The Case Pen Knife with yellow delrin handle still has the same functional blades as the original model, but does update the knife with high carbon stainless steel and synthetic delrin handle slabs with the look of aged ivory. Nickel silver bolsters house the pivots of both knife blades, and the package folds neatly into a slim 3-3/8-inch handle that's barely noticeable in the pants pocket. The larger clip point blade serves for most ordinary chores, but the shorter pen blade with its stronger spear-point tip works better when you need some extra leverage.

This particular blade was good enough that it outlived its original purpose, which was to sharpen the ends of quill pens in the days when people communicated by ink and paper. The short, straight cutting edge shaved a flat diagonal section across the tip of the turkey feather's quill. Today, it's equally good for any cutting job where precision counts.

This traditional pen knife uses slip joint construction, holding both blades closed with steel tension bars. Catching the thumb notch of a blade pulls the knife open, and the same spring bar holds the blade in open position. Press against the back of the blade, and the knife folds with a snap.

Another good choice for the dress pants pocket is the shorter but wider styling of the Case Baby Butterbean.

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Wr Case Sons Cutlery Co 109 Knife Cv Yellow Pen US $32.77   Auction Ends: 4d 5h

Case XX CA109 Yellow Pen Folding Knife 32087 CV Blades US $32.95   0 Bid Auction Ends: 3h 22m

With a stout, piercing point that Boker describes a a gladius-style, the blade plunges through tough materials easily. A concave cutting edge on the anodized high carbon stainless steel blade hooks straps and cord for quick cutting, but won't be quite so easy to use if your applications involve paring and slicing. Whether a knife makes good sense for everyday carrying depends on how well it matches your daily chores, and if you're an electrician or a handyman, you might miss the old drop point.

For the urban survivalist more interested in clambering out of car wrecks than in peeling apples, this design does make good sense. Deep finger grooves in the fiber reinforced nylon grip give the knife excellent grip strength in difficult circumstances, and the wide handle provides torque for the strong 3-7/8-inch blade. The knife blade swings out with a push on the thumb stud, and locks securely into open position for a working length of 9 inches. Underneath the nylon handle scales, you'll find a strong framework of stainless steel. The pommel includes a hardened steel insert useful for smashing window glass.

See the Boker Hyper for a slimmer pocket folder designed by Chad Los Banos.

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BOKER PLUS Jim Wagner URBAN SURVIVAL Knife TANTO VIDEO US $26.88   Auction Ends: 29d 4h 20m

Boker Plus Jim Wagner Reality Based Trainer Knife BO057 US $59.95   Auction Ends: 4d 17h 37m

The Boker Plus Anti-MC combines two modern materials to create this elegant pocket folder. Titanium handle construction guarantees that you're getting one of the lightest and strongest handle builds possible. Joining that to the ceramic cutting blade creates a knife that's invulnerable to rust and corrosion. If you work around seawater, that's a definite plus since even stainless steel degrades quickly in that brisk salty air.

Slicing is the strong point of this knife, not prying. Levering with the blade or dropping it on a hard surface could cause major damage, and even cutting requires a different technique, based on straight cuts instead of cutting a curved chip. If you like knives that are sharp, the 3-1/4-inch ceramic blade's cutting edge is plenty of reason to own this knife. Heavy use might cause micro-chipping of the knife's edge, but even that doesn't greatly affect the way the Boker Plus Anti-MC cuts. Micro-chips simply cause the edge to grip a little faster. Run a finger carefully along the edge of a chert arrowhead, and you'll get the idea quickly.

Although Boker does call this a tactical folder, the clean design and conservative blade style make this a pocket folder nearly anyone can carry. The pocket clip keeps the knife securely in place, and a lanyard hole allows owners to add a wrist loop for knife security in tricky locations. One-handed opening and integral frame lock add to its practicality.

For another ceramic cutter from Boker, see the Boker Infinity.

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BOKER PLUS ANTI MC Ceramic Blade Titanium Handle Knife US $49.95   0 Bid Auction Ends: 1d 4h 41m

BOKER PLUS ANTI MC TACTICAL KNIFE w CERAMIC BLADE TITANIUM HANDLE BOP035 US $54.99   Auction Ends: 1d 6h 1m

Compare the Bear and Son slip joint Trapper to other versions and you'll notice one big difference in construction. Other companies pin handle slabs to the knife body with three brass rivets; Bear and Son uses one. That's pretty bold, and requires a perfect fit of all components. The other differences are more subtle. Bear and Son puts more metal in the nickel silver bolsters than you'll find in other brands of the Trapper style, and the profiles of the blades are sharper. Creating that finer point shows an extra effort and inspires confidence in the parts you can't see.

Four-and-1/8 inches in closed length, the knife keeps the standard blade choices for the trapper -- a clip point for piercing and a spey blade for slicing. That's a critical combination for anyone running a trapline, but it's also a handy tool set for everyday chores in the civilized world. Each of the high carbon stainless steel blades is shaped for strength and hollow ground for easy maintenance of the razor edge.

The raw materials for the knife's rosewood handle slabs came from South America, but all parts of the knife were manufactured and assembled onsite at the Bear and Son factory in Jacksonville, Alabama.

For the Stockman version of the Bear and Son slip joint pocketknife, see the Large Stockman 3-Blade Knife.

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Of course, the real uses pertain more to lectures and business meetings than to woodscraft, but with this handy pocket knife available, anything within 70 feet is in peril of being marked with a glowing red dot, even if just for fun. The knife also includes nail clipper scissors, a nail file with a squared point that doubles as a screwdriver, a retractable ball point pen, key ring, and of course a small penknife blade of high carbon stainless steel.

Other perks include a much better night-time range of up to 300 feet and pressurized ink in the ball point pen, which makes the knife write in any position. Electronic power-saving circuitry behind the ruby-red handle conserves the charge of the tiny battery cell that powers the laser beam. Only 2.5 inches long, the most useful thing in the knife is still the fine-edged knife blade, but the laser pointer is simply irresistible. You'll be pointing out things you never even noticed before.

All Swiss Army knives from Victorinox carry a lifetime guarantee. Even the smallest versions like the Signature Laser are built with precision and qualify as reliable tools.

See the Swiss Army Memory Stick Knife for another classic pocket knife with very modern potentials.

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Victorinox Swiss Army Laser Pointer Knife 59590 US $45.00   Auction Ends: 25d 22h 15m

Victorinox Swiss Army LASER POINTER MINICHAMP Silver US $56.95   Auction Ends: 3d 2h 22m

Made with blades of raindrop Damascus, a pattern created by master knife-maker Devin Thomas, the new Case Barlow keeps the original look of the frontier pocket blade. Barlow knives have a simple and rugged design with one or two blades pivoting from the oversized bolster. The Case Barlow -- a two-bladed design -- uses a large bolster of polished nickel silver and handle slabs of India stag. The stag antler slabs provide a non-slip texture and a natural look, much like the handles of frontier versions of the Barlow knife.

This knife's folded length of 3-3/8 inches fits the pocket neatly, and the wide handle offers plenty of twisting leverage for carving and whittling. A large spear point blade provides the main cutting edge, and the penknife blade handles more delicate tasks. The many layers of folded steel making up the blades add strength to the knife, using similar techniques to that of sword smiths in the Middle East where the term Damascus steel originated. The steel also holds an edge well but shows less corrosion resistance than high carbon stainless steel. Oiling the surface of the blades occasionally is enough to protect the unusual metal from rust.

For a different style of Barlow knife, see the Al-Mar Engraved Hawk.

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CASE XX New Genuine Stag Handle Raindrop Damascus 2 Blade Barlow Knife Knives US $157.00   Auction Ends: 3d 1h 2m

2008 CASE USA Barlow Stag Damascus Knife 52009DAM 07 09 08 NIB US $248.01   0 Bid Auction Ends: 20h 53m

The Damascus steel used in the Case Whittler comes from the Devin Thomas Damascus steel foundry and is one of 15 patterns currently produced there. Devin Thomas spent years learning the forging of Damascus steel and created distinctive Damascus patterns with hammer marks applied during the forging process. Ground and polished into the final shape of the knife blade, the steel layers reveal geometric designs like the concentric circles of the raindrop steel.

The Case 6092 Whittler uses this raindrop Damascus steel in all three of the knife's blades. The knife offers clip point blades in large and small sizes and a penknife blade. Damascus steel gives the blades extra strength as well as unusual beauty, and the high carbon steel alloy provides the long-lasting edge a whittler prefers. A drop of oil rubbed across the blades occasionally prevents corrosion.

When folded, the 2.1-ounce Whittler measures only 3-1/2 inches, a perfect size for the average pocket and still big enough to offer a secure grip. Natural India stag handle slabs add non-slip texture.

If you're interested in going beyond simple whittling but still prefer a pocket tool set, consider the Flexcut Carving Multitool.

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CASE Damascus Cigar Whittler Stag 1 1000 Pocket Knife US $239.95   Auction Ends: 15d 3h 44m

CASE XX Seahorse Whittler Damascus Pocket Knife Stag 5355WH DAM Mint New Box US $235.00   Auction Ends: 5d 18h 33m

Only 3-7/8 inches long when folded, the three-ounce Case Canoe's upswept nickel steel bolsters gave this model its name. Set on its spine, the knife does slightly resemble the shape of an old birch-bark canoe. The ample handle gives users plenty of leverage, and the India stag horn handle slabs provide a natural grip with no need for jigging. The amber color of the horn darkens gradually with age. The slip joint knife includes a main blade with a strong spear-point shape and a handy smaller blade in the penknife pattern. Both are very useful blades and handle ordinary tasks like carving and reaming extremely well, although the original purpose of the penknife blade was to sharpen the points of turkey quill pens.

What's new and better in the Case Damascus Canoe knife is the steel. Folded layers of high carbon steel form the stock for these blades, but advanced processes allow the creation of deliberate patterns in the steel layering. Forging marks dimple the steel stock and form raindrop patterns enhanced by etching and polishing. This type of high carbon Damascus steel is darker than shiny modern stainless steel, and you'll need to clean and oil the knife occasionally to prevent corrosion. I wouldn't be concerned -- my high carbon steel knives from before the stainless steel fad began are still doing fine.

For a more economical working knife from Case, see the Case Trapper Pocket Knife.

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CASE XX Butterbean Canoe Amber Bone CV Pocket Knife Etched Blade 2011 New US $48.50   Auction Ends: 22d 22h 9m

CASE CANOE POCKETKNIFE 724 USA 62132 SS NEW BABY BUTTERBEAN POCKET KNIFE US $50.00   Auction Ends: 17d 22h 11m

At just 2-3/8 inches long when folded, the Tiny Trapper weighs only one ounce. That's light enough to compete with ultralight emergency knives built to much lower standards. Strong nickel silver bolsters brace both ends of the knife handle, and panels of natural India stag horn provide a durable gripping surface. The knife uses slip-joint construction, holding blades securely in both open and closed positions through steel spring-bar tension. Neither blade locks when open, so be cautious when applying piercing pressure -- pressing on the back of the blade closes the knife.

Trapper knives contain two blades which pivot from the smaller end of the handle. Originally designed for hunters and trappers, the knife offers clip point and spey point blades of equal size. The clip point pierces and carves, while the spey point is best at shallow cuts and controlled slicing. The raindrop Damascus high carbon steel blades of the Tiny Trapper were created from steel stock specially forged at Devin Thomas Damascus. Thomas developed a total of 15 unique damascus patterns, only one of which was chosen for Case knives. The raindrop pattern results from controlled hammer blows on the hot steel, distorting the layered metal in precise geometric designs.

If you need a larger knife, the Case Stag Trapperlock adds lockback safety to this very popular outdoorsman's knife.

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Case CA6093 Stag Damascus Tiny Trapper Knife Gift Box US $114.99   Auction Ends: 20d 8h 45m

Case Stag Damascus Tiny Trapper Knife Gift Box US $119.99   Auction Ends: 20d 8h 31m

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Brian Yellowhorse Sacred Ground Case Trapper US $349.99   Auction Ends: 29d 6h 3m

CASE XX Yellowhorse Early Morning Singer Trapper Knives US $239.95   Auction Ends: 29d 3h 29m