What do you actually use it for?

[The Porcupine]

EDC is mostly LM Micra, perhabs a SAK Recruit and a Busse Assault Shaker.
Today at work the Shaker has opened a bag of coffee and opened a letter.
The Micra did some fingernal trimming!

I reckon my LM Micra is the most used tool in my EDC setup seen over time.
Can't seem to let the Assault Shaker stay home and haven't carried any other fixed blade or "non-SAK" folder since I got it.

 

[Moine]

Main purpose of my EDC:

- Food related: Slicing sausage, spreading butter, cutting bread, slicing veggies (most often!!!), cutting meat...

- Mail and packaging: Opening boxes, letters, packages, bags, etc.

- Electricity work: Cutting wire, the rubber on electric wire, tape, etc.

- Mechanics: Cars, today, come with so many layers of plastic sheets you really need a good knife to work on what's behind'em

- Farm: Cutting rope/string, carving in 2x4's to make fence locks, freeing a horse that's jammed in a fence, killing a pig... Farm work is very demanding for a knife... Thank god the farm's not mine, it's my sister's!

- Outdoors: Even though I will always have a larger knife/machete when in the woods, a smaller EDC is very handy. Comes into play for meals, small woodwork, fishing, hunting, etc.

- First aid/paramedic: Cutting clothes open without moving the victim, cutting seat belts, ropes, backpack straps, etc.

- Self-defense: I've never used my knife for that, but it's ready for it if I ever get faced with a situation that cannot be dealt with the knuckles way...

Cheers,

David

 

[Esav Benyamin]

That's a busy little knife you've got there for an EDC, David! What do you carry?

 

[allenC]

Well let's see...

Last Sunday at work in the hospital I used my Kershaw/Ken Onion Scallion to open a couple boxes of film (I'm a radiographer--aka "X-ray Technologist"), and I used it to cut tape that was securing a patient to a backboard (EMTs and Paramedics really LOVE tape).

Yesterday I used my Spyderco G-10 Police to slice up a green Granny Smith apple (yum, yum). And later I used it again to remove grass build-up from the bottom of the lawn mower.
The grass was a little damp and rather high when I was cutting it, and so it got somewhat clogged up under the mower.

Today, I'm painting the bedroom and used the G-10 Police to slice the painter's tape for that perfect seam.

Good luck,
Allen.

 

[gajinoz]

I discovered a new use for my new Meekat. I've discoverd that while I'm sitting around thinking I'm unconsciously, almost, handling the knife, tossing it up and down in my hand, tracing the contours of the spring clip and handle, running my fingers over the (closed) blade, sticking my little finger into the hole and that sort of thing. Sort of like a high tech. worry bead. The back edge of the blade makes a great scratching tool too.

 

[Lone Hunter]

Lets see over the last couple days... I cut some rags at work,cealery at work,made a funnal out of a milk jug,cleared out a couple of "suckers" from some bushes in the yard,cut some pages out of a composition book so my youngest could re-use it this year,cut a pool hose to size.trimmed up some of last years deer meat(got to make room for this years).

Now thats cutting,I also pound,scape and pry.

 

[Moine]

Originally posted by Esav Benyamin
That's a busy little knife you've got there for an EDC, David! What do you carry?

Honestly, I own many nice knives, but I mostly carry Opinels. I bought a box of them, and a get through 2 or 3 a year. That's for the dirty hard work (say like digging, prying, etc.). I also have a good Laguiole with a pretty hard carbon blade. I use this one a lot as well.

Both of them lack a one hand opening, and I'm still looking for such a EDC that would be either extremely tough or of decent quality at a cheap price (semi-disposable, like my opinels). I've been using some:

- Spydercos (different models... tough locks, but the scales went off and the tips broke quite easily as I abused them)
- a Gerber AR 3.00 (the teflon plates in it got tired very fast... besides the blade was too soft and the geometry did not work fine for me)
- a benchmade 814 mini-afck (used it two days, broke the tip, returned it)

...

I'm now waiting for a CRKT M16 (the big, tanto point model). That should be tough enough for me... At least I hope so.

In the mean time, I got back to my good old, cheap opinels. I curved the wooden handle down in order to get a better thumb contact with the blade for one hand opening. It works quite well, even without a hole or a stud!

Of course, that EDC come in alongside with my forever loved Leatherman Wave. I almost sleep with it. I do thousands of things with this tool. I wonder how people can actually survive without one

Cheers,

David

 

[Mr.BadExample]

I carry one folder (either a large Sebenza, a JW Smith mini-Scimitar, or DMKnives Instigator 2) for slicing and cutting chores, and a Busse Assault Shaker for anything that might damage the folders. The Shaker is a 2.5" long 1/4" thick blade. Very sharp and great for opening boxes and prying things open, like elevator doors...
My folders are all S30V (until my DDRs and Ray Rogers in D2 arrive) so I baby them a little when it comes to things that might chip them.
Recently they've opened boxes, peeled an apple, cut cat-5 cable, punched a hole in some boxes so we can hang a flag, trimmed labels, etc.
My Sebbie saved the day when my convertible top stuck. I'd put some new weatherstripping on the old girl (93 stang) and the summer heat melted it and I couldn't get the top down. The large Sebbie was long, sharp, and thin enough to slice through the stripping without damaging the top or the metal.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Moine, go to Smoky Mountain Knife Works and in the upper right hand corner, do a Site Search for "Bandit". This little gadget will fit on a knife blade as a dual thumb stud, and you can have a one-hand opening Opinel.

 

[Moine]

Originally posted by Esav Benyamin
This little gadget will fit on a knife blade as a dual thumb stud, and you can have a one-hand opening Opinel.

Thanks for the tip, but uh... I don't need a stud or a hole! It opens smoothly with one hand already

The more I think about it, and the more I end up with a conclusion: if the opening is smooth, you don't really need a stud or a hole in order to open a knife one handed. It really works fine without any of these.

Besides, a stud gets in the way of cutting, and a hole weakens the blade... Why have any of these at all ??? After all, they are only there to provide sufficient friction to open the blade, right? Do we really need them?

Cheers,

David

 

[Esav Benyamin]

The Mnandi (and others) use a slight groove in the blade for friction. My old Gerber Bolt Action was the first knife I had so smooth that I could thumb it open just with pressure on the wide flat blade.