Was that one of those "Pygmy Mammoths"? Or was it the real deal?

Did you do it while they were still alive?

Generally, you worked with pygmy mammoths until you graduated from high school. Then it was on to the big guys. But pygmies weren't trivial - they were the size of large bison.....

And yes, Montanero, it always meant more if they were alive....

To get back to the original intent of this thread, I nominate the Buck 105 Pathfinder as a really good knife for both out in the boondocks and in the kitchen. I purchased mine in 1972, using it on an extended field project where we camped out a lot, backpacking to our project area, and I just finished using it in the kitchen, slicing up a zillion (by conservative count) oranges.

I didn't use any of the kitchen knives because Mrs. H prefers her knives dull (presumably her husband should be sharp) and the 105 worked just great - its 5 inch blade length made it better for slicing, compared to my beloved Moras....

Anyway, the 105 or something comparable should be handy and versatile. A folding equivalent might be useful, as well, depending upon your local knife laws.

The Buck 105 is good field knife, and I can see how it would be good in the kitchen. One point in its favor is that it’s dishwasher safe

My other half prefers her knives cheap and serrated, or paid for by me. In either case they get used, abused and when done they are shown no love. I put my better kitchen knives away to make room in the block for her serrated blades; it’s safer than finding them by accident tossed in a drawer (the sharp pain braille method). OTOH, she’s a much better cook.

How is that women who show such excellent judgement is their selection of a spouse can be so nonchalant when it comes to cutlery?

"they get used, abused and when done they are shown no love."

Priorities. Besides, she knows I’ll take care of them.

When I was a young boy (a long long time ago) my first fixed blade knife was a Buck 119 Special. I LOVED that knife ...

BUT ... I never was able to get a good cutting edge on that knife.

Years later I started buying Gerber knives and those seemed to get much sharper edges. So I became a Gerber fan.

Even more years later I was taking a botany class and had a need to buy a cheap knife for cutting and digging out plants in the field. I went to a local Pamida (seemed like a hybrid between a Walgreens/CVS and a Walmart/Kmart) and bought an odd little black handled knife with a plastic sheath (low cost!) and a funny looking large bladed kitchen knife (even lower cost!) with no sheath (figured I could makes something using cardboard & tape for the duration. Those two knifes took edges like NOTHING I'd ever seen!!! I beat them up and they kept working great!

Many many years later I came to find out that odd little black handled knife with the plastic sheath was a Mora knife with a stainless steel blade. That funny looking kitchen knife was an Old Hickory carbon blade.

I never really went back to feeling confidence for Buck knives, Gerber seems to head in an odd direction, but I became a HEEUUGE fan of Mora and Old Hickory knives.

Was it just my imagination? my incompetence at sharpening? or was there really something about that Buck knife? Are they better now? To this day I have a sweet spot in my heart for Buck ... but still won't buy one.

Thank you very much for your suggestions, hikermor and Russ.



Italian knife laws are very idiosyncratic, but seem particularly keen against locking folders.
A smallish fixed blade might be more socially acceptable, especially if it looks like a kitchen knife or a gardening tool.

A knife I was considering is the Condor Mini Bushlore: it's cheap, small and has an unassuming wooden handle, a full tang blade of good carbon steel, and a handsome leather sheath.

https://www.amazon.com/Condor-Tool-Knife-Bushlore-Leather/dp/B004WMFI0Y

But it has a scandi grind and a rather thick blade, so it might not be the best choice for food prep. I guess life is full of compromises...

Yes, I'm beginning to think that something very simple along the lines of and Old Hickory, or an European equivalent, might be the best choice for me, as many of you wisely pointed out. I'll just need to find and adapt a good sheath for it.