Locked out on a balcony

[davek14]

It's kind of funny that, yesterday when I first read this thread, I had that old wreck of a Barlow in my pocket. My daughter needed me to come to her work and jump start her car. I did not hesitate to take that Barlow out and scrape rust off her battery terminal.

My only thought here is that jimmying with a knife might break it resulting in the loss of your only tool. I would not carry a knife I was afraid of dulling, chipping, or scratching.

It is correct that you should always use the correct tool for the job, if you have the correct tool for the job.

 

[Krissig12]

Yes but its a tool, why carry what you won't use. You can still be proud of owning it if its at home. If its just so[SUB][/SUB] you can idly fondel it consider therapy and if its so you can show it off to others that sounds like pointless vanity.

It's a CUTTING tool. Seriously people, when did a knife become the one stop shop for getting things done?

Do you use a screwdriver for things other than driving screws? Or a fork for things other than eating food?

Yes a 1000 dollar custom COULD be used in an emergency for other things than just cutting, but whether or not it gets used like that is up to the individual in the situation. It's not some "common sense, if you don't do it you're stupid" thing that some people are making it out to be. They're implying that we all put knives in our pockets expecting to have to jimmy locks and pry doors, which simply isn't true. We put them in our pockets to use for daily CUTTING tasks. Should they be needed for more than that, it becomes a personal choice whether to use them or not. It's not a black and white thing because what is required to get off of the balcony is not the primary task of the knife. So the "well if you're going to carry it, then use the damn thing" doesn't apply in this situation.

 

[davek14]

Well, yeah. People get a little excited on both ends of this thing, myself included I guess.

Thing is, the only misuse of a knife is actually unsafe use. It's your knife. I want a knife I can use hard in minor emergencies *myself*. If someone wants to carry one at work to open paint cans in non-emergency situations that's OK too, even if I don't agree. It's his knife.

At the other end of the spectrum if someone want to carry a knife for light cutting only and they are even afraid of dulling it that's OK too.

 

[Krissig12]

Well, yeah. People get a little excited on both ends of this thing, myself included I guess.

Thing is, the only misuse of a knife is actually unsafe use. It's your knife. I want a knife I can use hard in minor emergencies *myself*. If someone wants to carry one at work to open paint cans in non-emergency situations that's OK too, even if I don't agree. It's his knife.

At the other end of the spectrum if someone want to carry a knife for light cutting only and they are even afraid of dulling it that's OK too.

Sorry but that's a bs argument. Knives have a single purpose, and that is to cut. I'm not saying it is wrong for anyone to use their knives in other ways, like you said they can use them however they like because they're their knives. But by definition doing anything but cutting would be "misusing" the knives. They can misuse them if they like, I won't stop them. But some of the people in this thread like to imply that not being willing to misuse knives means that you shouldnt even carry them....

Let's change it up to highlight the lunacy. If the situation was being stuck on a balcony with only an Iphone, would it make sense for me to argue that you aren't using and shouldnt be carrying your phone if you aren't willing to pry the door with it? No, because you bought that phone to use for things it was actually designed for, like calling, texting, and posting on BF, not prying doors. You USE it all the time, and are therefore justified in carrying it around all day. You don't have to MISUSE it. So in the balcony situation it's not some black and white common sense thing as some people here suggest. It would be totally up to you whether or not to MISUSE it to help you get out. (But then again, you could always just use it as intended by the manufacturer to call for help)

 

[davek14]

But I guess that what I'm trying to say is that, no matter what side of the "argument" you are on, saying the other "side" is "wrong" is not productive.

But some of the people in this thread like to imply that not being willing to misuse knives means that you shouldnt even carry them....

Just like that, but from a different perspective.

Anyways, as far as *I* go. I'm a machinist and I often yard sale and flea market (used as verbs) and get beat up knives cheaply. I can clean them up at work and repair damage at work. I'm used to using metal to cut metal etc. That's my perspective.

My PC ain't the greatest but I need it for e-mail, software I need, etc. I would never go to sites which might compromise it. That's my perspective there. Others might go wherever they want on the net and know that they can fix their PC easily. That's their perspective on that one.

All good.

The OP actually presents the question well in a cost/benefits analysis. Would you spend a night in the cold or abuse/misuse your knife?

 

[crom]

I was locked out of my apartment in 18 degree weather at night and my girl friend at the time wouldn't be home for hours. I chimnied up between my place and the next to my bathroom window about 10' off the ground. I used my Delica Clipit to carve the wood where the window lock was, then used the blade to slip the lock. I cracked the tip off of the knife in the process.

 

[tower2]

1. apply camouflage paint in tiger stripe fashion
2. secure the perimeter
3. pop chem lights
4. activate emergency beacon
5. prepare MRE
6. hydrate from camel back
7. strap on knee pads
8. don multicam mechanix gloves
9. blame the government/liberals
10. put in a huge bit of chewing tobacco
11. verify all 10 magpul Gen3's are topped off on chest rig
12. regret leaving NVG's at home
13. LOCK AND LOAD
14. use knife to jimmy lock because if I carry it I'm damn well using it
15. tactical egress
16. call mom, let her know you'll be home late
17. police your brass
18. drive home in H-3 because it's more eco-friendly than the 2
19. Watch black hawk down again
20. compose tweet about daring balcony escape
21. receive employee of the month award and accompanying parking spot
22. tidy up bunk bed

OMG! You win! I haven't laughed that hard in ages!

 

[Krissig12]

But I guess that what I'm trying to say is that, no matter what side of the "argument" you are on, saying the other "side" is "wrong" is not productive.


Just like that, but from a different perspective.

Anyways, as far as *I* go. I'm a machinist and I often yard sale and flea market (used as verbs) and get beat up knives cheaply. I can clean them up at work and repair damage at work. I'm used to using metal to cut metal etc. That's my perspective.

My PC ain't the greatest but I need it for e-mail, software I need, etc. I would never go to sites which might compromise it. That's my perspective there. Others might go wherever they want on the net and know that they can fix their PC easily. That's their perspective on that one.

All good.

The OP actually presents the question well in a cost/benefits analysis. Would you spend a night in the cold or abuse/misuse your knife?

What perspectives are you rambling on about? You can't seem to grasp what I'm saying.

I have no issue with this thread, nor do I have any issue with the people who would deal with this situation differently than I would. What I have an issue with is the morons confusing misuse for use and then using that warped sense of a knifes primary purpose, whether they are aware of it or not, as the basis for their condescending "common sense" answer to the OPs question. They're saying "Use the damn thing or don't carry it" when in this situation it's actually a question of whether or not to MISUSE it, which is completely up to the individual on the hypothetical baloney. I am a big proponent of USING all of the knives I own, and I DO use them. But I use them for CUTTING, which is what each and every knife that owns that classification should be primarily designed for. Whether or not I would MISUSE it in a bad situation like the one OP poses is the real question here, and it simply cannot be answered how some of these people have answered it.

Back to the phone analogy:

Intended use- calling, texting, Internet, etc

^Any and all "use the damn thing if you're gonna carry it" arguments would apply to THIS^

Misuse- use as a physical tool to free ones self from the balconey.

Not this^^

To anyone who believes in USING their knives, the OBJECTIVE part of this is the USE. If you carry a knife, you should USE it. To misuse or not to misuse is the SUBJECTIVE part, and the part that is being addressed by the OP with this hypothetical situation. I USE my knives a lot and that's why I carry them. This part stops here, but some people like to drop any sort of logic and cross MISUSE into the realm of USE just so that they can have their big "ultimate wisdom" moment on the forums and tell all of the non-misusers "how it really is"
"DONTCHA KNOW? ITS A TOOL! USE IT!"

 

[davek14]

What perspectives are you rambling on about? You can't seem to grasp what I'm saying.

I have no issue with this thread, nor do I have any issue with the people who would deal with this situation differently than I would. What I have an issue with is the morons confusing misuse for use and then using that warped sense of a knifes primary purpose, whether they are aware of it or not, as the basis for their condescending "common sense" answer to the OPs question. They're saying "Use the damn thing or don't carry it" when in this situation it's actually a question of whether or not to MISUSE it, which is completely up to the individual on the hypothetical baloney. I am a big proponent of USING all of the knives I own, and I DO use them. But I use them for CUTTING, which is what each and every knife that owns that classification should be primarily designed for. Whether or not I would MISUSE it in a bad situation like the one OP poses is the real question here, and it simply cannot be answered how some of these people have answered it.

Back to the phone analogy:

Intended use- calling, texting, Internet, etc

^Any and all "use the damn thing if you're gonna carry it" arguments would apply to THIS^

Misuse- use as a physical tool to free ones self from the balconey.

Not this^^

To anyone who believes in USING their knives, the OBJECTIVE part of this is the USE. If you carry a knife, you should USE it. To misuse or not to misuse is the SUBJECTIVE part, and the part that is being addressed by the OP with this hypothetical situation. I USE my knives a lot and that's why I carry them. This part stops here, but some people like to drop any sort of logic and cross MISUSE into the realm of USE just so that they can have their big "ultimate wisdom" moment on the forums and tell all of the non-misusers "how it really is"
"DONTCHA KNOW? ITS A TOOL! USE IT!"

(sigh)

OK

"It's a tool, misuse it."

Perspectives on use and misuse may change with the cost of the tool, perceived value of desired result, need for continued use of specific tool by owner, and ease of replacement and/or repair of said tool by owner.

All disclaimers apply. Offer only valid in continental United States.

 

[PURPLEDC]

For me, Id wait it out. But that is just me. Why would I have a $1000 knife on me and not use it for such a task? Because I dont want to. Really doesnt need much more justification than that. My knife? My rules period.

Just an fyi, that soda can might not have actually scratched the dlc coating, it embedded aluminum in the finish. Aluminum is softer than dlc coating, so unless there was some sort of large impurities in the aluminum, it's doubtful a soda can would damage the finish and those "scratches" would have likely have come right out with a bit of soap and elbow grease.

That is a HUGE misconception. For some reason people tend to think softer metals cant damage hard ones. This simply is not the case. Scratching the DLC coating on a blade is actually pretty easy to do. The coating is hard but it is also brittle. And even though the edge of the soda can is soft other factors come into play such as velocity, and the sharpness of the edge of the can. Coatings are only as good as the adhesion and even then it can be removed because it is so thin and brittle. If its done over bead blast its even easier to scratch. If a materials hardness was the only factory in soft materials damaging harder ones soft lead bullets would have no effect on steel. But I have seen many of car doors with bullet holes.

If I had a knife from Medford knife and tool? Yes, yes I would.

Hell, if it was a medford I would just drop it off the side of the balcony. If a knife the size and weight of a prius crashing into the sidewalk doesnt get anyones attention on the ground floor nothing will.

 

[Krissig12]

(sigh)

OK

"It's a tool, misuse it."

Perspectives on use and misuse may change with the cost of the tool, perceived value of desired result, need for continued use of specific tool by owner, and ease of replacement and/or repair of said tool by owner.

All disclaimers apply. Offer only valid in continental United States.

The only thing that changes due to these things is the willingness of the owner to misuse the tool. Misuse doesn't become regular use just because the knife is cheap. A cheap knife is still a knife, and as such it is still intended to be used for cutting and cutting only. Misusing it may be easier, but it's still misuse.

 

[killgar]

Misuse is a matter of personal opinion. No one on this forum is in a position to tell anyone else how they should or should not use THEIR knife. And likewise, no one is in a position to tell anyone else that they are "misusing" THEIR knife.

There is no SUPREME KNIFE AUTHORITY to dictate such things. There is no GREAT RULE BOOK OF KNIFE USE that we are all obligated to follow. And there are no DIVINE KNIFE COMMANDMENTS that were carved into stone tablets and delivered from the heavens by arc-angels on chariots of fire.

Knife makers and manufacturers can say what THEY consider to be "misuse" in regards to the knives they make, but that's for the sake of their warranties, and is a matter of money.

But it wouldn't surprise me if their are knife makers out their who advertise their knives as being suitable for prying, and /or encourage people to beat the snot out of their knives.

As far as knives being for cutting only, the oyster knife comes to mind. The oyster knife is intended for PRYING open oysters, and then cutting the oyster loose from the shell. I also seem to recall that frogmen/Navy SEALS use knives to scrape barnacles from the hulls of ships in order to attack magnetic mines.

Personally, some of my knives are "treasures" and have sentimental value, so I would never think of prying with them. But to me, my "users" are just sharpened pieces of steel with handles attached, and I won't hesitate to use them for whatever task I think they are capable of effectively performing.

One of the great things about a sharpened piece of steel with a handle attached is it's extreme versatility. A knife can be used to perform numerous tasks, especially a stout fixed-blade. And if it breaks, then we buy a new one.

 

[singularity35]

Misuse is a matter of personal opinion. No one on this forum is in a position to tell anyone else how they should or should not use THEIR knife. And likewise, no one is in a position to tell anyone else that they are "misusing" THEIR knife.

There is no SUPREME KNIFE AUTHORITY to dictate such things. There is no GREAT RULE BOOK OF KNIFE USE that we are all obligated to follow. And there are no DIVINE KNIFE COMMANDMENTS that were carved into stone tablets and delivered from the heavens by arc-angels on chariots of fire.

Knife makers and manufacturers can say what THEY consider to be "misuse" in regards to the knives they make, but that's for the sake of their warranties, and is a matter of money.

But it wouldn't surprise me if their are knife makers out their who advertise their knives as being suitable for prying, and /or encourage people to beat the snot out of their knives.

As far as knives being for cutting only, the oyster knife comes to mind. The oyster knife is intended for PRYING open oysters, and then cutting the oyster loose from the shell. I also seem to recall that frogmen/Navy SEALS use knives to scrape barnacles from the hulls of ships in order to attack magnetic mines.

Personally, some of my knives are "treasures" and have sentimental value, so I would never think of prying with them. But to me, my "users" are just sharpened pieces of steel with handles attached, and I won't hesitate to use them for whatever task I think they are capable of effectively performing.

One of the great things about a sharpened piece of steel with a handle attached is it's extreme versatility. A knife can be used to perform numerous tasks, especially a stout fixed-blade. And if it breaks, then we buy a new one.

Well said Killgar. There are always the knife use police who claim ultimate authority on "proper" knife use. Proper use of a tool is use that accomplishes the task. If it's saving you from a night of discomfort and possible health issues, then that's what proper use is.

Let's go the other way. What if you only had a pry bar with you and needed to cut a rope? What if you could use the pry bar to pound the rope over a stone to cut it? Would that be misusing the pry bar?

 

[Leftytwogunz]

OMG! You win! I haven't laughed that hard in ages!

Thanks I was drunk just got up.
This thread is turning out to be a whine fest. I'm out.

 

[davegreg]

Hard to say. I may wait on the balcony,but that depends.

 

[Krissig12]

Misuse is a matter of personal opinion. No one on this forum is in a position to tell anyone else how they should or should not use THEIR knife. And likewise, no one is in a position to tell anyone else that they are "misusing" THEIR knife.

There is no SUPREME KNIFE AUTHORITY to dictate such things. There is no GREAT RULE BOOK OF KNIFE USE that we are all obligated to follow. And there are no DIVINE KNIFE COMMANDMENTS that were carved into stone tablets and delivered from the heavens by arc-angels on chariots of fire.

Knife makers and manufacturers can say what THEY consider to be "misuse" in regards to the knives they make, but that's for the sake of their warranties, and is a matter of money.

But it wouldn't surprise me if their are knife makers out their who advertise their knives as being suitable for prying, and /or encourage people to beat the snot out of their knives.

As far as knives being for cutting only, the oyster knife comes to mind. The oyster knife is intended for PRYING open oysters, and then cutting the oyster loose from the shell. I also seem to recall that frogmen/Navy SEALS use knives to scrape barnacles from the hulls of ships in order to attack magnetic mines.

Personally, some of my knives are "treasures" and have sentimental value, so I would never think of prying with them. But to me, my "users" are just sharpened pieces of steel with handles attached, and I won't hesitate to use them for whatever task I think they are capable of effectively performing.

One of the great things about a sharpened piece of steel with a handle attached is it's extreme versatility. A knife can be used to perform numerous tasks, especially a stout fixed-blade. And if it breaks, then we buy a new one.

The only thing subjective about this is whether or not the individual is personally willing to misuse their knives. With few exceptions, knives are ONLY DESIGNED FOR CUTTING. If its called a "knife", it was made to cut things, simple as that. That why the damn things have edges.....

CAN they be used for other things? Yes of course. No one is saying you can't. I'm certainly not. The only thing I want to put an end to is this nonsense that using your knife to get off a balcony is "common sense use". With their responses, some people in this thread are implying that that is actually one of the main tasks it was designed to perform and is one of the reasons everyone carries them to begin with. The people who suggest this then have the audacity to use this warped sense of knife purpose as the basis of their insane argument that others shouldn't even carry knives because they "aren't willing to use them", as if not wanting to pry doors means you are somehow not using your knife correctly.

I am not the one advocating for some sort of knife purism where no one is allowed to use their knives for what they want. The exact opposite is true. Why you cannot see that baffles me.

 

[Krissig12]

Well said Killgar. There are always the knife use police who claim ultimate authority on "proper" knife use. Proper use of a tool is use that accomplishes the task. If it's saving you from a night of discomfort and possible health issues, then that's what proper use is.

Let's go the other way. What if you only had a pry bar with you and needed to cut a rope? What if you could use the pry bar to pound the rope over a stone to cut it? Would that be misusing the pry bar?

Technically yes it would be. Misuse does not equal abuse, and never did I say it did, misuse just means it is being used for something it wasnt oringinally designed for. Did I say it was wrong though? Nope. I said it should be up to the individual in the situation whether they do it or not.

Using your analogy, what's happening in his thread is people are claiming that we all own pry bars to cut rope , and therefore it is "common sense" for everyone to do it if the situation arose. It's complete lunacy

 

[DAVE_M]

$1,000 knife? Would I use it?

Read my sig line.

 

[killgar]

Well said Killgar. There are always the knife use police who claim ultimate authority on "proper" knife use. Proper use of a tool is use that accomplishes the task. If it's saving you from a night of discomfort and possible health issues, then that's what proper use is.

Let's go the other way. What if you only had a pry bar with you and needed to cut a rope? What if you could use the pry bar to pound the rope over a stone to cut it? Would that be misusing the pry bar?

Thanks. And it's funny that you should mention using a prybar as a cutting tool. I sharpened the edges of a large prybar that I have. I sometimes do demo work inside old houses, and I use this prybar as a giant chisel to split and break apart old wood. It works great. And not surprising, it also works great as a prybar. The chiseling and prying are often done together, so having a tool that can do both is very convenient.

I suppose I could buy a really big wood chisel, but not only would that mean spending money, but I wouldn't be able to use the chisel as a prybar. So I would constantly be having to put the chisel down, then pick up the prybar, then put the prybar down and pick up the chisel, etc, etc. I like having versatile tools that can do more than one thing. It makes my life easier.

 

[yoz's friend]

id use my busse cgfbm and hack through whatever was in my way. don't need to worry about the tip!