Let's Talk About Pen Knives

[@davids9549]

I'm not sure your definition of 'Pen Knife' is correct, and I'd be interested to learn your source for it. My understanding is that a "Pen Blade' is a small short spearpoint, named after its intended use for trimming the nib of a quill pen, and that a small-sized slim pocket knife containing such a blade (and not too much else) took its name from it. If, as you state, a 'Pen Knife' is simply a double-ended knife, then that would include a large Moose or Muskrat pattern, for example, which doesn't sound right to me? Is my massive GEC #46 Whaler in fact a Jumbo Pen? That said, I recall as a boy raised in the North of England that all folding pocket knives, irrespective of size or configuration or blade type(s), were invariably called penknives, to the point where the term became completely unspecific.

[@MesserHQ]

I use Levine's Guide: "a small folding knife with blades in both ends. Almost invariably, one or more of these blades is a pen blade."

[@MesserHQ]

Muskrat, Moose and Sunfish are double ended jack knives. 👍

[@MesserHQ]

Levine draws a difference between pen knives and quill knives, the names were seperated to avoid confusion. Cheers

[@davids9549]

@@MesserHQ Those replies clarify thinks greatly -thanks!

[@jamesstraub4981]

Very cool. Always learn a bunch watching your videos. Thanks.

[@MesserHQ]

Awesome, glad to hear that👌

[@davidkurle5418]

That's a neat collection! I guess I never knew what actually makes a pattern a "pen knife", so this was interesting to learn. Out of that bunch, I think that old swan works knife is my favorite, it just looks like it would have some great stories to tell if it could talk! Have a great Sunday, Joe.

[@MesserHQ]

Awesome, glad i was able to teach you something 😀, now go out and get some pen knives!

[@bdh3949]

Good subject, what a fine pen knife collection. I'm glad you are using the office knife, it seems to fit in naturally with the collection. I like the inclusiveness of different pen knife patterns. Two of my favorite pocket carries are a yellow pearl covered office knife from Western States (Boulder) from the 30's and a 1920's Cattaraugus pen knife with synthetic pearl covers. Good way to spend a Sunday morning, learning something about knives with a coffee and a video, thanks again Joe.

[@MesserHQ]

Yeah there are a lot of cool pen knives out there, im definitely gonna pick more up! Im glad O can be the morning show lol, time differences are great.

[@01cthompson]

Lots of class in these traditional blades.

[@MesserHQ]

Indeed👌

[@anvic63anvic64]

nice collection, thank you for sharing. I like the case pen knife in CV and yellow delrin a lot. i also have a böker with bog oak covers and acid wash blade. both get lot of carry.

[@formationit5039]

I enjoyed this very much, thanks. I love pen knives! To me, they are the quintessential pocket knife. In my collection, I have every #62 Easy Pocket Congress that GEC did last year except for the SFO they did Mike's Knives in the UK. My favorite pen knife might be the GEC #33 Conductor. I also have some older congress knives that GEC and others did.

[@MesserHQ]

Wow, thats an impressive collection of 62's😯 It really is a great pattern, I love mine👍

[@PJ_Grateful]

Nice collection! 👍

[@MesserHQ]

Thanks bud, trying to get more into pen knives👍

[@Zen_Ali_123]

Great collection. 👍Cattarugus🤜 I just got a Boker stag this week. First small pen I truly dig. I have a big Bulldog, gold-acrylic, muskrat user that I love to carry.

[@MesserHQ]

Just saw it, thats a beauty! Could well be a double end jack....who knows🤣🤣🤣 im gonna email you today, shops are back open👍

[@choirmaestro1]

The GEC 61 makes the perfect office knife for my daily suit & tie job.

[@MesserHQ]

Yeah they are great for more formal dress👍

[@GunCollector007]

I love them

[@MesserHQ]

Thanks good to know im not the only one👍

[@richterknives]

Love the easy pocket Congress. I’m gonna have to get another. I’ve missed the one I traded.

[@MesserHQ]

Its a sweet blade for sure, I love mine👌

[@KillerM1979]

Awesome knives.

[@MesserHQ]

They really are bud, thanks for sending the ones you did👍

[@05generic]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@MesserHQ]

My pleasure bud, and thanks 👍

[@Wraith35]

Great for the office or places where other knives may get the look. I have no idea as to why but people react differently to different things.

[@MesserHQ]

Yeah agreed, very non threatening blades👍

[@elimcgraw4066]

I like the 2nd one from the right with stag handles

[@themasterofmisanthropy7761]

in my collection I have two of these with blades and can openers built into the mother of pearl handles

[@prh8068]

A very nice collection of pen knives. The only one that i don't care for is the one with engraved metal scales. For some reason I've never liked those. I have a number of pen knives in my EDC rotation and as a matter of fact my GEC Easy Pocket Congress is currently my favorite carry. I also like the truly small pen knives like the Case #63 ("Eisenhower"). I have two of those. The oldest one is from 1973. It has a thinner body than the newer knife and Its two blades have a very tight fit tolerance with some minor blade rub. The newer one actually has an extra spacer liner on one side that makes it a little bit fatter, but also makes it easier for the blades to fit in when closed. But even with that extra space there is still some blade rub.

[@MesserHQ]

Its a pattern I need to warm up to as well. I got this one just because it was a Böker....I can say for what it is, its very well made.

[@rustyknifelover4463]

The Victorinox Excelsior is my only pen knife. Maybe the Rough Ryder Reserve RRR005.

[@MesserHQ]

Yeah I don't have a whole lot either im gonna look for some more cool ones👍

[@halvard3755]

Nice video. I recently found a Victorinox Spartan that I had lost years ago and I have gotten an interest in pocket knives and started carrying some. I findt them quite useful now. I see lots of similar knives to these being sold used online and its usually no information on what brand it is, so these videos are quite helpful. (I live in Norway) Some of them have similar handles as these you have and I always wonder if they are bone or plastic. I don't know anyone who carry one and didn't grow up with anyone carrying any knives at all except bigger knives for fishing and out in the woods. I find the bottle opener on everything a little funny, because everyone I grew up with used everything BUT a bottle opener to open bottles. Keys, table edges, cutlery, big kitchen knives, mobile phones (20 years ago), lighters were a favourite since you could make the caps pop off really loud, snus boxes. If it had an edge, you used it.

[@ataleph1]

Great video! I have a knife stamped “christians solingen” that has an identical frame as your serpentine hartkopf and the same main blade, but a pen blade as a secondary. Do you know anything about this brand? I have been searching on internet but not much found so far.

[@MesserHQ]

I have never heard of that brand but that dosen't mean anything, there were hundreds of Solingen knife companies.

[@mauricioruiz9021]

I don't know a lot about American traditional pocket knives but can a canoe pattern be considered a pen knife, since it has one blade coming out of each end and can a barlow or a trapper be considered Jack knives, since both blades are on the same end?

[@MesserHQ]

Its a bit confusing in levine's guide the Canoe is considered a double end jack.

[@jerseyknifeguy6382]

Hey Joe what are them office knives going for today? I was going to buy a Schatt & Morgan office knife and they wanted 140 bucks...... I laid off it I thought that was to much for what it was but I have no clue what there worth? It said new in box too...... I wasn’t sure thanks bud!!!!! Because I really do like it....

[@MesserHQ]

Hey man, i guess it really depends on the cover material. I assume Schatt & Morgan made them in smooth white bone or even Ivory👌. 140 sounds about right for smooth white bone and S&M fit and finish.

[@MesserHQ]

Some of the synthetic handles can be had for 20 bucks on ebay...

[@jerseyknifeguy6382]

@@MesserHQ it was fake they called it foe ivory!!!!!

[@fpassow1]

Pen knives just seem right to me. They were carried by people who's lives were about the same as my own. Big old lockbacks and flippy modern knives are fun. But carrying one always feels just a little bit silly. While a pen knife drops into my pocket like it belongs there.

[@MesserHQ]

Yeah, i have my grandfather's knives and they are all small, peanut sized. All are very well used. I think the big blades is a modern phenomenon. 🤔

[@majorpain1251]

I'm kind of the same way. I just prefer jack knives. I have a few pen knives but don't carry them much.

[@MesserHQ]

Yeah, same here. I've been putting one in my pocket recently, I will be getting some more👌

[@grahamparr3933]

I have a couple of rough rider canoe knives, are these considered penknives?

[@gizmocarr3093]

I like your collection of Pen knives; it seems some of the ones I thought were pen knives I have turn out to be little off the mark. The Pen knife definition seems to require a knife with one back spring and when closed under 3.125 inches, with a spear main blade and pen secondary blade. That makes a lot of smaller knives not quite fit the definition I have. Small technicalities might make a difference to some collectors just not me. Any small knife is a Pen knife to me. What makes small folding knives special to me is making something smaller is harder to do than making a larger model. If you want to know what to expect as quality goes; buying a small knife is an indication of what to expect from larger models made by a knife maker. It also is a good test for the steel used by knife makers. It is less work sharpening a small blade than a bigger one. I would say about 90% of the tasks you need a knife for are easier to do with a small knife. Small blades are able to make more precise cuts. You also are far less likely to cut yourself using a small blade too. Using the right too for the task often makes Pen knives the perfect tool.

[@MesserHQ]

As for the definition, im using Levines, like always....he dosen't specify sizes or say it has to have a certain blade set up. What definition do you use? I didn't know there was a discrepancy. And I agree when I make leather, i always grab small knives. Just easier for detail work ai find. Thanks bud👍

[@gizmocarr3093]

@@MesserHQ Tobias Gibson gave the definition in one of his videos pertaining to Pen knives. I also found other definitions that also closely agreed on knife forums. However; it is unimportant to know the correct criteria. However; one of my favorite patterns fits the description to a T; the Case Eisenhower pattern. The first pen knives were fixed blades, and then single blade folding ones. Most had small thin blades named pen blades. Some place along the line the English or Germans started making them with an added blade. I have some with clip points and pen blades. However; the single spring and blade set is a standard to agree on it seems to me.

[@stevesinclair4159]

There are only 2 types of penknives - Swiss Army ones and all the rest ! A fair number of SAK's have 2 blades, usually a main one & a smaller one. The basic ones with 2 blades are the Spartan & the Camper models & many of the larger multi-tool ones have 2 blades. I have not had any other brand of 2 bladed penknives since I was a schoolboy & nowadays if you were to get out one of the knives in your review to simply open a parcel or cut an apple at work or in a public place folks will be alarmed that they have Mack the Knife in their midst unlike with a Swiss Army knife which everybody seems familiar with as a multi-tool and doesn't bat an eye lid as SAK's are not associated with violence & thuggery !

[@MesserHQ]

well, debatable 🤣🤣🤣 but Victorinox does make a good knife.

[@stevesinclair4159]

​@@MesserHQ It makes excellent knives at affordable prices & more of them annually than any other Knife maker

[@Hunting4Hookers]

Hey buddy! Found ya through RJ’s live! You have a new subscriber buddy!!

[@MesserHQ]

Sorry for the late response, I don’t get on here much😏. Thanks for your sub, much appreciated 👍👍

[@Sugardaddy501]

I carry swiss army knives primarily with a fixed blade as a small tool chest.

[@MesserHQ]

Yeah i have a Victorinox Super Tinker that I love. Great tools👍