What a weird thread Darren! But I love it! I share your love of a nice knife.
I don't carry a really NICE knife around in my pocket everyday. WAAAAY too easy to lose. So I carry one of these instead. It lives in my pants pocket 24/7 along with a nail clipper my keys, and some change.
My very first one like it was a monogrammed gift which I lost prolly 40 years ago. The basic knife has changed a wee bit over the years, but I like it so much that I buy them in bulk and then just drag a new one out whenever I lose one.
For those times when I need more utility, I have a Leatherman Multitool Belt Knife that one of my sons gave me 15 years ago or so.
This thing is a work horse. It is extremely well made considering everything they packed into it. I know they have newer better models, but I really like this one - especially since it was a gift from one of my sons. It is very well used for everything from camping and fishing to working around the farm. I'm surprised that the leather case and the snap still work.
I splurged on my first hunting knife 60 plus years ago. I still have it. The clip is broken and the sheath is tattered, but it's a fond memory of my careless boyhood years.
What you cannot see is the teeth marks of a huge coyote in the handle. A young friend had crippled the yote with a badly placed shot. I tried to dispatch it for him by throwing my knife at it. It caught my knife in mid air in its teeth. We wisely decided to just shoot it again.
Now when you talk about a knife to fall in love with, I guess you might be describing my current hunting knife.
It is drop dead gorgeous in every way. It's way more knife than I would ever have bought for myself. It is also very very special. I vividly remember the day I got it 38 years ago. It has gutted at least 38 deer since then. The only time I use it is for the annual deer hunt. I have a bird knife with a gut hook that I wear when I go hunting for small game and birds.
That deer knife is a knife to love and definitely a knife to pass on to your kids. The balance is amazing and so is the fit and finish from the polished metal and metal anodizing to the rosewood handles. The folding and lock is still as crisp and solid as the day I got it. Which is a story all of its own.....
I had bought one just like it for my brother who was a truck driver. But we had a family spending limit of $20. The knife was around a hundred bucks way back then. Prolly 300 now. In other words REALLY BIG BUCKS. WAY MORE than our agreed family gift spending limit. But, .... I dearly loved my brother and I could just imagine him proudly wearing this awesome knife his older brother bought him. So I rounded up some of my personal money and bought it anyway. I brilliantly handled the CFO with an outright baldfaced lie. So smooth and so convincing! "LOOK AT THIS KNIFE I FOUND FOR MY BROTHER FOR JUST $20!!!". She ooed and awed and fondled it, while carefully noting the look of love in my eye and the way I described every feature and curve it had.......
On Christmas morning, we all gathered round to open our gifts. That year we also put a movie camera on a tall tripod in the corner to record the kids squeals and giggles. (I'll never do that again). As we opened all the gifts there was a special one, just for me, from my dear loving sweet beautiful innocent wife. It was elaborately wrapped and covered in ribbons and glitter. I opened it with great anticipation because I sensed it was something really special...... And so it was!
An exact copy of the knife I gave my brother...... F$&k
The camera caught the look on my face and also my sweet wife's voice in the background saying ..... "20 bucks eh....."
THERE I SAT, CAUGHT RED FACED, WITH MY PANTS DOWN AROUND MY ANKLES!! ........... F$&K .......
In front of all my kids too..... F$&K my life!
Very costly knife. Priceless in fact.
