Following is a long, rambling story/review on what I think I carry knife should be. Thanks for reading it.
-Bart
Daily Carry Knives
What Kind of Knife
What is the best daily carry knife for a person? Much depends on what one intends to do with said knife. Personally, I am a big believer in the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) rule. I want my knife to be ready to go, never susceptible to failure. I also think that the function of a knife is to cut, so that should be one of the main goals in its design. Finally, the knife should be comfortable to carry and use, lest it be on your dresser at home when you need it.
Uses of my Knives
I want my knife to perform the average duties of opening mail and boxes, cutting foods, rope, leather, etc. I have run into some odd jobs that my carry knife came in handy with. I also want my knife to be capable of being used as a defensive weapon. I hope that this never has to be, but I want to be prepared. From time to time, I also use my knife for things I should not. I have used them to pry, hammer, as screwdrivers, scrapers and various other hard uses. I carry a Swiss Tech mini tool most all of the time now, so that at least helps my knife tip wire cutting portion out a little 
My Idea of a Carry Knife
One doesnt know how hard I have tried to carry a fixed blade all the time. I do most of the time, but for me the tactical folder is hard to beat. Thanks to Sal Glesser and his wonderful company Spyderco for their innovations in this field. One of the first knives I carried when I started really analyzing why I carried a knife was the Delica. From there, I wanted to go slightly bigger and stronger. My next choice was a Mini AFCK, which I carried for a couple of years. I had some blade chipping with this knife and it would not cut as efficiently as a Spyderco. Despite serving well to me as many tools, it failed some tests like the spine whack test. So again, I wanted to improve. Next, and still current, is my Large Sebenza. No matter what other folders I look at, I cannot justify anything as being better all around than this knife. It is strong, sharp, easy to carry, comfortable and good looking to boot!
Okay, back to the fixed blade. The one I carry most all of the time now is an RJ Martin Kozuka. This is one of my favorite knives. I have a carbon fiber neck sheath and a kangaroo leather covered IWB sheath, both of which are carved mahogany with magnets inside. Really secure and smoooooooth! This is after a trial of several other knives. I have bought knives from all of the masters: Dozier, Nealy, Polkowski, JSP .. You get the idea. I have also designed two knives, one from Ernest Mayer of Black Cloud and one from Don Fogg. Partly due to the carry system, but neither of these seem as practical as my Martin. Plus, the Martin is I guess as sharp as anything I have ever seen (maybe tied with my Murray Carter kitchen knife).
Conclusion
Well, that pretty much sums it up. The reason folders are so practical for me is that you can easily draw and replace the knife with one hand. The problem with all fixed blades that are concealed is that you almost always have to use two hands to replace it, and many times to draw it. Plus, my Sebbie in my pocket is much less conspicuous than the Martin in my waistband. Primarily, I save the Martin for self defense. That way, if I need it, it will be razor sharp. If I have to use the Sebenza, it stays pretty darn sharp too. One other consideration is that with a folder, you can just crack the blade open and use it like those rope cutter knives. For example, the other day my nephews car seat had an errant cord hanging off of it. His Mom was worried that he might hurt himself on it and asked me to cut it. I carefully approached the 5 month old and just cracked open my Sebenza enough to slip the cord inside and cut it. How did you do that? Very carefully.
I would definitely love to hear your opinions on this question and your solutions to the carry dilemma. Thanks for your time.
-Bart
-Bart
Daily Carry Knives
What Kind of Knife
What is the best daily carry knife for a person? Much depends on what one intends to do with said knife. Personally, I am a big believer in the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) rule. I want my knife to be ready to go, never susceptible to failure. I also think that the function of a knife is to cut, so that should be one of the main goals in its design. Finally, the knife should be comfortable to carry and use, lest it be on your dresser at home when you need it.
Uses of my Knives
I want my knife to perform the average duties of opening mail and boxes, cutting foods, rope, leather, etc. I have run into some odd jobs that my carry knife came in handy with. I also want my knife to be capable of being used as a defensive weapon. I hope that this never has to be, but I want to be prepared. From time to time, I also use my knife for things I should not. I have used them to pry, hammer, as screwdrivers, scrapers and various other hard uses. I carry a Swiss Tech mini tool most all of the time now, so that at least helps my knife tip wire cutting portion out a little 
My Idea of a Carry Knife
One doesnt know how hard I have tried to carry a fixed blade all the time. I do most of the time, but for me the tactical folder is hard to beat. Thanks to Sal Glesser and his wonderful company Spyderco for their innovations in this field. One of the first knives I carried when I started really analyzing why I carried a knife was the Delica. From there, I wanted to go slightly bigger and stronger. My next choice was a Mini AFCK, which I carried for a couple of years. I had some blade chipping with this knife and it would not cut as efficiently as a Spyderco. Despite serving well to me as many tools, it failed some tests like the spine whack test. So again, I wanted to improve. Next, and still current, is my Large Sebenza. No matter what other folders I look at, I cannot justify anything as being better all around than this knife. It is strong, sharp, easy to carry, comfortable and good looking to boot!
Okay, back to the fixed blade. The one I carry most all of the time now is an RJ Martin Kozuka. This is one of my favorite knives. I have a carbon fiber neck sheath and a kangaroo leather covered IWB sheath, both of which are carved mahogany with magnets inside. Really secure and smoooooooth! This is after a trial of several other knives. I have bought knives from all of the masters: Dozier, Nealy, Polkowski, JSP .. You get the idea. I have also designed two knives, one from Ernest Mayer of Black Cloud and one from Don Fogg. Partly due to the carry system, but neither of these seem as practical as my Martin. Plus, the Martin is I guess as sharp as anything I have ever seen (maybe tied with my Murray Carter kitchen knife).
Conclusion
Well, that pretty much sums it up. The reason folders are so practical for me is that you can easily draw and replace the knife with one hand. The problem with all fixed blades that are concealed is that you almost always have to use two hands to replace it, and many times to draw it. Plus, my Sebbie in my pocket is much less conspicuous than the Martin in my waistband. Primarily, I save the Martin for self defense. That way, if I need it, it will be razor sharp. If I have to use the Sebenza, it stays pretty darn sharp too. One other consideration is that with a folder, you can just crack the blade open and use it like those rope cutter knives. For example, the other day my nephews car seat had an errant cord hanging off of it. His Mom was worried that he might hurt himself on it and asked me to cut it. I carefully approached the 5 month old and just cracked open my Sebenza enough to slip the cord inside and cut it. How did you do that? Very carefully.
I would definitely love to hear your opinions on this question and your solutions to the carry dilemma. Thanks for your time.
-Bart
