Electrician's knives. And those that use them.

[gentleman_edc]

I carry an electrician's knife (TL-29) more than any other knife. They are cheap, dependable, look good, sharpen easily, but basically because they are affordable and rugged.
View attachment 2089532
Here's a real Camillus TL-29. I normally carry the generic Camillus with synthetic scales, but today is Sunday.

Does anyone else carry a TL-29?

 

[gentleman_edc]

And here's the knife that has been getting utility duty.View attachment 2089533
It's guarding my Martini right now, but was used to open. A 40 pound bag of bird seed, cheddar for my omelette, and trimming some shelves to fit into my closet.

It probably deserves a pass on the stone to sharpen it up after working on the melamine coated MDF.

 

[Ironbut]

I have a couple old Camillus TL-29s but I haven't carried one in a long time. When I was a kid, back in the 1950's, my brothers & I got Dad's hand-me-down knives. He always carried a Barlow, or an electrician knife, because you could get them at the hardware or feed store for a few bucks.

 

[screened porch]

I have some because they're abundant, there are variations, and a lot of them are made by Utica.
I don't carry them because I don't have that much use for the screwdriver, and because most of the screwdrivers are too hard for me to open without a screwdriver.

 

[kamagong]

I don't carry them because I don't have that much use for the screwdriver...

I liked the lines of the TL-29, but don't have much use for the screwdriver either. So when I saw this knife I had to have it.

 

[Ironbut]

I have some because they're abundant, there are variations, and a lot of them are made by Utica.
I don't carry them because I don't have that much use for the screwdriver, and because most of the screwdrivers are too hard for me to open without a screwdriver.

Yeah, they always seemed hard to open, and I don't recall ever using the screwdriver on the TL-29s for their intended purpose anyway.
I always have an Alox SAK with me now though, and the screwdriver gets used every day. It doesn't matter that I have tool boxes in the truck, Jeep, garage, basement, tools in the kitchen drawer, and a few in the drawer of the table beside my chair in the living room.

 

[gentleman_edc]

I liked the lines of the TL-29, but don't have much use for the screwdriver either. So when I saw this knife I had to have it.

Is that a screwdriver drop mod? Or is it a factory variant? I like the bail drop as well. That is a pretty knife.

I have been wanting to try to mod mine.

 

[kamagong]

Is that a screwdriver drop mod? Or is it a factory variant? I like the bail drop as well. That is a pretty knife.

I have been wanting to try to mod mine.

That is a Schatt & Morgan Heritage Jack. Just a simple straight jackknife, came from the factory that way.

 

[Henry Beige]

I have a few TL-29s. Retrieving my pics is a little balky today. No matter. I have a pretty decent old Imperial, not a bad knife except for the initials scratched on the scale. A Klein that was represented as NOS when I bought it, with some of the worst fit and finish of any knife I have ever bought. Works okay, though. An RR, nothing remarkable except it is well-made and sharp. A Sino-Marbles in orange G10, that is thick and clunky, but otherwise a pretty nice knife.

The Electrician I carry every day is the Alox SAK.

 

[sf fanatic]

The Electrician I carry every day is the Alox SAK.

Me too!
View attachment 2089985

 

[SomebodySomewhere]

Deleted.

 

[kamagong]

For a sense of scale, here's that knife next to a #15 barlow.

 

[SomebodySomewhere]

Deleted.

 

[kamagong]

And is that a sailing MT in the back? Maybe I better stop looking at your pictures haha.

That one is an old Belgian clasp knife, re-clad in ebony by glennbad .

 

[danno50]

Carrying this one the last few days.

 

[Johnnythefox]

That’s a nearly perfect knife in my mind. I have an ebony GEC boys knife that I like but it’s just the tiniest bit too short. Lately I’ve been thinking about modding cheap TL-29s into single layer knives.

Its very common on the TL-29 FB group to do that.



These are rarer and cost more in the UK,I swapped one I had with a full kit last year.

Then bought another at the same show I have been lucky my screwdrivers were easy to open.

My English version is as good, but a bit more compact,non locking screwdriver though.

 

[SomebodySomewhere]

Deleted.

 

[SomebodySomewhere]

Deleted.

 

[gentleman_edc]

This one is too pretty to abuse. Which is a strange thing to say about a TL-29.View attachment 2092620

 

[gentleman_edc]

And here are a couple as I am reflecting on Jimmy Carter.
View attachment 2092623