What are your favourite pocket knives?

  • Hey Guest, We're having our annual Winter Moot and we'd love you to come. PLEASE LOOK HERE to secure your place and get more information.
    For forum threads CLICK HERE
I think LionSteel and Jack Wolf have done a lot to bridge the gap between traditional and modern. I mean, if you can’t find a Jack Wolf you covet, something’s wrong.

I'm really into the modern traditional knives. My Lionsteel Dom is a favourite.
Those Midnight Jacks in Micarta are nice.
 
My go to EDC carry is my trusty Swiss Army Knife, specifically the "Tinker" model.

My ethos with anything I carry all the time is that I only carry stuff I actually make use of and the Tinker perfectly meets that specification.

I use the larger blade for most cutting/slicing jobs and like to keep the smaller blade super sharp for when needed. The flathead and Philips screwdrivers get constant use, even around the house doing little bits like tightening light switch screws and scraping. The awl is probably the least used tool and I could probably do without it.

I do own a Leatherman Sidekick which is brilliant as a set of pliars but the locking blades prevent it being something I carry with me and in all honesty I find most of the tools a bit of a pain to get to.
 
Thought it was time to rotate the user for a while, so grabbed my Sanrenmu 785.

Very slicey with it's hollow grind, just wish they had made one or something very similar as a slip joint as i love the overall feel of it and the blade shape suits me down to the ground.

53505836526_94bee5d319_z.jpg
 
Thought it was time to rotate the user for a while, so grabbed my Sanrenmu 785.

Very slicey with it's hollow grind, just wish they had made one or something very similar as a slip joint as i love the overall feel of it and the blade shape suits me down to the ground.

53505836526_94bee5d319_z.jpg
I like that - pointy!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kepis
I absolutely love the Zipslip but I must warn you, This is the second Zipslip I have had, and on both of them, the metal tab that acts as a spring to to keep the blade open (not lock) snapped. The first one I had the knife replaced and decided to upgrade to the Titanium version and when it snapped on the Titanium version, Heinnie were not interested in helping me out because it was over 12 months and told me to go speak to Kizer myself.

This was slightly disappointing as Heinnie are local to me and I have bought a fair amount from them.

The spring bar on the kizer Zipslip snapping is a known common fault. I really need to contact Kizer but I just haven't got around to doing so yet.
 
I absolutely love the Zipslip but I must warn you, This is the second Zipslip I have had, and on both of them, the metal tab that acts as a spring to to keep the blade open (not lock) snapped. The first one I had the knife replaced and decided to upgrade to the Titanium version and when it snapped on the Titanium version, Heinnie were not interested in helping me out because it was over 12 months and told me to go speak to Kizer myself.

This was slightly disappointing as Heinnie are local to me and I have bought a fair amount from them.

The spring bar on the kizer Zipslip snapping is a known common fault. I really need to contact Kizer but I just haven't got around to doing so yet.
That's an interesting warning, thank you. Does it look like the tab could be replaced with something more durable or is it too integral to the knife? (Not sure if the tab is on the blade or the handle).
 
No, the tab can certainly be replaced. It's basically a thin, flat piece of metal about 30mm long with a slight bend in it which acts as a spring.

I'm hoping that Kizer will send me one, or a few. Alternatively, I will fix myself. I have a milling machine at home if required. It's just finding the suitable material and then probably some sort of heat treatment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Knightjar
Talking about for daily pocket carry, so folding and sub 3". What do you carry on a daily basis? Do you own any which you thought would be great but end up stashed in the drawer more often than not? I am sure we all have different preferences here when it comes to what we pick up on the day to day, but here are mine:

- Easy enough to hold in large-ish hands
- One handed opener (this is incredibly important to me, otherwise I'd probably have some SAKs in the mix)
- Must be one I want to use and not just look at

From left to right and from newest to oldest purchase:

1. Fox Baby Core
2. Kizer Cat Shark
3. Viper Dan 1
4. Boxer Plus XS (Heinnie)
5. SOG Terminus
6. Spyderco UKPK Drop Point

In terms of which ones I use the most, the order from 'most often carried' to 'least often carried' would be:

1. Fox Baby Core
Thoughts: It is very clearly within legal limits without question. Easy single handed open, nice blade, whilst small it is easy to hold safely and it feels robust enough to be a work horse. I also enjoy the look of it. Very light.

2. Spyderco UKPK Drop Point
Great knife. I bought the Drop Point because the standard one was out of stock, if I'm honest I'd probably prefer the standard. It's still a great knife though, keeps a good edge, large enough to be held safely and comfortably and it doesn't feel too pretty to bash around.

3. Boker Plus XS
This used to be my primary most used knife. It feels like it's built like a tank and shares all the positives of the Spyderco, just slightly heavier. The only thing that has dropped this down the list is the questionable 'how do the police measure blade length', because tip-to-handle this measures in just slightly over 3" and I don't want to risk it, even though the cutting edge is below 3". Shame, as this feels like it's bomb proof and I don't mind putting it to any task.

4. Kizer Cat Shark
A bit too easy to close and a bit too small for my hand. It is well designed in so far as for its size, it's surprisingly easy to hold with larger hands, but it's just *slightly* too small. That combined with the ease with which it folds closed bumps it down the list. I do not mind battering it though.

5. Viper Dan 1
A very nice looking knife and feels well made. I really like owning it, but do not find myself carrying it very often for two main reasons. Firstly, it is a bit too pretty for me to be willing to bash it about the place. Secondly, it is slightly less convenient to open one handed than the knives above. It is doable for sure, but it's a bit more fiddly and because it's so sharp, would not be too difficult to have an accident with.

6. SOG Terminus
This feels pretty bomb proof and I like the look of it, although might be a bit unfriendly looking for the more sensitive people out and about. It feels the least like a 'folding' knife, as in once it's open it is not too easy to fold. Comfortable to hold, looks nice and I have no issues battering it about the place. The only real thing which stops me carrying this is that it needs two hands to open. I might just fit a thumb stud to it, as it'd fall into my more regular daily rotation and probably go up to position 3 or 4 on the list.

What does everyone else have?
 
I have 2 in regular back pocket rotation, a Spyderco UKPK lc200n and a Northfield 39 elderberry camel bone.

I have a peasant svord that I thought I’d carry more but it sits in the drawer. I think it’s the plastic scales it comes with.
 
Time for the Antonini Old Bear to come back out.

I used this daily for nigh on two years until the SAK's came back into my favour, lovely little pocket knife that made my Opinels redundant.

I much prefer the locking mechanism on this to the Opinel, which i always found would loosen fairly quickly when using the knife, this one though stays rock solid, at first i thought the lock would be quite irritating as it protrudes from the handle, but in reality, you don't even notice it.

53520128456_cd2c6b4461_c.jpg
 
At the moment my edc is a Victorinox Climber silver tech worn in a leather victorinox belt sheath and a Heinnie Haynes Penfold in a leather slip case in my pocket in case I need a slightly stronger blade for a bigger cutting task.

The Climber and pouch was a gift from my wife for our 15th wedding anniversary and is engraved with my name on the scale and our wedding date on the blade, I use a Victorinox everyday and am always needing one of the tools on it and have carried a few different types over the years, I probably find the scissors, blades and flathead screwdriver the most used tools along with the tweezers.
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE