Pocket Knife recommendations?

[Joe Mioux]

I have lost many nice knives... the latest is (was) a Bokar ceramic blade with a carbon fiber handle... Ceramic blades are a different animal. While I was in the process of losing that one I have become a fan of Benchmade knives. Currently I own three Bugout models. It is actually too big for my daily needs but i still like them. I have a knife in my hand minimum of 5 hours a day. So, what would i recommend? A damascus steel, with some exotic wood for the handle. I have had several damascus steel blades and i had employees sweep them in the garbage can also...

anyway... find a custom knife builder. select the steel, select the style of blade and select the wood... btw: in my experience.. for daily general use, I prefer a smaller knife that fits in the cradle of my hand. hope this helps


EDIT: i just thought of this ... besides a nice knife, you might consider a nice sharpening system, jig, stones etc.

[Luke Dupont]

I have lost many nice knives... the latest is (was) a Bokar ceramic blade with a carbon fiber handle... Ceramic blades are a different animal. While I was in the process of losing that one I have become a fan of Benchmade knives. Currently I own three Bugout models. It is actually too big for my daily needs but i still like them. I have a knife in my hand minimum of 5 hours a day. So, what would i recommend? A damascus steel, with some exotic wood for the handle. I have had several damascus steel blades and i had employees sweep them in the garbage can also...

anyway... find a custom knife builder. select the steel, select the style of blade and select the wood... btw: in my experience.. for daily general use, I prefer a smaller knife that fits in the cradle of my hand. hope this helps


EDIT: i just thought of this ... besides a nice knife, you might consider a nice sharpening system, jig, stones etc.

Aren't ceramics darned near unsharpenable?
I guess diamonds work but still -- I'll bet you'll wear out those diamond plates pretty quickly too. And there's no getting a hair popping edge with diamonds.

I like knives that can be sharpened on any random stone. And I mean any random stone! I've touched up an edge on random stones whilst hiking, on rare occasion.

I may be mistaken though because I have no experience with ceramic knives. I always just ignored them because I value ease of sharpening over edge retention.

[Matthew Hills]

I used to keep a miniature utility knife from stanley on my keychain. Not a traditional knife, but I liked the size and the 1-handed operation. Not as good to keep on a keychain in the age of TSA.

I also like the small swiss army knives with the scissors. I use both the blade and scissors. The blade is on the small side, but I like the minimalist nature and prefer the size/weight over the larger knives with scissors. Stainless is very practical for a general-purpose knife.

Sadly have lost the pocket knives I grew up carving hiking sticks with...

[chuck van dyck]

I decided to pick up a carbon opinel no8 with the Italian natural stone set. Was like $28 for both. Its pretty sweet. I like the continuous bevel.

[carey mitchell]

While I was working, I carried the smallest Swiss Army knife, as I had to wear a suit, and I never like bulky stuff in my pockets. That came from spening 4 years in a military college back in the 60s, and we wore the army khaki uniforms in moderate weather. They were starched; anyone who wanted to look sharp never put anything in the front pockets, and the starch eventually stuck the pockets to the front fabric; thus no wrinkles. 60 years later, I still put on my pants like I did those uniforms, and cannot stand wrinkled clothes.

But......when I got home, the knife got serious; something I could cut anything with and sharpen it right up. I spent some serious money over the years and lost some nice knives. after the last, I started buying moderately priced knives. Currently my favorite is a Buck #3894, 2 blades.

As I look in the desk drawer, I just counted 9 knives, and there are likely more under stuff - those are the ones that didn't pass muster. Bottom line, today at 79, I go for what pleases me and gets th ejob done.

[Mike Henderson]

While I was working, I carried the smallest Swiss Army knife, as I had to wear a suit, and I never like bulky stuff in my pockets. That came from spening 4 years in a military college back in the 60s, and we wore the army khaki uniforms in moderate weather. They were starched; anyone who wanted to look sharp never put anything in the front pockets, and the starch eventually stuck the pockets to the front fabric; thus no wrinkles.

When I went through Army OCS, they didn't want us to put anything in our front pockets so we all had bulging butts because everything was in our back pockets. I always thought it was dumb - just for appearances.

Mike

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Understanding that I have numerous knives from many different manufacturers, if I wanted something "classic", made in the USA with many many different options in both finish and configuration, I would look at Case.

https://caseknives.com/pages/personalize

The linked page above is related to knives that can be engraved. I assume that you are not looking for a more modern knife (fancy steel, side clip), but if you are, I am partial to their Marilla knives

https://caseknives.com/collections/modern-knives


I really like their stockman knives. The small version if you want something small and the Medium for something a bit larger. Some people like them larger, but I prefer the medium or small versions, but it is all personal preference. Note that there are two primary configurations for their stockman knives. Both have a Clip and a Sheepfort. The third blade may be a pen blade or a Spey blade.

I also really like the Seahorse Whittler (one of my favorites) if he likes to whittle.

Someone already mentioned the Buck Stockman knives, specifically the 303 Cadet (one of my favorites). There is also the 301 Stockman, a bit larger. Regardless of size, get one made in the USA. Also note that the Buck has a very good edge retention based on how they temper their blades.

https://www.buckknives.com/product/3...ife/0303FAM01/

If you want to go off the rails, they also have a custom shop, but they do not have a Stockman in their custom shop.

If you want to be blown away by the variety of Case Stockman knives, take a look at this:

https://www.casexx.com/Pattern/Displ...tternAutoID=52 (small)
https://www.casexx.com/Pattern/Displ...tternAutoID=30 (Medium)
https://www.casexx.com/Pattern/Displ...tternAutoID=27 (Large)

This provides a very fast overview of their patterns:
https://www.casexx.com/Pattern/

Let us know what you decide.

[Keegan Shields]

That’s an $86 knife in 2023 dollars.

[Jack Dover]

Okay, I'll bite (but just FYI "tails first or pins first" or "waterstones vs oilstones" is a better opening for a beginner. Kinda establishes you as a forum elite firmly, guaranteed).

I'm thinking something sophisticated, sleek, and useful

You only can pick two. Well, depends on your notion of "sleek", but sophistication usually comes at a price of usefulness. Also you might accidentally get it too sleek\sophisticated, and the owner just won't use it, because it's too pretty. Just go to any knife forum where they boast sophisticated knives and count how many of them are still factory ground after being owned for years.

for the small tasks he often uses his knives for (opening packages, odd/small tasks, general day-to-day usage).

From practical point of view such a knife should be almost invisible to a user: easy to reach for, easy to open, easy to perform a task, easy to put away and easy to maintain. People that have it like this often perform a task in a blink of an eye, so others might not even notice there was a knife. But some people use it as an opportunity to show off, such a knife should be flashy and in general bring others attention to its existence. For a case like this a knife that is carried in a dedicated suitcase and that requires a box of branded tools is usually best. Bonus points if it cuts only in a stream of noble gas, people like a good show.

So for what it's worth here's my list.

1. Any Victorinox model that doesn't trigger aichmophobia in a 2 mile radius. Their smallest gent's knife with a nail file and small scissors (Classic SD) is good for office-like environment. If some food preparation is assumed (making a sandwich, cutting a bagel, etc) a longer blade is better, but but don't go bigger than Pickniker - Recruit, Cadet, etc. Also if there's a choice of blades in a particular model, pick the least number of blades, because thicker handles are hard to grasp firmly. But if you're into it there are models that require a license to operate and 4 yrs of prior experience.

2. To show how sophisticated someone is an Opinel is best, an owner assumes a soft French accent pretty much immediately. They can be had with custom handles, including exotic species or composite handles, custom engraved blade or some effects like hammered finish. They're carbon steel and a blade has triangular section, so they can be wickedly (and given their looks - deceivingly) sharp. Opinel pairs well with a beret and a pack of Gitanes (or they might think you're Canadian).

3. For outdoor activities the simpler the better, one substantial blade in simple steel, like Buck or a similar. They can take quite a bit, like, they won't mind batoning or cutting a tin open. Simple steels are preferred because they can be resharpened in a field. I prefer models that can be opened with one hand, have a hole for a piece of paracord\rope, an a lock.

After that we're in a speciality area and most probably talking fixed knives. People that require such knives know exactly what they need, you just need to ask them carefully w\o giving a surprise out.

[Cameron Wood]

I'm dealing with an estate, & have acquired a bunch of knives- NOS.

Victorinox, Kershaw, Puma, Spiderco, more. Sheath, folder, pocket.

If you're looking for something- send a PM. Bargain prices.

Jay

[Jim Ritter]

Im looking for one of these if there is one in the mix. Thanks Cameron.

76463731-2117-4C2E-A4FC-C2C64E776226.jpeg

[Anuj Prateek]

Recently bought a Mora Eldris and like it. If longer blade is desired then Mora Companion is also good. Both of these are low priced but good quality.

[Cameron Wood]

Im looking for one of these if there is one in the mix. Thanks Cameron.

76463731-2117-4C2E-A4FC-C2C64E776226.jpeg

No, not quite.

Here's the selection:

IMG_3987.jpeg

[Jim Ritter]

Thanks, it never hurts to ask.
Jim

[Jim Koepke]

No, not quite.

Here's the selection:

IMG_3987.jpeg

Those Swiss Army Knives are calling to me. Likely there are already too many lying about for me to jump on anymore.

Though the smallest one looks like one I haven't seen before.

jtk