1 month traditional challenge

Approximately half of my collection are traditional slip joint knives: trappers, stockman, peanuts, SAK.

As long as they're properly sharpened, to quote one of the judges from 'Forged in Fire': "... this knife will cut ...". Really the only thing you're usually giving up is a fast one handed opening.

In terms of size, I have a couple of Case trappers with primary blade about 3+ inches. Full size stockman gets that large also; although most of the time what you will find are the medium size. Between these extremes, most tasks are handled easily. We all sorta get into a mindset over 'tactical' and bigger = better blades... In my father's time it wasn't so. He usually just carried a simple folder similar to a stockman; often a freebie with some company name emblazoned on it.

L'chaim!

Moshe ben David

 

I typically carry a traditional slip joint knife along with a more modern assisted-opener. I like the choice and, frankly, I have lots of knives. This allows me to enjoy the beauty and/or practicality of each one.

 

Growing up, I didn't really pay much attention to folders, and I think it must have been due to traditionals not appealing to me. And most folders I got to see were traditionals.
It was only after the dark side of the internet and edcf pulled me in, that I really discovered the modern folders. I like them for their practicality and not so much their looks. Fast deployment is not important either, but one handed open and closing as well as locking blades won me over. I don't see myself switching to traditionals, but I wouldn't mind a better selection of high quality non-tactical small(ish) modern folders.

I won't take on your challenge because I'm confident that modern is right for me, but as of lately I do have the Victorinox Cadet in rotation, so I do actually carry a slip joint as my only knife from time to time.

Good luck on your challenge!


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I am almost only using SAK's except for when fishing or in the outdoors, then I want a fixed blade but for the rest. SAK's are the thing for me! Mostly use the small Penn blade actually and it take care of most day to day tasks. Looking blades has never been my thing but have been using slip joints for 20+ years and I think this will be a fun challenge to follow and I hope you will enjoy it and learn a lot from how you are using your knifes

It's not failure if you learn something from it

 

Quote of the week around here IMO!

(And yeah, I get the logic and yeah, me too)

 

Thanks for the vote! I was actually playing it low key. I have a lot flashlights. I have a RIDICULOUS number of knives.

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I've been doing this "challenge" for about 4 years now. Most days I carry a Case 6318 Medium Stockman very similar to the one in your pics, though not in a sheath, just loose in my pocket.

 

I like your way of thinking. Sometimes less is more


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No. Even the stockman is usually overkill.

I rarely have much of a need for a pocket knife at all in my day to day life. Still, it's convenient to have some knife rather than no knife, and a small-to-medium slipjoint is not much of a burden to just drop in a pocket.

 

I think you'l find that the Case is aboe to do everything the other knife will, plus more. You have a choice of three different blades in one small pocket size package. The only thing not there is the one hand opening. This is something that marketing has convinced knife buyers that they need over anything else.

When I was growing up, there was no one hand opening knives, yet every man who had pants on had a pocket knife. The knife of that era was the same for the hundred years before; a small one or two bladed pen knife of some kind. Usual size was about 3 inches closed. Yet, these man, who lived a more hands on rural life than the urban office cubical of now, did very well with those old fashioned pocket knives. They cut what was needed to cut with no problems. Opening a box, breaking down a box, cutting some string, opening a plastic blister package, all take a one or two inch blade. One of the most produced pocket knives in the entire world is the Victyoriox classic. This little classic is made in numbers of 9 million a year. Going by production numb era, more people on earth are carrying a Vic classic than any other three brands of the modern one hand wonders.

The modern one hand knife is a pretty recent thing witht he birth of the so called tactical knife thing. The knife industry had to think of something to artificially stimulate a dying industry, so they sold a lot of hype and 'cool' factor. In the years after WW2, there was a huge, great migration to the urban lifestyle from the country. Need for a pock tknife shrunk, and most of the U.S. knife factors went belly up. Camillus, Keen Kutter, Schrade, PAL, Utica, and a bout 50 mnore all went broke in the 1950's t the 1980's. It was in the 1980's the "modern" knife was created.

I've used traditional pocket knives my whole life, and I really tried to like the modern stuff, but having jus tone blade was just too limiting. I like having a spare blade or even some basic tools like on a SAK. Yeah, the modern stuff can be flipped one in a dramatic way, but it's just a one trick pony with one single bade on hand. If you need a shorter blade for some close work, you're out of luck. If the blade gets messed up by a dirty job, you don't have one with the modern one hand knife. I keep the spey blade of my stockman dull for hard use scraping and poking work that I now will mess up a nice edge. The sheep foot blade is pretty sharp for box and package opening. The main blade is very sharp for good slicing and dicing. Three different blades, three different bale shapes and degrees of sharpness. All in one small package.

As for them being a bit slow to open; use that moment to take a metal breather and size up what you're about to do. I take a moment to think about how I'm about to use the knife, or maybe just to admire the knife if it's an old friend.

This little Remington/Camillus peanut has been a everyday companion for a few years now and has done everything I've needed from a pocket knife, as has the tiny Victorinox classic.



The ugly truth is, we don't need much knife in everyday modern life. With no chinese paratroopers dropping out of the sky, or hostile injun's coming over the hill to scalp us, anything more than a small penknife size knife is overkill. Unless you are one of the obsessed knife nuts, like the rest of us. Knife nuts are like car nuts, gun nuts, and other aficionados of object worship. They go for overkill. The car nut will had to have a porsche to go to work, while the rest of humanity uses a Toyota or Honda. The knife nut will have to have the latest and greatest the knife magazines push to satisfy the advertisers.

When I stopped reading knife magazines and cut my forum time way back, I stopped lusting after every new knife I saw.

 

I fully agree that most of us don't need much knife in our urban office environment. That said, when I do use my knife I want to be confident it won't close on my fingers and I really find it useful that I can get my knife ready without letting go of the object I'm working with.
The fact is however, it should be very possible to make locking folders with one hand opening, without making them large and murdery/tactical. Still, not many makers focus on this part of the market.
I only carry sub 3 inch knives for edc, even if it would be legally possible to carry larger knives. My favorite by far, is the Small Sebenza, but even that is large for my edc needs. I wouldn't mind a something like a micro Sebenza, but it seems that the logic of the makers is that customers will pay more for bigger knives, and don't really care about making small knives with equal quality. Much like the mobile phone scene before Sony started making small versions of their flagship phones. I think there must be a market for this type of knife.

I'm actually intrigued by the size and appearance of some traditional(ish) knifes, but I don't want to give up the benefits that one hand opening and blade locks provide (to me). So based on my own limited experience I do think there is a real advantage to this kind of knife, and not just marketing gimmick.

BTW: I have never read a knife magazine or really been exposed to folding knife marketing. I was in my late 30s when I bought my first folding knife a few years back, after accidentally stumbling upon some YouTube reviews of modern folders. Of course the snowball gained momentum after that, and now I'm here.



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Sorry to hijack your tread like that My point was that it's possible to keep it simple without opting for pure traditional.
I think it's nice that traditional knives seem to have a big following and I think your challenge is interesting and points out something important; that most of us don't really need so much knife, traditional or not.
Again, good luck! (I think you will get through the month without any problems)


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...and I'm carrying THREE knives today