Confession of a light user

Yep, I'm a light user. Always carry a large lock blade folder but seldom need it for any large cutting jobs. I just like to have a knife on me just in case. Same way with a handgun, hope I never need it, but it's not far away.
 
Hi Jesse -

I do a lot of mechanical work on cars and motorcycles, and my knives come into play in that arena more often than you might think.

Being a homeowner gives me ample opportunity to use my knives as well, for yard chores etc.

I do most of my knife work in the kitchen, however. Instead of using one of the "farberware" knives that are in our kitchen block, I'll use whatever folder I have in my pocket to cut my steak, or slice cheese etc.

I also admit to using my knives to open the next one that came in the mail.

best regards -

mqqn
 
Living in city, I'm also light user. Shaving, opening instant coffee foil, envelopes, are main tasks of my knives. Kitchen duty whenever I do some light cooking.

Imvented task to test sharpness is shredding document, not using office big shredder, but my knives :D
 
I'm an occasional hard user, but I have certain knives for those occasions. I will admit, that mostly I'm a light user.
 
Maybe some people paint themselves into a corner by carrying too nice a knife. I edc an Endura 3 with the old saber ground blade. I don't worry about knicks, scratches, dirt, whatever and find a lot of uses for it including some very light prying. I've found that "collectors" knives with a little cosmetic flaw or two become great users for me. I noticed some people like to buy used knives for the lower prices and not having to put that first scratch on an expensive knife themselves.
 
T Schloz said:
I'm a lite user myself. I use my EDC to open the box of my next knife purchase. :D

Tom
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Haha, now that's honesty!! :D

I've been coming here since 2003 (maybe before, I don't know when it was I actually registered. I had probably been reading posts long before that) and have to admit, I've learned a ton and become much more of a knife snob as a result of what I've learned than would ever have been necessary to just simply "use" a knife. But, it's a fun distraction. I do actually use my knives - a lot. But I also like to learn more about them because they fascinate me. People fall all over the scale of user to enthusiast to collector. There's room for all sorts. ;)
 
Someone mentioned in another thread that a lot of guys here just like to carry around 'pocket jewelry', but don't really ever use it. I'd have to say, yeah, so what! Exactly how much cutting can an average city dweller possibly do? Maybe a lot for your profession, but I'd say most of us here just like to have a nice knife. What's the difference if you use it or not, as long as you enjoy it? Sure, I have some that I totally hammer on, some that I carry and rarely ever use and some that I just plain never use just because I like to look at them instead. Hey, some people collect dinner plates and never use them. We're all here because we derive some sort of pleasure from them and I'm actually glad there's such a variety of different users and admirers here.
 
I dont worry about my knives getting scuffed or dirty, so I use them in the kitchen all the time...both folders and fixed blades. Use them for everything, from slicing veggies to deboning meat. Ive even used some to open tins. If i didnt use my knives in the kitchen, then they'd only see use as letter-openers at home.

Its my outdoor blades though that sees the heaviest use, ie. batoning, prying wood, etc.

But between the house and outdoors, my knives dont see much cutting. Maybe some string, a cardboard box, etc. That being said, i only buy knives which im willing to use incl. the expensive ones, thats what gives me the most pleasure. No safe queens here.
 
The modern world is pre-packaged and lots of jobs don't allow or have a need for knives. It's ironic how many great knives there are, and yet most of us can get by without them. Then again, I don't need my seatbelt on most days, but I still carry something.
On most days, I'm a light user as well. I could find excuses to go use a knife, but chores will arise. We have a big yard, and plenty of bushes, sometimes I have to get out the machete. I've been planning a camping trip, soon I hope, and will be teaching my 12 year old cousin some bushcraft. I just have to decide what blades to take, I'll let him use my Becker BK-14 and the BK-2 for fire prep.

Don't you light users ever go camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, or whittle? Used to be a man needed a knife, because of the activities I just mentioned, and farming, gardening, raising cattle, horses, etc...
In the modern city lifestyle the knife is seen as a weapon, because there is little use for it, this thread shows that. I've even gone backpacking for numerous days and only used a knife to cut open my Mountain House meals, what a shame. Those trips were either in summer, during fire restrictions, winter camping with no fire, or in National Parks where I couldn't have a fire. On those trips, I used a tent or bivy, so no shelter was built, why do that when the weather is great?

I have knives that are too pretty to mess up, lots of us do, that's fine. We all want to use knives, and should find some way to do that, even if it's not with your best knife. Anyone can take up whittling, even the city apartment dweller, you can carve soap or cheese for that matter.
 
I've carried a pocketknife since I got my first Cub Scout knife for Christmas 1961. (Back then you could take it to school so long as you were careful with it.) I just can't imagine going without one.

I suppose I'm a light user. A day or two may go by when I don't pull one out. But then there are those days when a knife is indispensable. Shrink wrap and bubble wrap, for instance -- impossible with teeth or fingernails (unless yours are constructed a lot differently than mine.) I'm surprised no one has mentioned those yet. Opening mail? Sure! You want to just tear it open with your hands like any uncultured barbarian? Being a hunter, backpacker, and Asst. Scoutmaster all give me a lot of outdoors time, and knives are essential out there.

So I don't know. Light user? Maybe. What do you want to do, castrate bulls for a living? LOL.

I usually have three. The blades on the SAK Champ rarely get used; I would like to have them taken out to be honest, so I can keep it on my belt when I go into a school (part of my job.) A ZT301 clipped inside my back handkerchief pocket, for times when I want some heft. And a good old Cub Scout knife in a front pocket, for everyday use. Wish I could say it was the one I got when I was 8, but it isn't. Don't know what happened to that one. Replaced it with a bargain on Ebay.
 
The next step after realizing you are a "light user" is to start embracing it. Start carrying a nice slipjoint and go about your business knowing it will handle whatever you need.

After that you may start to realize you only have two hands and you can only use one knife at a time. I havnt yet, still accumulating :)
 
some of my knives i don't use very hard, some i beat the crap out of. I use them all though, my folder i use pretty much every day cutting open feed sacks and hay bales. I carry a fixed blade alot too and use it fixing fence or pulling a nail out of a horse shoe, just whatever needs being done.

my main knives i carry are a cr umnuzman, hest fixed blade.

take it easy
cricket
 
I'm a light user. I work in an office. Opening the odd box or mylar bag the Cal Overnight comes in. Cutting apples or the bag my granola comes in. Sometimes sharpening a pencil. Last weekend I did the edge where my yard meets the sidewalk and cut the plastic border down to size from the big roll. As a steak knife while camping or at BBQs. All accomplished with a small stockman. I've never tried to baton firewood. Where I go camping the problem isn't getting a fire going, it's making sure a camp fire doesn't turn into a wildfire. While camping or doing yardwork I do have a fixed blade handy but the little Hen & Rosster is pretty capable.

Frank
 
I confess to being a light user as well, I have tried living in the dark but I just can't do much without being able to see so I turn on the lights again.
 
Of course it makes perfect sense for us to have dozens of high-quality knives around the house to use for opening the mail and such.

I do wonder what will happen to the knife business once the Postal Service stops delivering the mail.:rolleyes:
 
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My name is bh49 and I am light user. The hardest use of my knives is once in a while to brake down cardboard boxes (I hate the tape) on recycle day or cut vine on my yard. Routine (but not daily :o:o:o) use is open mail, bag with coffee or snacks, slice tomatoes for lunch ........ But I do not carry any heavy duty knives :)
Sparljo said:
Start carrying a nice slipjoint and go about your business knowing it will handle whatever you need.
After that you may start to realize you only have two hands and you can only use one knife at a time. I havnt yet, still accumulating :)
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How can you do this????????:confused::confused:
 
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I use my knives pretty hard and use my folders often. I am using my Gayle Bradley to type this....HARD USE!
 
I'm a roofer. Admittedly, I use my knife a lot on the job. But, I will not use it to cut the asphalt impregnated felt. It's a pain in the rear to get the gunk off. I have a razor for cutting it. But do I really need to carry $200 knives to work? No, but it's rubbed off on my coworkers and they are now carrying Spydies :p
 
I actually call my knife, lighter, pen and bandanna my "Pocket Jewlery" I can't remember where I heard that first, but I liked it. I work in a warehouse but still probably only really use my knife about once a week to cut cardboard or cut the shrink wrap on a pallet. Most times it's light use of opening mail, cutting open plastic bags, and stuff. My knife habits have changed dramatically over the years.

I slowly worked my way up from Gerbers to Benchmades and finally to the point I had more than one Sebenza. I have been moving back down over the past several years where I no longer own any Chris Reeve knives and currently my backup knife is a Spyderco Sage 2. Yes that is the backup blade that stays in my bag. my Main user knife is the.....drumroll please....Spyderco Ladybug. (H1 Salt version at work, ZDP everywhere else.) I might try out the Manbug when it's released, but honestly unless I specifically need a longer blade, the Ladybug gets it done. Which says two things. First, I am a light User, and Second the Ladybug is one heck of a knife.

Grizz
 
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