When it comes to a pocket knife...

[Bargepole]

I'll chime in on that one. Top for me are Sypderco (if you like the idiosyncratic, though brilliantly functional) design, Kershaw, Benchmade (esp. the Griptilian and the lovely Shoki; and Fallkniven (Swedish) -- their legal-UK U1 "penknife" (non-locking) is a beauty, sturdy, comfortable and non-threatening.

[PT]

Well keep in mind that I am after a knife to do a bit of whittlin' on wood. So for me the single, locking blades (spyderco, benchmade) don't fit the bill.

That said, I keep a Spyderco Ladybug in my pocket and I love it. It is just not designed for a whittle.

[Dale]

Do any of you gents carry a Puma pocket knife?

[Antique Hoosier]

Do any of you gents carry a Puma pocket knife?

Yes Dale, I do.... Vintage 572 Puma "Senior"
It is a substantial 2 blade pocket knife that is of very fine build quality.

[desertbadger]

Very nice, Mike!

Regards,
David

[changabang]

PT, about a year and a half ago I went on an internet tear researching and buying slipjoints. I was open to almost anything (single blade, multi-blade, various handle configurations, etc) as long as it was American or German made. Looking back, I'm not sure why, but that's the way it was. I came out of it favoring one or two blade slippies in the Case, Great Eastern, Benchmade, Queen, Schrade or Spyderco brand names. If it was a single blade folder, I found I preferred a lockable blade. My favorite places to buy were collectorknives.net (mentioned once), soonerstateknives.com and newgraham.com, among all the places I bought from. There are other reputable sites, but those three turned out to be the best for me. The most expensive single knife I ended up buying was a Chris Reeve for $300 plus. I never did that again, not because of the lack of quality, but because of the price.
Hope this helps a little, and good luck. Try to resist the acquisition disorder. Like shaving, it can become addictive!

[brothers]

True to form, it has taken me 4, almost 5, months to even discover this great knife thread.

Here's my knife experience. I carried a pocket knife all my life, everywhere I went, from as early as I recall, maybe age 7 or 8.

I stopped carrying my knife on the day (well before 9-11-01) I showed up at a Federal Courthouse in Tulsa, and the very kind uniformed gentleman at the door asked me if I'd agree to leave my little Buck with the ivory handle with him for the day, while I was engaged in conducting my business. All day long I worried about my knife, but he was true to his word, and returned it to me as I left.

Since that time, during which I've grown accustomed to having to remove my shoes and virtually strip myself of everything but my actual clothing every time I have to enter a courthouse, carrying knives in public became a thing of the past for me.

I've learned a great deal about brands and quality of knives from and as a result of this thread, and I suspect Buck might not be heralded as the best available, but it worked for me. Until I got the Buck in the early 1970's, I had carried just about any decent pocket knife I could find, but mostly, whenever I happened to break or lose a knife, it became a good suggestion for the next birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift-giving occasion.

I've still got the Buck, and while I carried it, I always kept it razor sharp. The handle material is probably genuine ivory, because I bought it early enough to have been grandfathered when the law changed. However, next time I think of it, I'll use the hot pin method to test it and find out for sure. It won't matter if it's plastic, of course. I love it just the same. I just don't carry it any more. I can't begin to count the times I've continued to reach for my trusty pocket knife ever since I stopped carrying it.

[Antique Hoosier]

GREAT Post Gary!

True to form, it has taken me 4, almost 5, months to even discover this great knife thread.

Here's my knife experience. I carried a pocket knife all my life, everywhere I went, from as early as I recall, maybe age 7 or 8.

I stopped carrying my knife on the day (well before 9-11-01) I showed up at a Federal Courthouse in Tulsa, and the very kind uniformed gentleman at the door asked me if I'd agree to leave my little Buck with the ivory handle with him for the day, while I was engaged in conducting my business. All day long I worried about my knife, but he was true to his word, and returned it to me as I left.

Since that time, during which I've grown accustomed to having to remove my shoes and virtually strip myself of everything but my actual clothing every time I have to enter a courthouse, carrying knives in public became a thing of the past for me.

I've learned a great deal about brands and quality of knives from and as a result of this thread, and I suspect Buck might not be heralded as the best available, but it worked for me. Until I got the Buck in the early 1970's, I had carried just about any decent pocket knife I could find, but mostly, whenever I happened to break or lose a knife, it became a good suggestion for the next birthday, anniversary, or Christmas gift-giving occasion.

I've still got the Buck, and while I carried it, I always kept it razor sharp. The handle material is probably genuine ivory, because I bought it early enough to have been grandfathered when the law changed. However, next time I think of it, I'll use the hot pin method to test it and find out for sure. It won't matter if it's plastic, of course. I love it just the same. I just don't carry it any more. I can't begin to count the times I've continued to reach for my trusty pocket knife ever since I stopped carrying it.

[brothers]

I just now dug out my little Buck single blade and confirmed it's ivory. While I was digging, I happened onto a Puma that I found I don't know where about 20 years ago maybe. It's a 2 bladed 352 Junior. The blades don't appear to have ever been either dulled through use or sharpened. It's hefty and smooth. Nice knife. Back to the Buck, the blade's had it. I used it rough and sharpened it often. Not much left of the blade. My wife reminded me that I used to lose that knife every so often. We'd all search for it and about the time I gave up, somebody would find it again.

[ichabod]

I hate to think I might have the wrong blade, so I always carry my trusty boat anchor, I mean SwissChamp XLT:



(Okay, maybe I don't. But I never leave home without the brush. . .)

Okay, also not true.

[HAC]

There's generally always a knife in my pocket, and what it is varies. I usually carry a Case mini trapper , but there is a pearl handled Spdyerco Kiwi, a Case Seahorse Whittler, a couple of Paul Perfectos, a few kershaws or this:

Case Swayback Jack in stag and damascus


to choose from. Going backcountry usually results in a Swiss Army camper, and a single blade locking folder..

Cheers
Harold

[mikey]

Swiss Army Knife, model Farmer. Everything you need in a knife. If you don't want the saw blade...then go with the Soldier model...

If you only want a single blade go with the Solo model.

IMO, these are the three most useful pocket knives.

Thanks,
Mike

[drmoss_ca]

There's a medical condition whose name I can't be bothered to look up, in which the sufferer believes that something -- often his wife, oddly -- has been spirited away and replaced with an identical-seeming simulacrum.

Capgras syndrome. I remember helping my wife learn all those when she was doing her part 1 MRCPsych. I like the steel in an Opinel. Being one of nature's honers, I like steel that is easy to hone, and which acquires a truly sharp edge. OK, I like easy honing. Opinels have always done it for me. The steel is brittle and hard, and will snap if you use the point to pry something. But it hones up to the point where skinning and gutting become surgical procedures rather than hacking and sawing and hoping and cursing. If I wanted a general purpose knife to carry for anything and everything, and it wouldn't take offense if I tried to use it for rather more than a perfect cutting edge, it would have to be stainless, and it wouldn't be as sharp. I would make sure it came in a proper frame, and why not include a few other tools? I would call it a Leatherman and be done with it. Opinel for skinning and Leatherman for everything else. Beat that.

Chris

[rsp1202]

I agree with Chris, but would opt for a Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit X:

http://felinevet.sosakonline.com/index. ... e&Itemid=1

[KAV]

We enjoy livng in a rennaissance of knifemaking with more steels, cosmetic choices and features than ever before. And yet there is even more plain junk in all three than an earlier generation would tolerate.
We've seen fads of blade thickness,size and one maker try to bring suit against a one man operation for infringement of- the choil.Whatever you wnt, odds are it's out there or can be made.
The greatest irony was an early lesson I received in the outdoors. I met a man well seasoned from years as a lumberjack,hobo, camp cook, merchant seaman, horsepacker,seasonal crop picker and probably more he didn't discuss.
His knife? a 1060 carbon OLD HICKORY!

[Dexterous]

Do any of you gents carry a Puma pocket knife?

I don't carry them but I own a Sportsman and two jigged bone-handled trappers.

[Racso_MS]

Used this from digging foxholes to cutting commo wire...

Nothing better...




Honestly, not a pocket knife, but used for everything: Open "C" rat cans, cut vegetation, use as a screwdriver, a punch, digging in the dirt for mines (not really digging, more like probing), cutting "slash" (commo) wire (a little tough on the blade), used it as a hammer.Not to mention what the original intent was... After the thrust you were supposed to twist and pull. The ribs were particularly cumbersome. Outstanding and ruggged. I can't think of a more usefull knife (if you want to call it that.)

Semper Fi Ole Friend

[marsos52]

here are my babies




the big one is a Zero Tolerance 0350CB and the smaller is a Almar SLB

marc

[dawgvet]

I highly recommend the Victorinox Deluxe Tinker model. I absolutely love the small pliers on this model. Be careful, knives can be addictive!

[Racso_MS]

I highly recommend the Victorinox Deluxe Tinker model. I absolutely love the small pliers on this model. Be careful, knives can be addictive!

K-N-I-V-E-S can be addictive!!!!!