Totally this!
Lets face it, we're knife nuts. That means we're obsessed with knives. We covet them, obsess over the latest and greatest, and spend way too much money on them. Members of our own families think we're weird.
For most of us who live in urban or semi urban suburban environments, almost all we need to cut can be handled with a cheap box cutter. The vast majority of the people in the world are not knife nuts, and everyday millions and millions of them go about their lives with no knife on them and they somehow live to tell the tale. No buffalo to skin, hostile Chinese paratroopers dropping out of the sky to deal with. No Walter Mitty fantasies. No need of much knife at all really, in our 21st century lifestyle.
But what fun is that?
Yes, I could get by with a nice flat little box cutter, and I have on some occasions. But I would miss the nice feel of jigged bone or rosewood. I would miss the almost sensuously smooth feel of a very sharp Opinel gliding through cardboard as I break down a box to fit in the recycle bin.
I once did an experiment carrying just a box cutter. It works but I felt weird, like I had walked out the house without my pants on or something. But the box cutter cut string, opened plastic blister packages, and broke down boxes. For heavy duty use I used my old Stanley 99. It did construction work and gardening. But I was bored. The only fail was on food use.
I ended up dropping my stockman back in my pocket. Just felt better.
It's all about need vs want. We don't really need all these knives. Just like the car nut don't need a Porsche to go down to the store or commute to work. It's just personal indulgence.
