Just USE the damn knife...

I used to baby my knives especially when new. I finally came to the conclusion that it’s not worth worrying about. Life is short. We might as well use our sh!t and enjoy it while we can.

If we buy all these knives with super-duper steels and handles impervious to this or that, but don’t use them, quite frankly what is the point? High performance knives doing little to no actual performance are wasted money.

My latest “use your sh!t” story is using my relatively new Kizer to scrape a BBQ grill. Had nothing else on me and didn’t hesitate. The VG-10 made quick work of the crusty crap stuck on it and after a quick wash it’s no worse for wear.
 
Why buy a knife if you're never going to cut or puncture anything with it? If in a pinch I needed to pierce something, I wouldn't think twice if my knife were the only tool on me. But I always have a SAK, so I'd probably use the awl to do the puncturing.

If I'm not using it, I'm selling it. If I have it on me, I'm using it.
 
mt666tm said:
My 3yo son dropped a bomb of a crap in the toilet and jammed it up right at the hole... my full custom knife went straight to work chopping up, and down it went.

A proper cleaning and I was using the same blade to pick food out of my teeth just minutes later.

I use my knives for everything!
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I am a general contractor that started out in the trades about 45 years ago. Man have I seen changes in work knives. When I started in the trades we all carried folders, almost exclusively Schrade, Case, and Boker. Although all of us have our favorite knives, they were still just good tools to us. They were used as needed, not abused oh, and I figured that anything I could sharpen / clean / oil my way out of wasn't too much for the knife to handle.

I carry large folders now (and a traditional) since finallyI got on board with the pocket clips about 20 years ago. I like a good hard-working knife and still use the same philosophy when I pull it out to use it; if I can do some maintenance to get it back to top shape, it goes to task. I know that one single use might dull it beyond usefulness as a knife for the rest of the day but that's why it's there.

Besides, now that 60 is firmly in my rearview mirror, what in the world will I be saving my knives for? It makes me smile sometimes just pull out my Cold Steel UH, my ZT 0909, and a couple of others to do a dirty job. So I get enjoyment out of using them NOW. Since I was a nipper, I always have enjoyed using a good knife. Sadly, no one else in my immediate family does, so I'm guessing set all my knives will be sold at an estate sale for a few cents on the dollar.

So off to work they all go. The expensive ones, the inexpensive ones, the gifts... all of them. I like using the knife to cut fiberglass strapping, open heavy cardboard packing that my equipment comes in, chop off large splinters as needed, trim sheetrock, and on the knife's worst day cut a few shingles.

I used to baby some of them and even avoided carrying them because I was afraid they would be damaged. I gave that up after reading a very interesting thread about who would inherit our knives when we are gone. It was very, very sad as nearly everyone is like me and didn't have anybody that enjoys the cutlery nearly as much as we all do to leave their knives to after our demise.

So now they are all on duty!

Robert
 
mt666tm said:
My 3yo son dropped a bomb of a crap in the toilet and jammed it up right at the hole... my full custom knife went straight to work chopping up, and down it went.

A proper cleaning and I was using the same blade to pick food out of my teeth just minutes later.

I use my knives for everything!
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Even if my knife hadn’t been in the toilet moments before, I would probably still use a toothpick to pick food out of my teeth.
 
Man, all this “use your sh!t” talk is making me miss Matt. Now THAT was a man absolutely unafraid to use his shit. :thumbsup:

To those not familiar, he took a dremel to a Roley, cut up tons of blades to wave them, modded a Medford Arktika, ground a blade down to hell and flung it through his garage on principal, chopped up cans with thousand dollar knives... dude was the closest we had to a rock star knifemaker. :(
 
I carry my Protech TR5 and a SOG Centi on my keychain. Both get used without hesitation.
Yup, use your knives. Almost a disservice to them if you don't.
 
This is a big part of why I like decent budget knives. While I've gotten close on a few over the years, I've never spent more than $100 on a pocket knife. I've been very happy with some of the sub-$50 knives I've been seeing. I've been carrying a $42 Civivi Naja lately. Having that level of quality with that level of not worrying is great.

The most exciting thing I've done with that one is slicing up some recycling but hey, I like to live on the edge.
 
Use the damn knife and do not waste time on how smooth it is, how drop shot easy it goes or how fast it flips.Too much of admiration and pics are around and not enough real life usage.I got dozen knives and they all get used everyday.Cheers.
 
I used my knife to cut open a shortwave radio, strip ten feet of coaxial cable to expose the core, and unscrew the hatch on a sunken SSBN under the polar ice cap to rescue a beautful Norwegian scientist from her renegade naval captors. It was scratched up and dinged badly, but I was using it again a week later to defuse a set of mines in Central America that were protecting the compound of a Columbian drug lord.

Oh, wait. No, that was Macgyver. Sorry.

Zieg
 
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Comeuppance said:
I recently started working at Home Depot and have all these great opportunities to use a knife - straps, plastic wrap, rope, boxes, etc - but I have to do it in secret if I do because the only knives they allow are these ridiculously useless self-retracting safety knives. It's like 1/4" of exposed blade, and only like 1/32" goes beyond the end of the handle.
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That's a damn shame, that a home improvement or hardware store doesn't allow employees to use a knife.
 
AntDog said:
Man, all this “use your sh!t” talk is making me miss Matt. Now THAT was a man absolutely unafraid to use his shit. :thumbsup:

To those not familiar, he took a dremel to a Roley, cut up tons of blades to wave them, modded a Medford Arktika, ground a blade down to hell and flung it through his garage on principal, chopped up cans with thousand dollar knives... dude was the closest we had to a rock star knifemaker. :(
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Yeah, I remember when Matt first got on his waving kick and he waved a Sebenza. Fearless enthusiasm! I was impressed.
 
I have found that a $46 Izula does just as good of a job as a $200 knife of the same size. I enjoy the more expensive knives, and I actually use them for more than I initially said. However, for hard work where I might damage the knife edge or point, I will default to a less expensive knife, like the Pioneer X or the Izula, because, well, money does not grow on trees.
 
mt666tm said:
My 3yo son dropped a bomb of a crap in the toilet and jammed it up right at the hole... my full custom knife went straight to work chopping up, and down it went.

A proper cleaning and I was using the same blade to pick food out of my teeth just minutes later.

I use my knives for everything!
Click to expand...

Dafuq?
And y’all wonder why we have measles and shit running amuck in the US. Dirty MFers...
 
It's one of the ways I can guage if I like a knife or not. If the knife gets used it means I like it and its a keeper.

I'm a Plumber by trade and I use my folders at work quite a bit. I'm surprised at how well they hold up and take a lickin and still keep flicking. Actually using the bleep out of knives helped me become better at sharpening and maintenance.

I don't think I've ever put one in a toilet, and I'm pretty sure not my mouth either. But whatever floats your boat.
 
Sergeua said:
One time I was out taking pictures with my CRK and stepped in some dog :poop:. The knife was put to work scraping that sh## off from all the crevices in a nearby bathroom. I think that was the dirtiest job it had to do :D.
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I would have used it to cut a twig from a nearby bush/tree, then used the twig for poo removal... personally. I just use my edc too often (daily) for food to do what you did :) (even though I understand rationally you can clean it up 100%)

fun thread in any case
I use what I carry, but still put thought behind how to best utilize my tools
 
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