My first "Slippies only" day

[MacTech]

I decided to challenge myself, to put my locking folders away for a while and carry exclusively slipjoints, today I was toting;

LR pocket; Case yellow CV Trapper
RR pocket; Case "Pocket Worn" red bone Medium Stockman in SS (just picked up this morning)
LF pocket; Victorinox Soldier
Left jacket pocket; Vic CyberTool 34

Nothing much was cut today, just a blisterpack of Gorilla Super Glue, cut with the Stockman's main blade, I was using the glue to fix the scales on my modified Vic Minichamp that rides on my keyring (I borowed the LED scale and pen scale from a graphite (transparent brownish-gray) Signature Lite,) so the Vic MiniChamp is now a Midnight Minichamp

no, the day's not over yet, and I still could end up putting these knives to serious use, but I don't forsee any major cutting chores on the imminent horizon....

overall, I handled it well, I've come to realize that for my daily cutting chores, any locking folder is a bit of overkill, and it's only recently that I've gone full-bore into locking knives, I spent my childhood and teen years with slippies, mostly SAKs, however, there's one aspect of the modern locking folder that I found myself really missing, no, not the lock, the myriad varieties of supersteel, or even the Spyderco hole (my locking folders are 99% Spydies)

no, it was the common pocket clip I missed, the ability to clip a knife to the edge of the pocket really increases the carrying capacity of the pocket, and since my Case knives are new and shiny (for now) I have to prevent myself from simply dropping them into the pocket with keys and change and such, I know they'll eventually get "character marks", after all, they *ARE* users, but it's always annoying getting that first "beauty mark" on a brand new blade, a pocket clip would keep my Cases out of harms way at the bottom of the pocket and keep them newer looking longer, as it stands right now, I have each of them having a pocket all to themselves

yes, eventually I'll have no problem dropping them into my LF pocket with my keys with the Vic Midnite Minichamp, Arc AAA and the solid brass Rotring rollerball pen, just like I do now with my Vic Soldier, the newness has worn off that one for a long time, now it's a sturdy, reliable freind, and I have no problem if it gets all scuffy, then again, due to it's Alox construction, it can dish it out as well as take it they'll bash around in the pocket and get all scuffed up, eventually, the Trapper and/or the Stockman will have no problem joining them in that pocket....

I just wish they had a pocket clip, those are too convenient, but then again, a clip would spoil the smooth lines of the Trapper and Stockman

 

[Blues]

I just wish they had a pocket clip, those are too convenient, but then again, a clip would spoil the smooth lines of the Trapper and Stockman

Congrats on taking the first steps of your new journey. Just watch out you don't slip right out of the gate.

 

[IVANKERLEY]

congrats welcome to the dark side
How are you keeping your pants up
looks like ya got everything covered there 'cept maybe a elephant toe or a S&M wildcat driller
as far as the battle scars it just adds character, and after some years all those dings and the smooth worn handle will tell the story that the knife was carried and well loved, exactly what should have been done.
cheers
ivan

 

[Todd A]

Welcome to the wonderfull world of traditionals.:thumbup:

I have not had a "clip" knife in my pocket for quite a long time. I am guilty of always having a small fixed blade on my person though.

However my slipjoints do most of the days cutting chores.

 

[Easyrider]

For me everyday is "slippie Day" since I have started carrying my Queen #41. :thumbup:

 

[YayILikePie]

Congratulations! It's good to hear that more people are taking a shining and taking slipjoints a little more seriously. Try your hand with a single stockman and you'll never look back.

 

[stockman242]

Congrats, this year seems to be my ONE traditional knife at a time year. Except for a few trips where I carried my little fin with me.

Peter

 

[Absintheur]

If you want to keep your slippies handy try a belt sheath. I normally don't carry 4 knives but I often will have 2, one in a belt sheath and a Vic Cadet or Farmer in my pocket with an attached lanyard hanging out to make it easier to grab. D.M. Bullard Leather makes belt sheaths in several sizes and in both horizontal and vertical styles. I have been using them for some time now and have never had a knife come out accidentally. The different sizes will handle everything from mini-trapper all the way up to a Case Sharktooth and look great.

You can also find small pocket clip pouches to keep your slippie withing easy reach as well as protecting it from ding and scratches from pocket junk. On the left is a William Henry and on the far right is a Victorinox. The WH is great for knives like mini toothpicks, peanuts, and other small knives while the Victorinox pouch is available in different sizes to handle just about any SAK as well as other larger slippies.

 

[MacTech]

So, today will be Day 2....

I'm fighting my "Two is one, one is none" instinct and trying to limit myself to no more than two, maybe three slippies, the two Case knives are a given (the Trapper and Stockman), after all, between them I have five usable blades, the other two I instinctively reached for are the Vic Soldier and the Vic CyberTool 34.

I find the CT34 to be a great all-around SAK, it has my most used tools in it, and it doesn't drag down my pants like the SwissChamp, I don't use the file or fish scaler, the pliers see very occasional use, but the one tool that makes the CT34 worth it is that wonderful bitdriver tool, nice long shank, and a useful loadout of screwdriver bits, the bitdriver tool needs to be added to other SAK's , I'd happily give up the pliers to slim the CT34 down, but I won't give up the bitdriver

the Soldier I love for it's solid main blade, nice thick spine, yet still a brilliant cutter, and it's still nice and slim

heck, my ultimate custom SAK would be a CT34 minus the pliers and with a Soldier blade in place of the small/large blade combo

So, the loadout today is;
RF pocket; Case Stockman, normally I carry my NovaTac 120P flashlight in that pocket, and I don't want the NT scarring up the Stockman and vice-versa, so, i attached a lanyard to the 120P, ran the lanyard through the belt loop and clipped the 120P to the corner of my RF pocket, leaving the Stocman free to sit at the bottom of my pocket
RR pocket; Case Trapper
LF pocket; Vic CyberTool 34
LR pocket; Vic Soldier

yes, the Soldier is redundant, but it's slim and carries so easily that there's no downside to carrying it

One thing I definitely need to readjust to is the idea of a multibladed knife, right now I'm carrying the equivalent of *eight* single-bladed knives on me, and it's a tad excessive, I admit, but my whole "Two is One, One is None" mantra applies to the knife itself, not the number of blades....

Maybe I'll leave the CT34 in the car today....

 

[jackknife]

It's really all a matter of finding out what you really ned in the course of your day, and everybody's day is a bit different. What you do for a living, if you live in rural or urban suroundings, even type of clothing you wear.

Most knife jobs involve opening some sort of package that teeth and nails can't deal with. Plastic blister packages for one. Ups boxes, twine, mail. Most of the time a 1 1/2 inch pen knife blade will do most of what we really have to do in the real world. Once in a while you may need a couple of inches of blade. I know of one proffesional trapper who makes a nice living supplying live doves for the shoots that a bunch of rich doctors have. He also traps muskrat and hunts just about everything. For the last 20 years I've known him, his go-to knife has been a yella handle Case sodbuster. His old one was getting a bit owrn, so he bought another as a stand by.

Another man I knew well lived his whole life with the same little Case peanut he got in 1938, and used the heck out of it till his passing in 1981. He was a suit guy out of Washington D.C., so he wasn't out field dressing a buck on opening day with it. Did alot of fishing though, and gut and cleaned alot of fish with it.

Generally speaking, a good sharp 2 to 2 1/2 inch blade will get the job done. Think of all those working guys who carried just a little 3 1/4 Old Timer Middleman jack, or a 3 3/8 Barlow by Russell, Robeson, Keenkutter, Camillus, Ka-bar, Imperial, and who ever else made a barlow pattern knife.

I guess you just have to experiment to find what your knife needs are. As time goes by, you may find yourself carrying just one or two knives.

 

[synghyn]

I generally carry 2 sometimes 3 knives on me, although it is evolving. My "normal" carry is a large locking folder in my RR pocket, I do do some heavy cutting for work and normal life and it's the one I grab when I have to cut up some boxes, cut strapping etc. That and it's usually a cheapy, a gas station special or a china made Spyderco Bird. This one gets left in my toolbox/briefcase, car/whatever more often than the others.
Then in my FL I carry a largish slippy, usually a full sized stockman, or whittler. And I've taken to carrying a peanut sized knife in my FR watch pocket, sometimes something a wee bit bigger in the pocket, but the tiny knives are handy and sheeple friendly. You'd be surprised what you can do with one of those tiny little suckers. Honestly left to my own I wouldn't carry something that small, I just like something a little more substantial in my hand, but thats me. The folks at a given customer always react really well to the tiny cutters, they actually like them even if they are normally anti-knife people. Of course there are those that wouldn't be happy with any blade, but there's only so much you can do and still be able to get work done.
Close to home here, all my customers are used to my knife fetish, so it's not out of the ordinary to carry a smallish fixed blade on my hip. That eliminates the large slippy sometimes, and the locking folder all the time.

At least your not alone in the multiple carry notion, hehehe.

Syn

 

[Getahl]

MacTech, if you're looking for a slimmer Cybertool, there's the CT29. Large/small blade, opener layer, and the driver. No scissors, though.

Needs vary. I prefer to carry a pair of knives; one smallish, and one larger (i.e. my Sodbuster Jr. is smaller than my Pacific Salt, but my Barlow is smaller than my Soddie Jr. It's all relative ). I generally will use my smaller knife for most tasks, and reserve the other one in case I need a larger blade.

 

[shaldag]

I'm fighting my "Two is one, one is none" instinct and trying to limit myself to no more than two, maybe three slippies, ........

Let me know how that works out for you. I certainly can't do it........

 

[rdg]

For many years the only knife I carried was a Schrade 89OT stockman. I never found a job it couldn't handle. Of course, I got bit by the knife bug and began carrying more knives and then just had to try new things. I've kind of come full circle in that I am now carrying a Buck 301, but I find a Leatherman SuperTool very useful too and I have come to feel utterly naked without my 110. But I still feel there is not much that can't handled by a good stockman.
Bob

 

[DeanoD]

On the left is a William Henry and on the far right is a Victorinox. The WH is great for knives like mini toothpicks, peanuts, and other small knives while the Victorinox pouch is available in different sizes to handle just about any SAK as well as other larger slippies.

Where did you purchase the William Henry on the far left? I've been looking for a small pouch with a clip for my new Alsdorf Peanut. I've been carrying it in the supplied vinyl case, but that WH w/clip would work even better.

 

[orca8589]

For many years the only knife I carried was a Schrade 89OT stockman.
***
But I still feel there is not much that can't handled by a good stockman.
Bob

The SchradeUSA 8OT is my favorite, hands down. I inherited my grandfather's old (1930's) Robeson Stockman, and the pattern's been my favorite since. I've carried everything I own at one time or another, but lately, the Stockman patterns are getting more time "training my son to use a knife", kitchen prep, and more whittling time (four Christmas ornaments last year), than anything else I've got. A Stockman is with me everywhere I go.

thx - cpr

 

[DeanoD]

Where did you purchase the William Henry on the far left? I've been looking for a small pouch with a clip for my new Alsdorf Peanut. I've been carrying it in the supplied vinyl case, but that WH w/clip would work even better.

I contacted William Henry Studio, and Bill Mathews sold me two pouches (brown and black@$40 each). They are suppose to have a titanium clip, and are made with ostrich skin. They are designed around their small folder that is 2 7/8 inches long and the small pouch is 3 inches long. They have larger sizes as well.

bill@williamhenrystudio.com
phone numbers
503.434.9700
888.563.4500

Bill said they have plenty, so go ahead and call. They take CC and will accept a check if you mail it to them...probably a wait period though.