Unexpected Knife Use

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killgar

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
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This thread was inspired by the posts I occasionally see on this forum where people say "You don't need a knife there", or "What could you possibly need a knife for there?", etc.

So, what unexpected tasks have you used your knife for away from home? I don't mean "exciting" tales of knife usage, I'm talking about the little, mundane stuff where your knife unexpectedly came in handy (although exciting stories would be fine too).

Here are a few of mine-

Plastic beverage bottles. Sometimes after you twist the cap free from the connecting ring, the ring can have sharp jagged edges where the cap broke off. When that happens, I pull out my pocket knife and cut that ring off. One quick snip is all it takes. Such a task is especially important to me when one of my children is going to drink from and handle the bottle.

Shopping. Sometimes in life it becomes necessary to make unexpected purchases for immediate use (like buying my daughter a new pair of flip-flops at a Sea World gift shop when one she was wearing unexpectedly broke). Many things these days are sold in plastic packaging or have tags held on by those plastic ties. A sharp pocket knife makes quick work of those (I used my knife to cut multiple plastic ties off my daughters new Shamu flip-flops).

Hangnails. I hate hangnails, especially big ones. I hate when they snag on clothing. And it just bugs me when I know I have one. So when I get a hangnail, wherever I may be, as long as I can do it with subtlety, I pull out my pocket knife and cut those annoying suckers off.

Improvised tool. Do you wear glasses? How about members of your immediate family? How often do you check the screws? Do you carry a set of micro screwdrivers wherever you go? I was at the zoo with my family once when I noticed a screw holding one of the earpieces of my sunglasses on had worked itself loose and was about to fall out. I had a Leatherman Squirt, but it didn't have any screwdriver small enough for the screw. So I used the tip of the knife blade. Worked great, and saved me from having to buy some cheap pair of sunglasses to wear all day. After that experience I started carrying a set of micro screwdrivers.

Over the counter meds and toiletries. Sometimes these purchases are unexpected. These days just about all of them have shrink-wrap safety seals around the caps. Most are easy to peel off with a fingernail, but some are rather tough. I don't have talons for nails, so when I encounter a safety seal that I can't break with my fingernail, I pull out my pocket knife and cut the seal off. And then there are the foil seals over the mouth of the bottles. Many have pull-tabs that you can grab onto, some don't. And some can be pretty tough and difficult to penetrate with a fingernail. When I encounter a tough one with no pull tab, I pull out my knife and cut along the inside of the bottles mouth until the seal is just hanging on, then I pull it off.

And those are just some I can remember off the top of my head. I use my knives regularly for mundane tasks, but most of them are predictable and expected. Some tasks, like the ones described above, were often unexpected, and my pocket knife certainly came in handy. What have been your unexpected knife chores. :)
 
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Opening those darn flat pack plastic/cardboard Costco packages; scissors often aren't enough. A knife is a better tool for the job IMHO.

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Cutting open IKEA boxes marked like this:

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Shaving off stubborn toe hair/jam etc... :barf:;) JK, JK :D

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Fortunately, the massed produced goods of today come so over-packaged us knife-nuts can really put our blades to use! ;):D
 
I was at a shipper a month or so ago. The freight was 3 inches too tall to fit. I used my knife to cut the plastic banding so they could take the top two layers off each pallet.
Loaded 9 pallets, instead of the original 8 that was scheduled.
 
We were out riding with a group in the AZ desert when the RZR 800LE had his rear gear box seize and explode. The axle's would not turn so we had to remove them on the side of the trail about 10 miles from our vehicles. Luckily some of us carry tools, flashlights, knives and stuff. Used my Spyderco Techno to cut off the CV boots so we could get to the axle and remove.





 
Breaking ice.
I often use my Pacific Salt to stab and hammer the blade into frozen food.
Works great, never bent the tip or the blade when hammering it into frozen stuff, and the lock never failed on me!
 
Czechmate said:
Opening those darn flat pack plastic/cardboard Costco packages; scissors often aren't enough. A knife is a better tool for the job IMHO.

Shaving off stubborn toe hair/jam etc... :barf:;) JK, JK :D

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Well, hello Sasquatch.

Digging splinters out, unexpected assassination orders, breaking and entering, cutting plastic straps, opening rare collector's edition beef jerky.
 
All sorts of stuff from removing tags to digging out glass/splinters from wounds. Even cutting my daughters wrap in half after forgetting to do so at home before walking to the library for a picnic.

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I bought some work gloves a while back. They too were secured together with what I thought were plastic ties (like those on the OP's daughters new Shamu flip-flops). No problem I had on my pocket a knife (as I always do) in this case my brand new Spyderco Southard - well I slipped the blade along that tie with a smile and smug satisfaction but :eek: - Geez I had to try again - no dice no slice. Like an idiot I tried again - finally the dim light that was left in my brain came on and I realized that the work glove were tied together with a steel wire (wrapped in plastic) :mad:

Glove ties won that round. I wasn't going to ruin my blade any worse than I had already accomplished.

Still - a knife not carried is one most needed. I find an unexpected cut to make nearly every day. I especially like cutting tags off new mattresses. :)
 
Good stuff guys.

For me, the value of a knife does not come from any extreme life-saving need, but instead, it comes from the mundane day-to-day chores that I regularly apply my knife to. And most of those chores are often performed without really thinking about it.

I don't just carry a knife for the times when I expect to need it, I also carry a knife for the times when I unexpectedly need it. And because those unexpected times are unexpected, it's hard to predict them. So I figure it's best to cover all bases and carry a knife all the time and wherever I go.

The world is full of things that need cutting, I like being prepared to cut them.
 
I sometimes place a label or sticker on the tip of my knife so that I can accurately apply it.

Deburr plastic and aluminum.

One of the goofier things I did with a Buck 110 was use it to dislodge some material off the dewar flask filled with liquid nitrogen.

Stir my coffee.
 
I've traveled by plane a time or two when it was not possible to bring a knife with me. In that case you find out how much you really miss a knife, it seemed like every package we bought defied being torn open with bare hands.
 
Not really a need I had, but working in a pet supply store, frequently I'm asked if we have scissors to cut the tags/straps off a new dog toy.

I just pull out my knife and cut it. Most common reaction is, "damn, you're prepared." I respond that a knife is humans oldest tool. Most useful also.

The owner of the store doesn't care what I carry knife wise. Luckily she hasn't pressed the issue on what else I carry...
 
killgar said:
Good stuff guys.

For me, the value of a knife does not come from any extreme life-saving need, but instead, it comes from the mundane day-to-day chores that I regularly apply my knife to. And most of those chores are often performed without really thinking about it.

I don't just carry a knife for the times when I expect to need it, I also carry a knife for the times when I unexpectedly need it. And because those unexpected times are unexpected, it's hard to predict them. So I figure it's best to cover all bases and carry a knife all the time and wherever I go.

The world is full of things that need cutting, I like being prepared to cut them.
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Yup. I've said it before, I'll say it again, a knife for me is not realistically a necessity other than in the kitchen. It's a convenience item that makes my life easier, sometimes in big ways (cutting miles of cardboard at work) and sometimes in small ways (slicing the unperforated plastic wrap from the top of my hot sauce). It's one of the reasons I sort of shrug at those who absolutely refuse to do any prying, scraping or chiseling with their knife. I own my knife and it is there to make my life easier. If I'm stupid enough to get carried away and break it I will curse at myself, be sad for a moment and pick up the next blade in line.
 
For the last year, I've taken to EDC, I mean literally Every Day Carrying a SwissTool. I have to admit, it sees more use than any knife, as it has scissors, cap-lifter and the Phillips head screwdriver, of which at least one is used daily. I may go days without needing a knife, but never without needing the multi-tool.

I've even had occasion to use the little bit wrench, and saved the day when a co-worker needed a T8 to disassemble a piece of equipment. I'd classify that as unexpected.

My most common knife use would have to be kitchen prep.

I might count using a knife as a "worry stone" as it is rare to be sitting still and not have a knife in my hands.
 
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