From A to Z in the InCryptid Alphabet: K.

I hope I'm not adding to your "comments that must be replied to" backlog. I seem to remember that you only apply that rule to first comments, not replies to replies, on account of the infinities.

Since K-Day, I managed to find (Everything is on eBay, eventually) my two favorite "lost knives" from my misspent, violent, youth. Both are from Gerber.

The one mentioned above is a Blackie Collins designed river/kyaking knife - a single piece of stainless steel, 3" double edged with the first inch (closest to the hilt) serrated on both sides. It locks into a hard zytel belt/boot sheath by means of a piece of spring steel inset into the hilt, that sheath slides into a nylon sheath better suited to attaching to leg or life jacket when one is wearing neither boots nor belt (I put an ALICE clip through my original one, for attaching to webgear or ruck). It also has a lanyard hole at the butt end, for not losing it while in/on the water. I found it completely impossible to remove knife from sheath by any means other than pushing the flat spring, making this a knife you can hang hilt-down on your gear for fast draw, if you're into that. It's all lightly polished steel, so not a good blade for night work, and the grip is not terribly comfortable for long handling unless one were wearing gloves, but it was intended as an emergency knife and to be carried in/around water, so that was not a design concern. This is the only knife I ever considered unbreakable - I abused the hell out of mine with nary a notch out of the blade. Gerber hasn't made this knife since about 1990. I bought mine at REI, back in '88 or so.

The second is a first-generation RW Loveless designed Guardian. Again 3", double edged, no serrations, polished stainless. The black hilt is metal (aluminium, I assume, by weight) over a full tang. Belt/boot sheath is nylon over plastic and locks the blade reasonably well, though I'd not carry it hilt-down. Gerber still makes this knife, along with a Guardian II full-sized double edge fighting knife, but recent reviews indicate that quality has gone far downhill starting about the time they blacked the blade to make it "tactical" (Tacti-cool?). This knife is my every day backup, worn on my belt next to my holster, and is also my sgian dubh when I'm kilted, since it fits the specification.

Interestingly, when I was soldiering I considered Gerber pretty much the go-to for sharp steel but now find they mostly make tacticool, and TV tie in knives (and Multitools), and the quality has done downhill (relative to price) since Fiskars bought them.