Help me decide: should I drop my tactical?

D

dave2945

Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
115
For a while now, I have been carrying three knives- this makes me feel totally crazy. I carry a SAK super tinker, case cv trapper, and any one of my spydie, kershaw, etc... clip-on lockers with exotic steel. I don't quite understand why I do this as I am the type of guy who drives a 90 Nissan with a bazillion miles not because I can't afford a new car, but because the ole girl keeps going strong. Also ride a Kawi streetbike that is 10 years old with well over a 100,000 just because it is set up the way I like and it simply works.

Problem is, if I ditch the tactical in my trio of edc because of the total lack of need for it, I might be inclined to also drop my trapper because my SAK does it all. Ninety-nine out of a 100 times I reach for the trapper for cutting because it holds a great edge, I have it set up with different angles on the two blades for versitality, and it is very pretty. But, I can do it all with a very pedestrian SAK.

Bottom line: For practicality, can you convince a knife nut to carry both a SAK and a trapper?

Thanks in advance.
 
Dave,

I think you have to come to terms with what you like and what you want.

For example, my Explorer will be 7 years old. My motorcycle is 13 years old.

But...when it comes to knives I've long since stopped trying to justify what I carry because it makes more sense. ;)

I carry the knives I like because, well, I like knives. Sometimes I just carry one, and sometimes I carry more. Just depends and I like having the opportunity to choose.

Don't let mere pragmatism get in the way of your enjoyment of this addiction, I mean hobby. :D

(Don't tell anyone I said so, but you can still like tacticals even though you carry a slipjoint. ;):cool:)
 
I'll be honest with you, the sak can do it all...but hte trapper has charectar, and moght be more of an expression of whou you are...I carry a stockman pattern folder of one make or another everywhere I go...I keep and oldstyle leatherman wave in my edc bag..More for the tools than the blades...so for cutting, whittling or eating I reach for my stockman for anything that requires a tool...The leatherman takes it.
 
Lately I've been carrying my Victorinox Farmer in the back pocket next to my wallet, and the Case Trapper rides in my right front pocket. Mostly it's for the same reasons as you, and I know I could get by with just the Farmer, I did for a few years. I think it's like Riley said, the slip joint just has more character and is more expressive.
In a slightly off topic, but related matter...
I've been meaning to try a little experiment (what is it with this forum that makes us want to experiment anyway?) regarding a very similar situation. My goal is to try to do without the Farmer and rely just on the trapper and a P-38/Classic SD combo on my keys to get me through the day to day tasks.
This might be something you'd like to try, would certainly lighten the load, and would give you reason to carry just the slipjoint, technically. Finding a balance between practical utility and aesthetics or wants can be tough sometimes :p


Gautier
 
One thing you guys might want to consider. Though no major tools, a small Leatherman Micra in the watch pocket of your jeans makes a nice complement to your traditional knife. Just sayin'...
 
Keep the tactical. Everyday I carry my Eye Brand large stockman along with my Spyderco Military (which has since been replaced by a Sebenza). The stockman probably does 99% of what I need a knife to do, but I enjoy having both knives on me. You're a knife nut, there's nothing wrong with having more than one knife. Most people already consider us weird for even having a knife at all.
 
Keep them all, knives compliment each other and they are governed by mood and use.

You might like to enlarge your Traditional range, a Stockman, or Scout may help out or why not go for a small belt knife with a nice handle? Belt knives come in very handy...

As for Tacticals (I prefer the term Moderns as I like Knives Ancient&Modern!) I nearly always have a Benchmade Mini Grip in bright yellow on me.It is very functional,ergonomic and well made it's no beauty though but it's still much valued.

You just can't have too many knives to rotate, after all, if you wore just 1 pair of shoes all the time they would get worn out in next to no time!
 
drop the tactical if you want to. i used to just carry a benchmade mini grip. then i caught the SAK bug. so for a while i had a SAK and the grip. then i caught the traditional bug. for a small time i had all three at once, like you. It was a Farmer, Peanut, and BM Mini-Grip. now i have a P-38 and Vic Classic on my keychain, and a Case Peanut in my pocket. I realized that I don't really need a superfast opening one hand locking knife for what I do on a daily basis. Plus nobody gets spooked by the peanut.

Sometimes I'll slip the grip, spyderco, kershaw, or the standby Vic Farmer into my back pocket. do whatever you want, nobody else will even notice unless you tell them.
 
Just carry what you reach for, and day to day you will figure out what you are missing and decide what to carry. If you are already bypassing your pocket clip folder then you might not need to carry one, but you still might want to, just for fun.
 
I would play around with it. Carry just the SAK one day, just the trapper the next, and just the tactical the following day. Like Blues, I have stopped trying to justify why I carry what I carry. My all time, absolute favorite pattern and most used and carried knife is the Peanut. I've done it all with that little work horse. That said, I do carry other knives just because i want to. For a few weeks I was carrying a Wenger SI. Before that it was my CV Stockman. Before that my Vic Cadet. I carry my Soddie, SAK Super Tinker, whatever. Sure I always go back to my Peanut, as it is the one that fits me the most, but I like to switch it up. I personally no longer have a need for a tactical. Slippies cut better, are made better, and just have so much of the aforementioned "character" that they just ARE pocketknives to me, but if you like yours, why not carry it? As someone else said earlier, carry what you want. Just have that one special knife to come home to.
 
if you really start thinking about what you use in most circumstances it'll help as well.. I am a big fan of the vic farmer...but I never need a saw in everyday use and I can open most bottle without a bottle opener...the most handy sak components really IMO are scissors, screwdrivers, and tweezers...
 
a p-38 is an oldschool Military issue can-opener...or an old school 9mm pistol that was once manufactuered by walther, I suppose either would be handy as an edc item.
 
RescueRiley said:
if you really start thinking about what you use in most circumstances it'll help as well.. I am a big fan of the vic farmer...but I never need a saw in everyday use and I can open most bottle without a bottle opener...the most handy sak components really IMO are scissors, screwdrivers, and tweezers...
Click to expand...

Good advise.

Take a good honest look at what you really do with a knife, and match it to you're life style. What may be good for me, could be a washout for you. It all really depends on where we live, how we dress day to day, and what we do. I spent a lifetime as a blue collar worker in jeans and work shirt, so I used a different kind of knife than my dad who was a suit guy.

Also our life styles change. As we age, values get a bit different as we learn what really is needed and what works better for us. The "us" is the variable factor.

In general, I've found that for me, a sak or scout knife pattern, and a small dedicated cutter works for about 99.9% of what I need. Your milage may vary.
 
I and many of the other posters here team up traditionals and tacticals and SAKs (sometimes all 3 at the same time). Each one fills its own niche, and there is a lot of people that got along their entire lives with one knife (like jackknife's father and his Case Peanut) and today many folks seem to somehow make do with no knife at all. I personally prefer to carry a tactical and a traditional and/or an SAK. I always seem to have a multi-tool close by or in my jacket as well. I like knives, so I'll carry one's I don't absolutely need. If your the same way, and carrying the extra steel doesn't bog you down, I recommend the same. And, like you say, ya never know when your going to need to be able to open a knife with one hand, or get to it quick- I remember when I sprained my wrist sort of bad, and had to one hand open my slipjoint to open the packet of motrin. And, haveing a bigger blade is good for those heavy duty jobs.
 
I don't really know how to respond to these types of threads. I wake up in the morning, take a shower, have a cup of coffee, take my dog out, put on my clothes, put my wallet and cell phone in my pocket, and then put whatever knife or knives I feel like carrying on that particular day in my pocket. Why make rules? Just put a knife in your pocket. If you don't like the knife you put in your pocket one day, just put another knife in your pocket the next day...
 
In 5 years or 50 years, each of us will be worm food.

So why not carry what you dang well want while you still can? In 50 years, no one will know or care what you did back in '08.
 
I always have a tactical in the car, or on me if I travel out of town.
I carry it because that is what it is for Tactical situations.
I do not want to be in a situation that I need it, but I do not want to be a situation that I do need it but don't have it!

Then I carry a slippie to cut things.
 
I parked my lockbacks a few years ago. I keep one in each truck in case I need it working with equipment. On my person I keep a Sodbuster Jr. and a medium stockman. In the past I kept my Vic Mechanic and Sodbuster. I seem to live without the Vic over the last year or 2. Back to the topic, the Sodbuster Jr. is my "work" knife. Gets dirty, greasy, whatever. The medium stockman is my "personal" knife. Food (stabs Vienna's out of the can), cuts my meat, fruit, cleans fingernails, etc. In 2 years I have been completely happy. I work outside all day every day. This knife combo has been perfect. Other tools are in trucks if mowers or tractors need anything.
 
Can a trapper remove a bottle cap? Can a trapper open a can of beef stew at the camp site? Does a trapper have a saw? Does a trapper have a flathead or phillips screwdriver? does a trapper have a corkscrew? Sure you can improvise with a trapper but would you really want to with that perfectly good SAK at home? Keep the SAK, I am glad I did.
 
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