"EDC": What does that mean to you?

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VorpelSword

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EDC: Stands for "Every Day Carry" . . .right?

Most folks get the carry part right, meaning that the knife in question is actually on your person whether in a pocket or on your belt.

But it is my observation that many who post here have more than one knife, often many, that they carry "in rotation as one recent poster wrote. Others mention the need to change which knife to carry depending on what the tasks of the day are. Neither of these concepts fits into the idea of a knife you are so comfortable with that it is carried "every day". Now, I do not mean to include all knife aficionados in this. If you do have a genuine EDC, please just click the like button.

For me, my EDC is now and has been since the mid 1990s,, one or another version of a Leatherman multi tool. Prior to that my EDC kit was a Buck 110 on my belt and some model by an SAK maker in my pocket. The Leatherman seems to cover both of them.

The point is that this is the cutlery that is literally worn by me along with my wallet and keys whenever I put on my pants. If I need a different knife I go to the kitchen for a food prep knife or go out to my pickup for the machete or the e-tool.

Without rancor, I would point out that if you are choosing which of several (or many) knives to bring with you when filling your pockets for the day . . that knife cannot be considered to be an EDC. In fact, YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EDC.

Lets be nice now. If you do not have a genuine EDC, I do not think less of you.
 
For me EDC means carrying a knife every day and when I read about a knife being a "perfect EDC", it refers to its size or utility.

Over the last 50 years, I've always accumulated different knives and carried them on and off.
But it wasn't until I bought my first house in the late 80's and had to do odd jobs that I realized I needed an EDC.

So, I've carried a knife with me every day for about 37 years, and since joining this forum 21 years ago I usually carry more than one :) .
 
The original quote was something like "I refuse to have a monogamous relationship with one knife". I wish I could give proper credit.

I would say "I am reluctant to have a monogamous relationship with one knife".

That's what my collecting, and interacting with the membership here, was about for a long time: the search for "the one knife". Instead, I found a dollar value above which I was uncomfortable spending.

I freely admit that I don't have one singular knife that does everything, because I could never find the right balance of qualities, and because I never found one that seemed appropriate for the range of activities I get involved in.

I could have just said "right tool for the job", and left it there, but I've never been accused of using one word, when three would do.

I admire people who have their lives sorted out to the point where they have found one knife that does it all. For myself, I've decided I like the journey, I'm not too worried about the goal.
 
For me EDC means those few items that I carry everyday that are “extra”, and not a part of my daily attire, or what I need to conduct routine business/work each day. That means for me, a pocket knife (SAK), a flashlight (single AA), and a pocket pen. Decades of experience have proven their worth, often for unexpected occurrences. Watches, wallet, keys, wedding bands, etc., I would have on me regardless, and other than the ring were essential to get me through a routine day, many years before I ever figured out how those few extra items of EDC would come in handy and be worth putting in my pockets each day before leaving the house.
 
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Since I don't pack around a rattle or pacifier nowadays, I guess I don't have a true EDC.

Oh. And I've moved and switched vehicles a couple of times. New keys, and whatnot.
 
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Wow, a lot of good posts here. Thanks everyone.

Perhaps a clarification is needed:

I assumed that om this board and this forum that EDC ment the knife we carry each day.

In the 1970s and '80s, for me that mint both a Buck 110 and an unremembered model by one of the SAK makers as a complimentary pair.

In the mid 1990s, I dropped both for a then standard Leatherman, and moved from that to newer improved versions as they became more usable and versatile for me. Today that is a Leatherman Wave+, though I'd get something else if they make a Wave-like model that is larger, lighter and has a better set of scissors . . . .and maybe Magnicut.

This item goes into a horizontal belt pouch worn just behind my right hip whenever I wear pants, along with pocketed car keys and wallet. The ED in this context means every day I wear pants. Retired and with a few health issues, I sometimes do not dress to go out of the house every day as I did when working.
 
My opinion is that EDC means “Everyday” meaning average, ordinary, etc.
as opposed to “Every Day” meaning the same exact thing each day.
So an “EDC” knife would be one for your average daily tasks instead of say a fillet knife.
Also, if you did take it to mean “Every Day” it would make more sense that the type of item mattered more than the specific example.
 
I have six or seven knives that I rotate thru, I generally carry one for a couple of days then switch to the next in line.

They all get used regularly ang they all show patina and light marks from use.
 
I look at EDC as a system. (almost) Everyday I carry a folding knife and a multi tool. I won't lump in a fixed blade or a pistol because I don't keep on my person EVERY day.

So when I talk about a knife going into rotation, it is fitting the role of that part of the kit. Everyday I'm going to carry a folder that I feel can do most jobs well. Usually with a blade length of 3-4". Everyday I'm going to carry a pliers based MT, usually a Leatherman.

I don't know of many people who carry the same knife or style of knife for decades on end...except my old man. Buck 110 since the 1970s and that's literally it. But around these parts, this place would have dried up and died a couple of decades ago if it were populated by people who are one and done on their knife choice ;)
 
sceva said:
I have six or seven knives that I rotate thru, I generally carry one for a couple of days then switch to the next in line.

They all get used regularly ang they all show patina and light marks from use.
Click to expand...
Not even close to hardcore enough. Maybe if you carried all 7 we would award you the title of "Every Day Carrier".
 
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