Your first pocketknife... a thread for the sentimental

Jordan · #1

So, I was perusing the how young is too young thread, and it occurred to me to ask everyone what their first knife was. I figure for those of us in such a community as this... that's probably one of our more memorable experiences. I'd have just asked it in the other thread... but thats just inviting thread drift. So, how bout it... your first knife, who gave it to you, what became of it, what sort of knife was it?

As I briefly mentioned in the other thread... mine was a parker penknife my dad gave me. His dad got it before WWII and carried it his whole life. I never got to meet the man... but I always felt a slight connection thanks to that little knife. I keep it wrapped in oilcloth in my computer desk drawer. I can't pin down the age at which I received it... less than 10 though.

Anybody else?

Dr. Snubnose · #2

My first pocket knife was given to me by my father...I was four years old...it has a 1/2 blade and the handle was plastic made to look like shinny white pearl with different colors in it....yes...I still have it, it is the prize of my collection..current value LOL....priceless!....Doc :D

Echo63 · #3

my first knife was an "old timer" stockman pattern which i "borrowed" from my father when i was about 10, he quickly took it back of me once he found i had it (he still has that knife too)

i went through a few cheap knives, was given a good victorinox when i was around 13

i got my first spyderco when i was about 16 - a spyderco Q that got stolen along with the victorinox

now at 24 i have 2 Kabars, 2 CRKT and nearly 50 spyderco's

zenheretic · #4

My first knife was an Oldtimer 3 bladed slipjoint given to me on my birthday by my then best friend. In the related thread, I posted third grade, but upon further reflection it may be second or first grade so somewhere around 8 or 9 years old. My second was a Victorinox Sak that I got in the third grade. I still have it. Tt was in pretty good condition until about six months ago...snapped a blade

lerman · #5

my first knife was a wenger i don't know what model but it's the smallest one,
i saw it one day in a camping store and nothing was going to stop me from gating it, so my grandma bout it for me :D , i was 8 and today I'm 17 and still have it, the siccores are broken, i lost the tweezers and the toothpick, and the blade has allot of scratches from bad sharpening.

EarthDog · #6

My dad gave me my first knife when I was 8. He always carried a pocket knife, and it was a big deal to me that he gave me my own knife. It had two blades, a bottle opener, and a can opener. I used it in my chores around the farm.

i.v · #7

My first one was an old Vic huntsman my dad brought me from a business trip to Switzerland when I was 9 or 10.
I still have it and it's in pretty good shape :)

The Mastiff · #8

Mine was a find at a construction site. It was a camillus sawcut delrin Barlow style with a broken and reground pen blade, and the clip blade had no point. I kept that untill I left for the army. On the bus the slick detroit busdriver taking us to______ from AFEES talked us all into turning in all "contraband" swearing we were going to jail if we got caught with knives , dice, dope, etc. I was naive enough to believe that barlow would get me in major trouble so I gave it up. Quite the racket for the drivers.

Later I got a Jack knife style "Ideal" with yellow plastic scales from my grandfather, a scicilian immigrant whom I loved and admired very much. I still have it and value it greatly. He was a very hardworking, humble man. Joe

dedguy · #9

My first knife technically was a SAK classic. In fact I had owned several of them (kept loosing them) before getting on of the silver aluminum (I think?) ones. I wouldn't really consider that a real knife though. The blade isn't exactly useful. About the only thing it was good for, honestly, was cutting my fingernails.

My first real knife I bought on my own after saving for awhile and doing a lot of research. I bought an SE SS Harpy. That was 8 years ago and I still carry it today.

Piet.S · #10

Can't remember the age, but quite young.
A boy who goes fishing a lot needs a knife, right?

Bottom one is my first knife, top one is my fathers last knife, the mud and rust still on the blade.

gull wing · #11

I didn't have a father to give me a pocket knife, but my brother gave me one and he thought me to whittle, as well. Don't rember the brand name, it was a slip joint wood handle. I have been hooked ever since. This was sometime in the late 40's, so I don't rember what happen to it.

Jenner 515 · #12

Schrade 123OT my Grandfather gave me when I was nine.

The Deacon · #13

Well there were a couple of the tiny, cheap ones they use to give as prizes at fairs before it, but my first decent knife was given to me on my 7th birthday by an Aunt who had picked it up for me on one of her trips to Germany. From the "Solingen Germany" marking, I think it may actually have been made before WW II.

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Shows the effects of my learning to sharpen and fair amount of wear on the large blade. Small one was darn near impossible for me to open when I was a kid, and not much easier now, so it is practically new. Large blade is 2.25", handle is 3.25". Other side says INOX Stainless. Not in bad shape considering I've had it over 54 years.

Harry White · #14

I remember as a kid sitting with my grandfather whittling sticks outside. Sometime he let me borrow his pocket knife.

When he passed away many years ago, my mother gave me his old knife as a keepsake. While it doesn't get used, its a blade I will keep forever and cherish.

Here's a couple pics...

The tang of the main blade is stamped with "Imperial Prov R.I. USA" and the middle blade is stamped with three lines of numbers: "2170537 / P2284833 / 2689409."

Anyone familiar with this type of knife?

edkrueger · #15

Harry White wrote:I remember as a kid sitting with my grandfather whittling sticks outside. Sometime he let me borrow his pocket knife.

When he passed away many years ago, my mother gave me his old knife as a keepsake. While it doesn't get used, its a blade I will keep forever and cherish.

Here's a couple pics...

The tang of the main blade is stamped with "Imperial Prov R.I. USA" and the middle blade is stamped with three lines of numbers: "2170537 / P2284833 / 2689409."

Anyone familiar with this type of knife?

I have one of those two got mine from my grandmother it was either my grandfathers of my great grand fathers.

My first pocket knife was a kershaw chive with a malachite onlay. My first knife was big fixie.

The Deacon · #16

Harry White wrote:Anyone familiar with this type of knife?

Just that Imperial was one of the old New England cutlery companies, and that eventually bought out by Schrade Walden, to form Imperial Schrade. Some of the Schrade collectors over on BladeForums could probably give you a lot more info on it.

Harry White · #17

The Deacon wrote:Just that Imperial was one of the old New England cutlery companies, and that eventually bought out by Schrade Walden, to form Imperial Schrade. Some of the Schrade collectors over on BladeForums could probably give you a lot more info on it.

Thanks Paul! :)