As a youngster growing up in Wyoming near the river, I needed a good knife to clean fish and whittle willows for roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. I carried a variety of two and three bladed pocketknives from third grade all the way through high school. The first ever knife was a three blade Tree Brand that set my savings account back almost $5.00 and lasted several months before finding that tiny little hole in the pocket of my Levi’s. It was a sad day as my father offered nothing more than advice to be more careful and an opportunity to mow more lawns for the cash I needed to replace the lost knife. Looking back, I’m sure I lost more knives than are presently in the collection, but then what was a boy to do – the Levi pocket leak was forever there and pocketknives had a way of disappearing without notice. It was time for bigger knives!

Along came the 60s, Viet Nam and Buck knives. Wonder of wonders, I still have my first and only Buck 110. It served to open boxes, cut lunchmeat, wires, vinyl tubing, and spread mustard on sandwiches for more years that most knives stayed in my possession. Maybe it was a size thing…

Do I have a favorite? Absolutely! The new one just purchased is my favorite. And as any knife collector will tell you there are never too many knives! Never mind justification fellows – the women have no rational explanation for the shoe and jewelry inventory so we are safe within reasonable limits.

My everyday carry knife for the past 5 years is the little Rocky designed California Automatic! It fits neatly into the watch pocket of my Levi’s and is always handy for one hand use to mark wood, cut tape, or scrape a bit of glue off that freshly assembled knife box. During my tour of duty with Corporate America, my favorite carry knife was a small Jim Ferguson utility Damascus. It was the perfect solution to opening computer boxes without cutting into the literature or cables that often lay just under the top flap of cardboard. Several coworkers made fun of this fancy box cutter I carried to trade shows, but after more than one of them cut a power cord while opening up computer boxes with real box cutters, they clamed up.

The events of 9-11 cast a negative light on carrying a knife in one’s pocket or clipped on a belt. A simple tool in your pocket will generate an ugly experience after walking into a federal building or airport. For that reason, I stay with the little auto while at work in the shop. Inside my head, I carry a big custom Lloyd Pendelton Subhilt Fighter while out and about in public places of course. Sometimes it seems appropriate to carry a 6” custom automatic or an al Mar SERT, while shopping for vegetables and fresh fruit, but some folks might disapprove so it remains an inside joke with my wife and friends.