Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Best all-around folding knife?

I know I'm opening a can of worms here but I lost my beloved 30 year old Gerber (Yep, got it when I was one) in the Colorado River and I need another pocket knife. I don't like the new Gerbers much so I need help since it seems like there's a couple thousand styles of knives out there now - most of them looking like something out of Star Wars. Also, Automatics (we use to call these switchblades) are legal in Arizona and there's a few interesting brands to choose from as well. I want something with stag grips that I can use for work and for most hunting chores with a maximum of 3" blade. I've owned both Buck and Case knives in the past and they use to be pretty good - it looks like they are still making the classic looking knives - which I prefer - but I don't know anything about their current quality. Maybe I should just try to find an old Gerber, Case or Buck knife in good condition? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

John

JohnL, it depends on how much you want to spend. Case, Hen & Rooster, German Eye, among many others make a "Folding Hunter" with stag and other scales. These are the classic 2 blade large knives with a clip point & spey blade. They cost approx. $80 and are all great knives. I have several as I collect knives. Trapper models are another style, with stag they start about $50 and are somewhat smaller ie 4 1/8 inch. for total knife. I also have several Trappers and prefer the Hen & Rooster for quality. You can go up from there to several hundred dollars for a Custom. If you forego the stag there are some great all purpose knives for hunting & general use. I really like the Columbia River Knife & Tool "Bwana - Alaskan Skinner" model. It's in-expensive, very, very well designed and the steel isn't bad either. It's AUS 8 -A and is comparable to 440C but easier to give a scary sharp edge and holds just as well. CKRT are a great bargain in my opinion. I don't know all that much about knives but do know what I like and have maybe 40 folders and 10 or so fixed blades to compare. Just my opinions.

The stag is the kicker in your question. Since the Indian embargo on exportation true Sambar Stag scales are hard to come by, and close perusal will reveal that most companies� offerings are �stagbone� or a died bone jigged to look like stag.

Anyway, excluding stag and price no object I�m firmly convinced the Chris Reeve Sebenza is the finest folder available. I have two, a large w/3-1/2� BG-42 blade and a small w/3� S30v and ALWAYS have one or the other on me.

If you must have stag my opinion is �best� would be a Bob Dozier DK-FH. It exactly meets your specification - 3� D2 blade available in genuine Sambar Stag. I just bought a Dozier fixed blade in stag though and Wendi at Dozier informed me that they are running VERY low.

Finally, if willing to go with a slightly longer blade, but wanting stag and the traditional lockback clip blade folder style I think a Buck 110 from Pete�s Custom Knife Shop is the way to go. I�m sure you�re familiar with 110�s (heck, everybody is), the classic Buck 3-3/4� lockback and most sources say the bestselling hunting knife ever, but for some reason not a lot of folks know about Pete�s. You can get a 110 from there with GENUINE Sambar Stag scales, a BG-42 blade and your choice of nickel silver or brass bolsters for $120 � hell of a deal this day and time.

Links:
http://www.chrisreeve.com/
http://www.dozierknives.com/
http://www.buckknives.com/custom_knife_shoppe.php

Journeyman,
you and I have the same taste in knives. I wholly agree that the Sebenza is the finest folder made. I have two of them and I also have Cris Reeves Nknoka in 30V......wow.
I have my Dad's Jimmy Lyle folding hunter with stag....now there's a cool one.
Don

Herron. Period.

Steve

Here's a new offering from Queen Cutlery, named the "Mountain Man Lock Back". The scales aren't true stag, but bone, carved to look like stag. The knife measures 4.5" closed, and sports a single locking blade of D2 steel, not to mention a handy-dandy lanyard hole! (I'm not sure of the exact blade length on this one.) May have to chase one of these down for myself. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Cost is seventy-some dollars, or there abouts. (Also available with cocobolo scales.)

Anyway, excluding stag and price no object I�m firmly convinced the Chris Reeve Sebenza is the finest folder available. I have two, a large w/3-1/2� BG-42 blade and a small w/3� S30v and ALWAYS have one or the other on me.

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Yes! The Sabenza rocks!! I've carried mine daily (3") for six years and it gets a workout. It's stone reliable, holds an edge better than most and has a blade shape that allows it to be versatile for most jobs. The lock for the blade is super strong and the whole knife is reasonably light. Its easy to open, too.

I've never regretted paying the price for this knife. Aside from opening boxes and cutting crating bands (the plastic ones), I've used it on deer, elk and antelope. I didn't like the sheath; it was flimsy nylon. I had Mr Shrap make a horizontal carry leather one that has been just as good as the knife. He makes an awesome sheath.

I would not trade my Cold Steel for anything. For a factory knife available at a cost most can afford, its hard to beat.
I use a Tanto "Gunsite" model in 4". It does it all for my daily knife. Thin and light and near unbreakable it holds its edge
as good as the best.

My daily carry knives are Gerbers both of the AR variety (either the 3.0 or 3.5) I like them but they don't meet your criteria. Depending on what I'm doing I sometimes carry my Case pen knife. For what your looking for, I honestly wouldn't look any farther than a Case. Seriously a qualtiy and tough knife.

Which Gerber model did you have? They made one with a contoured, checkered walnut handle and another one with brass bolsters that faintly resembled the Buck 110 only a bit smaller. I still have my walnut handled Gerber, am told that even in it's "very used" condition it is worth a good bit of money to collectors.

Had a Mark I purchased in the early 70's but that went somewhere. Also still use my old aluminum handled Pixie which is now some 20 years old.

These new folders are, I'm sure, wonderful tools but I just can't get my hands around their design. All squared and sharp corners, they just don't have any fondle factor.

My current favorite is a Buck 500 Duke that I took a file to and rounded off the square edges. It's a wonderfully comfortable knife to hold and use.

I'm sweet on the Duke and consider it Buck's nicest folding pattern,from a practical use standpoint. I have a well worn specimen,that has been to the Fair.



Wanna sell your Pixie?(grin) That is a blade bordering on perfection IMHO and it was a design I mentioned to Gene,when soliciting my Caper pattern. An S30V Pixie would be the Meeeeeeeowwwwwwww.



The old Gerber folders were excellent blades IMHO and I gotta go dig all of mine up and see what I have. Am pretty sure I have 4 or 5 of the walnut handled folders wearing brass bolsters,one or two of them with twin blades.



I keep forgetting how much I like knives................

Jim,



It was the brass framed Gerber with walnut inserts - I had it since the late 60s- early 70's - it was a great knife. I went to a knife shop nearby at lunch today and looked/handled some newer knives. I also cannot get warm and fuzzy with them - they feel funny. They didn't have any of the knives mentioned on this post that I wanted to look at but had a lot of the Star Wars types that were reasonable or customs that were out of this world expensive. I need to hold a knife before I buy it - I can't just look at it on the web and order it.

Anybody know anything about Hubertus knives - made in Germany - they looked pretty nice with Stag grips. I like the look of the Queen Cutlery Mountain Man knife too but need to handle one.



John

John,

Is the one in the middle similar to your's?



I compared it with the #500 Duke by Buck,hoping it would grant an idea to it's sizing. The lower Gerber is the only twin bladed folder I can recall them making,anybody know anything about it?

Somewhere I have more of the older Gerber folders,I just gotta dig deeper......................

Gerber "Folding Sportsman" series IIRC..... 440C blade offered in both clip and drop point variations in 3 or 4 different sizes from the early 70s to the mid/late 90s...

My Uncle Henry Stockman's knife works just fine for me.

Big stick,

That's the one. There's one of these on ebay right now that I'm considering if I can't find a new folding knife that I like. The wife says that I need to "branch-out, try new things, that change is good" - I hate change.

John

I savvy the sentiment,but few things are as personal as blade choice.

If I lost my baby,I'd want another one and would prefer it to be the exact same thing.

There's comfort in that.................

A buddy had one of the Folding Sportsman models back in the Army. That was about 1973 and I still distinctly remember hefting it and thinking how nicely it balanced and fit the hand. That curved handle is just right.

Buck no longer makes the #500 Duke for some darn reason. "New in the box" ones are going for mucho dinero on ebay right now. I bought mine on ebay for dirt cheap - no sheath, blade scratched a bit but lock still tight - a few strokes on the ol' Lansky and it was sharp as anything.

Anyway - Buck still makes the #501 Squire which is a the next smaller size down from the Duke. Based on Stick's pictures it would be right about the same size as your Gerber Folding Sportsman and has the same drop point blade. Just thought I'd mention it as something you might want to look into.

Big Stick,



My "baby" is a kinda pedestrian Shrade LB5 that I've been carrying for 26-years. I've considered upgrading a few times, but then the tears blur my vision and I can't write the check.



I suppose that's a darn good reason to buy a first-rate folder in the first place.

Whatsa NIB Duke worth,as a curiousity? I might could have a few................