what I really liked. I've not been a collector as much as an "accumulator". I have drawers full of knives that I've tried for daily carry prior to moving on to something else.

Here's what I found so far.
♦ I like to carry a modern locking blade knife or a small fixed blade. 3" max blade length.
♦ At the same time, I like to carry a smaller traditional, because a lot of cutting chores are best handled with a small thin blade which can be used more precisely than a large blade.
♦ I like carrying one of the very small SAKs because the scissors and other tools are so handy to have.

My current carry combination is
♦ A Cold Steel Grik, because the blade is surprisingly awesome, even if it's kind of ugly. And because the handle is large enough for my entire hand and puts my hand very close to the blade without using a choil. This gives better control of the blade, and I really don't care for choils. Best handle I've ever found on a knife with the possible exception of Ken Onion's Blur. I think I may be stuck carrying this one for quite a while.
♦ A Victorinox florist knife, because it's new and I wanted to try it for a spell. I'll probably move on after I use it for a few weeks.
♦ The Vic Rambler. This one's a keeper, too.

 

[Eli Chaps]

I'm pretty close to mirroring your thoughts.
I've carried and used knives for about 60 years now. I no longer hunt or fish, but use knives on a daily basis as an urban homeowner.
I started carrying a pocket knife as a kid because in the 1950's, most men did that, and I wanted to be like my dad.

I carried a Vic Classic on my key ring for years, but have recently switched to a Vic Rambler. like you, I don't use the blade on it, just all the other items.

I own and have carried a Dragonfly, and while the blade is awesome, I don't find the handle particularly comfortable. So it doesn't get used as much as it might.

For the last 15 years I've had some money to explore cutlery and find what I really liked. I've not been a collector as much as an "accumulator". I have drawers full of knives that I've tried for daily carry prior to moving on to something else.

Here's what I found so far.
♦ I like to carry a modern locking blade knife or a small fixed blade. 3" max blade length.
♦ At the same time, I like to carry a smaller traditional, because a lot of cutting chores are best handled with a small thin blade which can be used more precisely than a large blade.
♦ I like carrying one of the very small SAKs because the scissors and other tools are so handy to have.

My current carry combination is
♦ A Cold Steel Grik, because the blade is surprisingly awesome, even if it's kind of ugly. And because the handle is large enough for my entire hand and puts my hand very close to the blade without using a choil. This gives better control of the blade, and I really don't care for choils. Best handle I've ever found on a knife with the possible exception of Ken Onion's Blur. I think I may be stuck carrying this one for quite a while.
♦ A Victorinox florist knife, because it's new and I wanted to try it for a spell. I'll probably move on after I use it for a few weeks.
♦ The Vic Rambler. This one's a keeper, too.

Accumulator. Yep that's me.

 

[sailfish]

I've tried lots of different knives, brands, and styles over the years but the one knife I always circle back to is the small Sebenza, specifically now, the carbon fiber scale variant with an insingo blade. It meets every philosophy of use I carry a knife for with practicality, simplicity, efficiency, cutting ability, durability, fit & finish, and style. Occasionally when I do carry something else, I long to have the Sebenza back in my pocket at the soonest opportunity. Simply put, it just clicks for me.