[Wilf]

Thinking about getting a penknife for around the garden…. Any good recommendation?

[Lardman]

I have an opinel no 6 I like for general use, cheap and easy to keep sharp - and I keep it sharp. Depends on what you want it for really.

[Yorkie]

When I was a teenager, I desperately wanted one of those all-singing, all-dancing, swiss army penknives.

I got a much smaller version, with a blade that's probably 2-3" and one other item.

It's still going really strong and is much-loved now 

[snowdrops]

I like my Swiss Army knife, so much I’ve got 2, 1 at home & 1 at the plot.

[johnjsdb]

How often do you sharpen your knife
 I have two swiss army knives which I sharpen with an oil stone ( every two weeks) and one old kitchen knife that I keep at the plot (relpced the handle with a bit of wood) which i sharpen on an old stone I inherited every time I use it (probably once a week).
Lots of sharpening really!

[Subversive_plot]

My vote is for a Swiss army knife. Try the Victorinox website. Look for the models that have features you will use; I recommend the ones with small scissors and a small saw blade as very useful, more than you would think.  The ones with 47 tools on them are "too much" IMO, and unwieldy.

If you ever want bigger than a penknife, look for a Leatherman Supertool.

[rowlandwells]

my wife bought me my pen knife some years ago I think they called it a lambs foot knife its made with very good steel as it stays sharp for a long time I never used to carry a pen knife but I would be lost without it now down he allotments

and of cause the old folk's tale is a boy should carry in his pocket a pen knife a piece of string and a shilling don't know about the shilling a couple of quid don't go very far these days 

[mrs bouquet]

I have an old knife, I expect it came from a Canteen of cutlery.  It has a yellowish handle (Defo not ivory  )
The blade has broken in half, so I can only do half the jobs with it      It is very trusty though, and I would hate to not have it.   Mrs Bouquet

[Subversive_plot]

How often do you sharpen your knife
 I have two swiss army knives which I sharpen with an oil stone ( every two weeks) and one old kitchen knife that I keep at the plot (relpced the handle with a bit of wood) which i sharpen on an old stone I inherited every time I use it (probably once a week).
Lots of sharpening really!

Good advice!  The safest knife is one that's well-sharpened.  A dull knife cuts unevenly, and is therefore more dangerous.  I don't sharpen quite as often, but if I see bright spots on the blade edge, the stones come out.

[Growster...]

When we took over 'The Patch' about eight years ago, the shed was nearly derelict, and after a lot of TLC, we got it weatherproof, but the grass by the door was too long to mow, so I cut it with shears, and one day kicked at what I thought was a stone, but it turned out to be a fabulous pruning knife, with a bone handle and it was in perfect codition after a squirt of WD40!

It is so sharp I never seem to have to do anything to it too!

Mrs Growster gave me a larger version about thirty years ago, and it really is part of the furniture!

[salixer]

Since boyhood I've always had a collection of pen-knives:  unfortunately some rather nice ones have been lost along the way while "venturing". 
I say one cannot have enough pen-knives;  buy what ya fancy which might end up as a collection !  Even good ones (with high spec' steel blades) are not awfully expensive.

However, I do like Opinels with their very secure locking collar.  I have several and an "Opinel Junior" is permanently ensconced in my trousers' pocket attached by a long cord to my trouser belt:  it has a naff plastic handle design, but it has a whistle built-in (great for calling the dogs back in when lips are dry) and I like the "Junior's" rounded blade-tip for a more casual handling experience. (The pointy-bladed Opinels are really pointy and do need a bit more care in operation !)

[I am boycotting French goods presently, but I purchased my Opinel collection before the Brexit quarrels with the EU & France !!]

Amongst others, I do also have a Swiss Army with the 2.5" saw blade and a standard 2.5" knife blade + a pretty-much superfluous beer-bottle opener:  the saw has enabled me to harvest several nice hedge-found walking sticks during countryside walks !

As to carbon steel v stainless steel blades;  I personally don't think about it too much.

[salixer]

I have an old knife, I expect it came from a Canteen of cutlery.  It has a yellowish handle (Defo not ivory  )
The blade has broken in half, so I can only do half the jobs with it      It is very trusty though, and I would hate to not have it.   Mrs Bouquet

I've been there - an old kitchen knife that sharpened easily and held an edge really really well and which I used for DIY stuff including paint-stripping. Unfortunately I received some family support for some DIY and the knife got lost (no doubt amongst some thrown-out rubbish).  I've not found a steel blade as good since ! 

[jezza]

Hello Victorinox  or Opinel are good knives if it's for general use get one with a central blade or if its  for pruning a left or right hand one sided blade is best,keep it sharp with a stone and then use a leather belt to strop it ,when I 2as at college we had to sharpen knives the old tutor told us to put the knives on a bench he looked at them then took his belt off we thought we were in bother ,he fastened the buckle on a nail then showed us how to strop different style blades a central blade is up and down a pruning blade is bottom to top  5 strokes should be enough   jezza

[Wilf]

I’ve gone with a opinel pruning knife and for Christmas I’ve asked for a…

https://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://japanesetaste.com/products/nagao-kanekoma-higonokami-aogami-warikomi-folding-knife-medium&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjhzYvUvOb0AhXjQ0EAHXB2AggQsDwIWg&usg=AOvVaw2dxL6oXNUXQbsnYMuzujWZ

As a penknife

[Yorkie]

Very nice - Japanese knives are well known for their quality