May 30 2019 is a day to celebrate for the whole knife community! A landmark battle has been won in New York. Today Governor Andrew Cuomo repealed the gravity knife ban.
Even small and totally innocuous knives like these could bring charges of “Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree” under the Gravity Knife Ban
The gravity knife ban, in effect since the 1950s, made it illegal to posses any knife that could be opened by “gravity or centrifugal force” and locked into place. The intentional vagueness allowed this definition to be applied to nearly ANY folding knife. Thousands of people were arrested per year without having committed any act of violence or destruction, but rather only for owning/carrying/using humanity’s most basic and universal tool. Beyond that, statistics indicate that the law was applied unequally with bias against minorites. This sad fact makes the law not only unjust, but also immoral.
Under the Gravity Knife Ban this fixed blade could technically be legal to carry…Whereas this miniscule knife could land you in jail with hefty fines… (I’m not at all suggesting either should be restricted)
The question of what the “right way” to express enthusiasm for knives is one that shouldn’t need answered. I find it silly and overbearing for anyone to suppose that they should or can tell another the best way to enjoy a hobby. Still, I have gone through several phases in regard to the idea of keeping knives as collection pieces in contrast to keeping them as using tools, and I think others have had similar shifts in perspectives. In this post I’ll describe my progression through those stages and how my current collection looks… but no guarantees it won’t change again!
A tasteful knife display, the stand a gift from my fiancee
I, like many, started with having only one knife that I used for everything. I didn’t even really consider the idea of having knives as collection pieces, and probably would have scoffed at the idea had it been suggested. Still, I was what I would consider a knife enthusiast though, as I appreciated the knife not just as a tool but as a piece of mechanical workmanship that elevated man’s most ancient tool to a higher level. I think there is a silent but quite large population of people who fit this category; they appreciate a good knife and see it as more than a disposable tool, but they don’t venture further into the hobby with more knives and deeper research.
I store my modern knives in a cheap single layer tackle box
Most of my modern knives, all users to varying degrees
A desire to know more about a particular knife brought me to the next step in the knife hobby. I don’t remember exactly what I was looking up, but in the process I found BladeForums and my eyes were opened to the wide world of the knife hobby. As I read, watched, and listened I grew more knowledgeable on knives, the knife making process, and the knife community in general. At this stage I began to purchase more knives beyond one user, but the number stayed relatively low and all were used regularly. I think this represents another distinct stage in the knife enthusiast scale, as it is a step out of appreciating knives as an individual separate from any other enthusiasts, and into the larger knife community. I stayed at this stage for a while, buying and selling and trading knives as I learned. During this stage I never amassed a significant enough number of knives that any would go unused for long. I think this is a stage that a lot of people also stay in and don’t move deeper into the hobby from, but fewer than the previous stage.
I store most of my user traditionals, sharpening gear, and random EDC stuff in a multi layer tackle box
Some of my user traditionals
The final stage is reached when you have more than enough knives to use, but you keep buying them anyway! Often, I think people reach this stage also because they start to realize their preferences and build coherent collections. This is when knives accumulate to the point that some don’t get used. Another thing that often happens before this stage is you start to accumulate knives that are rare, have sentimental value, etc. that make them less likely to be used. This stage probably has the widest variation in expression; some people might have one knife they use all the time and 100 (or 1000) that they never use or carry at all, and some might have 100 knives that they carry and use in a rotation and only 10 (or 1) that they have as a non user collection piece. I fall somewhere on that spectrum closer to the latter end.
I store my non user knife collection in a Pelican case
Top Row: GEC #46 Whaler AMKCA 2018 Club Knife, GEC #46 Whaler 2018 Rendezvous Special, GEC #38 Special 2017 Rendezvous Special, GEC #74 Mustang 2016 Rendezvous Special, GEC #74 Improved Trapper 2015 Rendezvous Special, GEC #15 TC One Arm Barlow 2014 Rendezvous Special Bottom Row: Queen Copperhead, GEC #53 Cuban Stockman, GEC #82 Dixie Stock Knife, Victorinox Spartan Costa Rica
However, I don’t believe those stages tell the whole story of knife collecting. For me, being a knife collector is about enjoying the hobby. For some people, that means having and using one knife till the wheels fall off. For others, that means buying every trendy or appealing knife that comes out and keeping them pristine. For me, it has come to mean many things. First, it means enjoying the knives I have. While I do keep some knives as pristine as possible, I try to enjoy them by displaying them and showing them at knife club meetings and shows. Other knives I enjoy by carrying and using them. I find that using a knife is the best way to enjoy it. It just feels right to use a knife as a tool, and doing so seems to confirm its value and place as the most fundamental human tool. So, why not use all my knives? For a long time, I didn’t think I had a satisfactory answer to that question. I had valuable knives, both of the monetary and sentimental type, but I thought that if I didn’t use them it was a waste to keep them. However, that led me to sell knives that I later wished I had kept (which will be the subject of another article). Now, I’ve become comfortable with the idea that some knives are better kept in good condition whether it be because they’re valuable, part of a set, or meant to be an heirloom. I have a small collection of knives I don’t use. Some of them are the Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous Specials. These are knives made in small numbers for the gathering GEC holds in Titusville every year and only available at the gathering. They’re usually unique knives in some way. They’ve become the main part of my non user collection, as they’re easily the most coherent and rare set of knives I have owned. I actually did use the first couple of these initially, but later decided they were better kept in good condition to form a recognizable and consistent set. I also have a Queen Copperhead that is the best Queen made knife I’ve ever seen that I don’t use because Queen has unfortunately gone out of business. I plan to add some more Queen knives to my non user collection, as I want to have some examples from Queen as one of the most historic cutlery companies in the U.S. and they’ll only get scarcer the longer its doors have been closed. I also have some knives that have been given to me as gifts from friends, family, and loved ones. Despite it seeming silly to not use knives as tools like they’re inherently intended, some knives are worth maintaining in good condition for posterity.
Great Eastern Cutlery Rendezvous Specials on the knife stand from my fiancee, top to bottom: #46 Whaler 2018 Oily Heart Pine Wood, #38 Special LVS Paua Abalone 2017, #74 Mustang Primitive Bone 2016, GEC #74 Improved Trapper Tortoise Shell Acrylic 2015, GEC #15 TC One Arm Barlow Oil Sucker Rod Wood 2014
Thanks to my fiancee for the idea for this article and the inspiration for the title! In her words “Your heart wants to use all the knives but your head says you should keep some nice”. I can’t thank her enough.
The blog hasn’t had a new article in a bit now, so I wanted to update my horde of loyal readers on the status of things at Knife Thoughts.
Spring is Sprung: Possum Skinner with some Crocus Flowers
Spring has arrived, and with it a myriad of things to take my attention momentarily away from blogging. I am helping plan a wedding and honeymoon, work has picked up as we move into a new facility and start a new schedule, and I had a birthday to enjoy. Still, rest assured that although I haven’t published a Knife Thoughts article recently, I have been thinking knife thoughts… lots of them!
All American Made EDC
I have several articles currently in the works. I’m writing topical articles on gifting knives, knives I wish I’d kept, and user versus collector knives. I’m also planning some knife specific reviews. In the meantime, you can check the recent posts page at this link and make sure you didn’t miss any articles, or check out my YouTube channel at this link.
The Spyderco Endura 4 is a great work knife!
I’ve also been receiving some great feedback and suggestions on Knife Thoughts articles! I want to make sure that Knife Thoughts stays relevant and engaging to its readers, so I’m always open to feedback and suggestions. Don’t forget to subscribe by entering your email, and feel free to reach out to me through the contact page which can be found at this link.
The GEC Tidioute Lumberjack from the 2016 Rendezvous
This article will be less of a review of a particular knife and more of an overall look at a general knife pattern; the Trapper. The Trapper pattern has a long history and has become well known, or at least recognizable, to most Americans who are familiar with pocket knives. Whether you’re a fan of the pattern and want to know some of its history and specific characteristics or if you have no idea what a Trapper is and are picturing a knife with two spring loaded jaws for capturing small critters, this article will tell you all you all you need to know about the Trapper!
The Case Large Trapper in Yellow Synthetic is a great exemplifier of the Pattern
First, the Trapper is a pattern with a somewhat obscure history. The claim is often put forward on knife blogs and forums that it’s a pattern that’s been used since the frontier days of America when rugged mountain men trudged into the unknown mountains to live out their lonesome and hard, but proud, lives trapping for furs and fortune. Obviously, a knife pattern called the Trapper must have originated from its namesake profession. Unfortunately for the romantics out there imagining Jim Bridger and John Colter comparing their personal Trapper knives in the 1800’s, the Trapper pattern as shown above is a 20th century invention. Like many traditional knife patterns, the Trapper evolved from older types of knives into its own unique pattern in the early 1900’s during the so called Golden Age of American cutlery. In the early decades of the 20th century there was a multitude of cutlery manufacturers that were staffed by cutlers transplanted from the old European knifemaking centers of England and Germany. These companies and cutlers took many older patterns that were brought from Europe and modified them into their own unique American patterns. The Trapper is a great example of that process. The predecessor to the Trapper was probably a slim dogleg jack with about a 4″ handle and a clip point main blade and pen secondary blade. This type of knife was made as far back as the 1880’s, and sometime in the ensuing 4 decades some companies changed the pen secondary to a full length spey blade to make a slimmer version of the classic Trapper as shown above. It seems the beefier trapper with two full length blades probably didn’t appear until the 1920’s. It was probably first made by either Case or Kabar. In this period many knife manufacturers made knives to be branded and sold by other companies. Even more confusingly, many companies, including Case and Kabar, were connected through family ties. These circumstances can make it difficult to pinpoint the genesis of a particular pattern. The Trapper remained a relatively minor pattern until after WWII. Since then pretty much any knife company that makes traditional slipjoints has produced one or more variations of the Trapper pattern, and it has become a mainstay of the American pocket knife market. Speaking of variations, what exactly is (or isn’t) a Trapper?
Camillus Remington Master Guide, Case Large Trapper, Queen Utility, Rough Ryder Trapper, GEC Northfield Improved Trapper, Great Eastern Cutlery Mustang
The Trapper pattern covers a huge range of sizes, blade shape combinations, and even handle shapes. The above picture is a great example the ways in which the size and handle shape of the trapper can vary. Although the Trapper pattern developed from a slim dogleg jack (like the Queen Utility third from the left), it can also have a banana shaped frame (like the Camillus made Remington Master Guide on the far left or the GEC Northfield Improved Trapper and Great Eastern Cutlery Mustang both on the far right), and is probably best known as a beefier dogleg jack (like the Rough Ryder Trapper third from the right) sometimes with a swell on the blade well side of the handle (like the Case Large Trapper second from the left). As you can see, the Trapper’s frame can be one of several different handle shapes with variations possible even within those general shapes. Also, although they tend to stay within the 3.5″ to 4.5″ range, Trappers can land anywhere from the Case Tiny Trapper at 2.375″ closed to the Remington Master Guide at about 5.375″ closed.
Spear and Pen, Clip and Spey, Clip and Spey, Clip and Wharncliffe
The Trapper pattern can also have just about any blade shape style and combination you can imagine. However, the classic configuration is two full size blades with one being a clip point and the other being a spey blade. The clip point is a great all around blade because it offers a pointy tip (although Case knives, like the one below, often come with rounded tips), a solid amount of curved edge, and some straight edge also. The spey blade is historically designed for use in castrating animals, as the abruptly curved belly and lack of a significant tip make it a good blade for slicing and push cuts but not good at piercing (wouldn’t want to stab your livestock when they start kicking, which they will do if you’re using the spey blade for its namesake…). It’s possible that the spey blade was added for outdoorsmen (hunters and TRAPPERS, get it) to use as a skinning blade with less chance of piercing the guts, but my guess would be that it was added just as a novelty to have two full length blades and without much more specific reason than that. Still, it does make for a useful blade combination as it can be nice having two full length blades. I tend to use the spey blade for food prep and the clip point for everything else. Like the shape and size of the handle, the blade shapes on knives considered to be Trappers can go far beyond the classic clip and spey. There’s the Slim Trapper with a single turkish (slender) clip point, the Pen Trapper with a main blade that is most often a clip or drop point but can sometimes be a spey or spear point with a small/secondary pen blade, the Improved Trapper with a clip point and wharncliffe blade, and the Single Blade Trapper with one main blade (usually a clip point, but it can also be a drop, spear, or spey).
Clip Point blade
Spey blade
So, what is a Trapper knife? Considering all the variations laid out above, it might seem that there’s no real definition of what is or isn’t a Trapper. Well, a Trapper definitely is a jack knife, meaning the blades fold out of one end (unlike a pen style multiblade knife, in which the blades open from different ends), and the end the blades come out of should definitely be smaller than the butt end of the handle. A Trapper definitely doesn’t have a straight edged blade, like a sheepfoot or wharncliffe, as its only main blade. Within those parameters, a wide array of knives can be considered Trappers. Kind of like some other things, it’s something that’s difficult to define but you know it when you see it. Another great way to know if a knife is a Trapper is if the company that made it calls it a Trapper!
A great knife to use while camping or to cut hot dog sticks for a fire
The Trapper pattern is somewhat nebulous, but even still it holds a significant place in the American cutlery tradition. Every kind of Trapper has been made, even at least one modern flipper opening version! If you like traditional pocket knives you’re sure to be able to find a Trapper that suits your particular aesthetic and practical tastes.
A couple single blade Trappers
If you’d like to get yourself a Trapper I have some suggestions. If you’d like the nicest production Trapper you can get currently, and don’t mind carbon (non-stainless) steel, you should go with the Great Eastern Cutlery #48 Slim Dog Leg. Great Eastern Cutlery made knives tend to sell out relatively quickly, but they’ve been doing larger runs to try to better meet demand and there are a good number of these left on dealers’ sites. You can find some at Blue Creek Cutlery, my most often patronized GEC dealer. Ken is a good guy and has good service, don’t hesitate to ask him any questions you have before purchase. You can also find some, including some other handle materials, at DLT Trading. Those Trappers from GEC are USA made in small batches in Titusville PA and heirloom quality but also great users. If you’d like a more modern stainless steel (although not a super steel, using 8cr13mov) and don’t mind your knife being made overseas, the Sowbelly Improved Trapper from A.G. Russell is also a great option. These have a little less character and might not be quite as well finished but they are still really well made and good looking knives, and they’re less expensive than the GECs. If you’d like a less expensive option than the GECs but want to stick with good ol’ Made In U.S.A. quality, Case knives are made in Bradford Pa and aren’t quite as well fitted or finished as GEC but still make great using knives (and many people also collect them). Case offers a multitude of Trapper options: Full Size Stainless Steel, Mini Stainless Steel, Large Stainless Steel Single Blade with Clip and Thumb Stud, Slimline with option for Stainless or Carbon Steel, Full Size Carbon Steel. Another good option that’s really easy on the wallet is going with a Rough Ryder. These are made overseas and sometimes have some issues, but they’re definitely high enough quality to make good users and often are really nice looking for the price, which is significantly lower than any of the above options. Smoky Mountain Knife Works owns the Rough Ryder brand and carries a wide variety of Trappers in different shapes, sizes, and handle materials. Finally, if the modern style trapper I mentioned piqued your interest you can the Boker Plus Urban Trapper at this link.
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Purely by coincidence, this article is being released on the heels of a social media firestorm surrounding Benchmade. Earlier this week, I believe on Wednesday 2/20/19, Benchmade came under heavy scrutiny by the 2a / second amendment online community for its involvement in the destruction of guns for the Oregon City Police Department. Apparently some amount of firearms that were confiscated by and / or given to the department and slated for court ordered destruction were destroyed by Benchmade due to their having “specialty equipment”, through a partnership with the department. I mention this not to involve politics or my own beliefs regarding firearms and knives and their direct relation to the second amendment, but rather the opposite; I want to acknowledge the currently hot topic and assure my readers that this review was written before the issue arose and was in no way affected by it.
The Benchmade 940 in all its green glory
So, what is there to say about the Benchmade 940? It’s one of the most recommended and highly regarded every day carry knives on the market. It’s been one of Benchmade’s top sellers for almost twenty years since its release in 2000. You can find countless videos and articles recommending the 940 with nary a mention of any negative attributes. A knife with such a glowing reputation must really be one of the best, right?
It’s a slender knife as is well represented here
In a word; yes. But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here spending your time reading an article about a knife because you want to know the details. Well here… we… GO:
The Benchmade 940 was designed by Warren Osborne and has several of the features that since have become his signature. It features what Benchmade calls a reverse tanto blade shape, which is basically a drop point with a swedge that has an angle at about 45 degrees going from the spine to the edge. (Benchmade also makes a version of this knife with a clip point blade shape, which you can find on Amazon at this link) The steel is s30v, which was one of the first “super steels” and, although it has fallen out of vogue in the high end knife community, remains a great all around stainless steel that isn’t too difficult to sharpen, holds a working edge well, and is pretty corrosion resistant. The reverse tanto blade shape allows the 940 to retain most of the stock thickness most of the way to the tip, and therefore have more strength than a fully flat ground (or distal tapered) blade. It also makes the tip sit well within the frame of the handle, which is something I really like but isn’t mentioned often. This means that the knife can be sharpened many many times before the tip raises above the handle, requiring a blade replacement. The blade is thinly ground enough to work for most typical utility and edc cutting tasks but thick enough to handle some tougher tasks. It might not slice cardboard as effortlessly as a tall full flat ground Spyderco blade, but I’m also more comfortable cutting zip ties and other things that take more force with the 940 than with a thinner blade.
Lots of edge fit into a small frame
Speaking of the tallness (or lack thereof) of the 940’s blade, it is very slender from edge to spine. That lends itself well to the overall small package that the 940 presents in comparison to the edge and blade length of 3.375″. That’s a solid amount of usable edge fit into a (likewise very slender) 4.75″ handle with 3.5″ of usable grip length. Although that amount of grip space would be crowded if the handle turned up at the butt, because it has a down turn at the end of the handle it actually provides an ample hold. This handle is another example of how a simple design often offers better ergonomics than a more complicated attempt to fit the hand. The handle on the standard 940 is made of aluminum that has been anodized green with a purple backspacer. I personally like the feel of anodized aluminum and the look of the green and purple together but, again, aluminum is a material that has lost the favor of the knife community. For this reason Benchmade later came out with the 940-2 with a black g10 handle with green standoffs, which you can find on Amazon at this link. As an upgrade to both the handle and blade materials, Benchmade also released the 940-1 with a solid carbon fiber handle and s90v steel blade, which makes the knife lighter and (depending on your taste) fancier looking with better edge holding at a more premium price. (You can find the 940-1 on Amazon by following this link)
About a 3.75 finger grip
Green handles with purple backspacer
All of the versions of the 940 have partial steel liners, which are a requirement for any knife with Benchmade’s Axis lock. The Axis lock is an evolved version of the “bolt action” lock, and works by having an “Omega spring” (a sort of constant force spring made of round wire rather than flat steel) push a bar that is suspended by studs on either side of the handle behind the blade tang and therefore wedge it open. The Axis lock is unlocked by pulling both or either of the studs back. It as an easy to use and fully ambidextrous lock, and is one of the big attractions of Benchmade knives. It makes the knives very easy to open and close by simply pulling the lock back, making for a fairly fun fidget factor. Although I think it’s a quite rare issue, Omega springs have been known to fail and break making the lock unreliable. I don’t think this happens often enough to be an issue, and Benchmade will definitely fix it if it does happen to your knife, but I do think it makes it slightly less durable in the very long run than well made examples of other locks (back lock, liner lock, etc.).
Nested partial liners don’t add strength on an aluminum handled knife, but are necessary for the Axis lock
The 940 comes with a classic Benchmade clip, but I highly recommend calling or emailing Benchmade and requesting a deep carry clip as is pictured on my knife. I find that it carries deeper in the pocket and doesn’t significantly affect the ergonomics in use. Benchmade is normally happy to send a free clip upon request.
The deep carry clip reduces the visible handle above the pocket to almost nill
Speaking of Benchmade’s service, it’s one of the great values of this knife. Benchmade offers lifetime sharpening (which they call LifeSharp), cheap blade replacement, a general spa service, and a normally pretty reasonable turn around time. That can’t be said for all knife companies, and it’s something that can weigh heavily in favor of Benchmade if you’re looking for a knife to last you a lifetime. However, I do think it also factors into the price of the knife, so don’t be afraid to use that LifeSharp service!
Over the last few years Benchmade has come under some criticism for a lack of quality control, specifically with uneven grinds and off centered blades. Although my 940 is slightly off center it doesn’t touch the liner and hasn’t worsened since I adjusted the pivot. The grind seems even enough to my eye. I haven’t had any issues with lockup or action on any recent Benchmades. My 940 has no blade play in any directions and opens and closes smoothly with one hand.
Only ever so slightly off center
To come to the point where I might add something new to the 940 conversation, I think this knife’s slenderness is both its best and worst attribute. Its slim handle and blade make the 940 a breeze to carry and allow it to offer a really solid amount of cutting power in a small package. I think this ease of carry combined with the convenience of the Axis lock and security of Benchmade’s warranty are what have made the 940 such a star in the EDC knife world. However, such slenderness also has its downfalls. Because the blade rises so slightly out of the handle the thumb studs are close enough to the handle that it can sometimes be a tad difficult or awkward to open the knife quickly. Also, because the blade is short from edge to spine it does offer less belly and a thicker edge in comparison to some other models. Still, I think these are minor complaints that are far overshadowed by the positive attributes of the 940. You can get the Benchmade 940 for about $180 at this Amazon link. Although relatively pricey for the materials used, like all Benchmade knives it is made in the United States and backed by their highly trusted warranty. If you’re looking for a knife that you can put it your pocket and not notice until you need it, that you can rely on for almost any cutting task you’d run into in your daily life, and that can last you a lifetime the Benchmade 940 is a solid time tested and proven option.
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I sincerely thank you for your time, support, and interest! Don’t forget to tell your friends about KnifeThoughts.com, subscribe via email, and share this article on social media. You can find Knife Thoughts on YouTube where I have hundreds of knife videos, as well as on Instagram and Facebook! You can find all my latest links at LinkTr.ee/KnifeThoughts
