I'm looking for classic knives, with carbon steel or similar, avoiding anything in stainless, avoiding anything without natural handles. My goal is to have the most awesome, classic, unique, meaningful, interesting and useful knife which is also compliant with my local and state laws.

So, for EDC, as there's the chance I'll venture onto school grounds, I carry a handy wood-handled Otter-Messer single blade non-locking folding knife and a Case Trapper double blade non-locking knife with yellow syn handles that is very much like the knife that belonged to my grandfather which I sadly lost switching planes at Incheon Airport in South Korea. I have a custom leather belt sheath that holds either and matches my belt.

For backpacking, hiking, hunting, and fishing I have a lovely matching pair of Grohmann knives from Nova Scotia, both in carbon steel, wood handles, one a skinner, one the original uniquely shaped blade. I'd carry the skinner EDC if it were legal to carry concealed, as I prefer not to tuck in my shirt, and I don't want to look like one of those guys.

I also have a 10" carbon steel, bone handled Bowie that's pretty much useless. I have a tiny Case texas toothpick knife I'm afraid of swallowing (or falling easily out of my pocket) it's so tiny and I never carry. I also have a Benchmade Axis folding hunting knife that's heavy and probably not legal to carry because it whips open at the flick of the wrist unless I tighten it regularly. I should probably try to sell the latter two.

Finally, I'm very interested in a kukri knife for camping, but can't find anything suitable. I don't like the shape of the traditional handles. But neither do I want the plastic handles and boring blades of the cheaper knives found in the US. There's one I found with a modern shaped wood handle and good blade from Pakistan that I'm considering but it would go straight from box to desk drawer as I don't even have a backyard currently.

I'm also hesitant to carry any blade for self-defense because of their status as deadly weapons. To pull my knife in self-defense crosses a line. It's not an easy decision.