Many moons ago, I had a (made in the US) Schrade Old Timer whittling knife that, judging from the ample rust, was made from carbon steel. It held an edge very well, and even my terrible sharpening skills could get it razor sharp with little effort. Sadly, I lost it in the last few years, so I went it search of a replacement recently. I wanted something that I could sit by the fire and whittle with, a skill that is both useful and keeps my multi-tasking hunger satisfied.
I was looking for something tiny and light enough that I wouldn’t notice it in the pack when hiking or backpacking. I started my search in October at SMKW in TN, where I picked up a Rough Rider that cost a whopping $9. Not exactly a premier brand, but it seemed decently made, had good materials, and no blade play. I proceeded to drop it on my driveway as soon as I got it home, and the bone scales cracked in half. Oops.
I was in Springfield, MO, a couple of weeks ago, and remembered that there was a Case factory outlet nearby. Case makes some quality products, but I didn’t want to plunk down the cash for something that I would probably end up leaving on a log somewhere. I was hoping the factory outlet would help make the price more manageable, and I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to pick up an orange G10 Stockman for $40, which was a pretty decent price. I like the larger size compared to the Rough Rider or other small Case models. Hopefully I will be able to hone my whittling skills into being able to make something better than the sharpened sticks of my current repertoire. Why orange G10 instead of goat hooves or one of their 50 million other handle materials? So it would match the only knife I always have with me while in the boonies, my Sparky, of course.