Southard Tolk - too big for EDC?

Ptman2000

Ptman2000

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I've been going back and forth about preordering a new Southard Tolk. I really like the Spyderco Southard and the Southard Avo which have blades about 3.5" in length. But I'm worried about the 3.87" blade on the Tolk.

Would you carry that in an office setting?

Thx!
 
Ptman2000 said:
I've been going back and forth about preordering a new Southard Tolk. I really like the Spyderco Southard and the Southard Avo which have blades about 3.5" in length. But I'm worried about the 3.87" blade on the Tolk.

Would you carry that in an office setting?

Thx!
Click to expand...

Everybody is a bit different and so a lot of this is just personal. In office-carry situations, I've carried Benchmade, Spyderco in 3" and 3.5" versions, as well as a large Sebbie for some time. I found that a Caly 3 or Caly 3.5 in ZDP steel was about ideal FOR ME for light office use. My large Sebenza did NOT scare the girls, however, as it is a "conservative" design.
My EDC, casual-use only, all of this year has been the Southard AVO. I love it... it does the job very nicely...relatively small, light, quick to deploy.
I've had several Southards, and now only keep one black one NIB that I admire on occasion, but never carry. It's too pretty to mess up.
YMMV
 
As Sonnydaze said, it is a personal choice. I work in an office and usually carry a small Sebenza, Alan Davis folder, or a Larry Withrow folder. The Davis is about the size of the Sebenza and the Withrow is a little bigger at 3.25"ish blade. I'll sometimes carry a Sacha Thiel Officer or a Protech Integrity which are closer to 3.5".

If the Tolk was light enough for dress slacks and didn't bulge the pocket too much I'd consider carrying one. If I had one. Good looking knife.
 
At only 4.7oz it's really light for it's size, and the handle is thin, but it's a lot of knife to put in a pocket. It makes the AVO look like a pup, more-so than just the blade length spec would lead you to believe, due to the AVO handle being so short for it's blade size.

In an office setting I don't think I'd EDC it, due to the size, but that's me. I also won't EDC a flipper only in an office setting, the Tolk can be opened either way. I got tired of asking if someone can see/use my "switchblade". It just draws more negative attention from sheeple than I prefer.
 
Depends what kind of office environment, company culture, HR policies, etc. are in place. I prefer larger knives so, I would probably find a way to carry one.
 
My Tolk (from BST here) should hopefully arrive next week. I got it for the non-city activities. For every day EDC small Sebenza is about as large as I would go (that is what I have at the moment) - even a little smaller would be even better - in other words sub 3" The Tolk is slightly larger than large Sebenza so I would not want to take it out of my bag at work to cut an apple or something. So for me the Tolk is too large for an EDC, for others it may well be - depends on where you live and what you do (plus local laws should be taken into account, of course)
 
Thanks for all the responses!! I've normally been carrying a small sebenza in the office. I'm in healthcare and don't have any HR restrictions but don't want to necessarily scare anyone either. I've been looking forward to getting an Avo and look forward to giving it a try this week.
 
I carry mainly 4 inch blades, and a backup smaller blade.
The Tolk is really nice especially considering the blade to handle ratio.
I like to pair it with a smaller blade, like a GEC 47 viper.

That said, if you're used to carrying 3-3.5 inch blades, the Tolk is going to feel Huge in your hands. Something about it man. Makes it feel substantial, more so than a Spyderco Military. YMMV
 
I picked up a Tolk with Monkey Edge Frag pattern and I really dig it. I prefer to carry a large Sebenza (Insingo, please) or a Shirogorov Flipper 95, so this one is a great compromise between the two...in fact, it's probably as close to a Shirogorov Flipper 95 in a Wharncliffe style blade as I'll ever get...or a Sebenza Insingo flipper. It's considerably thinner and lighter than either of the above, as well. The blade is long, but the tip goes almost to the edge of the frame when closed, so you're getting a lot of blade in that size of frame. That said, being longer, I could definitely see how it would feel too long for someone used to carrying a 3-3.5" blade.

Another thing I should mention - I had an AVO and didn't care for it at all...ergos were all kinds of wrong, for me at least. This knife is in another league.

Edit - As for an office setting, I think the Tolk will conceal just fine...it's very, very thin, and has a relatively narrow profile. It hides in the pocket well. As for actually using a knife in public, or in an office, I think 3" is about as large as I feel comfortable with. Anything larger seems to elicit one-liners like "That's not a knife...this is a knife!" in their best Crocodile Dundee voice...meaning you know they probably now think you're weird, and other people probably feel a tad uneasy, but aren't saying anything. :)
 
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Since you specify "office setting", I have to agree with RevDevil.
I find it interesting that you say you work in healthcare, and have no HR restrictions. Granted, "healthcare" can encompass a lot of environments; but most of them - at least in my geographic area - have policies against weapons. I know, I know...a knife is a tool; but that argument isn't likely to fly if you end up in HR. It's an experience you don't want to have.
If you're lucky, and there are no such policies...and nobody is likely to have an issue with you packing a knife that size - go for it.

As far as the size - I carried a ZT0200 for 2+ yrs, with an 0560 for a bit before that; so the Tolk wouldn't phase me. It seems you're used to smaller; so it may take some getting used to.
 
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