Using Knives As Not Intended

[Tsujigiri]

It hit me the other day that sometimes our expectations of knives are limited by how they're presented or marketed. For an example, the We Reazio below came with a belt clip and was sold as a general EDC fixed blade. But due to the thin handle with extensive skeletonization, carbon fiber scales, and compound grind with a lot of material removal, the knife is unexpectedly lightweight for its size (3.7oz). I put some leather cord on the sheath and found that it's light enough to be comfortable as a neck knife, while still giving a full 4-finger grip and over 4 inches of blade length. This solves two of the major gripes I have about pretty much every neck knife out there, and makes me wonder if it would have been more successful if it was sold as a neck knife from the start.

Similarly the Mikov Predator's dagger blade profile is sometimes criticized as not being the most useful shape for general use. But it's become my go-to letter opener since the acute point fits into the corners of letters nicely. I can mostly use the back of the blade to avoid dulling the edge, but still have a sharpened edge for thicker envelopes.

Finally, the Case x Bose Norfolk Whittler is obviously intended for whittling, and even has a handle shape that's ideal for thumbing workpieces into the blade. But I found that the backwards grip and wharncliffe blade also happen to be ergonomically perfect for safely cutting off wristbands from bars and clubs. It's also small enough and inoffensive enough to bring into these venues without issue.

What knives do you have that have turned out to be superstars in unintended areas?

 

[Another Shepherd]

The Gerber Strongarm is becoming my favorite neck knife. Nine ozs, but I find it quite comfortable.

 

[rlewpolar]

I use my Mora Companion to split open watermelons frequently. For a Scandi knife intended to be used on wood, it’s found a different purpose and it works great that way

 

[David Mary]

Man I'm not lifting weights enough if you guys are carrying 4 and 9 oz neck knives. My neck knife, along with sheath, paracord, fob, and house key, comes in at 2.1 oz, and I can't wait to take it off after a day at the shop.

 

[Smaug]

Big SAK fan here.

- Corkscrew is great for untying knots
- Toothpick is good for cleaning pocket lint out of the insides of knives
- Can opener or nail file make a great staple-puller
- Screwdriver tip on the bottle opener makes a great light-duty prybar
- Scissors are great for cutting tags off of new clothes
- reamer makes a great general purpose pokey tool. (save your knife tips!)
- Nail file fits a #1 Phillips quite well
- Big blade is usually kept clean & sharp for food prep; small blade is for dirty utility jobs

IMHO, everyone should carry a SAK as a back-up to their pure knife, even just a little one.

 

[DMG]

Man I'm not lifting weights enough if you guys are carrying 4 and 9 oz neck knives. My neck knife, along with sheath, paracord, fob, and house key, comes in at 2.1 oz, and I can't wait to take it off after a day at the shop.

We can’t all just make the perfect neck knife, David. Post a pic, btw.

 

[mushka]

Smaug and I think a lot alike on the SAK. I carry one daily and have for year.

 

[David Mary]

perfect ...

is subjective. But it has a 3 1/2 finger grip, four if you include the fob, weighs only 1 oz on its own, 2.1 with the sheath, cord, and house key, takes a great edge and easy to sharpen because I love me some fine grained simple alloys, and gets used every day, multiple times a day.

What knives do you have that have turned out to be superstars in unintended areas?

In addition to opening packages, cutting cardboard for the wood stove and box making, scoring Kydex, Boltaron, and Holstex and cutting excess painter's tape from blade profiles before molding sheaths onto them, and too many miscellaneous one-off EDC tasks to count, this knife has found unintended use as a toothpick, and given the .06" stock thickness, thin grind, and relatively safe sheepsfoot style tip, is quite good at it.

Post a pic

As you wish. Here is my 15N20 carbon steel neck knife, with Zebrawood scales, Purple Heart liners and a "raptor skin" Holstex sheath superstar second string toothpick, bested only by my AEB-L toothpick I keep at my desk.

 

[David Mary]

We can’t all just make the perfect neck knife, David.

I mean, this is bladeforums, and if someone thinks that my knife fits the description of perfect..... I'll make you one.

 

[VorpelSword]

When he was in Iraq, our son says that he used his Randall #16-1 "Special Fighter" to point out points of interest on a wall map during a briefing.

As an 8 year old, I was caught stirring a pitcher of red
CoolAid with a butcher knife.

 

[jc57]

I used a SAK Pioneer to cut a steak once....

 

[Another Shepherd]

As an 8 year old, I was caught stirring a pitcher of red
CoolAid with a butcher knife.

I have used the Strongarm to stir feed supplement into a water trough when there were no good sticks around. A bigger knife would have been better, but my bigger knives are not stainless.

 

[Another Shepherd]

Man I'm not lifting weights enough if you guys are carrying 4 and 9 oz neck knives. My neck knife, along with sheath, paracord, fob, and house key, comes in at 2.1 oz, and I can't wait to take it off after a day at the shop.

One of these days, I'm going to buy a David Mary neck knife. I just haven't seen the right one yet.

I was surprised when I first tried the Strongarm at how comfortable it was. Maybe it's because I'm using leather instead of paracord or ball chain? It's not break-away, so I would worry about carrying it out and about.

I started carrying the Strongarm as a neck knife because I wanted to stop wearing a belt for farm chores, because my belt and shorts get soaked when the heat index is 110F or 120F as it has been lately. I can't carry anything as heavy as the Strongarm or Ultimate Hunter on my shorts without a belt because that pulls my shorts down (sorry, no photos). It's easier to draw the Strongarm as a neck knife than it is on my belt. When I grasp the handle, my thumb naturally goes into position to pop the sheath off. It's really nice.

 

[VorpelSword]

I have used the Strongarm to stir feed supplement into a water trough when there were no good sticks around. A bigger knife would have been better, but my bigger knives are not stainless.

I don't think I quite conveyed my mother's fright at seeing a pitcher full of red Cool Aid with a big knife in it.. She thought I had slashed an artery!

 

[MarkN86]

When you posted "not as intended" the first thing that popped into my head was prying with a knife or batoning a 12" log. I'm glad that's not what you meant.

Not the typical style of knife or tool we discuss on here, but I visited with a veterinarian who was also an avid hunter. In addition to his knife, he would carry some vet tools in a small pack inside his backpack, like retractable scalpels, a bone saw, shears, etc to process deer and elk. I guess it's what he's used to, and those tools work the same, whether or not you intend to stitch them back up when you're done operating.

In the modern age, we need knives for so many things that are not "traditional" uses for knives. For small knives and folders, the popularity seems to be shifting to the straighter edge and lower point styled blade shapes, like a wharncliffe, sheepsfoot, or cleaver style. Personally, I think the wharncliffe styled blades are the current light-duty superstars of the knife world. Lots of popular modern knives use a wharncliffe, or modified wharncliffe blade.

 

[JC972]

I’ve opened cans with a Kershaw folder back in the early 2000s, still have that knife. Did it once with a Case 6347. I cut another boys tires down in a drunken teenage rage with an old Cold Steel Voyager, still have that one. Long story but we’re good friends now. I used my 3 Dot Buck 110 to cut a radiator hose to put out an engine fire for a frantic female motorist when I was still a badge. Yes it was a dumb idea but it worked. Also, it hurts because it will inevitably get boiling hot antifreeze on you. Also used that same knife several times to slip door locks on check-the-welfare calls (Old, not maintained houses with loose doorframes from when Roosevelt was president). I used the same 110 as a hammer more than a few times to tap on battery terminals to get dead cars going again on cold nights. Bad connections and/or loose. People don’t check the simplest of things. The only tools in the trunk of my Crown Vic was a big crowbar, bolt cutters, and jumper cables. Anyways, I used an Old Timer small stockman to dig a small hole with for grave flowers once. Still have that knife too. Reading all this back to myself I really baby my knives now vs when I was younger!

 

[rlewpolar]

I’ve opened cans with a Kershaw folder back in the early 2000s, still have that knife. Did it once with a Case 6347. I cut another boys tires down in a drunken teenage rage with an old Colt Steel Voyager, still have that one. Long story but we’re good friends now. I used my 3 Dot Buck 110 to cut a radiator hose to put out an engine fire for a frantic female motorist when I was still a badge. Yes it was a dumb idea but it worked. Also, it hurts because it will inevitably get boiling hot antifreeze on you. Also used that same knife several times to slip door locks on check-the-welfare calls (Old, not maintained houses with loose doorframes from when Roosevelt was president). I used the same 110 as a hammer more than a few times to tap on battery terminals to get dead cars going again on cold nights. Bad connections and/or loose. People don’t check the simplest of things. The only tools in the trunk of my Crown Vic was a big crowbar, bolt cutters, and jumper cables. Anyways, I used an Old Timer small stockman to dig a small hole with for grave flowers once. Still have that knife too. Reading all this back to myself I really baby my knives now vs when I was younger!

Ok, this guy wins

 

[Gress]

 

[ShaiHulud]

I tried brushing my teeth with my knife recently, it was unpleasant and I honestly cannot recommend it

 

[JWright214]