Inexpensive Loaner knives

Like most folks, I'll do the cutting task myself. A few folks I trust to use my knife properly.

Honestly, my first thought was "ohhh, I knew Frost cutlery was good for something".
 
I don't believe in the "if they don't have their own then they aren't qualified to touch mine" bs. I don't carry everything I need to deal with every situation that may crop up, if I even tried to I would have to have a mule train to carry everything in order to be prepared for every situation that might occur. For example if there is a fire at the mall I don't normally carry a fire extinguisher but I will happily "borrow" the one on the wall even tho it isn't mine.

Yes I will ask what they need to cut in order to provide the best tool for the job. If it turns out they need a screwdriver rather than a knife I open the screwdriver blade on my Demo knife or Leatherman and hand it to them. Only once did I have a knife damaged, I simply made the guy buy me a new knife...easy enough. I don't carry $1000.00 customs, I carry replaceable tools. As I carry several knives even if I am carrying an expensive slip joint I also have a easily replaced knife I can loan out. I know at times people need to borrow things and I try to help others out when I can.
 
J's Knives-N-More said:
I learned my lesson the hard way with that :grumpy: It was actually the blade on my original leatherman tool, pissed me off to no end. I was doing maintenance work at a condo two (almost 3) summers ago. The lead guy asked to see my multi tool (they all knew I had a different knife each week back then) I figured it was just my multi tool so I handed it to him. He then proceeded to use the blade to get a room open :eek: We were supposed to get the room unlocked at all costs, but not by ruining my leatherman :mad: He broke off about 3/8" and it's never looked the same since :(
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Wow, Id make the bastard buy me a new one. WTF. Its amazing how some people treat others studd with such disrespect. I personally only lend my knife out with those i trust and when I know what they are doing. My dad is an example where he likes to use knives as screw drivers=)
 
I certainly don't carry every tool I might need, but if a guy can't be bothered to carry a $20 SAK, or even a $10 gas station junker, well, too bad for him. Let him open stuff with his teeth.

I like the kids' scissors idea. Gotta find me a pair of those.
 
As others have stated, I usually offer to do it myself. When someone asks "anyone have a knife?" I always say "what do you need it for?" I'm tempted to carry around a few spare Opinels in my bag to just give away to people who find themselves knifeless.
 
I am always asked for people to borrow my knife. I usually let them use it until last summer. At work, I had a Buck110 in the sheath on my belt. I let someone use it and got it back with a "Sorry, I broke your knife". Broken in half. Said he was prying up some of the roofing material...
 
TheGame said:
I am always asked for people to borrow my knife. I usually let them use it until last summer. At work, I had a Buck110 in the sheath on my belt. I let someone use it and got it back with a "Sorry, I broke your knife". Broken in half. Said he was prying up some of the roofing material...
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Wow...just wow. A 110 isn't an easy thing to break.

Did this genius offer to replace it?
 
No, actually he did not. He just said sorry. I asked him to replace it, and he pulled out 10 dollars and gave it to me. As if that wasn't enough, he told me after I got the knife to give him the change. So, I told him I wanted him to come to Wally world with me and buy it himself. He was shocked that I paid $35 for a knife..
 
If they don't know what 'sharp' really means from first hand (or lack there of) experience, they don't get to touch it.

Its not that I think people who don't own tools, can't use tools. That's just not true... anyone can buy tools :jerkit:
 
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TheGame said:
At work, I had a Buck110 in the sheath on my belt. I let someone use it and got it back with a "Sorry, I broke your knife". Broken in half. Said he was prying up some of the roofing material...
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Do you have any photos? Where did it break and how did the break happen? Did the guy offer to replace the knife?

There are a number I keep around.

SWExtremeOps.jpg


This S&W Extreme Ops actually is a pretty decent cheap knife.

MaxamFolder_2.jpg


This is one very well constructed el cheapo. It can get
very sharp and has a strong lockup.
 
I like the idea of loaner knives...never thought of it before, but now I might just have to get me one. I know it's probably smarter to offer to cut whatever needs cutting though...
 
No, I don't have any photos. Didn't think of taking any when it broke. (And I don't have a camera to take pictures with - although I suppose a disposable would have worked if I had a scanner)

I will try and find the knife and get some. I am not sure where I put it after that. I believe it was about an inch and a half from the tip where it snapped in half.
 
The only people who have asked to borrow my knife (thus far) have been people who knew my feeling about them and therefore took care of it. I lent a knife to a friend over a few weeks when he knew he was going to need one but didn't want to buy one. Before returning it he sharpened it for me. It wasn't the best sharpening job but at least he was respectful with it.
 
I have a few (well, ok, about a dozen or so) SAK knives at my desk as loaners and gifts to the converted. I buy collectible SAK's on eBay, and pretty often they're part of a batch so I always have a few extra climbers, spartans a/o classics trickling in.
 
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DutchV said:
If they don't already have a knife, they probably aren't qualified to use one. And they probably really needed a paint scraper or screwdriver, but figured your knife was closer. Screw that.
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LOL, that is the truth. The last guy that asked to borrow my knife was excited and in a hurry, so I lied and said that I forgot to carry one. He then rummaged around in our junk drawer and found a thin bladed screwdriver which he announced was perfect for his unspecified needs.

I have one SAK Soldier model that has a very stiff backspring. The edge is convexed and kept ultra sharp. So far, this particular Soldier model has drawn blood on every single person that has asked to see or use it. (It has bitten me several times.) I hand the knife over with a warning that it has a blood lust and yet folks just don't listen.

When I was small child I learned that hot things were hot the hard way and the lessons were remembered. As I grew older I learned that sharp objects cut, again learnt the hard way. Alas, we have an entire generation with us that has not learned the very basic lessons of childhood. Children need to be taught and guided. Adults should be allowed to teach themselves, but today our adults are not, in many cases sufficiently mature, to accept responsibility for their own actions. So, my new maxim is DON'T LOAN TOOLS TO FOOLS.
 
If someone has no idea, I'm not going to give him or her a knife---I'll just ask them to hand over their problem, and complete the task for them. If it's something stupid like prying, etc., I'll tell them to go get a crow bar.

I haven't had anything bad happen to any of my knives by use from others---I've learned my lesson from others' experience here on BladeForums to know well enough who to give and not give a knife to. I do lend my friends my low-echeleon knives from time to time; a Buck Hartsook, a Vic Classic, etc.

Don't loan fools to tools, but low-ends to smart friends is cool.

:D
 
i use inexpensive knives such as my newest,the winchester "big woody" . i keep a multi tool in my car , the blade was sharp enough to go through the oil-bottle i was makIng a funnel out of, and an inch into my thumb.

i dont have a lot of ppl ask to use a knife . the g/f knows whats mine is hers ... she knows knives are for cutting .

if i loan some friend a knife , it is my homemade fire extinguisher glass breaker 'breach bar". chisel grind 40ish degree tip, 30ish degree blade.
 
The people I know that might need to borrow mine all carry their own. Im lucky that way.

One carries a digicamo para military and the other carries a cara cara. One of my other buddies outside of work carries a spyderco rescue.
 
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