What makes a good truck knife?

Stainlessness would probably be my number one concern, as vehicles are often humid, summer and winter.

So something in Spyderco's Salt line would be my preferred choice.



I have a large toolbox in the bed of my truck with a chainsaw, axes, hand saws, shovels, etc. however, so my truck knife is just whatever is in my pocket or on my belt that day.
 
Something you can do dumb things with. Pry, chop, baton, break glass, dig and cut. I have had a few that rotate over the years . Esee 5’s, Carbon V cold steel’s, Ontario SP 53 / 50 / 5, Tops etc ( spray them down with wd40 4 or 5 times a year ).

*a decent folder with a SHARP edge is always useful to pair with the bigger beater knife.
 
Leatherman is what I’m going with. Im into offroading (Jeeps, not trucks) and the utility is what I’m most interested in.

I don’t have one yet but will purchase one soon. In the meantime I’ve got a Cold Steel SRK with my tools under the cargo area in my Wrangler and a rotation of folders that I carry, and one that I keep in a molle panel on my Visors.
 
I have a veritable plethora of knives and tools in my SUV , but my wife does not value the same equipage for her sedan, used mostly for shopping . :rolleyes:

She did agree to allow me to place this compact orange SRK (middle one in pic ) in her ride :


I bought it for her "car knife" because it's a great all purpose type . The bright orange is easy to find and looks more an emergency tool than tactical . :cool::thumbsup:
 
The 'big folders' from Cold Steel make a viable choice as others have mentioned. I keep a 5 Max in my vehicle.

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I don't have a truck. But the knife I keep in the OOPS compartment of the car along with the spare tire, tire iron, jack, pliers, screwdriver and cheater bar, is a Cold Steel Pocket Bushman.
A fairly indestructible knife with a bombproof lock, a tough generic 4 1/2-inch flat ground stainless blade which can be used for many different chores... and inexpensive.
Like the other things in the OOPS compartment of the car, the likihood of use is fairly low.

Note: the "cheater bar" is an 18" piece of water pipe, because the tire iron supplied with cars as standard equipment these days is too short to reliably remove the lug nuts.
 
For me a good truck knife is something I do not worry about. Tough steel that won’t chip, solid lock, and easy to clean. I prefer a mid-size folder with a simple drop point - nothing fancy, no bearings to get gritty. It lives in the truck, gets used for random tasks, and if it gets scratched or dirty I do not care.:)
 
A long time ago I had an '84 Toyota long bed truck. They were easy to work on so I had a tackle box full of sockets and wrenches behind the bench seat. The knife in the toolbox was a Spyderco 2 screw Worker. Years later someone mentioned it was a collectible. Who knew ?

These days I don't try to work on modern engines. So in case I break down somewhere, I keep an Estwing hatchet under the driver's seat, and a Spyderco serrated H1 Pacific Salt in the center console. I EDC a Cold Steel Recon 1 so I'm ready for come as you are camping.
 
I generally have something that will do the job on my hip. I'm a contractor so having a random assortment of tools in MY truck is a given. I also have so knife of chopper of some such stuck away that I have forgotten about and will stumble across on the rare occasion I clean out the backseat of my truck.

However, for years and years and years going all the way back to college, I had a simple Cold Steel Bushman under the seat of my truck that moved from vehicle to vehicle. On more than one occasion when I needed something bigger than a pocket knife but nothing I would care if it got beat up, that knife in its old school leather sheath fit the need.
 
Buck Bucklite Max.
420hc blade that's tough and stainless. Rubber handle and a polyester sheath so it can bounce around nor be affected by moisture. And they're about $40 & made in USA.
I keep others as well, but I have one of these, large or small, in every vehicle.
 
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