Thoughts on a non sportsmans EDC and essential knives.

B

Brianbanjos

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Mar 12, 2016
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Looking for group wisdom here. I've carried a pocket knife my whole life, a legacy from my late father who fished a lot and hunted occasionally. Lately I've given more thought to knives and come to appreciate the Case Sodbuster Jr. I bought last year as my EDC.

I'm an electrician by trade and I own a 1830 house I am rebuilding set on a small rocky wooded plot of land. I do not hunt. I do not camp. I used to fish and might try that out again for old times sake but for now lets say I don't. I use the sodbuster for work; opening packages, breaking down boxes, and stripping back heavier electrical cables.

At home there is all sorts of light and heavy carpentry and construction on going along with plumbing, electrical, landscaping and so on. I'm 48. This place might be done by the time I retire 20 years from now. It's a lot of work and I'm doing it all myself save for the occasional hired laborer. Heat with wood too. Lots of mundane knife uses.

I'm also a working musician but in all my years of doing that never really had call for a blade.

For all this back story what would you consider essential knives? I have started collecting odds and sods indescriminantely, most of which I dont need. I am fighting the collector impulse and the knife bug. I want to focus on a couple of knives as usefull tools. Thanks much.
 
The Victorinox Tinker (in pocket) or Deluxe Tinker (in belt pouch) is all you need.
Rich
 
TL29/"Electrician's" knife, Camp/Scout knife (the punch comes in very handy) SAK Tinker or Super Tinker, or Farmer, and maybe something aling the lines of a Buck 110 or 112 (if you want old school) or Ontario RAT 1 or RAT 2 (if you want a "modern" style) shpuld cover all your needs , and be easy on the budget.
 
Brian, I think you and I are in a similar boat. The better half and I just moved to Texas this past November, and we bought a house that is a 1995 vintage. The former owner, an elderly lady who didn't keep it up as a home should be, so theres lots of work to be done. I'm doing a lot myself, to save money, as we are already retired. I don't know how may times a day I need a screw driver or some other tool, but the Victorinox tinker in my pocket or the small Leatherman squirt has been invaluable. I can't count the number if times these past four months that I've replaced a light fixture, or a set of faucet knobs, or burner on a stove, using whatever was in my pocket that day. Saved me time walkingoutto the garage to the tool box. And after morning in, there was a lot of boxes to cut open, and unpack, then break down the cardboard boxes for the recycle bin. Tons of packing tape and miles of shrink wrap to cut.

If you like a sodbuster, which is a very fine knife, then collet the sodbuster pattern. it's THE working knife. Lots of variety to deal with, but you need a SAK or two, and a Leatherman of your choice. Tons of people carry just a SAK and get by just fine. I haven't hunted in over thirty years, and my back country camping days are behind me at this age. But I find a sharp knife just too handy to do without, and if it has a few basic tools on it, that's gravy for the potatoes. I don't go about my day without my tinker or squirt on me. I'll always have one or the other.
 
OK, I jump in and give my two cents. I am trying to come up with a list of about five or six types of knives that everyone should probably own. So here they are in no particular order.

1. Utility knife. The throw away blades can be invaluable

2. Multi-tool. Leatherman Wave, Gerber MP600, etc. What ever meets your tool needs the best.

3. Light Duty EDC Folder. Something with about a 3 to 3 1/2 inch blade.

4. Medium/Heavy Duty folder.

5. Travel/Dress knife. Something with a blade that is 2 1/2 inches in length. Or at least less than three inches long. It should be knife that you can take
just about anywhere and not worry about legal issues or have non-knife people freak out that you have a blade in your pocket. I can't help but think
that some sort of SAK would be perfect for this. Maybe a Victorinox Cadet. I have had one in my pocket for the last 28 days. I am beginning to like it.

As you can see, the list is pretty basic and you could have some repetition. I would be tempted to stick with the same brand (at least the same type of lock) for numbers three and four.

It would be so easy to add a couple of fixed blades into the mix for hunting or camping too.
 
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I think you have 3 paths to consider...

The first is to consider replacing your Sodbuster with a Swiss Army Knife of some sort. You'll end up with a Sodbuster Jr type blade, plus several other tools to help out with odd jobs. I recommend getting one with decent scissors. I use scissor in the shop all the time. Beware of a few limitations though. First, SAK's get thick and heavy quickly when you start adding tools. Add too much and it won't carry like your Sodbuster Jr. Second, SAKs have much worse ergonomics compared to your Sodbuster. Another alternative in this vein are Leatherman's line of knives that have tools attached, like the Crater C33T.

The second option is replace your knife with a multi-tool, like a Leatherman Wave (one of a gazillion options). MTs offer the function of pliers plus a lot more, all in one package. But they're heavy, usually require a belt holster to carry and the knives don't have good ergonomics. The lighter end of this approach is something like the Leatherman Skeletool. I have a cousin who works as a building superintendent at some high end apartments in the city and he claims that the Skeletool covers about 80% of the little stuff he deals with.

The third option is to stick with your Sodbuster and augment it with a small, easy to carry pliers based MT. The Leatherman Juice line is pocketable (or very easy to belt carry) and there are several pocket carryable tools like the Micra, Squirt or Gerber Dime. This option will free you to start looking at other single blade pocket knives, since your tools are covered by the small tool You can spend from $15 to $150 on different EDC knives (or more) with styles from traditional to modern to Klingon.

The latter option is where I've ended up. Typical carries

Untitled by Pinnah, on Flickr

Untitled by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
I'll echo the above a bit. Utility / light duty folder. Multi tool - I recommend one of the Leatherman's that you can get the interchangeable bit kit for (and drive extension). A large knife / chopper for property maintenance / demolition/ wood processing (if you do a little bit for a backyard fire). Plus something nice that you normally wouldn't buy yourself for special occasions or daily carry like a small fixed blade.


My examples of such:
WP_003381_zpsqdhyk2oh.jpg

IMG_20160325_145142831_HDR_zpsbill9dkm.jpg
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Leaning towards adding a leatherman to the soddie but the tinker is a good thought.
 
You should definitely get a leatherman, but they're really only tools with an emergency knife so they should be paired up .Now as far as knives goes you can't beat the sodbuster as you already know ( so you might want to check out the gec bullnose )
The case trapper in cv is a good option to.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Honestly, given that kind of work, I would probably go with something like a Leatherman Skeletool CX.
Click to expand...


I am a maintenance manager for a retirement community, and previously did same at a 2 campus hospital. That Skelatool CX has saved my carcass more times than I can count. If you're on the go, and want something that will handle 75% of the small tasks you'll stumble upon, you want this specific Leatherman tool.

I really don't care for most of the rest of 'em, because the multitude of tools makes them all pretty half assed. The Skelatool has three primary tools, and they all do the job pretty damned fine. (And, btw, knives are fine, but building maintenance demands screwdrivers and pliers.)
 
The one tool I always carry is a Micra. Pair that with one decent blade, and I have everything I need. That blade could be a sodbuster, an Opinel, or something else altogether. That said, I usually carry two or three knives, but that's because I want to, not because I need to.
 
Buck 112 is a good sturdy knife. Good weight, grip, width for the thumb and it locks. Pick one up and doubt you will put it down.
 
Henry Beige said:
The one tool I always carry is a Micra. Pair that with one decent blade, and I have everything I need. That blade could be a sodbuster, an Opinel, or something else altogether. That said, I usually carry two or three knives, but that's because I want to, not because I need to.
Click to expand...

I loved my micra to 🙏 ( currently lost, but may turn up )
Mine has had paint spilled on/in it, and all I had to do is take it apart and rinse/wipe the parts off and it was good to go, plus it has one of the best Phillips drivers of its kind.
But if it was gonna be my primary mt I'd want a leatherman squirt because it's got pliers.
 
It sounds like the sod buster is perfect for you. I would just augment it with a Skeletool & maybe a bit extender. A small key chain pry bar comes in handy as well.

This is what I carry everyday, the knife may change from time to time but it handles most small fix it jobs just fine. I tried a Leatherman Juice S2 but found the handles uncomfortable and the pliers to small. A knife does what ever I would needed scissors for.

The Skeletool carries on a belt loop, the pry tool on my key ring & the extender in a back pocket.
Daily%20EDC%201_zpsrqigx1vd.jpg


If I need more it's time for dedicated tools.
 
Brianbanjos said:
Looking for group wisdom here. I've carried a pocket knife my whole life, a legacy from my late father who fished a lot and hunted occasionally. Lately I've given more thought to knives and come to appreciate the Case Sodbuster Jr. I bought last year as my EDC. ...

what would you consider essential knives? ... I want to focus on a couple of knives as usefull tools.
Click to expand...

Honestly, it sounds like the 'buster covers all your needs. I might opt for something like a stockman since I like a knife with a bit more piercing ability (see: the sheepfoot blade). But if you're good to go with the soddie, why clutter up?
 
In regards to you never using your knife as a musician, consider getting a leatherman 'squirt' PS4 keychain tool.

A few months back a couple of my friends were playing at a local pub, and less than 2 minutes before they went on stage one of thier guitars dropped and pushed the input jack into the body, causing it to be unable to be plugged in!
I quickly grabbed it, and after using my PS4 to unscrew the back cover, I used the pliers to feed it though and tighten the nut to hold it in place.
It wasn't like it was a huge show or anything, but it's just another reason to carry some basic tools with you everywhere you go.
 
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