Is two really one and one is none?

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lagriffe

Joined
Aug 31, 2005
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How many knives do we really need to have on hand? I've checked out the EDC thread and some are geared up for WW3, while others seem to be right at home with a small folder. Is there an ideal balance? Right now I'm carrying at least one karambit, a benchmade folder, and a micro swiss knife. I'm kinda leaning towards leaving the benchmade at home since the SAK can pretty much handle most cutting needs I may have. Then again, I'd be down to one which is "none". Your thoughts please.
 
For just running around town you will probably be OK with just one knife but if you are out in the woods I think you should have at least two. I wouldn't want my only knife to me a Micro swiss. If I was carrying a swiss as my only knife it would be a full size one.
 
Well, you're quite right about feeling tactically inadequate with "just one knife" - especially so when it involves a knifenut.
Seems to me a pocket tool would cover all bases.
But in having carried a knife purely with the intention of self defense (SD), might just be a tactically unsound idea if you live in a lawful community.
A karambit, (though is really just another variation of a knife) is now probably on the radar of every knife knowledgable LEO.
It being positioned way up there, along with the other bladed offensive street weapons.
If you need a pocket knife, try a more traditional or conventional folder (with two blades in them).
Case has some up graded model with actual modern locking devices in them.
Unassuming, but more importantly - it doesn't scream aloud the possible wrongful intentions of the owner...
 
Being a bit of a knife knut I went through the same thing last fall.
I normally carry at least five knives, but seven was becoming more common. Seeing as some of them were surely redundant, I decided to do a test, carrying only the Spyderco Military for a whole month.
It did everything I could have wanted a knife to do. The only time I wished for another knife was during rough cutting (to save the fine edge I worked so hard to get), or when someone else needed something cut and I wasn't able to supervise.

Really, a person only needs one knife, but it sure was great to have the multi-tool, small knife, and beater, back on my person the moment that month was up.
The minimum I will carry is a primary EDC (for the majority of cutting tasks), secondary EDC (for fine work), and Multi-tool (for everything else).
Beyond that I have a Victorinox Soldier for food work (the awl comes in handy sometimes too), and a Fallkniven U-2 is my backup pocket scalpel.
The great thing about those two is they weigh virtually nothing, so I don't really have a good reason not to carry them. It's when you put an extra full size folder in your pocket that things feel cramped.
 
The best part of being a knife knut is the fun you can have playing with different knives, instead of having to make one knife do it all.

When I worked in a business office, I rotated my pen & pencil sets like Cross and Rotring, and a few calligraphy pens alongside them, including Montblanc and Schaeffer.

Why give up my toys when I could finally afford to buy them for myself? :)
 
One is none. Loan it, lose it or break it and there you are. The Idea that one knife is all you should need or want or can get by with is right next to only one type of knife and that is just scares me.
 
OK, i am leaning towards the "one and only".:)

My pleasurre goes to one knife that can do all. In fact i carry a Swiss tool Spirit and a Vic Spartan in my Fatboy too.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
The best part of being a knife knut is the fun you can have playing with different knives
Click to expand...

I think thats the way it is for most of us who carry more than one. Then we look for excuses to justify it. Basically, we just enjoy carrying all of this stuff around. Some folks like artwork on the wall or shoes in the closet; the folks here like knives in our pockets.
 
I have about 50 at last count but I only carry one for EDC. I've never lost or broken a knife in 50+ years of carrying & using, so that's not much of a concern for me. I just make sure I carry one that's slightly larger than my usual cutting needs require. I've found that I can do 90% of what I do with a fairly stout 3"-3.5" bladed folder. If I'm doing anything specific that requires something different than my EDC, I'll take a knife for that (hiking/camping, construction, building demolition, etc).

I don't carry any kind of pack. Whatever I carry goes in my pockets or waistband. Even fully loaded, I've only got a knife, wallet, watch, keys, and cell phone. Sometimes I've just got a knife when I go out (well, 43 knives actually... 1 in my pocket and 42 in Molly's jaws).
 
I only carry about two knives at all times. Here lately it has been my Victorinox Tinker and a Classic in the little pouch on my cell phone case. I like the variety of tools I get from this setup plus the weight is almost nothing. I use the Classic as the beater because I have a few of those lying around and they are inexpensive to replace. If you loan the classic, people don't use it as hard as they do a full size knife either. I could get by happily with just the Tinker, but for an extra ounce and NO pocket space (keep it with cell) it sure does come in handy sometimes. I am eying a Leek, so I might have to add a third knife soon.
 
I mostly carry one large Folder, as my main blade, a Victorinox Classic and a multitool, sometimes a SAK.Sure I only NEED one knife, but I feel better carrying more blades, and since I collect knives... Heck, why not?
 
I carry a Leatherman Squirt and Vic Classic on separate keyrings, so I have scissors and pliers. A full size folder for most my cutting, then usually a small detailed cutting folder like a Spyderco Spin.
 
I only have one LM Fuse as EDC. When I have "planned" outings I have a SAK and a Fallkniven WM1 in the gadget box, a F1 or Sissipuuko M07 in my backpack and a Sissipuukko M95 and a Gerber multi in the tool box in my car.
I used to have a Fallkniven U2 as well as EDC, however it is now in "limbo" waiting a ruling by the consumer complaints board.
 
I carry at least 3 on a daily basis. Normally a medium FB or large tough folder for hard use. A 3-3.5" folder for normal EDC cutting and a little guy for small work or sheeple. A multi tool is a must for me too. I never use the 2 blades on my LM though.

Its definitely overkill, i would get by with only one knife but wheres the fun in that.
 
I vote multi tool and a general use knife. that way you get the benefits of the aditional blade from the multitool should you for whatever reason lose your main blade, and you also get pliers, screwdrivers and a myriad of other tools.

when I'm where I like to be, I carry a multitool (don't care if it had a knife on it), a heavy but small chopper/prybar, and a super thin super acute slicer.

But, in times of sheeples and what not's, I just cary the leathermen since it has 2 blades on it, and most people are okay with foldable pliers.
 
It depends on what you do with your knives. If you live in a big city and work in an office, you can probably get by with one small knife easily. If you work in building renovation as I do, it is a slightly different story. Often my job calls for using a knife for a lot more than opening the mail. I have arrived home at the end of a workday with nine knife blades in need of major resharpening (old mastic adhesive is really hard on an edge).

Try to get by on just one? Not even my S90V Military would make it.
 
powernoodle said:
I think thats the way it is for most of us who carry more than one. Then we look for excuses to justify it. Basically, we just enjoy carrying all of this stuff around. Some folks like artwork on the wall or shoes in the closet; the folks here like knives in our pockets.
Click to expand...

Exactly.:thumbup:
I wouldn't mind a bit more artwork on the wall though.:)
 
yablanowitz said:
It depends on what you do with your knives. If you live in a big city and work in an office, you can probably get by with one small knife easily. If you work in building renovation as I do, it is a slightly different story. Often my job calls for using a knife for a lot more than opening the mail. I have arrived home at the end of a workday with nine knife blades in need of major resharpening (old mastic adhesive is really hard on an edge).

Try to get by on just one? Not even my S90V Military would make it.
Click to expand...

Have you tried the Mora clone knives for carpenter/handyman/worker abuse? In Sweden you get them for about three bucks each (with tax). Try to convince your company to order them by the bucket.
http://www.moraofsweden.se/index.php?cid=&id=21&ssel=&lng=2
http://www.hultafors.se Click Produkter/ Knivar/ Hantverkarknivar
They even have combo holsters :)
 
The type of knife/tool you can carry around without scaring the sheeple locals depends alot where you live. I have an F1, a U2 and a LMF II lying in the window at work. It is a public building (the city hall och city office or whatever you would call it. In Sweden it is Kommunhus, where the city is run from) but it is a small town so no one cares.
Since 9/11 the regulations have skyrocketed regarding knives and related things, pathetic. Before 9/11 I could even bring an F1 in the carry on.

Anyway. carrying a SAK is totally sheeple, everywhere. People does not see it as a weapon, except retarded day care administrators. A LM multitool is not that common to the minions. If a minion carry one it is usually a cheap 10 bucks copy and they think it is as good as your 100 bucks Wave.
The same goes with fixed blade knives. A minion usually have one or two Mora clones that are really dull, unless he hunt. A hunting minion do usually also use cheap Moras, because they are easy to sharpen (which they need to do often), however they look down on you if you show up with knives like CQC7, F1, H1 or other high price knives. They will also probably destroy your nice knife because they treat it like it is worth 5 bucks.
To the minions a knife bigger and fancier than a red handled mora clone becomes a RAMBO knife in their eyes and hence a murder-death-kill-weapon and hence Verboten.
So even if you think your RAT3, S1, RC4, BK7, SRK etc feels just normal to you the minion behind you in the checkout stand at the grocery store.
If you wear hunting clothes or military uniform the knife "looks" smaller, if you have it strapped to your leg it "looks" bigger.

Get whatever knife you feel you need, just keep it in your bag until needed. If you need to cuts some seat belts or other "rescue" things I doubt people will freak out if you pull out your fancy 6" blade, but it is overkill just to slice an orange or such.
 
lagriffe said:
How many knives do we really need to have on hand? I've checked out the EDC thread and some are geared up for WW3, while others seem to be right at home with a small folder. Is there an ideal balance? Right now I'm carrying at least one karambit, a benchmade folder, and a micro swiss knife. I'm kinda leaning towards leaving the benchmade at home since the SAK can pretty much handle most cutting needs I may have. Then again, I'd be down to one which is "none". Your thoughts please.
Click to expand...



Some may think that "one" knife is "none" which is silly. None means you don't have any so if you have "one" how can you possibly have none.......


Carry however many "you" feel comfortable with and will meet "your" needs.
 
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