What Is Your "Holy Grail" Knife

[#goldpan]

Dog your making me drool That’s one mighty fine knife you have there. If it ever needs a new home my door is always open!

[edge213]

This is my holy grail knife.
Terrier Cutlery Barlow.
I do not have one.

[doglegg]

Dog your making me drool That’s one mighty fine knife you have there. If it ever needs a new home my door is always open!

Thanks Randy.

[doglegg]

This is my holy grail knife.
Terrier Cutlery Barlow.
I do not have one.

That's a gorgeous knife David. Easy to see why you want it.

[edge213]

This is my holy grail knife.
Terrier Cutlery Barlow.
I do not have one.

That's a gorgeous knife David. Easy to see why you want it.

Thanks dog, Charlie Noyes has one, the only one I've ever seen.

[Maddogfl]

Since I am not a collector, I have very limited specific desires. My holy grail knife was a WWII M-3. I found one at a price I could live with and it lives here temporarily. I will conserve it and pass it into history. While I will still handle every knife in every second hand shop that I come across, and buy the ones that suit my fancy, I can go to my grave without knife regret. That is one less thing to worry about.

That said, if anyone has an American made Switchblade from around the 30s, that looks like a traditional pocket knife, that they are sick of looking at, maybe we can talk!

I remember a conversation with my Father, probably in the early 60s, our discussion was about switchblades. He told me that it was a shame that they had become unavailable. He claimed that they only became illegal because of the movies and the reaction of knee-jerk politicians and scared housewives. He told me that switchblades were popular in the 30s and 40s with one armed men. In those days, a lot of the vets of foreign wars and industrial accidents would gather around the courthouse square and whittle, tell lies and slip the occasional shot of whiskey. Between wars and sawmills, there were a lot of one armed men around in those times. As a kid, I remember being somewhat freaked out about the number of men walking around with one arm, especially the ones that had some type of grappling prosthesis, and the sewed up sleeve was not much better... My father employed one of the men with one of the stainless steel hands and the man enjoyed taunting me with it. To a nine year old they were like something from the Twilight Zone.

[Mumbleypeg]

Over the years I’ve had several different “holy grail” knives. As I have managed to acquire them I move on to the next one (there’s always another one). As a collector of scout/utility knives, for a good while I was on the hunt for these.

I found them all thanks to AAPK! I get by with a little help from my friends.

But the one that has eluded me for over 50 years is a Case Tested 5383 whittler. I found and acquired one in the early 1970s, only to learn a few years later it’s a counterfeit. Since then I’ve seen several others that, alas, were also counterfeits. The one or two I’ve seen that were legit either were not for sale or were priced beyond the meager reach of my pocketbook. But I search on!

Ken

[Papa Bones]

Over the years I’ve had several different “holy grail” knives. As I have managed to acquire them I move on to the next one (there’s always another one). As a collector of scout/utility knives, for a good while I was on the hunt for these.

I found them all thanks to AAPK! I get by with a little help from my friends.

But the one that has eluded me for over 50 years is a Case Tested 5383 whittler. I found and acquired one in the early 1970s, only to learn a few years later it’s a counterfeit. Since then I’ve seen several others that, alas, were also counterfeits. The one or two I’ve seen that were legit either were not for sale or were priced beyond the meager reach of my pocketbook. But I search on!

Ken

Very well said Ken. I was thinking on this post the other day. I think as we continue through the years, and as our desires or styles to add to our collection changes, so do what we consider the Holy Grail or Unicorn knife. Some you find, and some stay on hold until you find the one in the condition you desire. I have many I am still looking for that I consider Unicorns.

[Umcknifeguy]

My holy grail, reckon the only two I have left, would be a Schrade Walden 891 stock pattern with the typesetter pick and a Remington gunstock pattern

[jmh58]

Case Red Bone Loom Fixer..
John

[glennbad]

You all would probably laugh...since I was a kid, I always lusted after the Kershaw 1050. Something about the way it looked, the substantial weight, the finger grips...who knows? And yes, I could go out and find one right now if I wanted, but sometimes it's cool for your grail to remain your grail. It keeps you on the hunt!

[#goldpan]

You all would probably laugh...since I was a kid, I always lusted after the Kershaw 1050. Something about the way it looked, the substantial weight, the finger grips...who knows? And yes, I could go out and find one right now if I wanted, but sometimes it's cool for your grail to remain your grail. It keeps you on the hunt!

Kershaw 1050.jpg

I have to agree with you Glenn. While its great to hold and fondle a grail knife, the hunt for it is just as rewarding. I believe its been said many times, the journey is just as important as the destination!

[Madmarco]

You all would probably laugh...since I was a kid, I always lusted after the Kershaw 1050. Something about the way it looked, the substantial weight, the finger grips...who knows? And yes, I could go out and find one right now if I wanted, but sometimes it's cool for your grail to remain your grail. It keeps you on the hunt!

Kershaw 1050.jpg

Ditto for me Glen, but the price has always kept me at bay, and I don't find it laughable at all, perfectly legit!

[Colonel26]

Case Red Bone Loom Fixer..
John

Those are few and far between, especially in my budget! I managed to swipe one, not pristine by any means, but man oh man!

[jmh58]

Case Red Bone Loom Fixer..
John

Those are few and far between, especially in my budget! I managed to swipe one, not pristine by any means, but man oh man!

I was afraid of that Wade. Oh well!! I can dream!!
John

[zed6309]

Mines a Russell Barlow , impossible to find here sadly, but I always live in hope

[1967redrider]

I'd like to own one of these one day too. Not practical, probably not useful, but an unusual knife that interests me.

[Miller Bro's]

I'd like to own one of these one day too. Not practical, probably not useful, but an unusual knife that interests me.

John, hard to find a nice one and when you do they are pretty expensive

I wanted one of theses for quite some time and I found one, now I am on the look out for something else

[1967redrider]

I'd like to own one of these one day too. Not practical, probably not useful, but an unusual knife that interests me.

John, hard to find a nice one and when you do they are pretty expensive

I wanted one of theses for quite some time and I found one, now I am on the look out for something else

Funny thing, I was just looking at one of those in BL's book. Pretty cool.

[doglegg]

redrider, Miller Bros awesome knives.

[stockman]

I'd take a Remington R4466, baby bullet in stag, mint condition with an etch. I'd say that would be a $10,000 knife in that condition. I'm having a hard time even finding a worn example. I have at least 1 example of 12 bullets out of the 13. The 4466 is the one I don't have.

Robert, find that 4466 yet? Harold

[Captain O]

I have a Jeremy T Kreis 10.75" Fishtail Picklock like my daddy carried onboard ship during WW2 and Korea. (This was my "Holy Grail" knife).

All I want now is a Queen Cutlery Model 25 "Jet" Automatic. (I wonder if Jeremy would make me one of these with dark horn scales")? If it were made with a Bohler N390 steel blade, that would be "the cat's meow"!

[garddogg56]

Glen that 1050 is a beauty

[Rotten]

GEC Abilene Yellow Rose. Never even seen one posted on any forum, just old pictures on dealers websites.

[geocash]

It seems like I've always had a pocket knife or two & probably got my first one before I started to school. I've gotten a few more over the years but early on I was more interested in fixed blade knives. I got my first Randall when I graduated from high school & over the years have had a few other fixed blade knives that I thought were pretty good. My "Holy Grail" knife was a Moran. When I got this catalog he had a backlog of over twenty years.

Specifically, I wanted his ST-9 & placed an order.

This was his response.

I never heard from him again & he passed away in 2006.