So, you have a pretty knife, but what do you use when you need to cut

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hhmoore said:
I'm in that same camp - I've been quite open about the fact that I often go days, even weeks, at a time without reaching for a knife. (Yet I still carry a traditional, a modern folder, and a fixed blade - go figure.).
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I use my SAK Executive daily, more often the little tools than the little blades but the larger blade comes out if I have mail to open. I use the toothpick, file, and tweezers most. But when I leave the house, there's always a 3ish" blade folder clipped to my pocket and a pistol in another. Just because I don't have much need for either, I want them available if I do!
 
I generally have a couple knives on me and use whichever is best suited for any given task. But I agree with the OP than a Manly City is an incredibly adept slicer and if that's in my pocket it's gonna get used. Especially if my CRK is in my other pocket, which I admit I baby a bit. My Sebenza 31 is my fanciest folder. A Machinewise Serif is my most expensive knife, but it doesn't leave the house (because it's illegal to carry here).

For box opening it's hard to top an Opinel or a slicy Spyderco.
 
I basically only buy mid-end knives 400-500$ (Hinderer/CRK/Strider/etc) recently and use them as both to admire and to use. I used to buy expensive Mayos and others that would just live in my safe (and still have a few of those left) but found myself being too afraid to actually enjoy them and ever since I moved down to "cheaper" mid-ends, I find myself carrying and using them daily.

I have a very used SMF I bought over 10 years ago (it was already used when I purchased it for $300) and that is usually my "hard use" go to knife since the blade/handle are already scratched and it's been resharpened several times.
 
I pretty much use whatever I am carrying, but when I am going to be doing some work or cutting something particularly nasty that will damage the edge, scratch, etc. I will reach for something not so dear. At work I have a Milwaukee folding utility blade for just such things.
When I am going to be outside working on the vehicles, etc. I like something with a pocket clip so I don't have to try to dig in my pockets with greasy nasty gloved hands, so in that case most of the time I will use my Buck Bantam 285. For one, it is awesome and is an excellent cutter, and since it can be had for $30 or less, I don't really care if it gets damaged. Despite this, I have been using it for many years and it has lasted well.

If I am going to be doing some heavy duty cutting, then I like something with a wider handle that is more comfortable in the hand. In these cases I like something like a Sodbuster, or maybe my Buck 110 or 112 or a comfortable handled fixed blade (Mora, or one of my Marttiinis, or something like my Ontario SP1)

As an interesting side note, I realized this year that I really like having a small fixed blade in a belt sheath with me while fishing in my boat. Easy to access, something cheap so I don't have to worry about if I drop it in the lake, etc. Also something stainless so I can use it to open MRE's for lunch, and don't have to worry about getting wet, etc.
I saw a 3 Pack of plastic handled paring knives from Dexter online for $25 and decided to give them a try. Gave one to my wife to use in the kitchen, and dropped one in a leather sheath to use as a fishing knife and have the 3rd as a backup. These things are awesome!! Calipers read .045 thickness on the spine, so it is super thin and flexible like a filet knife, takes a screaming sharp edge and cuts like a lightsaber

I wouldn't recommend using it for bushcraft, but for general cutting duties on the boat it works great!
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This GM Nimbus gets the dirty jobs


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I use everything to cut, whether it's pretty or not (or not...what is considered pretty).

There is a bowl on the kitchen table where I throw a group of knives to use for whatever we need. Right now, there's a CRK small Seb, Cold Steel Tuff Lite, Spyderco Caribbean, Microtech Stitch (that one kind of stands out in the bowl), ProTech Mordax, SAK FarmerX, a Case Sodbuster Jr, and a random knife that my wife got from her grandpa that I've sharpened to laser goodness. I just rotate all of my knives in the bowl because my wife and 8-year-old daughter have fun with it and we use all of them. It's fun to see what they grab when they need to cut something - so far, I think the most grabbed knife is the red Tuff Lite. My daughter loves the Caribbean, but never grabs it because it looks "scary." lol
 
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