Of all the knives...

T

teranaut

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Oct 23, 2011
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165
Of all the knives I have, my Rodent Solution is one of my very favorites. The handle fits my mitt just right and the blade is just long and just short enough to provide any level of utility I have needed. However, there is one thing I don't like about it; I ALWAYS find trouble when I wear it. I have no idea why this happens; but it happens in a lot of different places. People see the last quarter to half inch of the sheath and lose their minds. People that don't know me at work get uppity about it because they're unfamiliar with me or the use of a knife; yet, have a pair of 5" shears on their desktop. Failing to recognize that their shears will cause more damage than my knife will and only have a fraction of the utility.

I went to a bar with some friends last weekend and left it on my belt after doing a bunch of fire craft in my backyard. I go out to have a smoke after being there for two hours and the door guy wouldn't let me back in after he caught sight of the bottom edge of the sheath. I'm parked half a mile away and in absolutely no mood to entertain his suggestion of putting it in my truck to come back and drink at this establishment. I comment that I have been inside already, and have caused no trouble. "Why would you need a knife at a bar?" was his response. Ever needed to open a box, cut a thread, cut a steak, or trim a straw, I ask. He said I could leave it with him and go in; but I'm not leaving a couple hundred bucks in 'some dude's' hands while I go get my whiskey on. Needless to say, left for another wet establishment where the staff were actually interested and curious about the make, quality, and cost of what I had in my pockets. I never go out without at least one knife; but usually two or three. I'm actually a little offended at how apprehensive people are about edged tools. Here's the 'offending' model in all of it's glory...

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Anybody else have trouble like this with a particular knife?
 
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I used to carry a similar sized fixed blade at work (ESEE 3) and was told by my boss "You have no need to carry a weapon while on the job". Keep in mind he carries a handgun all day everyday.
 
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teranaut said:
Of all the knives I have, my Rodent Solution is one of my very favorites. The handle fits my mitt just right and the blade is just long and just short enough to provide any level of utility I have needed. However, there is one thing I don't like about it; I ALWAYS find trouble when I wear it. I have no idea why this happens; but it happens in a lot of different places. People see the last quarter to half inch of the sheath and lose their minds. People that don't know me at work get uppity about it because they're unfamiliar with me or the use of a knife; yet, have a pair of 5" shears on their desktop. Failing to recognize that their shears will cause more damage than my knife will and only have a fraction of the utility.

I went to a bar with some friends last weekend and left it on my belt after doing a bunch of fire craft in my backyard. I go out to have a smoke after being there for two hours and the door guy wouldn't let me back in after he caught site of the bottom edge of the sheath. I'm parked half a mile away and in absolutely no mood to entertain his suggestion of putting it in my truck to come back and drink at this establishment. I comment that I have been inside already, and have caused no trouble. "Why would you need a knife at a bar?" was his response. Ever needed to open a box, cut a thread, cut a steak, or trim a straw, I ask. He said I could leave it with him and go in; but I'm not leaving a couple hundred bucks in 'some dude's' hands while I go get my whiskey on. Needless to say, left for another wet establishment where the staff were actually interested and curious about the make, quality, and cost of what I had in my pockets. I never go out without at least one knife; but usually two or three. I'm actually a little offended at how apprehensive people are about edged tools. Here's the 'offending' model in all of it's glory...

20140423_065733.jpg


20140423_065813.jpg


Anybody else have trouble like this with a particular knife?
Click to expand...

I carry my RS in an AzWelke Taco in my front pocket, no one sees anything, and I always have my RS.

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Were I to carry mine in my pocket, I would need more pockets. I already carry pocketfulls of junk. Keys, phone, wallet, lighter, Vic Electrician, etc. The only way I can carry horizontal without printing is on the small of my back or across my belly; and the sheath is still a bit tight on the draw when horizontal. Guess I could work the sheath some more to make horizontal draw easier; but, that makes the vertical draw a bit loose. Compromises at every turn, I suppose. Thanks for the suggestion. The only way I can carry this knife without anybody noticing is to use my kydex that rides a good four inches higher on the hip; making the draw a little uncomfortable. Horizontal carry on that one isn't feasible due to the weight of the handle acting like a lever and the setup feeling floppy. I'm not going to let this knife be relegated to camp chores as its only approved uses.
 
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teranaut said:
Were I to carry mine in my pocket, I would need more pockets. I already carry pocketfulls of junk. Keys, phone, wallet, lighter, Vic Electrician, etc.
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For discreet public-carry of my RS, it is in a pouch-sheath on a dangler into my front-pocket such that the top of the sheath is in line with the pocket, handle sticks out just enough to purchase, and it doesn't get in my way reaching for the junk in the bottom of my pocket :cool: But I also try to carry less and divide among my pockets, and some of those items could be carried in a belt-sheath with less harassment.
 
The pouch sheath in the front pocket is a great idea; except for the fact that it will either be smashed up against my phone or prevent access to all of the junk in my other pocket. The only open pocket I end up with is left rear, on most days. Having it poking out of my pocket while I'm crawling around under desks isn't going to be conducive to keeping it as discreet as it needs to be. If I still worked in the body shop, it would be on the belt without question. If I was still working at my old facility, I could wear it on my belt without issue; or, wear cargos and put it in my front pocket like several of you have suggested. Thanks for the resounding suggestion, by the way. However, I'm limited to slacks these days. I have to work with leadership, management, vendors, and affiliated service providers now; and before even getting to know you, people see a knife of this quality and automatically assume you're an insane person. "Why would anyone need a knife that size!?" This is the kind of question that comes out of so many right off the bat. Even being an open carry state, many people are still overwhelmingly conservative when it comes to any kind of edged tool or firearm.

The only other thing I have thought of was underarm carry, which would require a jacket or additional layer to cover and wouldn't be very comfortable when working under desks. I'm actually quite frustrated with this situation as I often need an edged tool of some kind to open and break down boxes. I could go with a box cutter; but they're just so vanilla. There's no real style to it, no art; which is one of the reasons I like quality knives like this. I just wish I could see the looks on their faces and analyze their reactions to seeing me use my NMFBM or NMSFNO with proficiency. I don't know guys, it is just so difficult to get people to stop thinking of tools as weapons; and I don't want to be 'that guy' that labels everything in the office that could be used as a weapon and get labeled as some kind crazy in the process. I don't really care what most think; I just like smooth business relationships, work doesn't hurt as bad that way.
 
Aside from switching to R3 which is considerably smaller, you could try to get/make one of the diagonal belt sheaths. True, they're much higher up, but the tilt make drawing easier.
 
Talking about knives that seem to cause trouble. Yes! Sometimes I think some of my knives are cursed in one way or the other, no matter when or how I wear them I end up having a bad day. I figure it has something to do with the person who handled it at the shop having a difficult time or in a particularly bad mood. Transfer those bad vibes to the steel.

Probably me being paranoid, but it happens with certain knives in my collection over and over again. Not brand specific either. I guess the old adage rings true, dont buy something made on a Monday or Friday. :p
 
I would carry it concealed if I could, (laws in my area say concealed carry of a fixed blade is a no no) and switch to a IWB style sheath.
But I have carried quite often in bars and other public areas my Tops Backbite I have only had one person ever notice the blade on me and I live in a densely populated area. I have really noticed that when open carrying a knife if I wear a shirt similar in color to the handle of the blade no one ever notices.

Tops Backbite
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The Rodent Solution is a great size. It's not too big or too small and the blade works for just about everything you could ever need it to.
 
Lora7 said:
The Rodent Solution is a great size. It's not too big or too small and the blade works for just about everything you could ever need it to.
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Lora knows exactly what she's talking about. The Rodent Solution is my favorite small blade of all the knives I own. It's a tank and the handle fills medium to larger hands effortlessly. Add to it the fact that it's a convex grind, you begin to realize how special it is
 
Lora and Rob both make a great point. The RS is, in my opinion, an ideally shaped knife. Perfect for a wide range of everyday chores with the strength enough to work on just about anything else. This is precisely why I enjoy carrying it so much. IWB carry is a great suggestion; but I'll need to lose some weight or buy new pants for that to work.
 
Splitting is "knot" a problem for the RS as you can see.

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Cedar stands no chance against it.

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And we can make fire on some soggy coals after a day and a half of rain.

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Just be careful about carrying a knife concealed. You might be accused of carrying a concealed weapon, should you get into any kind of trouble and the police finds out about your knife. This depends on local law and the officers perception.

I would hate to find myself in a position where someone else's judgement would decide on wether I risk a criminal record or not.
 
Luckily, my state adopted Knife Rights and knives are alleged to be seen in the eyes of the law as tools; until they are used as weapons. In which case, it is seen as a weapon. I really just think it's an issue of people seeing too much time on the concrete and too much time in front of dramatized television programming. If they got out to a field once in a while or, deities forbid, an actual forest; they might find practical use for our mechanical art. In regards to the original topic, I wore my RS in the old kydex sheath and nobody even saw it thanks to my longer shirt. I got poked in the ribs a few times; but, it helped keep me awake while I observed progress bars on a computer screen. Keeping it completely out of view makes society happy, I guess. I still hold to the opinion that these are functional pieces of art and need to be used as such for any utility reasonably possible.
 
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