Do you feel lucky? Well, do you? And if you do, then I wonder if you think it has anything to do with what you’re carrying in your pocket this minute.

I don’t consider myself to be superstitious. And normally I don’t believe my destiny can be swayed one way or the other by the presence or absence of some charm or talisman. Yet to be on the safe side, yes, I have at times put my trust in one mystical object whose magic has yet to be explained by modern science. I speak, of course, of the lucky knife.

The theory of the lucky knife holds that luck is a type of energy that can be stored in objects or living creatures in a similar way that electricity is stored in a battery. It can be absorbed, instilling an object with good luck, or discharged so that someone’s luck, as they say, rubs off on you—good for you, not so good for him as he could be, then, out of luck.

How this all works I don’t question. I just trust that it does. Years ago, I had a string of three or four hunting seasons where I shot good bucks, culminating with a huge 10-pointer.

Over the next five hunting seasons, I didn’t even see a decent deer. I wasn’t hunting any differently. I was hunting the same area in the same hunting jacket with the same gun. What had changed that could have changed my luck? Ah ha! I was carrying a different knife. If that doesn’t constitute proof, I don’t know what does.

I went back to carrying that specific lucky knife. Did my luck change? No, of course not. Obviously, I had neglected the knife too long. You wouldn’t expect 5-year-old batteries to work in your flashlight, would you? I figured that I needed to carry that knife during some fortuitous life event to recharge its lucky energy.

While I was waiting for that fortuitous life event, the knife was stolen. That was my bad luck, but my faith didn’t waiver. That knife must have still had a measure of luck remaining because the guy who stole it had the good fortune never to be caught.

Currently I’m trying to jump-start my good luck by changing my EDC knives on a regular basis to see if I can find one that might have that positive energy. My research is still in the preliminary stages, but so far I’m finding that a specific traditional folder with jigged bone scales doesn’t give me more good luck, but it makes me feel better because it’s such a good-looking knife.

A flipper does just that: My luck flip-flops from good to bad to good again as easily as flicking my wrist. An automatic doesn’t automatically provide good luck, and an assisted opener gives only thumb stud’s nudge in the right direction. Next I’m going to experiment with different blade shapes and then move on to fixed blades. Perhaps a leather sheath will be luckier than Kydex.

At a custom knife show recently, I bought what I consider a moderately priced fixed blade. I wasn’t going to tell my wife just how much I spent on it, but she saw the knife one day and it didn’t match anything she found on her comprehensive mental inventory of my extravagant outdoor gear. To top it off, she found the receipt in my jacket pocket when she was mending a button. So, now I’m in the doghouse. Isn’t that just my luck?

What’s Your Lucky Knife?

In the upcoming September/October issue of Knives Illustrated, we will be highlighting several blades that are good candidates to become your next lucky knife. Looking for something truly special in an EDC blade? Well, take a look at the Tengu Flipper, the latest Gold Class knife from Benchmade.

The Tengu Flipper is Benchmade's latest Gold Class folder. Benchmade photo

The Tengu Flipper is Benchmade’s latest Gold Class folder. Benchmade photo

Jm Cobb reviews the CRKT Ritual, a curvy conversation piece with Old World appeal. It’s a big folder that can handle big jobs. For something a little more straight forward in big folders, Tim Stetzer reviews a pair of Kershaw Navaja models. On the truly tactical side, martial arts expert Patrick Vuong provides the basics on the subject of Karambits for defense.

The curvy CRKT Ritual is a big folder with "Arabian NIghts" mystique. CRKT photo

The curvy CRKT Ritual is a big folder with “Arabian NIghts” mystique. CRKT photo

If hunting is your game, maybe your next lucky knife will be among those we’ve selected for our special hunting knife section in the September/October issue. Leading it off is the trio in Gerber’s Downwind Series: the affordable Drop Point, Caper and Ulu.

The three blades that comprise Gerber’s new Downwind Series provide an excellent and affordable set designed with the hunter in mind.

The three blades that comprise Gerber’s new Downwind Series provide an excellent and affordable set designed with the hunter in mind.

If you want a new, lightweight take on an industry legend, take a look at the 2021 Legacy Collection Buck 110 Folding Hunter, perhaps the best Model 110 to date. And from field to fork, the Benchmade Meatcrafter can really get you cookin’.

The Dan Tope Covert Field Scalpel heads the all-round performer category. This handy fixed blade is capable of most any cutting task in a size that rides as comfortably in your pocket as it would on your belt. I’ve already put some of these knives on my wish list. I’m betting there’s something here you would love too. If not, don’t despair. Wait until you see what’s in our November issue.