20 best knives ever made

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Some good ones there for sure like Randall, Lake and Loveless. I'd probably change a few but I don't know every knife ever made. I do believe my own knives should have been listed 3rd, 6th and 12th. :D
 
The only issues I have with that list are the exclusion of a regular Scandinavian style knife and the inclusion of the Swiss Champ.
 
I know the knives listed are all great knives or have been significant historically. I don't think I'm qualified to challenge the list with my own list, but most of those knives would not be on my list. My list would concentrate on pocket knives and not fixed blades. Pocket knives get used, fixed blades sit around and look pretty. What about Bill Moran? Hebben? My top knife would probably be a Case Stockman. Uncle Henry, definitely. The Old Timer would be in the top 10. The Buck 110 would be in the top 10. Yes to the Randall. Swiss Army knife, yes. Lovelass, sure. Busse, no way; too new. Knives of Alaska might make my top 50. They must advertise in Field & Stream. :)
 
Thats what I was thinking about today aswell, what are fixed blades used for? does anybody carry one daily? Aren't they a little big to carry?
 
Actually I was thinking folders shouldn't be on the list! It wasn't "20 Knives that get used the most" which would probably be kitchen knives but the 20 best. Just about all my picks would be handmades except for the SAK and maybe the 110. And maybe a Case. Argh!
 
The only issues I have with that list are the exclusion of a regular Scandinavian style knife and the inclusion of the Swiss Champ.
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Well, there are so many Swiss Army models that really they should have just said "Victorinox Swiss Army knife".....it's my favorite kind of knife, the most handy for my own purposes and of exceedingly high quality. I own a champ but usually carry my new CyberTool, Explorer, or Farmer. No list really could be complete without a nod of some sort to SAKs.

Overall, pretty good list.
 
Heck, the guy is just showing off his post WWII collection. Shill gunwriters do this all the time, basically pumping up the value of what he owns.

Now some of those are very significant knives.

I might have tossed in an abalone shell handled, San Fransico Bowie, made by Michael Price if it was my list. Maybe a modern Morseth Cascade Hunter. And the guy has totally ignored the Green River knives.

I do think the Swiss Army Knife, Bo Randall, the Buck 110, the leatherman, had very significant impacts on the evolution of knives.

The rest, well, lesser impacts. And the majority of his knives, just things he owns.
 
the best knife ever made is the one you always reach for and stuff into your pocket/bag/sheath before you head out the door. all of those knives listed are no doubt fine blades, but the whole "best knife" thing is pretty much subjective. some other joe might think emerson karambits, benchmade balisongs, spyderco enduras, and microtech HALOs are the best ever. i say, whatever you trust and love.
 
Like everyone else, I enjoy articles like "The Best Year Mustang?" or things like, "If You Only Had One Gun."

I like reading them, and it makes me think. The problem for me becomes how can I answer the question honestly. Which is better? Lile or Loveless? Yikes, I love them both.

And who's to say that my criteria is best? For me, things have to work. Things like tough denim jeans, bright SureFires, Emerson folders, V-Twin engines, WigWam socks. And yet I still turn my head listening to the howl of a Lambo Diablo.

Best twenty, eh? Okay, here goes. Two are Loveless, three are Emerson, two are Graham, one is Puma, two are Microtech, two are from Greek and Roman antiquities (a gladius and a xiphos), one is Lile, one is Kabar, and the remaining are an historic smattering of European automatic stilettos.

My choices are the result of when innovation changed the course of design and the quality of human life.
 
I subscribe so I read it a few weeks ago. You gotta hand it to Petzal. He can be a very opinionated writer. From slapping triggers on rifles to his choice of the top 20 knives. As stated, its just his opinion. He does very well for himself as an outdoor writer and experienced sportsman. As much as I disagree with some of the things he writes, I still find myself reading his column, dissecting every statement as if it was begging to be debunked.

In most cases I find his choices in gear of quality and his opinion to be well founded as its simply based on one mans experience. Sure, I could disagree with probably 50 or 60% of the knives listed but the knives I've owned and used are simply different from his. I've yet to see him recommend an inferior or (even worse) dangerous product.

If any one of us were to put together a list of our top 20 knives, I'm willing to bet that no one would agree on the choices made. I'd even go so far as to say that most would not agree more than 75% with any given list of knives posted.

Getting back to Petzals choices in knives.

Where does one find names like Busse, Randall, Lake, Herron, or Bark River without being a knife nut?

Names like Simonich, Wilson, Krein, Davison, Onion, Pardue, Collins, or Koster for that matter?

You are either following the industry with a serious interest, or, God forbid, you've been given freebies from industry leaders because you are the biggest mouth in the media.

Either way, opinions are influenced but that isn't always a bad thing. If his opinion was swayed by experience, bribery, or what he read on forums like this, it has brought edged tools to many that might not have put too much thought into it. Hopefully, articles like Petzals Top 20 will get readers to go beyond what they find at WalMart and bring a few more into the fray.

While I don't agree with his choices, I commend him and F&S for publishing a full bore, these-are-the-knives -you-need-to-consider article.

I'll post my top 20 tomorrow ;) .

Chris
 
Thats what I was thinking about today aswell, what are fixed blades used for? does anybody carry one daily? Aren't they a little big to carry?
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PLEASE, say it isn't so!!

Fixed blades are used for all the same tasks as a folder. I know a LOT of people that are going back to simple small fixed blades for Every Day Carry.

Fixed blades come in all different styles and sizes just like folders. There are a good many fixed blades that simply disappear into a front pocket.

Here is one of mine. Its a "Pocket Bowie" with a Paul Long pocket sheath. The sheath clips on your pocket just like a folder with a pocket clip.

PocketBowieBlueBlackPolished-62.jpg


Sorry to hijack your thread...

I found the list interesting and wouldn't argue too much with about 50% of the knives. Don't think it mentioned Scagel though...??

Tom
 
Jebus, Tom! Stop posting stuff like that! :p You're killin' me.

As for fixed Vs. folders. I assume its much like Petzals article a year or so ago on the greatest firearms ever. His article is for sportsmen. The 1911, AR-15, AK-47, BHP, and a host of other proven firearms were not on his list as they are not sporting arms.

Most sportsmen, when afield, carry a fixed blade knife. If you were to add SD, EDC, or kitchen duty to the list, it would be much more diverse. He's simply talking about hunting, fishing, camping, hiking knives.

EDIT: By the way, I carry a fixed blade almost daily. A BRK&T Woodland.
 
I enjoyed reading the article, but you have to understand that it is written almost entirely from a sportsmans point of view. My top 20 knives list (if in fact I could even make such a list) would not include an Ulu, though I use one ever day while cooking; a Woodsmans Pal, though they have a long history of awesomeness; or the KoA Brown Bear, though it looks like a knife that I would like to own. I am not so sure that I would have included the Leatherman either, though again, I think Leathermans are a excellent tool. I mean, really it just boils down to opinion more than anything. In my opinion, a Spyderco should have been added because of the thumbhole and the revolution of one hand opening knives it started, a Case should have been added (or the Uncle Henry should have been substituted out) because it's such an incredibly popular knife. Past that, it's matter of opinion.

Looked at from another perspective, think about the "best knives" made that aren't typically used by sportsman. Not a whole lot of people strap on a loveless when they work construction, You don't see a lot of Ulu's in electricians pockets, and I don't know many Marines and Soldiers that would want to pack around the weight of a Bowie. It was an enjoyable article, but it's just Petzal's opinion.

Speaking solely on opinion, there are a lot of theories as to why the guy chose the knives he did to write about, from pimping his own collection, to ad conspiracies and so on. The one thing that's overlooked is that Petzal achieved what every writer wants: discussion on what he wrote. Don't kid yourself, Petzal probably thinks he is right in this and every article he writes, and he will likely argue his points to the death, but in the end he wants that discussion.
 
Glad to see the Buck 110 made the grade. An American classic that endures.
 
I think the article was a mix of personal taste and well considered opinion.

A prime example being the Buck 110. Whether Buck was the first to make a knife of the exact type, dimensions, etc of the 110, the 110 has undoubtably been a long and very popular knife with great general utility.

Anyone else could have substituted a similar knife made by another maker with arguably better steel, blade profile etc etc.

Personally there are very few on his list I would have chosen as "best ever made".

--------------------

http://searchronpaul.com
http://ussliberty.org/oldindex.html
http://www.gtr5.com
http://ssunitedstates.org
 
Anyone else could have substituted a similar knife made by another maker with arguably better steel, blade profile etc etc.
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The 110's you buy today are not the 110's of yesteryear. His statement of them being made stronger or a better knife nowadays is bunk.
 
The 110's you buy today are not the 110's of yesteryear. His statement of them being made stronger or a better knife nowadays is bunk.
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Not completely bunk. With the advancements in manufacturing, I gotta believe knives built today can be better or stronger than knives made 30 years ago. Even the 110.
 
Eleven Mike said:
Fixed blades...in my front jeans pocket every day.
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I think this is the answer on why.

I do not believe the practice of carrying a fixed blade like a clip folder has been around very long, at least not in my area (most urban).

In fact, the first "pocket sheath" I ever had was made for me by Josh Graham. According to him (and pictures on his website) lots of his clients carry in this fashion. In fact, the side pocket on a pair of carpenters' pants or cammies would be a great place for carry. Sometimes a knife like this jams me in the top of my right thigh when I'm out riding. (So much so that I have switched over to the Graham Stubby when on my motorcycle.)

Think about it, it solves a problem we have all complained about, that being strength. From time to time everyone has complained of breakage--usually while prying--we have opined that liner locks don't hold, and there was an entire debate a few years ago that the Chinook I design wobbled leaving the factory.

I don't even think about these concerns when I carry a fixed blade designed for clip carry.
 
About the only problem I have with this list is the Swiss Champ. Of all the people I've personally known who've purchased one, no one actually carries them. They're too clunky. They're not as useful (in most situations) as a tool like the Leatherman.

That's not to say that an SAK doesn't belong on the list: Clearly one does. My vote would have been either for the original soldier's model or one like the Huntsman, the SAK I see carried most (maybe next to the Classic.)
 
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