If the experiment is over...

J

jackknife

Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
17,603
I think since it's after the new year now, the three month experiment that Grateful started may have run it's course. Having carried my peanut from the time we left the house on October 14th, until now, I think I may put the three amigo's back in rotation. Not that the little 'nut didn't do everything I needed from a pocket knife on our around the country trip, but I just miss a little variety. The Sardinian resolza and GEC 15 will be riding along again with me in the trials of life in suburbia.

I've missed my other precious.

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They say "absence makes the heart grow fonder". I am doing a little experiment of my own to see if this is an actuality...I am a tried and true "knife floozy" after all ;)
 
I gotta give you guys credit, I just can't do it, I'm weak, I just can't seem to settle on one.

I've got knives everywhere, I usually carry at least 2-3 traditional knives in my pockets, that's not including my jacket, my truck , my bike but just traditionals alone in my pockets I can't settle on one, I'm like a woman with shoes.

I usually have one that has to go in my pocket, right now it's the, '13 BFC Congress Jack, usually the current forum knife always resides in my right front pocket but that's never good enough, lately my trend has been the forum knife, a small two blade Jack, (right now that's a Case Swayback Jack I won in '12 here on the forum) and a single blade medium size 3.5"- 3.75" blade, (right now a Case Sowbelly I also won here on BFC).

How hard is it? I mean is it something you dwell on? I know I would, knowing that a multitude of choices was only an arms reach away.

I really admire the determination and resolve that you guys have to follow this through, I gotta ask though, was it worth it, did you learn anything from the experience or did it just make you appreciate having a choice again?

Keep up the good work guys, I love the stories and pics, you've inspired me to try again.

I can't promise to carry only one so I'll try carrying the Congress Jack as my primary and my smaller Case Swayback Jack, I'll try for 1 month, see how that goes and take it from there. If I can do it I'll start a thread, if you don't see one, it means I was weak and I caved. :(
 
I don't know how long I would last in a challenge so I have a peanut (one of two) in my pocket for the last few months. From time to time I have added another as well but at least a peanut. I thank Carl for this appreciate his stories of their use as well. That being said I am looking for my third to add to a growing collection.
 
T. Erdelyi said:
I gotta give you guys credit, I just can't do it, I'm weak, I just can't seem to settle on one.

I've got knives everywhere, I usually carry at least 2-3 traditional knives in my pockets, that's not including my jacket, my truck , my bike but just traditionals alone in my pockets I can't settle on one, I'm like a woman with shoes.

I usually have one that has to go in my pocket, right now it's the, '13 BFC Congress Jack, usually the current forum knife always resides in my right front pocket but that's never good enough, lately my trend has been the forum knife, a small two blade Jack, (right now that's a Case Swayback Jack I won in '12 here on the forum) and a single blade medium size 3.5"- 3.75" blade, (right now a Case Sowbelly I also won here on BFC).

How hard is it? I mean is it something you dwell on? I know I would, knowing that a multitude of choices was only an arms reach away.

I really admire the determination and resolve that you guys have to follow this through, I gotta ask though, was it worth it, did you learn anything from the experience or did it just make you appreciate having a choice again?

Keep up the good work guys, I love the stories and pics, you've inspired me to try again.

I can't promise to carry only one so I'll try carrying the Congress Jack as my primary and my smaller Case Swayback Jack, I'll try for 1 month, see how that goes and take it from there. If I can do it I'll start a thread, if you don't see one, it means I was weak and I caved. :(
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It is very hard if you keep other knives around. I am an admitted knife floozy, so if I have others around, I would cheat. I know myself well. So when I do a challenge, I pack up my other knives and give the bag to my better half to put away someplace. That's the only way I can really do it and stay on track. Out of sight/out of mind sort of thing. Like a recovering alcoholic staying out of bar's. If I do that, it gets surprisingly easy to do it. The morning I left home for our trip, I had just the peanut in my pocket and the classic on my keyring. We pulled out on the road, and all my other knives were left behind, so this time it was very easy.

But a weird thing happened. After a week, I hardly missed my other knives. I was busy going places and doing things. New country to see, map to study while Karen was taking a turn driving, exploring the Texas hill country, exploring California, new Mexico, and other places. When I did need a knife, like stopping at a roadside rest area and making a quick salad from the stuff in the cooler, the peanut sliced up bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, and other times as needed. So I had a knife. It came down to the fact that I did have a knife on me, and that knife did very well when it was needed. This is a great part of what I learned; there's no one perfect knife. Any good sharp knife will do. Peanut, barlow, pen, stockman, all good as long as it's sharp. For opening a plastic package of snacks, slicing some salad stuff, or whittling a hot dog stick, any pocket knife will do. So as long as I had a good sharp knife in my pocket, I didn't dwell on it. If the knife in my pocket was too small, I had my dad's old 9 1/2 inch bushwhacker in the trunk. I found the peanut and the bushwhacker covers all the bases. But the bushwhacker stayed in it's bag in the trunk, not needed. Cruising around the U.S. interstates in a Toyota Camry is a far cry from crossing the country in a Conestoga wagon a very long time ago.
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Carl.
 
Unless you are trying to change your EDC, I see little point in these personal restrictions unless it's just to have fun.

Knife habits are hard to change. I can vouch for this with my SAK. I wanted to carry others, but when I did the SAK was gone.... then I carried two. Sometimes carried three and I thought this was getting a bit ridiculous. But I know others do this stuff. i'm not talking about walking around in the woods or hiking, I 'm talking about just routine daily living... trip to grocery store, work, gas station, post office and so forth....
 
I get what you're sayin' Jack, it stops being about the knives and becomes more about the use, getting you up to enjoy everything else instead of agonizing over which blades to take out for the day.

I'll be the first one to admit I carry knives on me that I carry just to show off, our should I say more like share with other period, (who am I kidding, I'm proud of the 2013 forum knife and I take every opportunity to show people what we as a collective came up with and had made, I'm proud of that do I show it off a little :) ).

My Old Man, like many member's fathers and grandfathers carried one pocket knife, that was it unless we were going hunting in which case we had a set of dedicated knives for skinning and camp work.

I'm gonna try in February to keep 2 knives only, a traditional and a modern locker.

Did you keep a diary of sorts or just post some highlights while doing your experiment?

I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions, I think in the long run doing something like this will help me with some commitment issues ;)'
 
T. Erdelyi said:
I get what you're sayin' Jack, it stops being about the knives and becomes more about the use, getting you up to enjoy everything else instead of agonizing over which blades to take out for the day.

I'll be the first one to admit I carry knives on me that I carry just to show off, our should I say more like share with other period, (who am I kidding, I'm proud of the 2013 forum knife and I take every opportunity to show people what we as a collective came up with and had made, I'm proud of that do I show it off a little :) ).

My Old Man, like many member's fathers and grandfathers carried one pocket knife, that was it unless we were going hunting in which case we had a set of dedicated knives for skinning and camp work.

I'm gonna try in February to keep 2 knives only, a traditional and a modern locker.

Did you keep a diary of sorts or just post some highlights while doing your experiment?

I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions, I think in the long run doing something like this will help me with some commitment issues ;)'
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No, I don't keep any kind of diary or log of use. I just pick out one and drop it in my pocket and there it stays anywhere from a few days to a month. Now I will say this, I've done a lot of downsizing in the past ten years, and I actually don't really have that many knives left. I have a hard core of about a half dozen, with three or four of them that are my regular edc's. I used to have a ridiculous amount of guns, knives, cars and tools, but years ago I gave/sold off most of it. Kind of a autumn years awakening that I didn't really need all that stuff. As I get older, I realize the less I need.

Try just dropping one in your pocket, and then make it a point to go someplace with just one knife on you. Consider it an excursive of how our fathers and grandfathers got by. Okay, make it two to start off with, and then after a while try one. Once you have a sharp knife in pocket, your good. And nobody says you can't pick another one each day. A peanut one day, a barlow another. Good luck. Don't worry about asking questions, that's how we find things out.

Carl.
 
I'm always switching up what I have in my pockets, knife wise. I don't have any real desire to try and limit my edc to any particular knives. Most days I have at least two with me.

I have noticed that when I'm away from home for an extended period of time, like a vacation etc, that I don't miss having many knives to choose from every day. Maybe I change them up so they all get a little pocket time? I have very few knives that I don't and wouldn't use.

We spent two weeks in Italy in Sep/Oct and I had my Case Damascus peanut with me. It did every thing I needed a knife to do.
 
jackknife said:
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Carl.
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Bushwhacker, Bushwhacker! I've been wanting to see a picture of that legendary thing after reading your stories, now I see what your Dad kept on hand when his Peanut wasn't sufficient. An ugly thing, but obviously very capable. And if I remember correctly he actually had it cut down and modified to that, so he knew what he wanted/needed. Now I gotta see your Dad's Peanut (don't believe I've seen a pic of it yet). Fantastic!
 
Don't fret about it too much Ted. You are on BladeForums after all. If you were truly meant to be a one knife man, you wouldn't be hanging around these parts.

- Christian
 
Carl,
I knew that, eventually, the lure of the horn handled friction folder would get you again.... :p
Christian is quite right indeed. :)
Yet, since I got it, and aside from very specific situations, I've been carrying my Oeser day by day, and I haven't missed my other knives...but who knows how long it will last? Right now, on my holiday trip, I chose two other knives to bring with me, and since one of them mysteriously escaped from my suitcase, I'm going to have only my SBJ for one month...and I know I will need nothing else.
Sometimes, it's just a matter of tides and moods, and I find it nice to see that the only persistent thing is change :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
Anymore I've come to the point where even the 8 pocket knives (all GECs) I now have are even "too many". For one thing I find myself always dropping the 55 into my RF pocket. It's virtually impossible for me to leave it behind - I almost feel a mild anxiety when it's not with me, lol. I do usually have a second pocket knife with me, which anymore is either the Pemberton or Barlow. The others (a 92, 79, 61, 85 EO and a 73) see occasional pocket time - I like them a lot and enjoy them, but they take a backseat to the 55, Pemby and Barlow.

As I get older I find myself following the same path and philosophy Carl describes - I really just don't need all this "stuff"! Things will increasingly start going to my sons or be sold. Simplicity is increasingly appealing to me nowadays - I prefer minimalism! :)

My Pemberton, 55 and Barlow...

 
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CAUTION.... The knife I am about to mention is not Traditional, but it pertains to the subject at hand :D

Not long after Benchmade came out with the Mini Griptilian, I bought one. That was probably close to 15 years ago, give or take...
I have always been into knives, but at that point in life, I hadn't yet become an addict. After some use, I really grew to like the knife, and back then, I used a knife daily, and it wasn't babied.

I never really thought much about it. I would just put it in pocket every morning when I was getting dressed. After some time passed, I realized I had been carrying that knife every day, and it had been over three years. I never felt like I was missing anything by carrying the same knife, but as time passed and my collection grew ( mostly Traditionals ) I realized I had been missing out on something. Variety.... As I frequently started changing what I carried, I found it was very enjoyable being able to pull out a different knife, and use and admire it.

There are endless choices we can make, and for me, that is part of the enjoyment of owning more than one or two knives. So, my totally unintentional " one knife every day " lasted quite awhile, but it wasn't because I planned it that way.

I have thought in the past about intentionally trying it, but I don't see any reason to punish myself, and quite honestly, I don't think I could pull it off. Actually I might be able to pull it off, but I really have no interest in trying.

Life is short, and I am weak :D
 
Like Fausto I have recently found contentment. I came by it naturally, I never saw the point in trying to become a one knife man. I am glad that I am able to afford buying the knives that pique my interest.

The "One" that I speak of is not the ultimate knife. It is not my best, my prettiest, or even the last one I will ever get. But it is special because it was a gift. Growing up my father never gave me a knife; he hated them. So I am aware that my affection for this #73 that I received from my wife and daughter is not entirely rational. No matter, I want to carry this knife more than any other. I still carry others on occasion, but as a complement. I doubt anything will ever supplant this knife, unless my wife and daughter one day present me with a stag handled Tony Bose trapper. :D

- Christian
 
338375 said:
CAUTION.... The knife I am about to mention is not Traditional, but it pertains to the subject at hand :D

Not long after Benchmade came out with the Mini Griptilian, I bought one. That was probably close to 15 years ago, give or take...
I have always been into knives, but at that point in life, I hadn't yet become an addict. After some use, I really grew to like the knife, and back then, I used a knife daily, and it wasn't babied.

I never really thought much about it. I would just put it in pocket every morning when I was getting dressed. After some time passed, I realized I had been carrying that knife every day, and it had been over three years. I never felt like I was missing anything by carrying the same knife, but as time passed and my collection grew ( mostly Traditionals ) I realized I had been missing out on something. Variety.... As I frequently started changing what I carried, I found it was very enjoyable being able to pull out a different knife, and use and admire it.

There are endless choices we can make, and for me, that is part of the enjoyment of owning more than one or two knives. So, my totally unintentional " one knife every day " lasted quite awhile, but it wasn't because I planned it that way.

I have thought in the past about intentionally trying it, but I don't see any reason to punish myself, and quite honestly, I don't think I could pull it off. Actually I might be able to pull it off, but I really have no interest in trying.

Life is short, and I am weak :D
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Well said, thanks!
 
My knives pass me around like a cheap date. More power to you.

I have been chided by non knife nut friends and family that I have too many knives on my person if I ever get stopped by LEO. Four knives, my peanut, a jack and a larger 3" trapper or jack, with a one hand opener.

My buddies that do carry usually ask where's the rest, as they pull a couple from their pockets.

I'm paring down, trying not to succumb to every pocket worn blade that gives me whiplash. It is tough, but I endure ;).
 
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