Just Starting Out

[Impster2865]

Hello Everybody, my name is John, and I live in Brooklyn, N.Y. I am just starting out and I was wondering, what would be a good pocket knife(inexpensive) to purchase? I've researched and the company called Case has some pretty good products.

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, Impster.

The pocket knife doesn't matter as much as the sharpening. Check out the previous posts on pocket knives. There's a ton of them.

Or, go to Little Shavers and take a look there.

[Keoma]

My husband baught me an Old Timer. I love it. You can find them at most hardware stores for around $30. Good luck! What Ron said...little shavers has all kinds of fun stuff!

[DADDIO]

i have a remington 3 blade whittler i got from smoky mountain woodcarvers that i love love!!! it was about 35.00. check out lynn doughty's blog for an inexpensive carving knife he uses and has fabulous results with and it's probably under 15.00

[thundergun]

Hi John,

Welcome!

I love these two:

1) Buck Lancer

2) Swiss Army Pal (two blade)


Of course there are many, many others!

Right now I'm experimenting with using a folding utility knife and really like the feel of it.

So, for what it is worth...

See ya.

[Eddy-Smiles]

Impster... If you're going to carve and all you want to start out with is a knife and you're willing to invest "Case" type money then buy yourself a Flexcut "Carvin' Jack" It's to the carver what a Leatherman is to the sportsman!

[CarverFromNoWhere]

I would say teh same thing as eddy if your going to spend money on a case then buy a carving jack from flexcut they are amazing. Other then that I would say either a swiss army, just find one you like or a regular flexcut carving knife, they now have sheaths for them and the knifes come so sharp.
Good Luck Have Fun
Carve Safe Everyone

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

If what you want is a good quality knife for not much money and you don't care about the country of origin. Go on ebay and get yourself one of the following whittler (without locking blade).
U.S. Classic
Steel Warrior
Rough Rider
You should be able to score on one of the three for around $10 and they are every bit the equal of a $50 Case whittler.

The real key to a knife after quality blades is learning to sharpen them. Whittling/carving requires a bit different sharpening than the factory uses. It requires almost a flat bevel. Some like to say a dime under the backside of the blade gives about the right bevel. Learning to sharpen is, to me, almost a necessity.

I'll differ in one respect from some of the oppinions of others and that's on the carving jack. I feel your much better off spending the $100 + on regular carving tools. You should be able to get 5 or 6 for the price of the carving jack. Heck, you can get the whole beginners kit from little shavers for half that. The regular flexcut knives will pretty much depend on whether you are comfortable with the handle design which is pretty unique.

[Just Carving]

Want to start carving right now? Spend $4-5 for a knife?

Go to a local hardware or big box store like Lowes or Home Depot. Find a fixed blade utility knife for a couple of bucks. Buy a package of the heavy duty utility knife blades for a couple of more bucks. Go carve. And to be on the safe side, as soon as you can, get a carving glove. It'll help portect your hand from mishaps with a sharp blade. Next thing, learn how to sharpen the blades. Sure you can just throw it away and put in a new one. But if you decide to buy a really good carving knife--30-40 bucks--you want to be able to sharpen it when it gets in need of sharpening. By practicing on utility knife blades, you have little to lose. If you mess up, you can easily throw the blade away. And in the meantime, you can carve with the "ol' Reliable" utility knife, and enjoy the results of your effort. It may a little tough at first, but it will get easier as you go along.

[arbarnhart]

In another discussion, I found out that the Buck Deuce, available at your local super mega discount store for under $15, is virtually a twin of the Lancer that Thundergun recommended, mostly because of country of origin, I think. Same steel grade; seems very solid. One thing to keep in mind is that there is a good chance that the smallest blade on the knife will be the one you use the most.