My first knife - memory's revisited :)

[Albus Culter]

As the post says - my first knife.

I was chatting with MOT about this and that and HillBill's postings on classic knives spured a discussion on knives. I recalled my first knife so I did a quick google search to find a picture. It's long since gone, but I recalled it with such affection.
Hey presto. Picture found. But what's this, its listed as still for sale? So I bought it

I was a ten or eleven year old with a desire to own a knife. So while on holiday looking round a Chandlers shop on a harbour I looked longingly in a glass case of knives.
Mum said no, but dad said yes
It was my pride and joy for a while and was used for killing and destroying most plants, bits of wood, etc in the garden.

Well here it is. I'm not sure I ever felt like Rambo, but the needles and thread in the hollow handle made me feel like I could be.

Looking at it now. Well, how I never lost fingers I have no idea. This is the exact same knife and even looks like its old stock, so is probably not that much younger than my one. The blade grind is shocking. The zero tang depth (the blades just bolted to the bottom of the hollow handle) worries me no end. The kit in its shockingly poor, and the vinyl sheath is nasty. The sharpening stone is very course and small. But oh, how I loved it. It's a nostalgia trip and I would in no way use this knife now. But as a blast from the past its wonderful to see it again.

Any comments would be welcome, or better yet. Google your first knife and share a pic. Did I just have bad taste as a youngster or have we all had a desire to be Rambo

 

[Niels]

They still sell those at my local army shop. I tried to sharpen one once for a friend. And it was pretty much unsharpenable. My first knife was a little folder like the one I posted this week.

 

[Albus Culter]

They still sell those at my local army shop. I tried to sharpen one once for a friend. And it was pretty much unsharpenable. My first knife was a little folder like the one I posted this week.

Hi Niels, yeh, it's truly terrible

With hindsight a decent SAK would have been a much better buy. But from this baptism, I've learned a bit more of what does and does not work. So for that I have to thank it.

PS the scales you did for that knife are great

 

[Goatboy]

Wow, never thought I'd see one of those again. You're right they were terrible, though nice to have as a warning to yourself and for the collection. They were advertised in Mr. Fenna's old writting home I think S.W.A.T. back in the late 80's early 90's. Fot about a £10 I think. How much did you pay for this one? Good find though and good thread. I'm off to ruminate on my first knife before posting about it.
GB.

 

[sandbender]

I remember those knives, I never owned one though.

My first knives were generic 'bought from the newsagents' penknives. My first 'real' knife was one of these...

Puma 265

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

I remember those knives, I never owned one though.

My first knives were generic 'bought from the newsagents' penknives. My first 'real' knife was one of these...

Puma 265

Unbelievably similar to the Kershaw Blue Mountain but without the sheepsfoot blade.

 

[Golb]

My first knife: a victorinox spartan (the one on top)

after a service of 20 years, replaced by the newer version of the victorinox (8 years ago).

I owned a number of other knives, but as EDC I like this one the most. It was an incredible good choice from my parents to give me a Spartan when I actually asked Santa the knife in the first post. I was a bit disapointed, until i found out MacGuyver owned the same knife!

 

[Man of Tanith]

I'll have t hunt my first bushy knkfe out of garage.
My first pocket knife is lost in the realms of time. It was my grandfathers from navy time I think.

 

[Albus Culter]

Wow, never thought I'd see one of those again. You're right they were terrible, though nice to have as a warning to yourself and for the collection. They were advertised in Mr. Fenna's old writting home I think S.W.A.T. back in the late 80's early 90's. Fot about a £10 I think. How much did you pay for this one? Good find though and good thread. I'm off to ruminate on my first knife before posting about it.
GB.

It was £14 total with post. Total waste of money as a knife, but as a reminder of my youth, just about with it

To the other posts. You sensible people. If I'd had a decent lock knife or a SAK I'd probably still have it now and it would have been much more practical. But I learned and carried a SAK for many many years after. But looking back, it thought me a lot.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

My first ever knife was just like an issue folding clasp knife but with Bakerlite handle in black.
This was followed by an antler handled sheath knife my Dad bought me when I was around 10 yrs.

 

[sandbender]

Unbelievably similar to the Kershaw Blue Mountain but without the sheepsfoot blade.

Indeed, very similar.

 

[silentman]

This was mine, wish I still had it.

 

[John Fenna]

Mine was a twin bladed folding knife - short spearpoint at one end longer clip point at the other and awful plastic or celluloid scales in between. The kind of thing that was sold off cards of about 20, the knives being held to the card with loops of elastic - pretty much every corner shop would have them in my youth but mine was given to me by an uncle who was a Scout Master ... I was about 8 years old.
I have never been without a knife since!

 

[Biker]

The image below looks very similar to the first big sheath knife I bought.

Bought it second hand in a shop on the road from Nottingham town centre to Bulwell in 1983. Cost me £9 which would be about £12.50 in today's money. . It even had Original Bowie knife stamped into the blade which is obviously true given the heritage. Anyway it was love at first site and I hadn't even seen Rambo back then so I wasn't influenced in any way shape or form to buy it. The sheath was a nasty wrap around piece of leather made from a pair of old boot by the looks of things, long since binned. I still have the knife and reprofiled it back in the late 80's and I still like it, nice and sharp it is too.

Here's a photo I had of it when I posted a thread about coverting the knife to use as a drawknife using my Bowie.

 

[Albus Culter]

The image below looks very similar to the first big sheath knife I bought.

Bought it second hand in a shop on the road from Nottingham town centre to Bulwell in 1983. Cost me £9 which would be about £12.50 in today's money. . It even had Original Bowie knife stamped into the blade which is obviously true given the heritage. Anyway it was love at first site and I hadn't even seen Rambo back then so I wasn't influenced in any way shape or form to buy it. The sheath was a nasty wrap around piece of leather made from a pair of old boot by the looks of things, long since binned. I still have the knife and reprofiled it back in the late 80's and I still like it, nice and sharp it is too.

Here's a photo I had of it when I posted a thread about coverting the knife to use as a drawknife using my Bowie.

Very nice. You defiantly bought far better quality than I did

Mine was a twin bladed folding knife - short spearpoint at one end longer clip point at the other and awful plastic or celluloid scales in between. The kind of thing that was sold off cards of about 20, the knives being held to the card with loops of elastic - pretty much every corner shop would have them in my youth but mine was given to me by an uncle who was a Scout Master ... I was about 8 years old.
I have never been without a knife since!

Agreed, not been without a knife since. But my standards have improved a bit , most of the time

 

[Fatbob]

I had that exact same Rambo knife, used it for everything a twelve year old used to do, fishing, spear making, n yep killing plants etc. I have to agree with hindsight they are bloody awful, but back then it was the best knife ever!

 

[Albus Culter]

I had that exact same Rambo knife, used it for everything a twelve year old used to do, fishing, spear making, n yep killing plants etc. I have to agree with hindsight they are bloody awful, but back then it was the best knife ever!

Kindred spirit

Through rosé tinted glasses you can look back on it and forgive it. But now I have one in hand again its amazing how very poor it was.

 

[maddave]

Mine was one of these and I still have it and use it....

 

[Simon1]

I used to have oe too!! Child memories! Great!!

 

[spiritwalker]

my first knife was a wee pen knife shaped like a silver fish i couldnt find an image to how i remember it. My dad gave it to me when i was 5 it was blunt and stayed in my tackle box mostly used for opening splitshot back in the days when they were lead...i got the above rambo survival knife when i was 10 on holiday in spain loved it sadly i threw it at a tree (as you did when you were young) and the handle fell off :-D

i moved onto SAK and have had a few models the ranger is the one i have now which replaced my 20 year old hunter