What knives did you use when growing up.

[DDeegs]

I remember using my knife. A stockman, to peel my oranges in the high school cafeteria, without a second look. I can see my boys getting expelled for the same thing now.

 

[Boattale]

View attachment 915422

so I was about to start first grade, we had moved to a "new" house in a dinky one light town, and I was trying to fit in with a new crowd, and Dad decided to give me a knife that would be generally useful.
Blade long enough to clean fish...check!
Scaler, hook remover, and cap lifter (no twist offs yet)… check!
Can Piercer (no pop tops yet) … check!

He gave me only three rules.
1. DO NOT THROW THE KNIFE!
2. do not cut anything that does not need cutting (especially self)
3. DO NOT THROW THE KNIFE!

Showed off knife to local kids who made appreciative noises. Carried it a week.
Buddy shows up one Saturday after noon and commences to throw his folder in the dirt and teaches me Mumbly Pegs as played then and there (later some kids called this version "splits" , to recover knife you have to touch it with a foot with out moving other until you either can not reach or fall down,and the version where you are not to move a foot "Chicken")

Needless to say it seemed obvious rules ONE and THREE obviously did not mean tossing at the soft sod,

I was pretty good at it.

Half an hour later we decided to see if Mom had made up and Iced any powdered fruity drink stuff.

On the way in buddy says "See that grey spot on that oak tree/" and tossed his pocket knife at it. He missed by a good four inches.

I commented on his lack of accuracy as kindly as any six year old can no doubt and he challenged "Think you can do better?"

Ha my blade was stuck less than an inch from the Grey spot....and the bladeless handle you see in the bottom of that picture was laying on the ground....and Dad's car pulled into the drive and stopped with the drivers side door right there at the tree...

Dad got out of the car. Pulled my blade from the tree. Told me "Pick up your knife, be sure you have it with you from now on to remember this lesson." So I spent months with a fish scaler that had a hook remover on it and bottle and can opener while buddies had all manner of folding knives and was much shamed.

I bought the upper knife with in the last ten years at a gun show.

Dad kept the blade in his jewelry box for decades. Mom says it is not there now....maybe he took it with him when he passed?

Mom's Dad gave me a Old Grand Dad for my seven Birthday in way of a repreieve. I carried either an Old Grand Dad or Old Timer from then until Nine and got a Official Cub Scout Knife. Not only did I carry my pocket knives to school but on Uniform Days for the Cub and Boy Scouts I wore my swivel hook belt slide and the Cub Scout Knife bounced about in public...the only issue I had was boys teasing me for not upgrading to a Boy Scout Knife when I went from Blue to Brown.

When I got out of Scouts and Started High School JROTC again Mom's Dad gave me a US Army Stainless Pocket knife ….which the LTC and All the Sargeants called a Demo Kit Knife and which when I attended Demo School at Velsek Germany in 1975 was called a Demo Kit knife so don't even start. Papa worked at Moody AFB out of Valdosta at the time as a Civilian contractor and they were cleaning out a building for re modeling and found a metal flange top six gallon bucket full of the knives and dutifully offered them to the USAF supervisor who said to throw them in the trash. Papa said there were several other guys also with bulging pockets at close of business that day. When cleaning his shop 20 years later after he passed there was one still wrapped in paper in a tool drawer.

Before going off to live with Uncle sugar I had three sheath knives for carrying in the field. The first was a "Souvinier of Florida" stamped thin blade with thin stamped riveted grips I bought with earnings from a summer job in Gatlinberg Tenn on family vacation. Right bought in Tenn and I am from Florida... piece of crap but it was an OK filet knife and "beat not having a sheath knife" for a few months.
My Papa's Fishing buddy saw it on a trip down to Crystal River to get the boat wet and frighten the fish and was appalled. When we took him home, he went in and came back out with an M5A1 bayonet which was my woods companion until Uncle Sugar gave me an M7 on loan.

A couple of years later we were back in the mountains and made another trip through Gatlingberg and I bought what Was sold as a camp knife but was in fact a Hitler Youth knife or reproduction at least with out the gaudy HJ jewel mounting no idea at the time what the blade etching words meant (later on living with Uncle Sugar in Germany an old German told me the painted red and white diamond shape on the handle I described to him was how the knives were marked the last year or so of the war, giving up the closine pin being the least a 13 year old could do for the party) It was realatively flat and thin and quite concealable around town and was. I did not carry it Germany, but soon working with a German unit saw they 1970's German Army Battle Knife and acquired one immediately....same still "butter knife", thin, and forester type grip instead of bayonet grip of the HJ knife ...much the same and yet better than my old knife. Also a full tang which the HJ knife was not "My Honor is True" but my tang was not!

Now you know more than you ever wanted to know about my carry habits as a boy.

-kBob

Those old yellow fishing knives are worth real money these days. I had one with a hook sharpening stone (groove for the hook) in the handle. Have no idea where it is now but wish I did.

 

[rabid wombat]

Buddy shows up one Saturday after noon and commences to throw his folder in the dirt and teaches me Mumbly Pegs as played then and there (later some kids called this version "splits" , to recover knife you have to touch it with a foot with out moving other until you either can not reach or fall down,and the version where you are not to move a foot "Chicken")

I knew that game as stretch....played it a lot as a Boy Scout....another variant, start with the feet spread and throw the knife between the feet and move inward....luckily, no one went to the hospital...

Had a variety of knives that were rapidly were lost. The first one I got, that I actually kept...Case Sodbuster Jr. a great little knife...

 

[Boattale]

That brings back memories. I was about 6 or maybe 7 when I got my first official gifted knife/tool. This would have been '87-'88. I remember it vividly. It was Christmas. Our tree always had presents under it for our grandparents or from my mom to my dad or whatnot. My stuff was always there on Christmas Day after Santa stopped by, of course. However, I remember finding something under the tree to me from Dad. It was small and rectangular, but had weight. It was the first gift I ever received that was both small and heavy...something that I have learned generally means good stuff is inside in the time since. My dad, being torturous, decided it leave it under the tree probably 2 weeks before Christmas. I'd pick it up and shake it. What could it be? Finally on the big day, he let me open it. It was the first thing I went for, bypassing all the fluff and flash of stuff the Fat Man had dropped off. What was in that damn box!
View attachment 915383
Something like this, except it also had my name engraved with gold paint on the side. I loved it. Think of all the stuff I could do with that?
Of course, like many of you, I lost it out in the woods by the following spring. Such is life, but I will never forget how receiving it made me feel. I will never forget the, for lack of a better term, power I felt carrying it. Someone with rudimentary tools is at least in charge of his destiny somewhat. Better than tooth and claw. Better than needing something in a hurry and having it...back at the garage. In the years that followed I always carried a SAK. When Leatherman style tools hit it big, my first MT of the pliers variety was a Gerber that I bought at the local Walmart where I was going to college. Since that day, I can probably count on one hand the number of days that I have not had a multitool either on my person or more than 3' away from me. All thanks to that cheap little gift my dad got me that I promptly lost.

Other knives I had growing up were mostly cheap pieces of garbage that my grandma bought me from the junk stores. My mom hated that she did that, but Grandma always indulged me. She would also manage to pick up some beautiful old pocket knives at yard sales. She kept a little cabinet in her house where she would always stash a few things she picked up for me. When I came over, I made a straight shot to that cabinet to see what kind of treasures she found. Once again, nothing of heirloom quality, most of it from Pakistan. But 30+ years later I still remember it fondly.

The granddaddy of all knives I carried was a Buck 110. I have had and lost several, but the model always will remain dear to my heart. My dad has carried a 110 since forever. He was heavily into riding and biker culture, and of course the 110 became THE biker knife. On top of that, it made for a fantastic work knife. He was, and still is, a contractor. I remember how he used to come home soaked with sweat. His jeans covered in concrete and wet from perspiration. At the bottom of his front pocket was a worn white outline of his 110. It was always at an angle since he did so much of his work bent over finishing concrete. Now what I am calling a 110 was usually NOT a 110. It was a Craftsman model of the 110. My dad liked the fact that he could use his knife hard at work (and he did) and take it back to Sears if it broke (and it did). However, over the years I would buy him actual Buck 110s for birthdays and father's days. He usually kept one or two pristine as his "going to dinner" knife. As I got into leather work, I started making him various sheaths. Some built like brick outhouses for work, some more sleek and refined dyed black to match his Harley boots and belt. While I find the 110 just a tad too heavy and bulky for an EDC these days, I will always respect it. I bought one with my first paycheck when I joined the family business after college. Kept it for years and eventually passed it down to my little brother when he started working for the business. If I could redo our family crest, I'm sure I would work one of those old workhorse Bucks into it somehow

Great story. 110 has a special place in my heart too. Bought one from the ship exchange of the USS Mobile in 1973 while we were cruising around the South China Sea. Learned how to sharpen a knife with it and a sharpening kit bought at the same time. Like you, I find them a little too heavy for EDC these days. But rest assured, there is one in my top drawer - and there always will be.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Those old yellow fishing knives are worth real money these days. I had one with a hook sharpening stone (groove for the hook) in the handle. Have

Like this stainless steel Case?

 

[Boattale]

Like this stainless steel Case?

View attachment 915892

Similar. I think mine was Kabar though and the stone was more flush with the scales.

 

[Boattale]

This one

 

[Paul R Zartman]

Barlow and old timer for me, later a swiss

 

[bannockburn]

My first knife was a four blade Imperial Kamp-King pocket knife which I got for selling magazine subscriptions for school. Had a few other pocket knives as I was growing up, mostly Schrade, or when I could afford it, the occasional Case. Out of high school and working I bought quite a few surplus knives from Atlanta Cutlery like an Ontario version of the Ka-Bar and their Air Force Survival Knife. Was a fan of Puma Knives but I couldn't afford the more expensive models with their nicer finishes so I found a few of their knives which were more affordable. I was also big into Gerber knives as I liked their designs, build quality, and very reasonable prices!

 

[If1HitU]

I carry a Case xx yellow handle two blades for most of my teen years.

 

[HiDive]

Four blade Scout knives and Italian stilettos, until 1973 when I bought my first Gerber Mark II.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Just cheap beaters for me that I picked up hear or there. I was used to lock back knives, and they were my preferred design. Broke a few. Beat a few to death. Didn't know anything about what makes a good knife, or what I preferred.

I remember the first time I came across a liner lock knife. I thought "What the hell kind of cheap lock is this?" I bought it anyway, and it has actually never failed in 20 some years. The pivot came apart though last year, and it's some weird proprietary thing. No idea what kind of tool would be used to tighten it. Now it sits in my desk at work as an orange peeling knife. Not going to rely on something that's fallen apart once already.

My current lineup of knives makes my "growing up" knives look like total junk.

 

[mdauben]

When I was young, I had a very limited access to knives. I had an official Boy Scout knife my parents bought me when I was in the scouts. I replaced that with a swiss army knife in my teens. I also had a Ka-Bar that I picked up from the local Army/Navy surplus store. The later two made up my tool kit when camping and backpacking.

It was not until I was out of college and working that I developed a serious interest in knives (and had the cash to feed that interest).

 

[dvcrsn]

I carried Scout knives as a kid

 

[D.B. Cooper]

My current lineup of knives makes my "growing up" knives look like total junk.

This is true about a lot of material things.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Perusing the responses here, I'm glad to see the SAK getting so much love. I feel it's a much maligned tool.

My first knife was a gift from my dad about age 10; a Pakistani knock-off of a Buck 110. Total POS, but it's what I wanted at the time. I must have used the heck out of it and then lost it. I found it, decades later, after my father's passing, in a small drawer in his tool box. Blade wobbles a lot.

The only other knives I remember from my childhood was a Scout knife followeb by an SAK, which was a gift from my maternal grandfather. The scout knife was essentially identical in every way to the amp King knives I've seen pictured in this thread, except that there was the BSA fleur de lis logo where it would otherwise say "Kamp King." No idea the manufacturer. The SAK was, I believe, a Wegner. It had all of the usual tools as well as some sort of hooked blade, like you would use for cutting carpet. Not sure what happened to either of them, but, after that, I was hooked on SAK. I don't think I've owned anything other than an SAK since.

 

[John Joseph]

A blue Camillus Cub Scout knife from third grade I had up through college.
Lost it in a car wreck that totaled my '68 VW.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

A blue Camillus Cub Scout knife from third grade I had up through college.
Lost it in a car wreck that totaled my '68 VW.

So I wonder if Camillus was the only maker of "official" scout knives. I can' recall whom made mine, but I remember the Boy Scout and Cub Scout versions being identical other than the logo and the color of the scales.

 

[Valkman]

Not sure what happened to either of them, but, after that, I was hooked on SAK. I don't think I've owned anything other than an SAK since.

I just bought 5 SAKs, 2 for grandkids and 3 for me. I believe my first knife was the Cub Scout knife also, but later also fell in love with different SAK versions and have all different kinds.

 

[rust collector]

Here's a link to a site that discusses the various makers of Boy Scouts knives and axes. I don't know what kind of licensing revenue these ever produced, but I would bet that it diminished significantly once production moved offshore. http://www.scoutknives.net/index.php/boy-scout-knives-1

 

[CleanDean]

I also used a Barlow , made in Ireland. "Sabre" was the blade model. It stayed sharper than the next one.

"lmperial" by Barlow (clip point)... made in Providence, R.I. was bought after the Sabre's handle broke ; and I fixed it with a non countersunk screw. ( at least I color matched the screw with Testors brown model paint.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Here's a link to a site that discusses the various makers of Boy Scouts knives and axes. I don't know what kind of licensing revenue these ever produced, but I would bet that it diminished significantly once production moved offshore. http://www.scoutknives.net/index.php/boy-scout-knives-1

A BUNCH of revenue. And still does.

 

[qwert65]

Sak and a schrade old timer

 

[Ironicaintit]

The earliest one I can recall was a hand-me-down Buck 110, with the obligatory broken tip.
learned how to sharpen knives, and cut the hell out of myself with that one.

I was mostly running around the woods with a machete. Learned about springy wood, blade deflection and how to pack your own wounds with that one!

 

[Browning]

Growing up? I think my first knife was one that my grandmother helped me get when I was a kid when the Blue Chip Stamps stores went out of business in the late 70’s.

It was yellow, small and looked just like this one.