It has been said that you never forget your first…whether it was your first kiss, first car, first job…. fill in the blank. Here at iKC, stories abound about our first knife – those gems we received either for our birthday as a youth, from Grandpa while fishing, or that long awaited first purchase.

This is a story about my first folding hunter and what turned out to be my love affair with that class of knife – regardless of brand. And to be more specific, my love affair with a particular style of the 5-inch lockback folder – the classic Buck 110. That was the knife I wanted and thought I would get. Turns out cost and opportunity played a significant role in my decision process.

Living in Arizona in the late 1980’s, I wanted a sturdy knife that could live up to the rigors and demands of performing my day job as a telecom installer, while also serve me in my Arizona back country adventures. In my mind, the Buck 110 was the only knife that could fill that role. However, it was a bit pricy for me at the time – selling for around $46.00.

One day while picking up materials for a job at our supplier, Graybar, I saw some Klein Tools on display. Among them was the newly offered Klein Sportsman model 44037 5-inch folding hunter. It looked like a Buck 110, felt like a Buck 110, and smelled like a Buck 110. I bet it even tasted like one – although that would’ve been weird, so I didn’t try it. And the best part – at only $29.95, I could afford it! I stood there gazing at it not hearing the guy at the counter asking if that would be all. Inside I was all giddy like a kid at Christmas, on the outside I probably had a dumb blank stare as I was imagining what my life would be like owning that knife. The sales clerk repeated, “Sir…”. Startled, I replied in my coolest and most tradesman like tone I could muster, “Oh…yes, and throw in one of these please.”

I did it! I bought the knife! Did I settle? Did I compromise? Did I betray my desire to own a Buck? Not hardly!! This was about opportunity, price, and seizing the moment. Every tool in my kit was a Klein Tools product – famous for their quality, warranty, and service longevity when properly maintained. This bad boy checks every box, and Klein’s marketing on the display was pure genius; “Klein's Sportsman Knife is the perfect tool for your extracurricular activities.”

This is where the story should end. I walked out of Graybar a happy customer with the sun setting in the West. I lived happily ever after and experienced a life full of adventures both at work and in play with my Klein Sportsman.

Actually, however, this is where the story begins. That Klein performed remarkably well, particularly for all the things I did with it. It became my go-to tool. Being that my job required me to travel across the country, I always shipped my tools to the job site ahead of me – Klein knife included. There have been numerous occasions, however, that while my tools were sent to Job A, I got redirected to job B for one reason or another – usually due to manpower availability. So while my favorite knife was in Georgia, I went to Ohio. What’s a tech to do? I pop in to a local pawn shop and pick up decent used knife. They don’t sell Klein tools, so I picked up a decent Schrade LB7. It looks the part and Schrade also had a good reputation.

Several months later, the same thing happens again. Another town, another pawn shop. This time I pick up a Sears Craftsman knife. Fair enough – they make good tools as well, and it does the job just fine.

Repeating this scenario several more times throughout my traveling tenure, I ended up with a host of similar looking well performing 5-inch lock back folding hunters. Amazingly, not a single Buck 110 among them. I never really thought about it actually. Each time I purchased another knife it was because I was missing my Klein and I wanted something with a similar look, feel, and function. It all depended on what was in stock at the time I needed one.

Fast forward to early 2000’s and I retire my tools for office work. I was amazed at how many of these folding hunters I actually had. As tools, they were well maintained. Even today, they look pretty darn good for how old they are and how they were used. Although they were retired from active service, I did finally manage to add a Buck 110 to the fold.

There are a lot of knives in varying styles and frames in the 5-inch sized folding hunter class of knives, and one could go bonkers trying to collect them all – let alone name them all. So I have limited my collecting (and this story) to only those that resemble my first purchase in frame style and size. This is not about brand loyalty, or a classic Buck v Case v Schrade debate as to whose knife is better. This is about awareness and appreciating the class of knife (although I’ll stack my Klein against any comer!).

After years of having these knives in a “semi-retired” state, and self-proclaiming that I am not a collector of folding knives, I decided to blow the dust off and rediscover the treasures I have. Little did I realize the variety I had accumulated over the years - even though they all look the same. I did not set out to “collect” these, I was just replacing tools with like-kind. My love affair has been rekindled after digging out my trusty Klein for use around the shop. Only know when I pull them all together do I realize just what I have and the subtle nuances between them all.  

Klein Tools Sportsman 44037

As I stated, it all started in 1987 with my first, the Klein Tools Sportsman model 44037. Here she is in all her glory some 38 years later, still looking fit and trim. True, I cleaned her up a bit for the photo shoot – what beauty queen wouldn’t?

In the latter half of the 1980’s, Klein Tools broke into the growing Everyday Carry (EDC) segment of tools and partnered with Seizo Imai in Seki, Japan. Seizo Imai was one of Japan's finest craftsmen and has since join the ranks of some of the most famous knife makers of the modern era. Along with Klein Tools, his knife designs and collaborations included Parker (for almost two decades), Frost, Browning, Explorer, Compass, Condor, and many others, including his own brands Imax and Seizo Imai. Today he is highly collectible. Back then, the Model 44037 was just a tool.

Like many knives of this frame style, the Model 44037 features wood scales, brass bolsters and liners, a stainless steel blade, and measures 5 inches when closed.

That knife was more than a tool – it became a friend. I learned to how to use and care for it better than any tool in my kit. It was an integral part of my livelihood, and the perfect backcountry companion. Having other knives to use was one thing, but I couldn’t bear the thought of losing my Klein, so I bought a spare in 1990. It remains in a “reserve” state should I ever lose my original.

The Buck 110

Arguably the king of folding hunters and the first to market the now ubiquitous 5-inch folding hunter, the Buck 110 sets the gold standard for all those that follow. For a detailed history and a great read of the 110 development and introduction, visit the Buck Knives website and read The History of Buck Knives: Chapter 10 / The Birth of the Folding Hunter (https://www.buckknives.com/blog/the-history-of-buck-knives-chapter-10/).

Due in part to its longevity, versatility, customer loyalty, collectability, and ever-evolving market trends, the Buck 110 probably has more variations and iterations than any knife going. You can get the 110 classic, the 110 auto, 110 customizable, 110 LT, 110 C-Tek, with finger grooves, commemorative, with bone scales, with custom etching, with intricate scroll work, brass or nickel silver bolsters….and that’s all before any aftermarket upgrades like custom scale or scroll work. It says a lot when a single model folding knife commands its own 110 dedicated business page at Buck consisting of 14 variations of the same knife. And can you believe it, the 110 also has its own merch consisting of the 110 teardown mat and a wood 110 ornament.

Purchased long after I employed my Klein, my first 110 was a used, albeit abused number I picked up at a flea market which has long since died an honorable death. While its memory is maintained, it has been lovingly replaced with these two show pieces – the 2012 classic and the 2014 50^th Anniversary edition.

Schrade’s Uncle Henry Bear Paw LB7

As with Buck knives, Imperial Schrade Corporation (ISC) has a long history of knife making and commands an almost fanatical following. A Schrade knife in the most diabolical condition on Ebay holds a respectable resale value. With the undeniable market success of the Buck 110, Schrade’s marketing campaign for the LB7 (Lockback #7) was ruthless…asserting many of the claims that Buck had earned. Nevertheless, the LB7 commands its own place on the stage and is, in my opinion, second to none in the 5-inch folding hunter class. (That’s my freebie comment to all the Schrade die-hard fans).

Not being a brand connoisseur of folding knives per se, I have only recently learned more about my own LB7’s than I knew since I have owned them. However, for all the great ideas, innovations, and quality offered by Schrade, maintaining detailed production information for collectors was not one of them. As with Klein Tools, Schrade's historical record-keeping wasn't always precise, so dating based on serial numbers, production numbers, blade stamps, and design changes can often be an approximation.

There is a lot of great information available, but for every fact generally accepted by collectors, there seems to be a verifiable exception. One needs to put on their sleuth hat to weed out conjecture from fact. And even then you must keep an opened mind.

Schrade made several knives in the 5-inch folding hunter class; the Uncle Henry LB7 with wood scales, the Uncle Henry LB8 with stagalon scales, and the Old Timer 6OT with saw cut Delrin scales. I have only collected the LB7’s, while giving the others Honorable mention in this class.

Introduced in 1977, early models of the LB7 do not have Uncle Henry stamped on the blade. The stamp change is guesstimated to have started sometime around 1988. Early production models also came with a 4 pin handle configuration. Here too it is generally accepted that Schrade changed to the 3 pin configuration around 1990-91. My own research in comparing Schrade price sheets and catalogs from 1977 to 1993 shows the knife with 4 pins in 1980, and 3 pins in 1982. The 1981 price sheet also shows the 4 pin configuration, but other marketing materials produced in 1981 show the LB7 with 3 pins. Therefore, I have concluded that 1981 was the transitional year for this production change. Here are my LB7 friends:

LB7 with 4 pin handle – Cir. 1979-1980

LB7 with 3 pin handle – Cir. 1983-4985

LB7 with “Uncle Henry” stamped on the blade – Cir. 1990-1992

Sears Craftsman Sportsman 95206 and 95233

Another name with a great reputation for quality tools, Sears also released several knives in the 5-inch folding hunter class – the 95206, the 95233, and later the 95316.

Often mistaken for Schrade produced knives, these were actually made by Camillus. All three models were built using the Camillus 886 frame.

However, finding the juice on these is almost impossible. I am still trying to map out the differences between the 95206, 95233, and 95316. The earliest mention of the Camillus 886 I can find is in the 1988 catalog. Of the two models I have, the 95233 is a higher quality made knife over the 95206.

(Camillus) Craftsman 95206 - C. 1988-1995

(Camillus) Craftsman 95233 - C. 1995-1997

This is, of course, just a very limited sampling of the offerings available in the 5-inch folding hunter in this frame style. I realize too that from a photo perspective, this is a boring readout as they all look alike. But that was the point. I kept searching for a familiar look, feel, and performance standard. What I unintentionally ended up with was a nice collection of different knives in the same class.

Besides mine, additional makers of equally fine knives in this class size and style are those from Camillus, Ka Bar, Utica, Frost, Parker, Winchester, and Kershaw to name a few. Expand the frame style within the same 5-inch class size, and you get Case, Gerber, Colonial, Queen, Smith & Wesson, and a host of others. The choices are almost limitless. And that’s just for the 5-inch!

In reality, the success of the folding hunter has made it a class and category all by itself. Although originally introduced in the 5-inch size, almost without exception all the major brands have both smaller and larger offerings of the folding hunter as well. One could limit their collection to only the folding hunter and have a warehouse full of knives.

My 5-inch Folding Hunter Family

Top to Bottom: Buck 110 – 2012; Buck 110 – 2014; Klein 44037 – 1987; Craftsman 95206 – C. 1988-1995; Craftsman 95233 – C. 1995-1997; Schrade LB7 – C. 1980-81; Schrade LB7 – C. 1983-85; Schrade LB7 – C. 1990-92

For more on the folding hunter and the influence the Buck 110 has made to knife design throughout the industry (including its own offerings), watch this 25-minute video produced by Knife Center titled “Can You Beat the Buck 110?”: https://www.youtube.com/user/knifecenter

Thank you for taking the time to read all this. My personal collection is small and select, but filled with some great pieces. Please feel free to add your own story and share your folding hunter…. regardless of size or brand. If you have some additional details that will enhance our collective knowledge base, please share it! But be prepared to name your source… and bring a knife. :-D

Blog References:

Schrade Catalogs, Pamphlets, and other useful info:

https://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/

Camillus Catalogs, Pamphlets, and other useful info:

http://www.collectors-of-camillus.us/Catalogs/Catalogs.htm

Buck Knives, Journal and other useful info:

https://www.buckknives.com/

AAPK - Schrade 3 & 4 pin discussion:

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/viewtopic.php?p=19...

AAPK – Schrade LB7 Serial Number discussion:

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/viewtopic.php?p=11...