All About Pocket Knives

The thought occurred to me that of popular patterns I could not recall anyone showing a Congress as an EDC. To check this impression-and my memory storage capacity-I reviewed several score of pages under the EDC thread. I did find one gentleman who actually rotated through several Congress knives for his EDCs. I won't mention his name as I believe he has left our planet for a far better life. [And I would hate to be mistaken on this.]

But my impression remains that few actually use a Congress. I only find this a bit odd because virtually every company both at home and abroad offers the pattern. That should be a pretty good indication that the Congress definitely sells. Yet it does not appear to be used much, at least among our fellow AAPKers. If my observation is correct, always a doubtful proposition, I wonder why. I would like to learn the viewpoints of our members. Maybe more than I realize many do use it. Or have reasons why they do not carry it.

Apart from the scout/camping type knife I generally favor a using knife with only one or two blades. I even prefer my Barlows
to be single bladed. But this attitude has been seriously eroded by my recently developed admiration for the Stockman with its three blades.

In any event, I hope some of you will share your thoughts on this pattern.

It would seem to me that the German Boker congress pattern knife is a very popular EDC. They are hard to buy used on ebay in decent condition. On a Case knife the 6488 is so popular, collectable, and expensive it would be hard to start using one as an EDC. That is probably true on the GEC and some other brands as well. If you lose it or break a blade you are out big bucks. The 52 pattern does not fit well in your hand. At least that is my experience.

just bob, Yes, a very good point I should have thought of i.e. the expense. In past years when I had a Congress or two they were fairly high end knives.

If I recall correctly, Philco is a dedicated Congress EDC knifer.

Apologize if I am incorrect.

Personally, the pattern just doesn’t not light my fire as it does for other EDC’ers and collectors. That is ok, to each his own and I respect that.

Jerry

Thank you Jerry. Same for me, it doesn't really speak to me. I will go back and review Philco's EDC.

QS I have my Canal Street congress in my pocket right now. I mix it up with several other knives but it's my main one and has been for five or six years now. I carried a Boker congress for many years before getting the Canal Street. I still slip that old Boker in my pocket from time to time. I like having some options on what blade to use and I like having several sharp blades available as well.

Thank you for the input Phil. It makes perfect sense. Always having a sharp edge available tells me you no doubt do a lot more cutting than I do. I seldom have to touch up a blade more than once or twice a week and enjoy doing so. But having learned to appreciate the Stockman [to my surprise], I just may gradually evolve into a Congressional advocate.

A congress has never taken off for me because while they have four blades they only have two different types of blades most of the time. Though they are very appealing to collect.

I prefer a stockman or cattle knife, a clip and sheepsfoot are very useful and can do most anything while the spey is usually not used so you always have a razor edge. If it has a pen instead of a spey even better. The ideal knife for me is a stock or cattle frame, with a clip, sheepsfoot, a thin pen for detailed work and a punch. That's a tough pattern to come by.

In my opinion a true congress should have 4 different blades. Most generally a Sheepfoot, Spear, Coping and pen blade. Never really liked a congress with the only 2 different style blades. I heard that they were intended for wood working and I guess I can see the point and the uses for the different blades. I think it could be a safe assumtion that the purpose of most knives with a coping blade would be for whittling.

xxx, I highly recommend you try a congress. Try a 1/2 congress. Try a friends congress and feel the way that curved handle feels and the direction of the blade. Weather I'm sharpening a pencil or opening up a trouts belly, either way I have the blade turned it works for me. And another thing, and this may be a misguided therory of mine, but if that knife lays in your pocket, blades down, you'll have a lot less debris in the frame. They are a fine working mans knife and a very old pattern. Abe Lincoln had a beauty on him when he was shot. Ivory scales, I believe. Best regards.

Here is a post I put in a thread called, What's your favorite style of knife. May, 2010.
Haven't carried one in a while.

I do quite a bit of swapping about but l carry a congress pretty often. I started put this morning with 3 blade trapper, a stockman, and a Coast lockback, l changed jeans before l went to do my yard work and these were in the pockets from a few days ago and stayed there. I like the heft of a large congress it does a fine job for me, ymmv. I will admit that l used the kalashnikov the most breaking down boxes for the recycle bin, because l was wearin gloves and it's easy to open with them on.

I just bought a fighting rooster 4 blade with really nice stage handles. I don't like it because it is an absolute bear to get open, and the big blades are set up to be opened with your left hand. Seems like a left hand version. Are all them set up like that?

Pm me if you are interested

BigHomers pocket, and mine are the same except for the congress.
I carry a Boker 74 in my Rt. Front pocket, a very large Paki bone handle "buck 110" style folder on my belt, and a Boker Barlow in my Lf. front pocket.
The thing with Congress style knives (for me) is the sway back design. It causes "hot spots" on each end of the handle, and it always feels like it is backwards, and wants to roll in my hand.

Maybe for light work like slicing a cut out on a piece of paper template or any slicing on a table would be different but I use a razor for such things, and the rest of my knife needs are more "stout". Cutting anchor lines or trimming some jagged fiberglass back before a proper repair.
I think even opening cardboard is too much pressure to use a congress comfortably.

They are pretty to own but I do not find them a comfortable work/EDC knife.

Thank you for the many interesting observations and opinions.

I don't think calling a two blade congress a "half congress" is at all correct. Congress refers to the handle pattern and there are also three blade congress whittlers and two blades from the same end congress jacks. If one calls a two blade opposite end blades one a half congress what do you call a six blade one, a congress and a half? By the way Abe Lincoln's was a six blade congress. I have had a couple large 4 1/4" closed six blade ones which had a cigar box lid lifter and nail puller blade, an awl, and a manicure blade, so they don't necessarily all have repetative blades.

I don't much mind carrying Congress-pattern folders. I personally like the swayback frame, they're almost all guaranteed to have a sheepsfoot blade handy, and the versions with non-redundant blades can be exceedingly useful - the bright green 6488 got me through a week-long hospital stay (and if you've ever tried the chicken breast in a hospital you know some real cutlery was needed to make it edible ). The 2-sheepsfoot/2-pen versions might get less carry consideration than most knives due to blade redundancy but I've found that a Congress is a great carry knife and easily complements other carries when needed.
Yeah, I'll carry me a Congress.

Quicky, when I first started collecting knives I really disliked the congress pattern. Too big for me, I thought.
After several years of chasing down old Bokers, I finally got a stepped bolster Boker congress for cheap. I like the way the old carbon steel blades sharpen easily. The sheepfoot blade and pen blade are a really good combination for EDC. And I was really surprised by just how comfortable they are in the pocket!
So now, some years later, I've been carrying these two knives for the last six months or so. I generally use the Kershaw more often, because of the easy one-handed opening (as can be seen by the remnants of tape on the blade). But when both hands are free, I like to pull out the old classic Boker USA congress. This one was made circa 1976-1983.

Here's a nice little Ames Cutlery Co.

FRJ wrote:Here's a nice little Ames Cutlery Co.

Intentional Wharnie master? Very nice. Looks like top-notch construction, too.

I see a direct line from that knife to the #13 Clerk.

I think that probably wants to be a sheepsfoot.

I have to agree w/ Joe on that.
To me a Wharncliffe has a curved spine. That is the entire attraction in the design for me, and I'm really digging Wharncliffes.

Here's a nice short line Camillus 92 with some kind of plastic covers. 4 1/8"
Considerable carry but not too, too much sharpening.
Usually the tips are ground right off those sheepfoot.

A Congress is a funny pattern for me - funny in my approach to it. I love the way a Congress looks (two, three, and four blade) and own at least one of each of those configurations. I just don't like carrying or using one - they feel upside down to me (in my pocket or in my hand) for some reason. I keep a few on display around my desk, but only to look at and enjoy - for carrying it is usually a Stockman or a Jack. OH

Here's an old W. H. Morley & Son.

Here's a George Wostenholm. 4 inches closed.