When I think “traditional knives” I typically think of old timey slip joints that my great grandpa may have carried. In actuality, the term spans a wide variety of fixed, folding, locking, and non-locking blades from across the world. Reviews of traditional knives haven’t been a focus of this website, but I have come across them occasionally and they have piqued my curiosity to the point where I will be consciously reviewing more of them and collecting the reviews at this page.
So this is the spot for anything old, ethnic, and interesting. From American classics to historic patterns from around the globe. Expect this page to grow as I continue to explore this intriguing aspect of knife collecting…
- GEC #15 Tidioute Boy’s Knife
I was just reading some statistics about Great Eastern Cutlery: in 2007 GEC produced approximately 7300 knives whereas in 2017 it’s nearly 30,000 pieces. This is remarkable in today’s hyper competitive EDC pocket knife market. That’s a 310% increase over ten years for a traditional knife company. Admittedly, these numbers are based on hearsay, but ... - Great Eastern Cutlery #71 Bullnose Review
Traditional knives are like genre fiction: they’re expected to follow certain tropes. These conventions are more restrictive than those we impose when we say things like ‘tactical knife’ or ‘EDC knife,’ maybe because they’ve been cultivated over a longer period of time. However, as with a fantasy or horror novel, it’s possible for a traditional ... - Great Eastern Cutlery Tidioute 43 Oregon Trapper Review
I’ll never forget when my family was cleaning out my late Grandfather’s house after he passed. I found an old band-aid tin that was full of a variety (in both style and age) of small multi-bladed slip joints. They were all he carried and on most of them one blade was worn down to a ... - Benchmade Proper 319 Review
Two or three years ago if you told me that Benchmade was your favorite knife company I’d roll my eyes and mutter something like, “Okay Griptillian dude…” now, that’s no disrespect to the Grip, those are great knives at a great price point, but they’re kinda vanilla for my tastes. That was Benchmade a few ... - Great Eastern Cutlery #66 “Calf Roper” Review
I have a small confession to make. Though my articles may not reflect this, I have a crippling addiction to Great Eastern Cutlery knives. For every modern knife in my collection, there’s a traditional knife (often in matching or complimentary colors), and I fear it won’t be long before the old timers actually outnumber the ... - Okapi 907 Review
A while back, I did a review of the Cold Steel Kudu, Lynn Thompson’s modern take on the South African Okapi 907. Within that article, I made some statements concerning the quality and reliability of the traditional Okapi which were based on personal research and input from South African friends experienced with the Okapi. ... - Cold Steel Kudu Review
Last Updated: August 3, 2019 There is a knife in South Africa known as the Okapi. Originally produced in Germany in the early 1900s for export to the German colonies in Africa, the trademark and tooling was purchased by All Round Tooling (aka Okapi South Africa) in 1988 and all production moved to South Africa. Made ... - Buck 110 Folding Hunter Review
No history of the folding pocket knife is complete without the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. It is arguably the first modern folder, in ethos if not in design. “Buck knife” is now a catch-all term for a certain style of blade, and the 110 is responsible for that. More than other knife ... - Benchmade 15080-2 Crooked River Review
Last Updated: July 19, 2019 It’s no secret that I think the creative team at Benchmade has been adrift for the past few years. This is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that the company’s most exciting new offerings are actually re-issues of old models: the 940-1 and 551-1. These rockstar designs are interspersed among more ... - Opinel No. 8 Review
Do you want to hear another “the knife that got me into knives story?” No? Alright, I’ll spare you and just say that, a few years ago, it was the lines and material of the Opinel knife that caught my eye when I was wandering around labyrinthine hardware store/Boulder landmark McGuckin’s, and to ... - Spyderco Pingo Review
Last Updated: August 5, 2019 I have spoken about the revival of interest in traditional slip joint knives a few times now. Today we have another slip joint review, but rather than featuring a traditional knife today’s blade could not be a more progressive collaboration. Acclaimed Scandinavian custom knife makers Jens Anso and Jesper Voxnaes have ... - GEC #47 Viper Review
Last Updated: August 5, 2019 I have recently seen a resurgence of interest in classic slipjoint knives. Maybe folks are getting tired of shelling out $200+ for the latest framelock flipper. Or maybe they like the idea of carrying something their grandpa may have carried. Who knows for sure. Buy the GEC Viper at KnivesShipFree Personally I ... - Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza 25 Review
How do you improve on perfection? That may have been a question asked by the engineers at Chris Reeve when they approached the Sebenza 25. I wasn’t in the room, so I really have no idea. The Sebenza has received incremental improvements over the years, but for it’s 25th anniversary CRK really wanted to up ... - Svord Peasant Knife Review
Last updated: September 20, 2018 Over the years I’ve had the fortune to be friends with several excellent chefs. What’s funny is that when I ask them what and where they like to eat, they don’t tell me about some 5 star restaurant or spout off some obscure or complex dish. I was surprised to learn ... - Case Sod Buster Jr Review
Last Updated: July 20, 2019 I recently reviewed the Victorinox Cadet. This is a time honored knife, but frankly I was unsure whether many people would be interested in reading a review on it. The feedback was actually really good. So much so that it has encouraged me to write a review on another classic slip ... - Victorinox Alox Cadet Review
Think back to your first experiences with a pocket knife. If you are anything like me, it probably came in the course of exploring your father or grandfather’s desk drawers or perhaps rifling through that treasure box of items many men keep. Invariably, you would come across at least one well-worn red handled Swiss army ... - ROSarms Companion II Review
I have always enjoyed things that are authentic and simple. I don’t think I’m alone, and that may explain America’s recent re-interest in craft beer and artisanal cheeses. At any rate, as much as I enjoy reviewing the latest and greatest knives, I occasionally return to the simple stuff. Case in point, I’ve been carrying ...
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