Choosing Classic Cutlery: The Great American Pocket Knife Part 5

 Buck 110 Lockback Hunter

    Jumping back 20 odd years from the Spyderco Worker, another iconic American knife appears on the scene. The Buck 110 was designed to fulfill a seemingly straightforward task: combine the portability of a pocket knife and make it tough enough to stand up to tough use for hunting, camping, etc.

I'd argue the only knife more recognizable than the 110 is the Swiss Army Knife

    This was, apparently, a fairly difficult task. Other companies had tried, resulting in an assortment of failed knives. Buck brought in samples of several of these knives and spent over a year examining, reengineering, and improving them before moving the knife into production.

    The key to the 110's success was developing a strong, precise, mass producible lock. While the lockback mechanism is pretty simple:

That tiny tension bar is killer

    No one had succeeded in creating one that was durable and easy to depress before. In the first half of the 20th century, knife locks were much less common than they are today, and often difficult to use/fragile (I have several knives from the 30s and 40s with broken locks). 

    Besides that (according to Buck) the other company's predecessors were ugly knives. The 110 is a looker. Nice wood grain handles set off by the brass bolsters. Something I think people overlook about it is also how comfortable it is to use. The lock is nice, but the basic hand feel is exceptional. I have a few other lockback hunters, and none of them hit that nice hefty curve the right way.

    Long story short, the Buck 110 made a locking pocket knife a mass production reality. It straddles the line between a dedicated hunting knife and an every day knife very effectively. It's designed for sheath carry, but it is pocketable (if a bit big). Buck does make some smaller models (the 112, scales it down from 4 7/8" closed to 4 1/4"). They also have some modernized variants with thumb studs, auto opening, light weight materials, POCKET CLIPS!, etc. It was one of the first specific models of knife (as opposed to a style or pattern) to be widely recognizable. Even today, a lot of people call any knife of the general style a "Buck knife" regardless of who manufactures them.

Rating:

Age: **** Not as old as the Stockman, but older than the LM and Spydie.

'Merica: ***** Made and designed in America, and illegal to carry in most of Europe.

Popularity: ***** Buck sells ~80,000 of these things a year. In the 1960s, it was the best selling sports knife in the world.

Total: ***** ***** **** 14/15

When I started, I wasn't really sure which one of the four designs I was looking at was going to win. I did all the scoring on Tuesday, and I marinated on it for a little while. I don't think I'd have moved the scores, but I would've been willing to say, "X won, but I really think Y is a more iconic knife." But I think the 110 is the right answer. Every locking hunting/every day carry knife out there today owes something to the 110, and that's an awful lot of knives. The Spydercos are the clear next step in the line, but you can see the Buck lineage in them. I hemmed and hawed over giving the LM a nod for a while, but I think more people carry Buck influenced pocket knives than do multitools.

Crowning Classic Cutlery: The Great American Knife Part 4

 Spyderco

    Shortly before the Leatherman PST revitalized and revolutionized the multitool field, Spyderco launched what I believe is the first "modern" folding knife. 

Top: Original C01 Worker
Bottom: C01GPGR Collectible Reproduction

Both from the Spyderco Forum

    Sal Glesser had successfully marketed a few devices previously (the "Portable Hand" for holding small objects while working and knife sharpeners). In 1981, he looked at the shortcomings of common folding knives and developed his own to solve then. While Spyderco has been a pioneer in everything from materials to lock designs over the years, two innovations on the original worker stood out in both modernizing the pocket knife, and creating the lineage of their products today.

1. The "spyie hole"- While not the first one hand opening knife, the hole design developed by Glesser was important for three reasons. First, it was integral to the the blade itself. Many previous designs were aftermarkets that were held in place by tension, drilled through the blade, etc. Second, it didn't interfere with sharpening, cutting large objects, etc. Thumb studs or bars were a popular, but could make it hard to use the "bottom" end of the blade, or get the proper angle.

Aftermarket "kwik" stud on a Buck 110, tomorrow's knife!
Imagine trying to slice an apple in half with that in the way.

    Finally, the simple, manual operation made the system easy to produce and maintain, while dodging laws against swtichblades or other automatic knives. 

2. Pocket Clip- Many people complained about knives falling to the bottoms of pockets; sitting uncomfortably, wearing holes in fabric, or just being a pain to access. The spring clip on the back of the Worker solves this handily, letting you easily secure it to the outside of your pocket (or belt or whatever). A straightforward invention, but one that has become a standard in the modern era. Unlike the relatively simple screw-stud above, I've seen people drill holes through knives or even spot weld on clips. People really want to have their knives secure and handy.

The closest modern descendant, in my mind, is the Delica. With the exception of the larger "Police" model, I believe the Delica (and its larger brother, the Endura) are the oldest designs still in production, albeit with significant revision.

The clip is repositionable now

    Both knives have the traditional clip and hole. While Spyderco has moved away from the Worker's clip point to a "leaf" shape, the Delica is still a bit on the slender side compared to some others. Both are similar sizes (just under 3" long blades, ~4" handle, ~7" while open). Glesser rightly identified this as big enough to get the job done, but small enough not to be a horrifying weapon. Most of the slip joints we looked at the other night are around this size range as well.

    While many Spyderco knives have shifted to more modern locks, the Delica maintains the traditional lock back mechanism. The original worker used a "front lock lock back", with the lock release all the way at the front of the knife. Most modern designs have moved to a more "mid lock" position. Both are easier to disengage with one hand than the traditional "back lock" position.

While the Leatherman revolutionized doing many things just well enough, Spyderco's knives tend to do just one thing (be an easy to carry and use pocket knife) very well. Opposites, but just as popular and valuable in their own way.

Rating:

Age: *** Another child of the early 80s.

'Merica: **** I'm knocking off a star since the Worker (and many Spyderco knives today) are made in Japan. Spyderco does most of their design work in the US, and does maintain a factory here, but the Japanese knives have always been a critical part of their line.

Popularity: ***** If a "modern" folder isn't a Spyderco, it's probably using one or more technologies pioneered by them. At a minimum the pocket clip is basically a given.

Total: ***** ***** ** 12/15

Tied with the slippies, that gives Leatherman the lead. Got a favorite modern folder? What's the biggest innovation in knife technology in your opinion?

Combining Classic Cutlery: The Great American Knife Part 3

 Candidate #2: (Leatherman) Multitools

While multitools in some form have existed as far back as Roman times, when people refer to them today they're usually referring to a pair of pliers with extra tools in the handles. 

From the Fitzwilliam Museum Collection

Yes, a Swiss Army Knife is definitely a multitool, as are all sorts of other configurations of screwdrivers, wrenches, etc., but Leatherman is to multitool like Kleenex is to tissues or Kindle is to Ereaders.

The first Leatherman, the PST (Pocket Survival Tool) was released in 1983. The story goes that Tim Leatherman and his wife were traveling in Europe in 1975. They were on a tight budget, so they were driving a beater car and staying in crappy hotels. Tim had a Swiss Army Knife (precise model never specified), but he often needed other tools (mostly pliers) to fix the car, plumbing, etc. He spent a few years working in his garage, and eventually developed the PST, selling it primarily through Cabela's catalog that first year.

It's like two Swiss Army Knives had a mutant plier baby.

The PST remained the core of Leatherman's lineup for nearly two decades. Today, it lives on in a "classic" styled line as the Bond, supplemented by the Supertool 300 (extra large with extra tools) and Rebar (PST sized, almost as many tools as the Supertool).

Leatherman has also introduced new lines over the years, most significantly the Wave, introduced in 1998. Most previous tools stowed the tools "inside" the handles, forcing you to unfold them to access a knife, screwdriver, etc. The Wave moved the four largest tools (two knives, a saw, and a file) to the outside for easier access. It quickly became Leatherman's best seller and flagship tool over 20 years.

The current Wave+ model

Currently, the Wave is battling with the new Free and Arc series for the top dog in Leatherman's lineup. Substantially more expensive, the Arc treads the line between premium tool and luxury toy, offering (depending on who you ask) little or not improvement for the price.

While Leatherman may be the first name in multitools, I'd be remiss not to mention two other American companies. First, Bear and Son, whose Bear Jaws tool debuted in 1996. A full two years before the Wave, and with all outside opening tools, instead of just half. While only moderately succesful on the market, the technology was innovative enough that the company was bought by Victorinox (the Swiss Army Knife guys) for a few years while they developed their own Swisstool.

Da bear

But Leatherman's greatest rival is fellow Portland company Gerber. Debuting in 1991 their Multi-Plier line eschews the "butterfly" opening of most Leathermans (Leathermen? Man, that joke never gets old) for a sliding plier action.

Today's MP600, the current revision of Gerber's original tool.

The slider allows for the pliers to be opened one handed, but limits the length of the inner tools substantially. Gerber was picked up as platform of choice for the US military, and developed a reputation for rugged, if unrefined tools. They've generally been less expensive than other company's offerings, while still maintaining a good level of quality. Their reputation has diminished somewhat in recent years, as their prices have climbed, along with some missteps in quality. It remains to be seen how far Leatherman will continue into the high end segment, and if Gerber can reclaim their "cheap but solid" niche. 

Rating:

Age: *** The oldest Leatherman design has crossed the 40 year mark, making it more than old enough for the criteria. It's about the same age as Spyderco's oldest knife, but falls well short of slipjoints and a bit short of the Buck.

'Merica: ***** I'll forgive Tim's European vacation here. Nearly all Leatherman products (and the good Gerbers) are designed and built in the USA.

Popularity: ***** While the venerable Swiss Army Knife marches on, Leatherman style tools are what most people think of when you say "multitool" and they find their way into the pockets and bags of people in all walks of life.

Total: ***** ***** *** 13/15

The slipjoints get edged out by a point! Still a little room at the top of the scale for Buck or Spyderco to win out though. Got a favorite Leatherman? A crazy multitool survival/fix-it story? Or are you still more of an old fashioned Swiss Army Knife person?

Casually Choosing Cutlery: The Great American Slipjoint

Yesterday, I started to narrow down my list of possible knives to represent the USA. After eliminating some largish fixed blades, I was left with the following list:

1. Slipjoints

2. Buck 110/Lockback Hunter

3. Leatherman/Pliers Multitool

4. Spyderco

Various Stockman patterns are popular suggestions online for The Great American Knife. A slipjoint is a knife that's held open/closed by the pressure from a "spring" (a piece of metal, but not the traditional coil shaped kind.)

Case has made all the knives I'll be looking at tonight.

Most other knives are either locking (using one of a variety of mechanisms) or "friction" folders (held open/closed by the user's hand). But I think it's important to pick a specific pattern of slipoint, because both Germany and the UK have a rich history of manufacturing slip joints and, especially with contemporary knife laws, carrying them. But, if a pattern is popular in America and developed (or significantly refined) here, it's eligible. As a reminder, the three criteria I'm looking at are:

1. Age: The older the better, minimum 20 years.

2. 'Merican: Was it developed in America? 

3. Popularity: It has to have been widely carried by Americans in all walks of life.

I've identified four patterns that could fit this criteria:

1. Stockman

The Case 6347 the archetypical Stockman.

There's some debate about whether this is a US or UK pattern, but it's a cowboy knife, so I'm inclined to give it a pass. It originated sometimes in the 1800s, making it (possibly) the oldest of the candidate knives. Certainly popular, this is the "grandpa knife."

Stockmans (Stockmen?) have three blades. A large clip point (the pointy one, all purpose) and smaller sheepsfoot (the flat one, for trimming hooves) and a spey (for speying cattle). Occasionally the third blade is replaced with a punch or other tool.

2. Trapper

The Casiest Case Knife

The Trapper is a refinement of popular two blade jack knives. Previously, most jack patterns (like the popular Barlow) had one larger "master" blade and a smaller secondary blade. But that's just a waste of space, so in the early 1900s either Case or Union Cutlery (the predecessor of KA-BAR) debuted the Trapper. Unlike the Stockman, where the blades other than the clip have to be scaled down, both the clip and spey are full length. This is inarguably American, reasonably old, and quite popular. 

3. Congress

The pocket knife Abraham Lincoln was carrying when he was shot

The Abe Lincoln assassination knife is pretty American. The Congress's pedigree is similar to the Stockman's being maybe American or maybe British. The more reliable sources seem to lean American, and either way it originated in the 1800s. The most popular configuration contains four blades, and always leads with a large sheepsfoot. This is usually followed by at least one pen blade (a small pointy blade for sharpening quills), a coping blade (similar to a sheepsfoot but smaller and more angular for wood working) and a second large blade. A second sheepsfoot is popular, but not guaranteed. The Congress knife is sometimes called a tobacco knife, since it was often used to trim tobacco for sampling. It's bent "backwards" compared to most knives, to make it easy to make "pull" cuts towards the user.

It doesn't quite have the popularity to be the Great American Knife, never being as popular as the Stockman or Trapper, and largely limited to the southern (tobacco) knives for most of its history. Cool knife though.

Eugene Shadley made this Congress with an impressive six blades, including a nail file/cleaner, supposedly based on Lincoln's knife.

 

4. Russlock

In true American fashion, the Russlock isn't really a slipjoint. But what's more American than taking something old fashioned and making it cooler?

Rounding out the list tonight, here's something a little revolutionary. Case's Russlock debuted in 2000, making it barely old enough for the criteria. It's not really a slipjoint, it has a liner lock (a piece of metal on the inside that holds the blade open) but the slipjoint style in undeniable. The little lever under the thumb in the picture above allows one handed opening (impossible with most traditional slipjoints). It was developed by WR Case & Sons Cutlery in Bradford, PA, loosely based on one of their older patterns. Like the Congress, I think this one has to give out to the Stockman and Trapper simply for being a niche knife. It's sort of modern and sort of traditional in a way that's very American, but not very popular. 

I went back and forth between the Stockman and the Trapper a bunch. In the end, I think I give a slight nod to the Stockman. While it's not confirmed American like the Trapper, I think it's a bit more popular, and the fact that it's a rootin' tootin' cowboy knife gives it some extra Americana.

Stockman Score:

Age: ***** The oldest knife in the lineup.

'Merican: **** Probably American, very cowboy.

Popularity: *** Probably the most popular slipjoint pattern, but somewhat pushed out today by other more modern knives.

Total: ***** ****** ** 12/15

Will the Buck, Leatherman, or Spidey beat it out? Got a favorite slipjoint pattern? Let me know!

Collating Classic Cutlery! The search for the great American knife

Besides reading the classics and complaining about Star Wars tie-in novels, I like to collect knives. It started as a mix of my dad being into them, and a practical matter for camping, but it's gotten a bit out of hand. Many countries have a knife that's deeply associated with them in the knife collector community. 

The Filipino Balisong:

Thanks reddit

The French Opinel (or maybe a Douk Douk or Laguiole):

I prefer the #7

The Italian Stiletto:

I have one that's like half the size (Frank B)

The Swiss Army Knife

Betcha can't pick just one Victorinox

But I got to thinking, what's the "classic" knife for the US?  It's fun to collect some knives from my great grandparents' countries, but what represents me as a modern, red blooded, American mutt?

The internet (as always) is happy to weigh in with a few options. 

KA-BARs and Bowies:

Assorted Slipjoints:

Case Knives

Even Multitools!

Buck Knives (Lockback Hunters)

I have feelings about some of these, but I think the it's important to think about what traits a knife needs to be a countries "classic" knife. I'd list the following:

1. Age: A classic is at least 20 years old. Sorry, Bugout fans.

2. Originates in (or at least substantially developed in) the country: I see Scout/Camper patterns listed as the American knife in some places, but they're clearly very European.

3. Popular and widely carried: It can't really be representative of a country unless people in that country actually liked and used it. It can't just be a military weapon or a part of ceremonial dress or something. It had to be a knife that could wind up on the belt, pocket, or bag of soldiers, farmers, doctors, shopkeepers, factory workers, and everyone in between, at work or on a day off.

And one thing that isn't necessary:

-1. A specific knife: There's no specific company that makes the stiletto, and while the #8 is the most popular Opinel, I wouldn't call someone any less French for liking a #6 or #10. So I'm willing to go with a pretty broad interpretation of style or pattern.

Using those criteria, I think I can eliminate a few of the commonly suggested knives above, and also add one of my own.

Eliminated: Bowie Knives- At no point in US history was it common (though it is very 'Merica) in most of the country to walk around with what was nearly a short sword on your hip. While you can buy smaller ones today (though some people would say it's not a real Bowie then) the traditional Bowie knife had a blade around 10 inches, plus a honkin' big guard. Besides being widely restricted or outright outlawed, they just weren't practical.

Try going to work with this thing.

The KA-BAR is a bit smaller (blade length 5"-7"), but the model most people, the Mark II

IT'S A SPACE BAR!

wasn't invented until the 40s, well past the time you could even pretend that carrying a belt knife around all the time was plausible.

That leaves me between trying to find the real American slipjoint pattern, Buck 110s (and derivatives), and Leatherman style multitools. But I want to consider one more option:

Spyderco!

Spyderco debuted their first knife in 1981. 20+ years old? Check.

Invented and made in America? Golden, Colorado, baby. Pioneering the OHO thumb hole, integrated pocket clip, and probably a bunch of other features.

Popular: Multiple entries on Amazon's top 50 pocket knife charts.

A lot newer than the others, but I think it's a contender.

Final Reflection: How'd it go?

I wish I'd done these reflections in a more organized way. I've talked about what I learned, an overall rating of the selections, what I liked and didn't like, etc. But I think I want to do one more post about how successful I feel like the whole thing was. I'll also talk a little about how well I think Eliot did about achieving his goals. Here's the official goal from the 15MAD guide:

My aim was not to select the best fifty, or best hundred, books in the world, but to give, in twenty-three thousand pages or thereabouts, a picture of the progress of the human race within historical times, so far as that progress can be depicted in books. The purpose of The Harvard Classics is, therefore, one different from that of collections in which the editor's aim has been to select a number of best books; it is nothing less than the purpose to present so ample and characteristic a record of the stream of the world's thought that the observant reader's mind shall be enriched, refined and fertilized. Within the limits of fifty volumes, containing about twenty-three thousand pages, my task was to provide the means of obtaining such knowledge of ancient and modern literature as seemed essential to the twentieth-century idea of a cultivated man. The best acquisition of a cultivated man is a liberal frame of mind or way of thinking; but there must be added to that possession acquaintance with the prodigious store of recorded discoveries, experiences, and reflections which humanity in its intermittent and irregular progress from barbarism to civilization has acquired and laid up.

Within the segments I read, it's hard to trace an exact "picture of the progress of the human race" since we jumped around so much. I think, overall, he does a pretty good job of tracing a good breadth over a couple thousands years. People have already written about a million times that the collection is fairly white, male, etc. I'm not going to say that isn't true (it is), but I am going to say that, yeah, that's most of what would've been available at that point for a collection. Translations for anything outside of Europe were nearly non-existent and (as we saw in a few places) of questionable quality (he was also working with, as far as I can tell, mostly public domain or at least cheaply reprintable sources). The fact that he devotes in an entire volume for 1001 Nights is pretty progressive for the time. I do quibble with some of his selections in 15MAD for the Quran (which feels very focused on comparing it to the Bible). The lack of women is a bit less reasonable. There weren't as many (or as famous) women writers back then, but I'm pretty sure I could count the total number of women on one hand (maybe two if you add translators of men's works). Still, I think these critiques are better focused on the literary culture of the time than on Eliot himself. Also, where's Russia? I know it's not Western, but I don't think there's even a single poem in here.

The second goal, specifically of 15MAD was:

    In my opinion, a five-foot shelf would hold books enough to give a liberal education to any one who would read them with devotion, even if he could spare but fifteen minutes a day for reading.

 And I think that dovetails nicely with my goals for the project. I've talked a little about how I felt letdown by my education in regards to a lot of the traditional "liberal education" stuff. I took one completely awful class in Philosophy, and the vast majority of my professors were firmly in the "teach you what to think, not how to think" category (when they could be bothered to teach instead of rambling about how much they hated everything, how dumb we all were, etc.). I had a lot of friends who went to private schools, and I think I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder that they seemed to have gotten further on the classics, philosophy, etc. in high school than I did in college, let alone high school. T5FSOB and 15MAD seemed like a good first step, if nothing else, to giving myself the education I wish I'd gotten a decade or two ago.

So, how did the project stack up there? Pretty well, I think. I've written before about how I'd never really been exposed to philosophy that thinks life actually can have a point. I've got a nice long reading list that I've started to chip away at, and I've started looking at podcasts and other secondary sources.

I think I've gained a more positive world view in general. All of human history isn't a complete shitshow of everything being terrible all the time, getting marginally better very occasionally, and then backsliding just as far! People, aren't entirely defined by the situation of their birth, and can choose to improve themselves. I think I knew most of those things, but it was nice to peak into an organized world view that supported it, instead of the constant barrage of everything being terrible all the time that was most of my education (and much of modern discourse).

And I think that brings me into the biggest success of the project, which is just a general improvement in self confidence. I can devote myself to a project like this, and keep it up for a whole year. I can read all of these challenging texts and mostly understand them. I read the US Constitution today because of the inauguration. It was kind of awkard in spots. "Chuse" was a valid spelling for "choose" then. But I was able to do it. I can read stuff, think about it, and make myself a better person. 

If that's not worth 15 Minutes A Day, I don't know what is.

Star Wars Classics still exists

 I'm kind of tempted to roll it back into this blog again. I'm enjoying trying to keep my streak going, and SWC would be a way to milk another post a week. Just in case anyone doesn't know about it, I have another blog where I read the pre-Disney (and maybe some post-Disney?, I'm like two decades away still) Star Wars novels (and a few of the games, comics, etc.) It's over here, and I'm about to put up a new post.