I don't have a pocket knife story, but I do have some stories about loaning things. When I was a kid, I loaned my BB gun to an older kid who I trusted. It came back busted.

When I was an adult, I loaned my surfboard to an older adult who I trusted. It came back busted.

Recently, I loaned my favorite book of all time, an out of print book about backpacking through the Golden Trout Wilderness fishing for trout, to a younger lady I trusted. It never came back at all.

Finally, after all these years I have learned, I hope, never to lend anything to anybody.

I hear what you are saying sotto,

My hunting partner has a loaner story.

He loaned a very nice Sako Forester lightweight .308 Win. bolt action deer rifle to a friend once. Friend hunted with the rifle for a week, a very rainy week and stored the rifle back in the wet gun case. Months later when my friend recieved the rifle back it was still in the same unopened gun case, the rifle was a rusted mess.

A very sad story.

Mike

I had a Cold Steel Scimitar which a store acquaitance wanted to look at. He decided to do the "flip the blade out fast" routine.

Knife flipped out of his hand....hit the floor with blade open....and missed his coworkers sandled foot by a hair.

Knife wasn't damaged but I took it back from him.

One of the reason I own cheap knives is to loan out when camping. Hell in the kitchen there 2 sets of knives. MY knives and the knives I let my wife use

last time i was in Mike's Merchandise, i picked up half a dozen lock-back folding knives for about a dollar a piece, and those are the onces i let people borrow. if what i've got on me is worth more than ten bucks, they can either let me cut whatever it is needs cutting or they can wait till they can get some scissors from home.

Thanksgiving loaner knife. . . As usual I took my large slicer to Thanksgiving so I could slide the Turkey. After dinner doing clean-up I was looking for the knife and it wasn't on the counter where I'd left it. It had been scooped up and tossed in the sink with all the tableware. I immediately removed it, cleaned it, wrapped it and put it away. Checked it this AM and no it did not come through unscathed My fault, should have known better.

RAS made me think of another loaner knife story,

When I was 17 I went on a remote canoe trip as part of a youth work progran (MNR Junior Rangers); I took with me my favorite knife of the time, a D.H. Russell Canadian Belt Knife model #1 that I had bought engraved at the PEI Canadian Scout Jamboree in 1977. Sure enough, most of the other kids did not bring a knife and mine was often borrowed to do camp kitchen chores. On the last night of the trip we camped on a sandy beach and after supper my loaned knife went missing. I searched the area and combed through the beach sand, but was very disappointed to not find by knife.

On return to our main work camp I pulled kitchen duty for the weekend and was assigned to unloaded the industrial dishwasher; there in the cutlery rack was my missing knife! The wood handle was bleached white from the hot soapy water and drying cycle but I was elated to get it back, I still have that knife today.

A knife horror story that ended well.

Mike

That's a true tragedy Mike. Ruining a D.H. Russell knife is like burning the flag in my books.

I have loaned out countless books that I've never seen back. It's hard for me to say "no" to loaning someone a book, especially if it's a good one. Knowledge needs to be passed on IMO. I do have a few books with emotional/sentimental value that don't go out, though.

I don't have a loaner on me, because when the question comes "Does anyone have a knife", I say "yes". After a pregnant pause, I usually get, "Can I use it?", and I say "No, use your own".

The no's get easier with practice.