How has your choice of EDC changed over time?

I Edc'd a SAK (Huntsman) for many years (since childhood) and then switched to a multitool. I went through several
Leathermans before settling on the Vic Spirit for the past few years. I like to pair the Spirit with a dedicated knife, either a BM 556 or a small fixed blade - lately, a Boker/Krein Pocket Bowie.
 
It's gotten smaller.

As a young man in the army, I carried a Buck 301 stockman as my main go-to knife, with a Wenger SI in the bag as camp back up. Then I went down to a Buck 303 cadet for a few years. Now, as a retired old fart going fishing, canoeing, with trips to the shooting range at least once a week, I'm carrying a Case peanut as my main edc. I've accumulated three of them, and was carrying the tiny jack more and more, then I was gifted a damascus bladed amber bone peanut by a forum member. For the past 4 months now, it hasn't left my pocket, and I've found that 2 inches of blade is enough for this old man. It's cut bait, opened packs of freeze dried food on camp outs, cut all sorts of twine and rope, whittled garden stakes for the tomato plants, and opened every UPS package dropped off at the door. That peanut has become my edc.

I sort of lost some of my driving interest in knives as I got older. Once I retired, it really took a back seat to living life, and doing all those things I day dreamed about while stuck in that dammed machine shop. I still have an obsession about having a good sharp knife in my pocket, but I'm no longer obsessing over it. As long as there is a sharp blade on hand, that's good enough for me. When I was a kid, everyman who had pants on had a pocket knife in one of them. Nothing fancy, just a 3 inch to 3 1/2 inch jack of some type, usually with two blades. That was good enough then, and I find out that it's still a good choice for an edc knife. I seem to have wnet back to what was popular when I was a kid, the little two blade jack. Plus I like that carrying a smaller knife leaves more room in the pocket for other stuff I find handy in my life of ease. LIke small flashlight, magnifier glass, small aluminum capsule of arthritis meds, extra bandana, and just stuff.

I finally got old enough to discover what my dad knew; we don't need as much knife as we think we do. The older I got, the less needs vs wants mattered. I know I need a good sharp knife, but I don't want to be bothered by it till I need it. For me at this stage of my life, less is more, and small is good.

Carl.
 
I started by carrying a slipjoint when I was a Cub Scout and got my Totin' Chip, with my scout troop (419) in Baltimore. It was a little tiny MOP-handled pocketknife that had been my father's first knife when he was a boy.
From there, I "graduated" to SAK knockoffs and cheap Imperial-type barlows, the kind you'd get for a buck at the local Bait & Tackle store at the beach.
Once I was finally old enough to take my knife selection into my own hands, I got my folks to buy me a Gerber EZ-Out, and carried that thing for most of my teens. It went with me all over the state of MD, through many hiking and camping trips, and dutifully rose to many challenges during my years of volunteering at the local nature center.
At that same nature center, I was exposed to various other options. The head naturalist carried a Buck 112, and some of the others chose various one-handers, which provided my introduction to Spyderco and Benchmade. I remember lusting after a BM 710 for most of my high school years, but it was out of reach ($$$).
Toward the end of high school, I discovered balisongs, and I started with a Jaguar. Eventually, I saved enough money to pick up a BM42AS, which changed my whole experience.
In the following years, my knife tastes drifted away from the slipjoints and more toward the one-handers. I tried Spydercos, Benchmades, Emersons, et al.
Eventually, I grew to once again appreciate the craftsmanship behind a nice traditional knife, and fell in love with slipjoints all over again.
Now, I generally carry two knives at a time: a slipjoint and a one-hander (usually a balisong, but often another mid-range... Spydie, Emerson, Al Mar). I like both, for different reasons. In my line of work, sometimes it's handy to have a blade I can deploy, use, and stow all with one hand. But, I still prefer the laser-like slicing ability of a thin carbon steel blade. And, of course, I'm still a balisong fanatic, and I enjoy flipping and using high quality knives. My balisong collection includes Benchmades, a Roton, some FHMs, and a custom. I have a couple custom slipjoints, too, but usually can't afford to dabble in that realm too much.
As I've matured so far, I've come to realize that I need a blacktical-tactical knife less and less, so even my one-handed knives tend toward slim slicers, and away from thick folding prybars. If I need a really rugged knife, I'll use a fixed blade.
I think that this path is probably the one I'll stay on.
 
It's hard for me to look at my EDC rotation and not grab my 710 every morning. But I do it anyway. I've got a handful of nice Benchmade AXIS lock folders, a Case, some small fixed blades (Izula, Benchmade, etc.) and a couple of SAK's I try to rotate through, depending on dress and needs. But usually I carry my 710.
 
When I was younger all I wanted was Case or lock back Buck knives, then I wanted very large heavy folders, that were "overly built". Now I want more into dress knifes like a Sebenza 21 or Acies.
 
Over the years, I have accumulated more and more stuff that I carry in my pockets and on my belt. This has pushed me toward carrying smaller items that still do the job. This is true with my EDC knife as well. Today it is a Victorinox Cadet, which is thin and smallish in the pocket but does all of the cutting I need. This is not to say that I don't go hog wild and carry a large folder or other EDC item, because I do, but as a generally rule my EDC knife has gotten smaller and smaller.

On a somewhat related note, I have read that guys who carry a concealed pistol for years or decades often go through the same transition. You start out with a 1911 or a big Glock, and 18 years later you have migrated to a J-Frame S&W in your pocket. Not universally true of course, but the idea applies.

IMG_1821.jpg

Victorinox Cadet.
 
Great question.

For me it went like this.

Boy Scouts. Old SAK or US military equivalent. (steel handled US military multi-bladed multi function knife)

Late teens- Gerbers, the Gator and LST were favorites.

My twenties- Larger more tactical looking Benchmades.

Thirties- Chris reeve Sebenza...the best because I could afford it.

Now I am onto smaller more value oriented blades...sold the Sebenza's. I now only use my knives to cut things. I like thinner blades and more comfortable scales. My most used blade is a Spyderco Ladybug with a Sage 2 for anything that requires a longer blade. Sage 2 will probably be replaced with a Chaparall when they come out in Ti because it is a thinner blade.

Grizz
 
chronological order

crkt m16
kershaw leek
kershaw zing
spyderco delica
boker anti mc
benchmade mini grip
spyderco lum chinese
spyderco sage 2
small sebenza

with a few short lived stragglers in between
 
ctbrew said:
How has your choice of EDC changed over time?
Click to expand...

early 60's _____________traditional pocket knife
late 60's and early 70's__Buck 110 sometimes in sheath, sometimes in front pocket.
late 70's and 80's_______Buck 303
Early 90's______________SAK Tinker
Late 90's______________Leatherman and/or one hander
2000's________________one-hander of one sort or another
Current_______________one-hander and a traditional
 
I have been all over the place with EDC. I started with various Victorinox models and Case slipjoints, I have probably carried nearly every pattern Case makes at some point. Then I migrated to tacticals esp Kershaw, Spyderco, and Benchmade. I was always getting bigger and bigger tactical knives. Carried an Endura for a long time, then realized the Delica is better sized for the work I do. Now I have come to the realization from all these different styles as to what I really need/prefer and have really narrowed down EDC to the 3 styles that worked best. I typically carry either one slipjoint or one SAK and in addition occasionally carry the Delica.
1)Traditional Slipjoint: 3.25-3.5 inch handled Stockman, I have found this to be my favorite and most used size of traditional pattern and prefer the Case Medium Stockman with CV blades and the Buck 303 and usually carry one or the other.
2)SAK: Victorinox Spartan or Tinker, I have found the bigger SAKs are just larger in the pocket and have blades I never use.
3)around 3inch clip knife: Spyderco Delica VG-10 plain edge, I have found this to be the ideal one-handed knife for me.
 
As a kid, Kutmaster Girl Scout knife.
High school - SAK Explorer, or Gerber lockback.
Early career - SAK classic.
Once I discovered one-handed openers:
cheapie mTech, then SOG Fusion Salute, Kershaw Leek, KAI Shallot, to currently a BM 940. I'm very happy with the 940 as my EDC, but am looking forward to a Blue M390 Para2 and expect it to take over for a long time.
I keep a SAK (classic and Huntsman) and a Medium Stockman handy, in the car. They're very nicely sized, and I love handling and using the Case, but I find that I oftentimes have something that needs cutting in my weak hand, and really don't want to mess around setting it down to open up my knife.
I'd say my progression goes something like this:
What I could afford, to what I wanted at the time, to what I had lying around. Then I discovered BF, and tried a few things out.
I tried the mTech just because I had it. Never liked it much, then it fell apart.
I go the Salute because it was affordable, and very different from the mTech. It's easy to open and feels tough, but is just to big, heavy, and "tacticool."
I thought I'd like the Leek, but it feels kinda small. It's what I carry know when I don't want to be seen carrying a knife - in a suit, or to church.
The Shallot turned out to be less ergonomic than I originally thought, and kinda slippery. It's become my "beater" knife.
For carry, the 940 is about the right size. For use, I wouldn't mind a slightly larger handle. I love the Axis lock, and it's never let me down. If it wasn't for my addiction, I could see myself living with it happily for a long, long time.
In initial tests, the Para2 feels like an extension of my hand. The compression lock is certainly different than the Axis, but it's very highly rated and I can't wait to try it out for a while.
I have a couple Manix2's. I absolutely love to use them, but they're a little bulky and a lot heavy for EDC. I try to keep 'em handy when I know I'll have some work to do, but they don't travel on me much. Neither of mine in "skeletonized."
I'd like to try a small fixed-blade, but here in Cali they can't be concealed, and carrying them in the openly around town and such is generally frowned upon.
 
Last edited:
Oh man, I 'm getting old too.

Though I do draw a distinction from EDC, and the stuff that I still buy/collect.

My EDC has trended towards smaller and lighter, as I get older.
Though I have a Strider and Hinderer ZT to choose from, I almost always have a Spyderco in my pocket.

It is either my original Dragonfly, or one of my 2 delica.
Serrated or non, depends on the day I guess.

I do have a Pacific Salt in my backpack though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top