Abuse takers

johnniet

johnniet

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 12, 1999
Messages
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There's a lot of appeal in having a knife than can take a lot of abuse, like prying and chopping. Maybe some sawing too. Driving screws.

On the other hand, you could probably bring more appropriate tools for some of those jobs. Then you could use a lighter knife with a thinner blade, and have it work better for longer.

Does anyone make a point of having other tools with them to spare your knife these abusive jobs?

What's a good replacement for the prying function of a big knife? Don't say "a crowbar", because those are much heavier than the knife they're suppose to replace. Might as well take a thick knife for prying and a thin one for cutting.
 
To answer your question, I presented my case on one of these forums recently, and was met with scoffs...

To wit;, if you're gonna saw, take a saw...mine is a little Gerber folding 'thingamajimmy' that I bought some 10 years back...it works great.

If yer gonna dig, take a shovel. Mine is a Glock, and the design could be better, but it works. Besides, it comes with saw.

I'f you're gonna chop, take an axe...I use a little Gerber thingy, and it works fine.

If you're gonna cut, take a knife, or knives. At the minimum I take a CS SRK and a SAK...works well for me, and the SAK saw works too.

I also take BOB stuff like dehydrated food and a water purifier, fire starters, a pancho of sorts, and some paracord...and the 'other stuff' ya read about here all the time.

To the 'One knife' guys, I say 'Go naked into the wilderness, and be happy' ;)

Mel
 
I'm with both of you on this. My EDC includes both a SOG PowerLock and a Victorinox SwissChamp XLT in addition to my single-blade knives. It may be overkill, but I find that the two tools complement each other wonderfully and I am rarely without an appropriate tool for whatever job is at hand. That allows me to use my knives exclusively for cutting. :)

--Bob Q
 
Walking around the street, I don't need a shovel or a crowbar, but I keep a Micra on my keyring and bring a real multitool any time I might need more than slicing power. Light days that's a Victorinox Ranger; heavy duty possibilities, a SOG Powerlock. The SOG is overkill. I should start carrying the Gerber 800.

Of course, now that I got one more CUDA Maxx, I can carry that and use the handle for a prybar :D
 
I was watching "Deep Blue Sea" the other night, and there's a scene where a guy is trying to pry open some elevator doors with his fixed blade. A year ago I wouldn't have thought a thing about it, but yesterday I was screaming, "No, no! Your underwater lab just blew up, find yourself a piece of metal!"

Of course, the knife broke, jammed in the doors, and he somehow miraculously pries the doors open with his fingers.

I'm all for specific tools for specific jobs. However, it really really depends on the situation you're planning for, and how much you're willing to carry.
 
I always carry a Leatherman Wave and a folder, either a Spyderco Native, or CS Voyager. Sometimes I carry a small fixedblae around my neck. I have a small, 6" pry bar in my tool box. It's handy for taking out nails, but I don't think I want to carry it around all the time.
 
Screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets, pliers, what-not. I use the scissors on my Micra a good deal, but I've been looking at getting a real pair of (good) scissors and leaving the Micra in my desk or glove box.

Frank
 
I suppose the reason I am not attracted to Striders and ExtremaRatio knives is becuase I use my knife for just cutting. Why would I use an expensive Strider knife to cut cardboard boxes and letters, when my $42 dollar Delica can do it much better with its thinner blade and more comfy handle.

My EDC is my Delica and my V'nox Soldier. Any prying that needs to be done can be done with the flat screwdriver of the SAK. That thing is pretty tough for a lil slipjoint and stands up to abuse quite well.
-Kevin
 
If you really NEED a sharpened pry-bar, get yourself either a Cold Steel Trailmaster or a Recon Scout...Both of those has a blade that's 5/16ths an inch thick, with very sturdy tips.
 
Originally posted by johnniet

What's a good replacement for the prying function of a big knife? Don't say "a crowbar", because those are much heavier than the knife they're suppose to replace. Might as well take a thick knife for prying and a thin one for cutting.
Click to expand...

I've never understood why anyody would carry an overbuilt "prying folder" when you can get one of these for about five bucks at any hardware store. Simply cut off the "foot" portion that extends upwards from the tool, and you have a thin and light pocket prybar that will work better for heavy prying than any Strider or similar knife. Plus you can yank nails with it, too.

I think you will find that one of these mini bars AND a knife such as a BM Griptilian or Spyderco Native will weigh less and carry easier than your average overbuilt folder, as well as outperforming it in both cutting and prying ability.
 
Abuse takers. When I first read that, I thought maybe you was wondering about some of us married abused husbands. That mini pry bar sounds like a good idea! I carry a Leatherman, which really does save a blade from many abuses. Now, back to poor abused husbands, ........ .
 
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