What are your "I'm not screwing around" knives?

longbeachguy

longbeachguy

Joined
Oct 11, 2005
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I'm sure most of us do the same thing --

We make our EDC selection for a given day or occasion based on a certain intangible "coolness" factor, whether it's to please ourselves or impress others...maybe a vintage Case slipjoint with bone or stag handles, maybe a Sebenza, or some other knife or knives that have an aesthetic appeal for you.

Then lo and behold, you have a situation where you need a knife -- a REAL knife for some serious cutting job, and not something that you're going to be able to baby. So, Sebenza in pocket you go to your knife drawer or tool box and get the knife that gets used when your only concern is utility. Or, you know you're going to be doing some serious work on a particular day, that requires a serious knife, and it's the one you take on those occasions. You probably have more than one "go to" knife, depending on the situation.

Here are mine, and the reasons:

SAK Tinker -- lightweight, great selection of tools, without overkill. Unless I know I'm going to need it, I don't strap on my leatherman wave, due to the weight. However, it's always nearby. If I take another slipjoint like a stockman for example, I always miss the Tinker within about fifteen minutes.

Mora carbon blade Clipper: My clipper always has a mediocre edge on it at best, and tends to be used more as a light prier and scraper than a knife. I'll also use it like a punch to mark locations for nails and screws. It not a user, it's an abuser, and it excels in this.

Strider/Buck 881 spear point: Sure it's a $100 knife, but it's indestructible, and the BOS treated ATS-34 blade with it's thick edge just cuts and cuts and cuts.

Ritter Griptilian: Another $100 knife, but nothing and I mean nothing (that I've come across) slices like this knife, and edge retention as well as sharpenability are excellent. It's also VERY comfortable in the hand, as well as lightweight.

Okay, so what do you guys go for when coolness is secondary to getting the job done efficiently?
 
When I'm going lighter, I carry a Delica wave. The blade is very utilitarian.

When I really want to cut stuff and I'm not concerned about the weight, I bring the ZT0500. The blade is bigger, and I'd be very hard-pressed to break it.

As soon as I finish my CPM D2 and cocuswood fixed-blade, it will become my hard-use knife.
 
Well in the winter i carry my m16-04 ckrt and durring the ummer i carry my buck strider. THis is the same setup ive used fer 4 ears and has worked for me. Ive tried alot of others and really the buck strider and crkt work the best no need to change. Kiss...
 
Randall Model 14 "Attack" double hilted, green micarta handle.
 
Maybe my carry habits aren't as common as I thought. I've got a lot of nice slipjoints that I like for sentimental or aesthetic reasons, and I've also got some custom and semi-custom modern folders that I enjoy carrying and using, but when there's a serious job to be done, I find myself running for the more mundane and expendable but highly functional pocket cutlery.
 
That would be my five inch Texas Toothpick. Fillets through fish like nothing and is a great roast chicken carver.
 
whatever I have, usually. If I am going to be crawling around in the dirt under a car, I will carry something a little more expendable.
 
My Endura P/S, BM Griptillian, RC-4, BK2, BM 710, well.... just about every knife i usually carry are all my "not screwing around" knives.
 
I have two "not screwing around knives" Both Kershaws. First is a JYDII. Big bad blade, sharp as all get out, and a liner lock that rivals some frame locks. My other is a Kershaw Needs Work. It is just an excellent all around utility knife.
 
longbeachguy said:
Maybe my carry habits aren't as common as I thought. I've got a lot of nice slipjoints that I like for sentimental or aesthetic reasons, and I've also got some custom and semi-custom modern folders that I enjoy carrying and using, but when there's a serious job to be done, I find myself running for the more mundane and expendable but highly functional pocket cutlery.
Click to expand...

I think I understand what you are getting at.

I will use any knife I carry for any regular cutting job. However, if I think I am going to tackle something nasty that is likely to harm the knife, I reach for my Buck 301. It's inexpensive. It cuts well. And I can easily replace it if necessary.

As an example, last time I swapped out the battery in my wife's car there was a lot of corroded gunk on the terminals. Before going out to tackle it, I swapped my Queen Cattle King for my Buck 301 because of the acid. Turned out my terminal cleaner brush took care of everything and I didn't need a knife. But the 301 was the one I was willing to risk.
 
I have a few.

Dozier D2 convex ground K-1 General Utility - A very tough, yet wickedly efficient cutter. The D2 heat treatment is flat out amazing, and the convex blade grind makes frequent touchups as simple as a few quick swipes on a strop.... or a rough cardboard box...... or a denim pant leg if you have nothing else. Using a Dozier for a tough job earns major style points.

Benchmade M2 Ritter Grip RSK Mk1 HS - Another wickedly efficient cutter (.015 edge thickness. Same as the main blade on a SAK), with a steel that holds an edge forever. Nice hard heat treatment, and the very dependable Axis lock. Awesome grip. This is one of the very best folders ever made. Good design and awesome steel.

Spyderco Military S30V - Maybe the most versatile folder ever made. Designed for heavy cutting, but also capable of fine detail work. An amazing slicer. Easy to keep clean, and amazing ergonomics. The folder that I trust most, when I don't know exactly what I'll be running into.

Spyerco Endura4 - The sacrificial lamb. The folder I grab if I'm worried that the knife might not survive the day, due to non-knife uses. A nice pry bar tip and thick blade, but with a grind that is reasonably efficient. VG-10 doesn't blow me away or anything, but it does resist corrosion quite well.
 
Byrd Cara Cara G10. Long blade, decent steel, good lock up, good ergonomics and if I break it I only loose less then the price of a tank of gas. Lol plus when I bought it I got 4 intending just this kind of use. Though so far try though I might I haven’t broken anything.
 
My ZT 0300 has quickly become my new "get sH!$ done" blade, there's just something about this knife that screams use me harder!
For slicers my S90V millie seems to out cut everything even some knives with thinner blades like the G10 endura plus the edge retention is amazing.

When it comes to fixed blades the first one that I grab is always my outcast, I've given it a high convex and removed most of the blade coating. Now it cuts through things like butter and chops with authority.

Last but not least my Delica "wave" I beat the crap out of this little knife and it has never let me down. Its also a perfect back pocket knife.:thumbup:

Curent EDC

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BEAST!

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Which ever knife is closer I use, I mean like a folder, I dont pull out the 12 ontario for a dvd rapper. I use my native the most, it's not bad to sharpen and keeps a good utility edge for a while.
 
If its a usual day at work I carry either a small Emerson, small Sebenza or
Spyderco of some sort, may be a small fixed blade every now and then.

If it going to be a day out in the bush then its a bigger folder like the
EKI-12 or ZT300 and a fixed blade like an ASH-1 or BK-9 or something.
 
I notice a lot of people use their Delicas and Enduras for NSA (not screwing around) knives, and are willing to hazard them in situations where they might get damaged or broken. However, you don't hear about or see many instances of broken or damaged Enduras or Delicas. This is a quite a testament to their toughness! You don't hear much about damaged or broken Sebenza's either but I'll bet they don't get subjected to the same level of use and abuse either, generally speaking.

A case in point: I had my trusty Endura 3 in pocket today, and my wife needed a metal disc removed from a baby bottle collar. They normally pop right out, but this one was wedged in really tight. When I couldn't dislodge it with with my hands alone, out came the Endura, and I hammered on it with the butt end of the FRN handle. I had to really pound it out of there and actually cave it in before it came out. Right now I have a Sebenza in my pocket. If that had been the case today, I'd have told her "Well wait till we get home and I'll get it out with a screwdriver".

We all know that the Sebenza would have been up to it, and probably would not have been any the worse for wear either. However, there's something about using a $300 knife as an impact tool that I just can't get past.
 
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