What do you actually use it for?

[gajinoz]

I've been reading here about the people and their knives and, occasionally, what they use them for, or maybe what they think they might use them for, and in one message some guy carried one around in every pocket and maybe even one up his backside for all I know. This got me to thinking. If you always have a knife, or several knives with you, what do YOU actually use them for? Do you use it/them regularly, or do you have them for just in case? Tell me what knife you always have with you and why.

Just curious.

I generally have three knives with me all the time. During the week I have my Leatherman Micra in a small nylon pouch on my belt. This I use every day, either the scissors or the small knife blade mostly. I now have a Meerkat clipped to my belt because I occasionally need a bigger stronger blade than the Micra. On the weekends I have my large Leatherman tool which I use all the time around the farm. I also nearly always have a Swiss Card next to my wallet. Not really a knife although it does have avery small blade, more of a letter opener but it does have a toothpick and a small ball point pen and some other things I find handy on occasions.

Oh, no I don't have one stuck up my backside just in case you were wondering.

 

[beluga]

El Coyote by David Dempsey : one of the stoutest knife out there. Short, but extremely stout, and takes razor edge.
Why ? I feel safe thinking I'm carrying a knife that's almost impossible to break. Just imagine a 3 " blade knife, with 4" handle, and 1/4" thick stock. A beast indeed !

Ed Fowler's Long Yearling.
Why ? Cuts things like there's no tomorrow. Really really sharp. My 'utility' knife.

Strider SNG.
Why ? Also my 'just in case' knife. Extremely strong knife with a lock that locks like a vault.

Titanium Card Knife in my wallet.
Why ? A friend gave me at the last Bladeshow. Promised him that I'd always have it with me. Keeping my promise.

Small Sebenza.
Why ? My 'utility' folder. Sometimes people kinds freak out when I take out my Long Yearling. So, a Sebenza will serve as a back up utility when crowded.

So, the ones that I actualy use regularly are the Long Yearling and the Sebenza. The othes are also used, just not as often.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I carry a Micra and a Utili-key on my keyring. If I am dressed very lightly in the summer they may be all the knives I carry.

Usually I also have a small neck knife, which is the blade I go to for opening packages or wrappers in public. A Bitteroot or Carson F-4 is so small most people near me don't even see the blade.

I either wear a SOG Powerlock in a belt sheath or carry a Victorinox Ranger in my pocket, more for the tools than the knife blades.

I like to have a big folder with me, not for self-defense because my cane is much more effective for that, but for utility if I do ever need a big blade. I like to carry a Darrell Ralph or a Sebenza for this, either large or small, so these are also my showpieces.

On a walk through our local woods or parks, I'll carry a Vaquero Grande or Buck/Strider large Spearpoint to chop through vines or thornbushes, and I generally carry a heavier neck knife, like an Assault Shaker.

 

[SilverFoxKnows]

My 2 blade trapper gets the most use. I use it to cut apples into bite sized pieces. I eat 2-3 apples per day. The clip point blade (really pointy) is pretty much for food. You ever try to saw through a bagel with one of the plastic "knives" in the breakroom? The spey blade gets used to cut the packing straps on the printer paper. I can slice the straps without mutilating the box, which I'll use later for big copy jobs.

My two blade congress I use for the little stuff. The pen blade I use to open the mail or instead of scissors. The sheepsfoot I use to sharpen art pencils.

And I just got a good working edge on the big sodbuster so I haven't really done any cutting with it yet. But I like how stout the tip is. I can use it for things that that would snap the tip off my trapper. I'm not too concerned about the absence of a locking blade.

If I'm going out at night I'll clip my Arclite to a beltloop and go with just that. I don't have a million knives, they all serve a purpose. If they don't I pass them along.

Frank

 

[glockman99]

I sometimes carry my Cold Steel Vaquero Grande just to have something to scare the bejesus out of the sheeple with ....The 6 inch-long, wavy, fully serrated blade looks like it came straight from hell...And when fully opened, the darn thing (at over 13 inches) looks like a folding sword..

My Spyderco Delica; I carry it just in-case I have to cut something, and my Spyderco Police model; I carry it "just in-case".

 

[Gong]

I carry a BM42, for flipping when I'm bored and showing off to people. And I carry a Microtech Socom Elite for just anything I need to cut, like boxes, opening packages. I think I'm going to switch the Microtech for either a spyderco endura or a benchmade 942. Because I don't want to somehow lose the microtech because it's out of production.

 

[beluga]

I sometimes carry my Cold Steel Vaquero Grande just to have something to scare the bejesus out of the sheeple with ....The 6 inch-long, wavy, fully serrated blade looks like it came straight from hell...And when fully opened, the darn thing (at over 13 inches) looks like a folding sword..

Hehehehe

 

[The Tourist]

Here's the last three months of my usage.

Over that 90 days, I have not used my Strider SnG once. Not ONCE.

I bought a stilleto just for nostalgia, and obviously that dealie will NEVER be used. It's a toy.

However, I did buy a Superknife, and I use it for everything. I slice up soda cartons to flatten for the trash, I open mail, I help slice materials for my wife's origami hobby, etc. I don't think I could live without this little one-inch knife now, and I've gotten along fine in 53 years without one.

I am as surprised as you are.

 

[mtnbkr]

I've been carrying a Buck Creek Whittler for the past couple weeks. In that time, it has cut up a few apples, opened some boxes, opened lots of mail, and cut string to tie my tomato plants to the fence.

After carrying all sorts of knives for the past few years, I'm finally relearning the pleasure of using a fine, carbon steel slipjoint. Sure, I can't fight off hoards of terrorists, but it feels much more natural for day to day tasks. And I even managed to not lop off my fingers with this unlocked knife.

Chris

 

[Matt Shade]

Lately I've been carrying this framelock I made for myself. Its the first frame lock I've done and I wanted to do some testing with it.

The blade is a little over 3.5".

I use it for all kinds of stuff. Have to cut open at least 2 bales of hay everyday feeding the horses, and once in awhile the string on the feedbags break and I have to cut one of them open. Then there's always boxes and packages, peices of plastic pipe in field tiles and drains that need worked on, broken halters to cut hardware off of, rope and string for packing stuff up.
It works pretty well, but I think I'm going to make another one thats half serrated sometime. Serrations work a lot better on the plastic pipe and some of the heavier stuff like nylon halters off the horses and ropes and stuff.

I also carry a gerber 600 multi lock, mostly for the pliars and wire cutters. I do use the blades one in awhile. The sheepsfoot blade is perfect for cutting bandages and wraps off a horse from time to time, and the plain blade is a good wire stripper/pencil sharpener. The screwdrivers are also great for tightening chicago screws on bridles and saddles, or adjusting stuff on machinery in a pinch. Don't get the can opener near anything you want to eat, cause I use it for a hoofpick when I don't have one with me

If I'm going somewhere that I anticipate someone asking to borrow a knife, like helping set up horse stalls for the county fair, I add a small liner lock or slipjoint to the mix. Something I won't be too upset about having someone walk off with, and also because most people don't know what to do with themselves when you have them a big knife. Makes my skind crawl to see them choke up their grip and grab the blade, and all the other stupid stuff they do

 

[JDEEBLADE]

i carry one of my own 3" full clip D2 fixed blade and use it for opening cartons, curring leather, slicing food, cutting string - I would use at least ten times a day.

Also a Vicnox SAK (Angler model) for fiddly jobs with the blades and I use the scissors, screwdrivers a lot.

If I can't carry my fixed blade I have a S&W Reverse Tanto for the same jobs - it's an el cheapo but I like the shape and it keeps a reasonalbe edge.

To top it off I am going to buy a Dozier Companion K6 to do all my cutting jobs.

 

[Fraser]

A Swiss Army knife. 2 blades, a screwdriver and a really important tool - a cork screw. Never know when you may be called upon to open up a wine bottle.

 

[gajinoz]

Originally posted by Matt Shade
bridles and saddles, or adjusting stuff on machinery in a pinch. Don't get the can opener near anything you want to eat, cause I use it for a hoofpick when I don't have one with me

.......

I've discovered that the philips head screwdriver in my large Leatherman tool makes a great standby hoofpick if necessary. The Leatherman also takes care of a lot of other horse related tasks as well.

I did discover though that the "wire cutters" in the pliers do NOT work too well on fencing wire. A few cuts and that part of the pliers were pretty much buggered.

 

[Matches]

At work I use the knife on my Craftsman multi-tool for cutting/opening boxes up,cutting string,and numerous other tasks.The multi-tool itself gets overworked each day on plumbing,electrical,and general repairs.
At home I usually use a Schrade 70T for opening a case of cat food or the plastic wrap on a steak.Since knives surround me at home anyone of them may be used to scrape out a tobacco pipe,cut some string,or cut frayed rug that the cats have wrecked

 

[maximus otter]

Today, my EDCs and their uses have been as follows:

Large Sebenza: Scraping sunflower seed detritus from bird feeder, opening pack of Edam cheese, opening letter.

Camillus Talonite EDC: Slicing open wrapper on more cheese, slicing cheese into nibble-sized pieces, cutting cardboard tube into lengths for my gerbils to play with, also cutting "hatches" and "doors" into the same tube to enrich their gnawing experience, trimming thread from clothing, opening pack of coffee beans.

Kershaw Chive: Cutting annoying piece of dried skin from my right thumb.

That's all that I can recall on the spur of the moment.

maximus otter

 

[Matt Shade]

Originally posted by gajinoz
I've discovered that the philips head screwdriver in my large Leatherman tool makes a great standby hoofpick if necessary. The Leatherman also takes care of a lot of other horse related tasks as well.

I did discover though that the "wire cutters" in the pliers do NOT work too well on fencing wire. A few cuts and that part of the pliers were pretty much buggered.

Yep, fence wire seems to be hardened just a little bit and is a little too thick for a multi tool. I have a feeling the carbide cutters that you can rotate to a new edge on the Gerber Legend would fare better, but for the most part I don't have to cut the stuff unless I'm seriously working on it in which case I'll have a regular set of fencing pliars.

 

[matthew rapaport]

Some days I use a lot, and some days not. When I'm home I tend to use a knife more than when in the office. At said office I carry a small Schrade "tough chip" tool and tend to use the scissors (opening packets of coffee) more than any knife. I also carry a small knife clipped IWB. Now mostly my new Lum gents folder, but often in the past a Spyderco Delica, Mouse, or Dragonfly. Many days I don't use them at all, but then again there comes along that odd time when you suddenly need one and its really neat to be able to pull out an elegant knife to get the job done. One such job came up the other day as I found I had to cut several pieces of sushi in half so a few more people could have a taste...

 

[AntDog]

I use each and every one of my knives. If I don't use one, it always winds up getting traded or sold. So, I guess I have a smaller "collection" of knives than most of you guys, but I am very familiar with each one, and know the strengths and weaknesses of each.

At work I carry either a Kershaw Chive or a Leatherman Squirt. I use the hell out of both of them all day every workday cutting open packages of all sorts, cutting rope and plastic packing straps, cutting stuff up for lunch etc... They both look very well used.

My usual utility carry is either a Greco Companion, Al Mar Sere 2K, Rinaldi L.E.O. which is unfortunately at Trace's shop being worked on , or a Kershaw Boa. I use these for anything and everything that needs cut, and some things that need hammered, split, chopped, etc.!

I carry 2 knives to hunt with. One is my Busse Natural Outlaw, and the other is a Schrade Sharpfinger. I carry the NO because it's light, but can still whack any thick branches and brambles out of my way. (I have to retrieve quite a few doves from thick patches of brambles and trees, so the NO comes in VERY handy). I use the Sharpfinger to field dress whatever's in season!

There you have it. Not a very wide variety of knives, but they all feel loved!

 

[Megalobyte]

Actually, the most common use i get out of my knives, is to open boxes shipped to me with new knives inside, hmmmm, interesting paradox.

Thats basically true though, i lead a pretty mundane life and dont have that many cutting tasks on a daily basis, oh, almost forgot, used a TnT the other day to trim a nasty hangnail, does that count?

 

[calyth]

I carry one just in case, but when I'm in a job that I think I'll need a knife, I'll carry one as a matter of fact.
I tend to carry knives slightly more "friendly" (ie Spyderco Salsa) if I don't know the employer/supervisor personally.