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bill ace 350

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
Dec 28, 2013
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KA-BAR 1189 Stainless.

Mom and dad gave it to me Christmas 1978 or 1979.

Carried it 21 years in the U.S. Army.

Lots of sentimental value.
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I cant pick a favorite, but I DO have a Buck 110 similar to that Ka Bar. Bought it 41 years ago in Japan. Yep, new job that involved working at sea and learned you needed a knife on your side all the time, if not just for cutting yourself out of a bind if you got between something going overboard and the rope attached to it, but there was also a lot of other "rope play" in that job at sea.

So I'm at this Japanese knife store. Obviously some real nice knives there, the Japanese are some of the best at them (at least were, that society has really softened up in the last few decades). The imported American Buck was the least expensive of them all! So I traveled to Japan, only to buy an American lockblade and bring it back here!

These are my most used cooking and carving knives though. Some need a little barkeeps friend cleaning but speaking of Japanese, that black handled carver just to the right of the stainless ruler came out of a BBQ set I inherited from and uncle. It's a very thin blade and I thought it was junk, that it was a cheap "retirement" gift set. Turns out to be one of the best carving knives I've ever had. The set was made in Japan, probably in the 60's.

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Boy, is that a tough question. This is my Grandfather's hunting knife, I had it for 30 years, then a year ago I passed it along to my cousin's son as a keepsake from his Great Grandfather.
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This butcher knife belonged to my Grandmother and I still use it on occasion.
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An odd favorite is this knife set. I take it along when we go to parties, or a pot luck or camping. It's nice to have something that you know is sharp.
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Boy, is that a tough question. This is my Grandfather's hunting knife, I had it for 30 years, then a year ago I passed it along to my cousin's son as a keepsake from his Great Grandfather.
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This butcher knife belonged to my Grandmother and I still use it on occasion.
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An odd favorite is this knife set. I take it along when we go to parties, or a pot luck or camping. It's nice to have something that you know is sharp.
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I have that Kershaw set, too. Must be 40 years old. Really convenient at deer camp back in the day...
 
I lost my favorite one - AGAIN

I've now resorted to buying hi visibility pocket knives. I learned this lesson many moons ago on having hi-vis knives on a boat at night but never applied it to what I stick in my pocket. I've been hung up on dark pocket knives since I was a kid.

So now I carry this one. I ain't crazy about it because I don't like assisted opening but I'm getting used to it. The blade is also very thin, but it does come with a lifetime warranty and Kershaw considers broken blades coverable as long as you tell them it snapped cutting a plastic band.... I love that I can see the damn thing though.

One of these days the pocketknife fae that has been stealing my pocket knives for the last 40 years will retire and return all of them to me and then I will open a pocket knife store.

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I lost my favorite one - AGAIN

I've now resorted to buying hi visibility pocket knives. I learned this lesson many moons ago on having hi-vis knives on a boat at night but never applied it to what I stick in my pocket. I've been hung up on dark pocket knives since I was a kid.

So now I carry this one. I ain't crazy about it because I don't like assisted opening but I'm getting used to it. The blade is also very thin, but it does come with a lifetime warranty and Kershaw considers broken blades coverable as long as you tell them it snapped cutting a plastic band.... I love that I can see the damn thing though.

One of these days the pocketknife fae that has been stealing my pocket knives for the last 40 years will retire and return all of them to me and then I will open a pocket knife store.

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I am also a fan of the Kershaw Ken Onion "Leek" knife. I would be hard pressed to call it my favorite knife, but it is the one I carry every day and it is one of many that all have a specialized purpose around the house.
I attached a high visibility para-cord lanyard to mine to help make it easier to spot if it is dropped in the weeds.
The point on these is scary-sharp and I am still working on how to avoid it. This is also my second one after losing the first.

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Been carrying a Leatherman for 25yrs basically, since I was a younger kid I always was messing with pocket knives a day doesn't seem to go by where I don't use my Leatherman as long as it's in my pocket.
Don't know if I have a "favorite" knife at the moment but I got various knives that are used for different tasks. Currently my favorite setup for hunting is the Havalon Talon that has different blades that you can interchange, kind of like the old set of thirdeye thirdeye , they aren't the surgical blades like you are thinking more like regular blades that can be sharpened.
 
Carried a pocket knife most of life
Old enough that I didn’t get in trouble having one at school
Also got complemented by TSA agents on nice knife
I am also a fan of the Kershaw Ken Onion "Leek" knife. I would be hard pressed to call it my favorite knife, but it is the one I carry every day
Once I got used to the knife it is my favorite. The open assist is invaluable to a person with one hand holding or greasy
 
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When the earlier Havalon folding knives came out I had to check them out. The Talon system looks like a big step up.

These knives with the replaceable inserts look like they have a lot going for them.

One concern I have is the physical robustness for tougher jobs where downward pressure is required to go through ligaments or tendons of a deer joint or similar task.

Do you have any reservations about using these knives for that type of task?
 
KA-BAR 1189 Stainless.

Mom and dad gave it to me Christmas 1978 or 1979.

Carried it 21 years in the U.S. Army.

Lots of sentimental value.View attachment 724221

I have an old buck that carried me through my apprenticeship as an electrician. I bought it in 1978.

It’s been in the drawer for awhile. I need to clean it up. As you can tell it’s been sharped a few times.

IMG_1483.jpeg
 
View attachment 724273
When the earlier Havalon folding knives came out I had to check them out. The Talon system looks like a big step up.
It actually packs up really nice in a pouch that has individual slots for the handle and various blades. I like the sturdier blades for the big work like splitting rib cages and jointing and then just swap the blade to the filet style for trimming and removing backstraps on deer. Turkey, pheasant I just grab the filet blade. I also like that it has a little bigger handle and a touch up on a steel and a few runs on a leather strop and ready to go again
 
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I have an old buck that carried me through my apprenticeship as an electrician. I bought it in 1978.

It’s been in the drawer for awhile. I need to clean it up. As you can tell it’s been sharped a few times.

View attachment 724274
Looks like a Buck 110. Probably the most popular knife Buck ever made and the one that put Hoyt Buck on the map. First made in 1964. If the blade is stamped "BUCK 110, USA", it was made between 1972-1986...
 
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I don't go anywhere without this knife in my pocket. The vintage Uncle Henry is a perfect daily carry for me. I've used it thousands of time for all kinds of things. My wife gave it to me a million years ago for my birthday.

About 10 years ago it went missing, a year past and it never showed up. One summer I was up at our land working on something, I don't recall what, but as I stood under a tree for a break I just happened to look down at my feet and there it was! It had been laying on the ground in the forest for over a year. It had some damage but carring it every day since with keys and change it cleaned up nicely. Still a little corrosion on the back.

Schrade+ 897UH Uncle Henry USA

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I have a little pen knife that belonged to my grandfather. He was born around 1900, I think. He joined the army and managed to get to France just before the Armistice in 1918.
I'd share a pic, but it's packed away somewhere. About 2-1/2" closed. Something every kid carried back then, and no one thought anything of it.

What I do have pics of is my Shun 6" Chef's knife. I loved this so much, I bought 2 more for my best friends. One of whom, dropped it the first week, narrowly missing his foot, and broke off the tip. That earned him a smack on the back of the head, from his wife.

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Carried a pocket knife most of life
Old enough that I didn’t get in trouble having one at school
Also got complemented by TSA agents on nice knife

Once I got used to the knife it is my favorite. The open assist is invaluable to a person with one hand holding or greasy
That was certainly back in the day. When I traveled, they allowed my Buck 110 and my own mini bottles of liquor in my briefcase! We flew once after 911...avoid it like the plague now.

My SOG is a spring assist. It WAS hard to get used to it because all my life since a teenager I have been skilled at opening a regular lockblade with one hand...behind my back...silently...
I have an old buck that carried me through my apprenticeship as an electrician. I bought it in 1978.

It’s been in the drawer for awhile. I need to clean it up. As you can tell it’s been sharped a few times.

View attachment 724274
Looks a lot like mine. See below.
Looks like a Buck 110. Probably the most popular knife Buck ever made and the one that put Hoyt Buck on the map. First made in 1964. If the blade is stamped "BUCK 110, USA", it was made between 1972-1986...
Got mine about 1985, so that makes sense.
I don't go anywhere without this knife in my pocket. The vintage Uncle Henry is a perfect daily carry for me. I've used it thousands of time for all kinds of things. My wife gave it to me a million years ago for my birthday.

About 10 years ago it went missing, a year past and it never showed up. One summer I was up at our land working on something, I don't recall what, but as I stood under a tree for a break I just happened to look down at my feet and there it was! It had been laying on the ground in the forest for over a year. It had some damage but carring it every day since with keys and change it cleaned up nicely. Still a little corrosion on the back.

Schrade+ 897UH Uncle Henry USA

View attachment 724288
Very cool story. Life is cool like that sometimes.

Here is my Buck 110. They shipped it all the way to Okinawa only to have me buy it and bring it back to America!
Buck 110.jpg

Sometimes I carry this SOG tactical. Mostly for self defense along with my Keltec .380 pocket pistol. The little slot is a cordage cutter when the knife is closed...dont think I've actually used that!

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I carry this little knife in my pocket with my keys. I use it more for dining out than anything! If you are lucky enough to get a knife at a restaurant, its usually as dull as a butter knife. And Asian places seldom cut the food small enough for my preference. I dont want broccoli so big it totally fills my mouth! They probably dont like me using it though, I think a knife at the table is considered and act of aggression in some Asian cultures...but sorry, I do as I please for my most comfort!
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One concern I have is the physical robustness for tougher jobs where downward pressure is required to go through ligaments or tendons of a deer joint or similar task.

Do you have any reservations about using these knives for that type of task?
Well I wouldn't use a rock to pound it through a deer pelvis, but the sharpness makes up for the lightweight feel of the models I have. The Talon series looks more heavy duty.
 
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