EDC Priorities?

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pinnah

Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
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I'd be interested to hear what people's different EDC priorities are. Here's a list of typical tasks. Can you put them in priority order for your own needs?

If you want, describe your typical carry and how well it matches up to your priorities.

COMMON TASKS
Food prep
Cutting rope and cordage
Cutting down cardboard
Shop/construction use (scoring, prying)
Hunting and game processing
Heavy wood, foliage, crop cutting
Fine whittling and wood working
Light tool use (screw drivers, cap lifters)
Package and letter opening, including clam shells
 
1. Cardboard
2. Package/letter opening
3. Light tool use
4. Rope/cordage
5. Shop/construction
6. Heavy wood, foliage.
7. Fine whittling.
8. Food prep (I do this every day, but with kitchen knives)
9. Hunting/game (never).

Typical carry is a Manix 2 XL and Boker Tech Tool 2. That combo covers basically all of those tasks that I actually do and could pretty easily handle food prep as well, I just rarely, if ever, do that with my folders.
 
Excellent questions.

I carry a Buck Vantage Small in 13c26 - 2.5". I carry it in my backpack everywhere, and especially on backpacking treks. But since I don't spend as much time in the wilderness as I would like, my Buck is used for the following, from most common to least common tasks: 1.) packages/letters, 2.) food prep, 3.) fine whittling, 4.) rope/cordage, 5.) cardboard.
 
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This is a great idea for a thread. My usual carry consists of either a reground Emerson Mini Roadhouse, a TAD Dauntless, or a Super Blue Spyderco stretch. I usually pair that with a smaller knife, either a Dragonfly, or a traditional.
My EDC priorities are:
Food prep
Breaking down cardboard for recycling
Opening Boxes/letters
Yard work (cuttiing garden twine, opening bags, trimming brush)
Whittling( only with small knife/traditional)
 
Obviously, EDC usage will vary depending on many factors. My general uses include:

1. Package and mail opening
2. Food prep (not really extensive chopping/slicing/dicing, but the daily fruit at lunch for sure)
3. Sample containers at work or plastic clamshell packaging
4. Just plain busy-work for my hands, while watching TV, sitting in meetings, or on the phone (I'm somewhat ADD)
5. Yard work (just around the corner!)
6. non-living plant matter reduction (I really wouldn't call it whittling, but I take a knife to wood)
 
I have a few "non-EDC" folders for outdoor use (lawn/garden/camping) so this list doesn't include those tasks.

1. Opening packages.
2. Removing barcode labels from packages for inventory purposes.
3. Cutting cables.
4. Defensive use (handgun backup) for knives I carry outside the office.
 
In all honesty, the one thing that I do the most with my knives is photograph them - LOL!

But that's not really an "EDC" task. Actual tasks, generally speaking, include:

1. Opening mail, boxes, and packages.
2. Food prep.
3. Miscellaneous multi-tool use (especially scissors, drivers, cap lifter)
4. Cutting miscellaneous cordage, rope, string, and line.
5. Miscellaneous yard work and maintaining our other properties.
6. Maintaining my lean-to shelter and base camp.
 
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Open mail.
Open UPS/Fedex and miscellaneous boxes.
Cut twine.
Open accursed plastic blister packages.
Gut a fish to go on the grill for lunch.
Cut fishing line.
Cut loose threads from clothing.
Break down cardboard box for recycle bin.
Pocket worry stone.

If I need to process wood or do yard work, I'll use the right tool for the job.
 
Will it work as an offensive/defensive weapon? If yes, I carry it. Then I add a slipjoint and a titanium hideout in my wallet.
 
Will my knife be able to:
-cut cardboard
-cut and strip wires
-cut hoses
-pry up push darts
-shape plastics
-be able to retain edge if struck against metal, because I cut places near metal
-cut cans in half for storing nuts, bolts, screws, etc...
-be used in a defesive situation because I travel to not so nice places for work

if it can do this things than I'll carry it
 
My #1 EDC priority is not knife related. It's to be sure I have external battery pack for my phone & any & all necessary cords & plugs to get my phone charged in case it runs out of power.
 
Mini rant coming up...

It kills me when people list "Self-Defense" as the reason they carry a knife. The number of people (excluding military and police) who will EVER conceivably need use a knife in a violent manner is so small it's not even worth mentioning. The self-defense capabilities of a knife are 100% not a factor in my decision of what knife to carry.

If you're going somewhere where you're genuinely concerned that you'll be forced to fight for your life... don't go. And if you do go, bring a gun??

Rant over. I'd honestly love to hear rebuttals against this. Am I missing something?
 
DFCustomKnives said:
Mini rant coming up...

It kills me when people list "Self-Defense" as the reason they carry a knife. The number of people (excluding military and police) who will EVER conceivably need use a knife in a violent manner is so small it's not even worth mentioning. The self-defense capabilities of a knife are 100% not a factor in my decision of what knife to carry.

If you're going somewhere where you're genuinely concerned that you'll be forced to fight for your life... don't go. And if you do go, bring a gun??

Rant over. I'd honestly love to hear rebuttals against this. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Actually, I agree. It applies to guns as well.
 
DFCustomKnives said:
Rant over. I'd honestly love to hear rebuttals against this. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

You'll note that I didn't list self-defense in my original list.

It's an interesting discussion but one, as the OP, that I would prefer to see discussed in it's own thread.
 
1. Package/letter opening
2. Cardboard
3. Light tool use
4. Rope/cordage
5 Fine whittling
6. Shop/construction
7. Heavy wood, foliage.
8. Food prep
9. Hunting/game

I typically carry my Benchmade Griptilian and my Mora Robust Pro. I have a Buck 119 and an Ontario machete in my car for #s 6 and up I'll use/grab as needed
 
DFCustomKnives said:
Mini rant coming up...

It kills me when people list "Self-Defense" as the reason they carry a knife. The number of people (excluding military and police) who will EVER conceivably need use a knife in a violent manner is so small it's not even worth mentioning. The self-defense capabilities of a knife are 100% not a factor in my decision of what knife to carry.

If you're going somewhere where you're genuinely concerned that you'll be forced to fight for your life... don't go. And if you do go, bring a gun??

Rant over. I'd honestly love to hear rebuttals against this. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...


I agree in a way but this could also apply to a gun. 99.999999% of the small percentage of people who conceal carry a firearm are ever going to need it, but it's great to have the peace of mind knowing its on my hip if I need it. If the situation arises that I'm in a fire fight then maybe the situation is bad enough that the knife has to come into play as a close combat weapon if all ammo is spent. I know it's far fetched but it's just a peace of mind thing. That all said I don't carry a knife or even buy a knife for specifically a defensive weapon but I do have knives that I would be able to put up a pretty good fight with if I had to. In the big picture you hope you never have to even think about using any kind of a weapon to save your or others lives but in today's society you never know. Better safe than sorry.
 
I can't own guns.
 
Being a knife-themed forum, my EDC priorities are cutting things. Usually plastic straps that bind boxes of printer paper. SAK Classic works just fine, especially since I only do one every couple weeks. Follow this up by breaking down the occasional box at home, that it/they will fit in the recycle bin. Packages, blister packs, cord, on occasion. Food, with folders? No thanks. I have a paring knife in my lunchbox for that.

Ahead of cutting things, I like to make sure that my phone is charged, there's money in the bank, my car is fueled, and taking notes at work. Basically, phone, wallet, keys, and my notepad and pen take precedence to my knife hobby.
 
opening mail, shipping boxes, potato chip bags, dog treat bags, clam shell packaging, cutting zip ties, breaking down cardboard boxes to go in the trash, just general use stuff....I almost never cut or prepare food with my EDC nor do I use it for heavy work... I have specific tools for those kinds of jobs and they are never more than a few steps away.

all that being said... weither or not I can fend off a mugger or car jacker with the knife also carries weight with me.... sure a gun is preferred, as is beating a hasty retreat if feasible....but as a father, I have to consider I can not always have a gun on me, even with a CC permit.... and my 9 year old son isn't out running a full grown man intent on doing bad things....sometimes a knife is all you have between him and the ugly world....and sadly, that ugly world doesn't always stay in its own little neighborhood and leave good working folk alone....

Better to have and not need than need and not have....
 
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