Edc weight really that big of an issue?

Sometimes I edc a 1911 and two spare mags along with a good size knife and a flashlight. I found these really nice suspenders that hook the bottom of my belt and the weight disappears.
 
Modern clothing styles have changed what people carry mote than anything.

Having lived in the 1950's, I can vouch that almost nobody wore jeans except cowboys and farm workers. Dress style pants were the norm, and even off work in casual clothes, the Docker style pants were the norm. But, back then, every man who had pants on had a pocket knife on his. The almost universal choice of pocket knife back then was the small two blade jack about 3 inches closed. Weighed in at may 2 ounces, and was un-noticed in the pocket. Some work pants were built heavier, and sometimes a man carried a surplus TL-29 in his pocket. After WW2, a lot of ex G.I.'s carried whatever pocket knife they got in the service. TL-29's, issued scout knives.

It wasn't until the 1960's that you saw people in general wearing jeans, and the counter culture movement carried it on. Buck came out with the 110 in 1963, and things in the knife world changed. The birth of the tactical knife in the early 1980's pushed things further along. Knives got bigger and heavier, and the small traditional pocket knife fell out of favor with the new style knives that had severe for a hundred years anymore.

The clothing worn today is a major factor in the ability to carry a larger heavier knife on and everyday basis. Jeans are now socially acceptable for wear in a wide variety of conditions. It would have been looked down on even going out to dinner wearing jeans. I even remember that you could not wear jeans to school. What we call dress pants today, was the everyday pants of most people 50 years ago.

Times have changed, and what we carry in our pockets have changed. Sometimes not for the better. Nothing was tactical back then. Knives were small 2 ounce pocket knives, guns were light little .25 and .32 autos, and they did the job. People today are a little overboard.
 
Hi! I generally don’t have problems with the weight of a knife but, as someone correctly pointed out, I have a preference :). I am lucky I can wear cargo pants and jeans at work (it’s basically a permanent Friday casual dress code in the office and I spend many working days on production floors with safety shoes, overalls, etc.), so a conspicuous knife it’s not a problem ;). I have my ideal standard set somewhere around 100 g for my EDC knives. Anyway, if I like them, I regularly carry heavier or lighter knives with no problems. Heavies folders I own are around 165 g and these generally goes in one of the Maxpedition Fatboy pockets I carry almost every day :).

BM Mini Rukus carry (168 g)
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Pohl Force M1 carry (160 g)
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Heavier to me is around the 6 ounce range, I will occasionally go a little over 6oz but not very often. If a knife is well balanced and has grippy G10 handle like an Xm18 for example there are no issues but knives with polished slabs like the Plain Sebenza 25, or smoother handles like many of the ZT's, feel slippery to me and take more effort to change grip position on for example.

I think a well designed folder takes weight into consideration, a knife can still be a reasonable size like the Para2, Military, CQC7, Strdier SNG etc. etc. and still be reasonably light. A perfect example is the Spyderco military so light and easy to handle for a larger folder at 9.5" and 4.5 ounces, but when you change that knife over to solid slab titanium scales and increase the weight to closer to 6 ounces it becomes a little harder to hold on to and less maneuverable. JMO though it really depends on the person carrying, if any of this is a factor.
 
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I would say width of the knife is much more important than the weight. I've put heavier scales on PM2's and it actually made them more enjoyable to carry and use.

Mike
 
I am strictly blue collar, HVAC, and always wear work jeans. As long as a knife carries comfy, rfp, weight isn't an issue. I don't carry anything else in rfp so I can carry just about any blade in there.
If I really like a certain knife, weight will not stop me from picking one up.
Joe
 
powernoodle said:
Substitute can't with won't.

Its a matter of preference. Some of us like the NFL, some not. Thin crust or thick? Kate Upton or Alessandra Ambrosio? Pocket 9mm or SIG P320 on the belt? This doesn't mean the one cannot go one way or the other, but we all have preferences.

The fact the that not everyone's choices align with yours is not funny. It just means that God gave us volition and free will. This world would not be very fun if everyone was exactly like Tyler.

I have spoken. :thumbup:
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And you have spoken very well indeed.
 
5 years ago I lost a bunch of weight. Kept it off. The carry weight is not an issue for me. What I'm wearing and what I'm doing are the main considerations.
 
15mtyler said:
Is weight really that big of a difference to everyone here?
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Nope, not to me.

Only in the reverse sense, so to speak; standard knives dont bother me when I carry them, but I do notice how light weight one of my titanium knives are when I start wearing one on the belt.

In general I quite like the weight of a good knife on the belt - part of being a knife knut, I guess....
 
Not really an issue for me either. I recently bought an xm18 from a member here and I like it a lot. It will be my new edc for a while. Weight-wise, I think it is 5oz and change, and it's really no problem. I wear Dickies at work and the knife disappears in my pocket.
 
Blues Bender said:
I lost 36lbs in one month by carrying a Medford Praetorian to work.
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Now this was funny, especially since I recently got an Arktika and started carrying it. As much as I love the heft and solid feeling of the knife I find I carry my MSC PT much more frequently. It's not so much about the weight or size as it is about need and practicality.
EDC weight hasn't ever been much of an issue to me. Whether in uniform, jeans or sweats/workout pants I've never really cared as long as it carried comfortably/securely and was easily accessible when needed.
 
Don't care for clips so 90% of my edc carry is with a belt sheath. That being said, 3-4oz is my maximum as anything heavier is bulky and annoying.
 
I'm not doing 16 miles of foot patrol daily in Mosul anymore so weight isn't an issue.

 
In jeans or work pants I'll carry whatever. Picked myself up some Duluth Firehose pants and with the many pockets I can happily carry a great big, bulky folder, slim slicey folder and full sized multi-tool without thinking about it, that said, I used to wear scrubs to work every day. In scrubs, I found weight mattered a LOT more. Anything over about 4oz started to get annoying and much over 5oz was downright cumbersome. So I'm sympathetic to those that have a weight restriction, as long as they remember it's for them, not me.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
In jeans or work pants I'll carry whatever. Picked myself up some Duluth Firehose pants and with the many pockets I can happily carry a great big, bulky folder, slim slicey folder and full sized multi-tool without thinking about it, that said, I used to wear scrubs to work every day. In scrubs, I found weight mattered a LOT more. Anything over about 4oz started to get annoying and much over 5oz was downright cumbersome. So I'm sympathetic to those that have a weight restriction, as long as they remember it's for them, not me.
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Yup. My gym shorts won't take more than a Pacific Salt before I notice. Time, place, and circumstance matter.
 
I'm one of those that takes weight into account when making an EDC purchase. Since 80 percent of my waking hours are in slacks, I much prefer small, light, and thin (primarily scale to scale width, belly to back to a lesser degree). SAK Classic, Case Blackhorn, Gerber Micro LST, Spyderco Manbug, CRKT mini whatever that wharncliffe folder is called. Jettison? I just ordered a SRM 6040 because I'd read the heat treat is good, the lines appear pleasing, and the knife is one ounce. I work an office job, spending most my time on the phone as a supply chain guy. I don't cut a lot of stuff, so I get by with small knives. Same goes with the rest of my gear, all of which comfortably fits in pants pockets. Granted, my phone and keys go in my desk, replaced by a small notepad and a pen, but still. The rest of the time, I'm in cargo shorts, gym shorts, or jeans, where I carry something a little larger, but rarely over 3-1/4" in length, or more than three or four ounces.
 
Personally for me weight is a non issue. It's all about how a knife carries. Sometimes weight is the reason it is uncomfortable to carry. But my most comfortable carry knife is also the heaviest, my K2 folder.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Weight matters a lot to me.

One, because I carry in my back pocket and heavy often means thick. Don't want to sit on a brick.

Two, because I have no ass at all. None. Got a backside like a 2x4. Which means my pants are held up by friction alone. More weight requires more tension on the belt. To carry an Adamas I'd look like a sausage link pinched in the middle.
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Yup, agreed on both. Also I don' t own a car so I walk alot every day, 10km is normal for me.
 
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