I Challenge Thee (to an EDC Challenge)

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Cold Steel Micro Recon. Suited my EDC needs, but I ran into trouble with larger cutting tasks, mostly because of leverage on the grip.

2 1/2" is the sweet spot for me, but I like my one-handers with pocket clips.
 
Swoop03 said:
hmm, all the people in here that are declining intrigue me. Your missing the point of the post. Bobnery is trying to get you to see that most, not all of you, don't need a strider or overbuilt super tank of a knife. And that an opinel or a SRM will do you just fine. Sure the step down in steels might be painful for those feel the need to get the best of everything, but you don't really need it. Chances are you go home everynight, that means you can touch up your blade every night. I personally don't see the point in spending over $100 on a blade, after that amount it seems useless to me. My para 2 handles everything I need it to and will go above and beyond. I touch it up once every three weeks probly and re sharpen it once every other month if my hand sharpening has boogered up the edge or I chipped the very thin edge mine has prying something.

I carry a SAK as a secondary all the time. It actually gets used more than my primary blade no matter what it is, and a SRM finds its way in my pocket often too, they're dirt cheap and I'm not afraid to destroy them. There is no loss to it in my opinion. Even with these 10 dollar bargain blades I only touch them up once a week with my daily use. S35VN or M390 or S30V and others of the like are not needed, they are wanted and preferred. Millions of people made a living and supported families and all they ever had was their daddy's used case with a broken scale and worn down blade.

This is a very good idea for a thread I think, and I believe more people should do this. There is nothing wrong with the high end knives, but at the same time, do you REALLY need it? Or do you just want it as a status symbol to show off on here and to all your friends, something to make you feel better than others?
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Hauling said:
and you're missing the point of why people are declining, at least in my case, I already know I could get by with a SAK but I choose not too.
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Yep, I'm with Hauling here. The point is BECAUSE WE CAN. ;)

If I just went with a knife that is "enough", I would have saved myself a lot of money. We're in BF because we're knife nuts and steel heads.
 
I always carry a cheapo, along with a nicer folder. Like today I'm edc'ing a zing tanto, and my cf blur
 
Swoop03 said:
hmm, all the people in here that are declining intrigue me. Your missing the point of the post. Bobnery is trying to get you to see that most, not all of you, don't need a strider or overbuilt super tank of a knife. And that an opinel or a SRM will do you just fine. Sure the step down in steels might be painful for those feel the need to get the best of everything, but you don't really need it. Chances are you go home everynight, that means you can touch up your blade every night. I personally don't see the point in spending over $100 on a blade, after that amount it seems useless to me. My para 2 handles everything I need it to and will go above and beyond. I touch it up once every three weeks probly and re sharpen it once every other month if my hand sharpening has boogered up the edge or I chipped the very thin edge mine has prying something.
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The OP doesn't have a point. Why should anybody have to listen?

For the members here, knives are more than just tools, we enjoy collecting, carrying, looking-at, showing-off, discussing and using them. It is more than just making a cut or poking a hole with our knives.

Just because you "don't see the point" isn't reason enough for me to do anything other than what I want to.

BTW, the people commenting probably have years to decades more experience than you probably do.

You just keep doing what you want and leave the others alone to do what they want.
 
Swoop03 said:
hmm, all the people in here that are declining intrigue me. Your missing the point of the post. Bobnery is trying to get you to see that most, not all of you, don't need a strider or overbuilt super tank of a knife. And that an opinel or a SRM will do you just fine. Sure the step down in steels might be painful for those feel the need to get the best of everything, but you don't really need it. Chances are you go home everynight, that means you can touch up your blade every night. I personally don't see the point in spending over $100 on a blade, after that amount it seems useless to me. My para 2 handles everything I need it to and will go above and beyond. I touch it up once every three weeks probly and re sharpen it once every other month if my hand sharpening has boogered up the edge or I chipped the very thin edge mine has prying something.

I carry a SAK as a secondary all the time. It actually gets used more than my primary blade no matter what it is, and a SRM finds its way in my pocket often too, they're dirt cheap and I'm not afraid to destroy them. There is no loss to it in my opinion. Even with these 10 dollar bargain blades I only touch them up once a week with my daily use. S35VN or M390 or S30V and others of the like are not needed, they are wanted and preferred. Millions of people made a living and supported families and all they ever had was their daddy's used case with a broken scale and worn down blade.

This is a very good idea for a thread I think, and I believe more people should do this. There is nothing wrong with the high end knives, but at the same time, do you REALLY need it? Or do you just want it as a status symbol to show off on here and to all your friends, something to make you feel better than others?
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It's not a status symbol, or to make me feel better than someone else. People could care less about our knives, only knife nuts would be envious. I use quality blades because I enjoy them. Good steel sure beats crap steel. But in other respects, you are right. I do carry a lower quality knife in addition to my high end knife, and the lower quality knife is the one that always takes the beating.

When I'm talking lower quality, I'm talking my 95 dollar Spyderco Stretch ZDP 189, or 45 dollar Kershaw Skyline, or maybe a Cold Steel Voyager, etc..

Sometimes when sharpening I'll wind up with a wide bevel near the tip. It often annoys the hell out of me. I'll ask my wife if the knife in question looks ugly to her, she always tells me, "it looks fine, it's a knife" HEH. Looks to me is the second kind of cool that comes along with the tool.
 
CWL said:
The OP doesn't have a point. Why should anybody have to listen?
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Yes, he does. The point was to take a step outside your "comfort zone". We all carry a motley assortment of knives, there is no argument. The challenge was, just like the Becker challenges, to step out of your comfort zone and attempt a minimalist approach.
 
I carry a Victorinox Pioneer all day, everyday, and have done so for over 6.5 months.
I win. :D
 
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tobii3 said:
Yes, he does. The point was to take a step outside your "comfort zone". We all carry a motley assortment of knives, there is no argument. The challenge was, just like the Becker challenges, to step out of your comfort zone and attempt a minimalist approach.
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Reading CWL's little signature quote after reading what he wrote cracked me up
 
What knife is that??

singularity35 said:
I guess I'm obligated to do that since there's gonna be a 6 month gun(and dangerous weapons) ban here because of the coming elections. If I carry my usual blue or gray para and my ZT 301, I run the risk of some cops stealing them so here's what I'm gonna be carrying. It is a pretty silly challenge though.

EnlanEL-011_zps7cfee7c4.jpg
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bobnery said:
The recent Southard threads got me thinking of a challenge that I think would be interesting for people to try, and see if they can do it, and to see if it changes their views on their carry needs.

Here's the challenge' Put all your nice folders and fixed blades up, and carry a cheapo EDC for a week

I'd like to keep the carry to one knife for everyone, but that would be hard, so just grab a Opinel, Stripped down SAK, Case, or other low tech blade and see if you can make it through your EDC needs.

The idea with the knife you choose is, not easily opened with one hand (or not at all with one). No exotic steel, a simple carbon blade, no fancy locks, and nothing that costs more than 20 bucks.

I'd say if your work like mine requires something special like a dedicated box cutter, its fine to use that at work, but try and use your cheap EDC for everything else.

Whose in?
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Already did it, and more than once, the cheap knives don't cut it..... Literally.....
 
Check the traditional section guys, and you will find that knives like Opinels and Case knives are not as popular as they are because they are cheap crap. They have excellent, easy to sharpen steel that looks real nice with a patina on it (at least the carbon versions, I don't own any stainless versions), and overall can be very beautiful knives. But if it's not your cup of tea whatever... Simple knives are an acquired taste.
 
colekmiller11 said:
Check the traditional section guys, and you will find that knives like Opinels and Case knives are not as popular as they are because they are cheap crap. They have excellent, easy to sharpen steel that looks real nice with a patina on it (at least the carbon versions, I don't own any stainless versions), and overall can be very beautiful knives. But if it's not your cup of tea whatever... Simple knives are an acquired taste.
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What!!??
 
NeverMore1701 said:
But he doesn't give a good reason why we should. What would I gain?
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In the same vein I could ask if you have a good reason for using higher end knives over lower end knives?

The point to the challenge is to maybe become more aware of what a knife's purpose is and what you can actually accomplish that with. I love seeing new knives come out. I love playing with them. I like thinking about what knife to try next, and what steel to sample. I realized though that knives were made to cut and are one of the oldest and most basic of tools, and as knifenuts we have actually gotten away from the purpose of the tool. Look at threads on BF where people ask others to post pics of their users. Those threads rarely get much life, and the knives pictured are usually low end. If I posted on the current one my most used knives it would be a SAK Trekker, a Leatherman Wave, and this little plastic Buck I've had for years. Look at the exchange. We sell knives that hardly see any use so we can by more that will see barely any use. After awhile you just gotta ask yourself is it a knife I need or a toy I want. I think most knife guys fall into the toy I want group. I know I do. Guys on here may cut open an envelope during the day, but have actually opened their knife a 100 plus times. People gripe that Reeve doesn't want the Seb flicked! Reeve is right there is no need to flick the freaking thing, but I tell ya what I sure have, and to what end? The thing was made to cut not open and close. That's one thing about Jeff Randall I love. He keeps purpose in mind when making his product.
 
I carried a Case Peanut for a whole month without any other blade. I couldn't stand not having something clipped to my pocket. The knife cut everything fine though.

I get where the OP is coming from but I just don't want to do that. I've slowly worked my way up to being able to use and carry nicer knives. I'm not about to go back, even if it is for a week.
 
bobnery said:
In the same vein I could ask if you have a good reason for using higher end knives over lower end knives?

The point to the challenge is to maybe become more aware of what a knife's purpose is and what you can actually accomplish that with. I love seeing new knives come out. I love playing with them. I like thinking about what knife to try next, and what steel to sample. I realized though that knives were made to cut and are one of the oldest and most basic of tools, and as knifenuts we have actually gotten away from the purpose of the tool. Look at threads on BF where people ask others to post pics of their users. Those threads rarely get much life, and the knives pictured are usually low end. If I posted on the current one my most used knives it would be a SAK Trekker, a Leatherman Wave, and this little plastic Buck I've had for years. Look at the exchange. We sell knives that hardly see any use so we can by more that will see barely any use. After awhile you just gotta ask yourself is it a knife I need or a toy I want. I think most knife guys fall into the toy I want group. I know I do. Guys on here may cut open an envelope during the day, but have actually opened their knife a 100 plus times. People gripe that Reeve doesn't want the Seb flicked! Reeve is right there is no need to flick the freaking thing, but I tell ya what I sure have, and to what end? The thing was made to cut not open and close. That's one thing about Jeff Randall I love. He keeps purpose in mind when making his product.
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I gain enjoyment out of carrying and using more expensive knives (and they're not even that expensive). I would lose that feeling if I didn't carry them. What would I gain?
 
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