A year and four months.
- Thread starter jackknife
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My dad while he was alive had his stitches removed 2 weeks too early after a surgery by a "ehh good enough" young assistant that causes complications and healing issues. I'm not sure how much value they put in a human life when weighed against 2-3 million mal practice insurance, but I can't imagine it hurting the doctor too much if a "whoopsie daisy " occurred.
This is a good thread and I don't want it closed so I'm gonna stop contributing to the off topic side topic however important it may be
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Daedric Panther
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A new bass pro shop just opened near my apartment a week or so ago. I don’t work on Wednesdays so I figured I’d check it out. As a security measure, I brought along my beautiful fiancé as to ensure a certain blade forum member didn’t drive back with a new boat hooked up to his duramax. It was made clear, the money we’re saving for our wedding isn’t to be spent at a bass pro shop.
We took our time browsing, it’s a beautiful store. We looked at all the fishing gear, I fondled a few smith and wessons, and eventually found myself in the knife isle. Not just a few displays but a full isle of cutlery, everything from leatherman tools to buck to benchmade.
Like magic I had a new knife in my hand I continued to shop for a bit when it hit me. I just recently sold off the bulk of the collection. What will this knife do that my SAK won’t. Will I actually carry this thing or will it just end up tossed in the toolbox? And just like that I put it down. I didn’t even glance at the new benchmade or spyderco offerings. $300 for something that cuts as well as a $25 sak with none of the other tools. i know i know, folks will say its a “tactical knife” but i don’t even consider the knife for self defense stuff anymore. I’m not trained in that field, some might be more than capable knife fighters, I am not. I do however have some level of professional training with something that goes bang and honestly would much prefer that should the need arise. From a utility standpoint I’m slowly realizing what a masterpiece the humble SAK is.
We took our time browsing, it’s a beautiful store. We looked at all the fishing gear, I fondled a few smith and wessons, and eventually found myself in the knife isle. Not just a few displays but a full isle of cutlery, everything from leatherman tools to buck to benchmade.
Like magic I had a new knife in my hand I continued to shop for a bit when it hit me. I just recently sold off the bulk of the collection. What will this knife do that my SAK won’t. Will I actually carry this thing or will it just end up tossed in the toolbox? And just like that I put it down. I didn’t even glance at the new benchmade or spyderco offerings. $300 for something that cuts as well as a $25 sak with none of the other tools. i know i know, folks will say its a “tactical knife” but i don’t even consider the knife for self defense stuff anymore. I’m not trained in that field, some might be more than capable knife fighters, I am not. I do however have some level of professional training with something that goes bang and honestly would much prefer that should the need arise. From a utility standpoint I’m slowly realizing what a masterpiece the humble SAK is.
Good going, Panther!
That was what let me quit the knife collection thing that had got to a ridiculous level. Looking at a new knife, I'd ask myself, "What will this knife do, that what I have already won't?" Most often the answer was nothing. So I stopped buying knives. Then it progressed getting rid of knives I didn't use anymore. Then it came down to knives or SAK's. Well, the knives lost out. I'd used a SAK soooo many times too do a quick fix out someplace that my Buck stockman or Baker Barlow couldn't. On my second or third downsize, the rest of my dedicated knives went, with only a few that had some sentimental value or filled a unique niche like the Christy knife from my dad.
Then even my SAK's started o decrease. From 5 layer to 4 layer, to 3 layer. I'd ask that same question; "What will this SAK do that my 'other' one won't, and is that needed in my day to day life?" Soon the two layer SAK was my gold standard. Tinker, Wenger SI, cadet. Then my wife made me look at the 58mm classic in a different light, and life was never the same again.
That reminds me of the story I read somewhere about a guy doing a day hike on the Appalachian Trail in all of his fancy ultralight gear and hiking boots. Meanwhile, a little girl passed him while wearing sandals and carrying a Barbie doll….
Good going, Panther!
That was what let me quit the knife collection thing that had got to a ridiculous level. Looking at a new knife, I'd ask myself, "What will this knife do, that what I have already won't?" Most often the answer was nothing. So I stopped buying knives. Then it progressed getting rid of knives I didn't use anymore. Then it came down to knives or SAK's. Well, the knives lost out. I'd used a SAK soooo many times too do a quick fix out someplace that my Buck stockman or Baker Barlow couldn't. On my second or third downsize, the rest of my dedicated knives went, with only a few that had some sentimental value or filled a unique niche like the Christy knife from my dad.
Then even my SAK's started o decrease. From 5 layer to 4 layer, to 3 layer. I'd ask that same question; "What will this SAK do that my 'other' one won't, and is that needed in my day to day life?" Soon the two layer SAK was my gold standard. Tinker, Wenger SI, cadet. Then my wife made me look at the 58mm classic in a different light, and life was never the same again.
You’ll never catch me admitting it in a public forum, but our lady folk are way smarter than us…
Doc, see Granny Gatewood, an elderly grandmother who did a through hike on the Appalachian Trail with just a few things in a cotton denim sack of one shoulder and wearing Keds sneakers. She called the modern backpackers a bunch of panty waists.
el gigantor
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I've got Grandma Gatewood's wikipedia page bookmarked and I read it any time I need a good kick in the ass.
After carrying swiss army knives for a little bit, my shopping carts on several sites started to diminish slowly. I will however see a knife as a tool and a weapon as it has been so for hundreds of thousands of years but the knife industry has turned blended tactical and tacticool and can no longer tell the difference. I'm firmly at the stage where using victorinox swiss army knives and other small slipjoints from case has completely healed my feeling of needing to accumulate knives of different shapes and steel types and convincing myself that a folding tanto in 20CV and a folding drop point in elmax will really behave all that differently, because at this point I'm no longer convinced they will. Furthermore buying a knife specifically for self defence is like adding weight into your pocket because you enjoy being uncomfortable, self defense is an occurrence. Not the sole purpose for a knife's creation--- people don't need to carry daggers around anymore, they'll never get used. Still doesn't stop companies from "designing them for tactical operators"
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I used to like multi layer saks,but over time got to prefer 1 or 2 layers at most,as i find them easiest to carry and use.Overall best and most useful edc knives in existence.Blade geometry is superb with decent,easy to sharpen stainless that perform better in real life than many "new","supersteels"on market for fraction of price.
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Saks have excellent geometry ,proven stainless steel and blade shape that performs better for any task than new overhyped modern blade shapes and steels.People that actually use knives will appreciate those qualities in edc knife.Id take a sak over any modern tactical folder with any supersteel.Of course theres exceptions,theres some very good modern folders too,like sebenza,some spydercos and cold steels...but for fraction of price you get best edc available,with excellent lifetime warranty that cant be beat by any manufacturer.
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Daedric Panther
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You guys have corrupted me. I woke up late today, threw on my clothes, grabbed my coffee thermos and lit a Marlboro while running to my motorcycle. Got to work just in time and realized I had forgotten my classic.
I went to open a box of brake pads and it felt so weird flicking open a 4in folder just to cut some tape. Same with a tire patch. It felt way overkill for the tasks I encounter. The weirdest part is the damn thing didn’t cut as well as my SAK either.
I went to open a box of brake pads and it felt so weird flicking open a 4in folder just to cut some tape. Same with a tire patch. It felt way overkill for the tasks I encounter. The weirdest part is the damn thing didn’t cut as well as my SAK either.
It's a realization for sure. I've been carrying smaller slipjoint knives, and I say smaller because while size judgments are subjective, I have not bothered carrying "full sized" slipjoints. I found I ran into no job or tasks that required a longer blade, especially one that locks. I have some smaller swiss army knives, wenger esquire, leatherman micra, and a case jack and peanut and I'm all knifed up. The tools are basically invaluable and indispensable to me now
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This thread has got me thinking about whether I could downsize to just a 58mm. My EDC (like, real, everyday, no foolin' EDC) has been an alox pioneer in my pocket and alox classic on my keys for going on 12 years now. I do occasionally need the longer blade length and the opener layer of the pioneer, but not very often. Many times the classic would perform the task, even if less efficient.
I think what I struggle with is the trade off of the convenience of carrying a tool for a "what-if" scenario, vs getting a dedicated one. Yes, I could do probably 95% of what I use the pioneer for with the classic, but you could go down the same path with a classic. How often do I really need any of the tools on either knife? And when I do, how far away am I from dedicated ones? I already make that trade off with the pioneer by not having other tools, like a saw or cybertool layer, etc. But I do like being somewhat prepared for life's surprises.
I don't love plastic in my EDC stuff, but something like a rambler would be small and add utility with the philips driver and T&T (I have an alox rambler I kit bashed together as well). I have kids so the tweezers would be handy for splinters, and I use the toothpick of a stay at home classic for cleaning out my phone charing port. But on the other hand, those are occasional uses; do I really need to carry those tools daily?
IDK. Maybe I'll try just a rambler for a week or so and see how it goes. I like being as minimal in my carry as possible. But I've also developed a pretty strong habit now of carrying my pioneer/classic combo.
I think what I struggle with is the trade off of the convenience of carrying a tool for a "what-if" scenario, vs getting a dedicated one. Yes, I could do probably 95% of what I use the pioneer for with the classic, but you could go down the same path with a classic. How often do I really need any of the tools on either knife? And when I do, how far away am I from dedicated ones? I already make that trade off with the pioneer by not having other tools, like a saw or cybertool layer, etc. But I do like being somewhat prepared for life's surprises.
I don't love plastic in my EDC stuff, but something like a rambler would be small and add utility with the philips driver and T&T (I have an alox rambler I kit bashed together as well). I have kids so the tweezers would be handy for splinters, and I use the toothpick of a stay at home classic for cleaning out my phone charing port. But on the other hand, those are occasional uses; do I really need to carry those tools daily?
IDK. Maybe I'll try just a rambler for a week or so and see how it goes. I like being as minimal in my carry as possible. But I've also developed a pretty strong habit now of carrying my pioneer/classic combo.
There's nothing wrong with the pioneer at all but you'll likely find that when you need a quick small blade to do some cutting it's the classic you'll reach for, but to have the option of the pioneer for those times a small pen knife doesn't do the trick is also invaluable
Hey Panther,
If a bigger blade is needed a lot, how come 98% of the workforce out there, including stock clerks, construction workers, mechanics, electricians, carpenters, are all using a humble Stanley 99, or a Husky or Milwaukee folding utility knife? A cutter with all of a one inch blade?A cutter with a one inch blade that is doing more work any day of the week by people cutting sheetrock, stripping insulation from cable to hook up, boxes, lots of boxes, being cut open by stock clerks all across the country. I'll be that on any given workday, there's more boxes and plastic packaging being opened with a thin razor blade utility knife than any 50 or even 100 knife nuts testing their 200 dollar wonder knife of the month.
The ugly non knife nut truth of the matter is, a small sharp thin little blade is better for the job of opening packages, both plastic and cardboard. In the 1980's, every worker on a construction site had the black pouch on the belt with the Buck 110. Now you see the red handle of the Milwaukee clipped in the pocket. They are out there doing real work on real world job sites, using a one inch thin blade. The trend form Buck knife to utility knife would not have happened if it didn't actually work better, more efficiently for the job at hand.
Your classic cuts better because it has a nice thin little blade that isn't too big for the task. Your 4 inch folder probably feels awkward because it's just too darn long, and the blade is too darn thick. If I were to back up a classic with anything, it would be a folding utility knife. I became a convert a year ago, when I found one laying in the street while I was walking my dog. A black Huyskey, beat up, some white paint smeared on it, the blade chipped and point broke off. I took it home, cleaned it up and put a new blade in. Used it for a bit and loved it. Nice thin sharp blade sliced through stuff like the dickens. Maybe a tie between it and my Victorinox florist knife.
Thin is good for a knife. So is small enough to not be awkward. In our machine shop, there was a bright green utility knife on each worktable by each toolbox. It became mandatory after that young idiot cut off his right index finger with his Buck 110 when the lock gave out. Company came out with a "no knives" rule and we used the company provided utility knives, Yes, some people that were ego driven Benchmade or Spyderco fanboys grumbled, but ya know what? The utility knives worked better than any folding knife that workers were carrying before. And if the blade got messed up, we just reversed it or put in a new one.
+1 blade thicknesses are my biggest complaint. Buck is making an alpha scout with a 2.875 inch blade in magnacut, it has a .14 inch blade stock thickness! I mean..
I fought this for a while, spent hours looking at folders, there are so many kind of locks and even more steels, 20CV, 204P and elmax all have lots of similarities, but no one stopped all 3 coming into existence anyway, same thing either S45VN and S35VN, both still here even though the 45 is just a tweaked version of the 35.
Here in California I see the occasional milwaukee fast back, which is a single blade locking knife with a liner lock. But even more often I see the milwaukee box cutter, the razor blades are hardened carbon steel while the folding knife has either 7cr, 7cr13, or 8cr13mov. The box cutter is more versatile and has more applications, sharper, takes a longer edge and works with paint spatter on it. It's easy to inflate the cost of a folding knife. Carbon marbled fiber inlay with titanium handle, S35VN blade steel, frame lock and American company, 300+ USD easy. Swiss army Spartan is still under 30 dollars and because the stock is thin, and the heat treatment is superb, it might as well be a light Saber
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It took me a decade or more to figure this out, but the large folding knives are a huge marketing scam. But man did they do a good job. I see only two justifications for a large folder.
1) you need a one-handed knife because your other hand is busy holding onto something. For most of us most of the time that’s probably not a common issue, but sometimes it happens. In which case, a Stanley or Milwaukee knife will do the same job, but do it better. And usually we do have time to open a small slip joint.
2) self defense. And I think this is where most of the marketing has gone. It’s the only time a larger blade would make sense for a cutting task. Otherwise, when the hell do you really need more than an inch of steel?? Cutting food is the only thing that comes to mind. As far as the self-defense goes, I think we’ve beat that horse to death. Not a viable option. You’re much better off carrying pepper spray. Carrying a gun. Etc. Just get the whole large folder for self-defense out of your head. Once you do that, you will be much more likely to embrace the small Swiss Army knife or small slip joint. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have something for self-defense. I’m just saying it shouldn’t be a knife.
I finally came to grips with all this. I still have a box full of knives. And I’ve spent way too much money on knives over the years.
I also started paying closer attention to what I really grab and put in my pocket if I have real work to do. A home project that really has me pissed off. Something where I am so focused on the project I don’t have time to think about a bunch of what ifs with a knife and I just grab what I know is going to work and what I really need. 99% of the time it’s a SAK. I need something small and manageable. Something that doesn’t feel like a rock in my pocket. Something with a thin blade that easily slices through any material.
Day-to-day it’s my rambler
Home projects it’s my rambler plus a Milwaukee folding knife that has that folding screwdriver.
Camping it’s my rambler plus a small sheath knife for food prep.
1) you need a one-handed knife because your other hand is busy holding onto something. For most of us most of the time that’s probably not a common issue, but sometimes it happens. In which case, a Stanley or Milwaukee knife will do the same job, but do it better. And usually we do have time to open a small slip joint.
2) self defense. And I think this is where most of the marketing has gone. It’s the only time a larger blade would make sense for a cutting task. Otherwise, when the hell do you really need more than an inch of steel?? Cutting food is the only thing that comes to mind. As far as the self-defense goes, I think we’ve beat that horse to death. Not a viable option. You’re much better off carrying pepper spray. Carrying a gun. Etc. Just get the whole large folder for self-defense out of your head. Once you do that, you will be much more likely to embrace the small Swiss Army knife or small slip joint. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have something for self-defense. I’m just saying it shouldn’t be a knife.
I finally came to grips with all this. I still have a box full of knives. And I’ve spent way too much money on knives over the years.
I also started paying closer attention to what I really grab and put in my pocket if I have real work to do. A home project that really has me pissed off. Something where I am so focused on the project I don’t have time to think about a bunch of what ifs with a knife and I just grab what I know is going to work and what I really need. 99% of the time it’s a SAK. I need something small and manageable. Something that doesn’t feel like a rock in my pocket. Something with a thin blade that easily slices through any material.
Day-to-day it’s my rambler
Home projects it’s my rambler plus a Milwaukee folding knife that has that folding screwdriver.
Camping it’s my rambler plus a small sheath knife for food prep.
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Not really the truth in a lot of cases.
I bought the fancy Knipex box cutter blade with the support rail some years ago. I went to cut down some boxes (yes, I do that even for work) and I was a little too much in my thoughts and the blade started steering sideways and the blade snapped and the the rail bent beyond repair.
I also cut down thick (like almost stomping strong) tubes and disposable blades just don't do it.
That and also because I just happen to be able to sharpen my blades I feel like the disposable cutting blades are just stupid waste of resources.
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Thin knives are better for any task,except if youre using it as prybar....utility knives are more usefull than most folders, with thin replacable blades,i use mostly victorinox saks,some traditionals ,and kitchen knives for all of my needs.Have no use for thick bladed overhyped"tacticals" etc,even though i have around 150 knives.
And you really don't need to replace those blades all too often, we still have a rusted "pos" box cutter blade in an old Stanley on the work bench, it's pretty rusted so it doesn't retract too well but it still is sharp and cuts tape and cardboard. Sure it isn't a cru-wear razor, but it doesn't have to be.
I wish I didn't spend so much time and money hunting down the tacticaltacticool knives with megaultra locks. A good slipjoint is plenty capable