What Traditional Knife are you toting today?

SteveC · **Reply #35670 on:** July 12, 2022, 01:02:08 AM

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Gareth · **Reply #35671 on:** July 12, 2022, 01:25:09 AM

Two classy looking knives there Steve.

BPRoberts · **Reply #35672 on:** July 12, 2022, 01:54:23 AM

Aloha linked me over here, after graciously helping to identify a TL-29. Can someone clue me in on what makes a knife traditional? Is it just age? The style/materials? Number/type of tools (if it has anything besides a blade?)

Farmer X · **Reply #35673 on:** July 12, 2022, 02:41:47 AM

Quote from: BPRoberts on July 12, 2022, 01:54:23 AM

Can someone clue me in on what makes a knife traditional?

For the most part, it's the pattern. Gareth asserted in the currently running Dean challenge that construction (i.e. pins, not screws) is also a factor, and I agree. I would add that if a knife has a flipper tab, I do not consider it a traditional. Traditional knives can have any number and type of blades. Some with tools other than blades, such as camp/scout knives and your TL-29, are also considered traditionals. I hope that's been of some help.

BPRoberts · **Reply #35674 on:** July 12, 2022, 03:25:41 AM

So any scout pattern (even a relatively modern one like a Vic Pioneer, or even a Farmer?) would count as traditional?

SteveC · **Reply #35675 on:** July 12, 2022, 05:34:13 AM

Quote from: BPRoberts on July 12, 2022, 03:25:41 AM

So any scout pattern (even a relatively modern one like a Vic Pioneer, or even a Farmer?) would count as traditional?

Yes but not for this thread or the traditional challenge as they get enough exposure in the SAK Forum.

nate j · **Reply #35676 on:** July 12, 2022, 07:56:07 AM

Quote from: BPRoberts on July 12, 2022, 01:54:23 AM

Aloha linked me over here, after graciously helping to identify a TL-29. Can someone clue me in on what makes a knife traditional? Is it just age? The style/materials? Number/type of tools (if it has anything besides a blade?)

I don’t think there is necessarily one definition that everyone agrees on.

It is not age, as a knife manufactured today can still be traditional.

I would agree with Farmer X that it is primarily the pattern/style that make a knife traditional.

Materials are an interesting question. I think most would agree that the blade(s) could be made of the latest stainless super steel and a knife could be still be considered traditional as long as it looked the part. When it comes to handles, I personally feel that only knives with traditional handle materials qualify, and that knives with more modern handle materials (e.g. carbon fiber, G-10) are more properly classified as modern traditionals, if they are traditional patterns.

As Farmer X notes, a traditional knife may have multiple blades, and may have some non-knife tools as well. However, certain tools, such as a Phillips screwdriver, mark a knife as not traditional.

If you’re asking for challenge purposes, it is best to check with whoever is running the challenge.

Again, just my humble opinion, but my general rule of thumb is that if it looks like a knife that your forebearers might have carried and used prior to WWII, then it is probably a traditional knife. If it fails this little thought experiment for one reason or another, it is probably not a traditional knife.

BPRoberts · **Reply #35677 on:** July 12, 2022, 12:32:57 PM

Good to know. Not gunning for any challenges at the moment, but I'll keep an eye out for one. Always fun to try something different. Thanks for the info, everyone!

Gareth · **Reply #35678 on:** July 12, 2022, 01:13:58 PM

Yeah, it's a subject that can get a little fuzzy around the edges. As Farmer X says; I think pinned (not screwed) construction is important. In fact I think this is where SAKs fall short.
Not that they are screwed together mind you, but they're method of attaching the covers is definitely not traditional.

Other than that I think thumb studs and the like aren't "traditional" and a pocket clip is off limits too.

SteveC · **Reply #35679 on:** July 12, 2022, 01:43:27 PM

Quote from: nate j on July 12, 2022, 07:56:07 AM

I don’t think there is necessarily one definition that everyone agrees on.

It is not age, as a knife manufactured today can still be traditional.

I would agree with Farmer X that it is primarily the pattern/style that make a knife traditional.

Materials are an interesting question. I think most would agree that the blade(s) could be made of the latest stainless super steel and a knife could be still be considered traditional as long as it looked the part. When it comes to handles, I personally feel that only knives with traditional handle materials qualify, and that knives with more modern handle materials (e.g. carbon fiber, G-10) are more properly classified as modern traditionals, if they are traditional patterns.

As Farmer X notes, a traditional knife may have multiple blades, and may have some non-knife tools as well. However, certain tools, such as a Phillips screwdriver, mark a knife as not traditional.

If you’re asking for challenge purposes, it is best to check with whoever is running the challenge.

Again, just my humble opinion, but my general rule of thumb is that if it looks like a knife that your forebearers might have carried and used prior to WWII, then it is probably a traditional knife. If it fails this little thought experiment for one reason or another, it is probably not a traditional knife.

WW2 10th mountain division knife had a phillips

In general if it has thumb studs and a pocket clip probably not a traditional pocket knife. Cover materials don't really come into play either as synthetic handle covers have been used since before WW2.

David · **Reply #35680 on:** July 13, 2022, 01:26:47 AM

Sheffield steel today. William Rodgers Lambsfoot and a IXL Jacknife. Remember to "Oil The Joints"

SteveC · **Reply #35681 on:** July 13, 2022, 01:29:41 AM

SteveC · **Reply #35682 on:** July 13, 2022, 01:29:56 AM

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Gareth · **Reply #35683 on:** July 13, 2022, 01:35:33 AM

Quote from: David on July 13, 2022, 01:26:47 AM

Sheffield steel today. William Rodgers Lambsfoot and a IXL Jacknife. Remember to "Oil The Joints"

Fantastic couple there David.

Farmer X · **Reply #35684 on:** July 13, 2022, 05:15:17 AM

Nice ones, David and Steve!

I would agree that a pocket clip does not a traditional knife make. Yes, you can find traditional patterns with pocket clips, but they look horribly out of place to me.

nate j · **Reply #35685 on:** July 13, 2022, 07:35:38 AM

Quote from: SteveC on July 12, 2022, 01:43:27 PM

WW2 10th mountain division knife had a phillips

What a cool piece!

They were certainly early adopters. The Phillips screw would have only been invented in 1932, and dedicated Phillips drivers wouldn’t appear on SAKs until the 1950s.

SteveC · **Reply #35686 on:** July 13, 2022, 01:49:05 PM

Quote from: nate j on July 13, 2022, 07:35:38 AM

What a cool piece!

They were certainly early adopters. The Phillips screw would have only been invented in 1932, and dedicated Phillips drivers wouldn’t appear on SAKs until the 1950s.

It was the first knife to have a phillips. The bindings on their skis had phillips screws hence the need for one on their knife..