You can only keep 1 EDC. What is it today? Yes, I searched similar threads. I'm downsizing my life. Photos in thread.

Velitrius said:
Yeah, that ain't that much stuff. But if you feel overburdened, just send me that William Henry box with whatever's in it. Hey, I'm here to help.

Before my dad passed away, he had me and my two brothers over to the house to drink some beers and "discuss" stuff.

He handed each of us an envelope with $5000 in it, and told us that he was hereby holding an auction for all of his stuff.... his vehicles, guns, chainsaws, property... the works.

The winning bidder had to give half of the winning amount to the two brothers... if I won an item for $2000 I gave each brother $1000 and the auction continued.

It took us a couple hours and a case of beer. But in the end, we all knew which brother got which item and that was that. Dad even wrote the winning items on a sheet for future reference.

Worked like a charm. When the time came we all gathered up the stuff that was "ours". The rest went into a 20 yard dumpster.

I'm gonna do the same with my kids when the time comes. But I'm gonna trim the rest of this crap down so that the unwanted stuff fits in a 55 gallon drum.

I think it's best to figure out which stuff goes to which kid while we are alive. Maybe sounds morbid, but it was one of the most sensible family discussions we ever had.
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That s one of the best ideas I ve heard of for dividing up the material items in an inheritance. Even close families often have disagreements about inherited items.
Your dad was a smart man.
 
AmericanEDC AmericanEDC the benchmade would be a good choice if you like it

my pick:

Manix 2 G10

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Only 1 EDC? That would probably be a Manix 2 LW Rex45. I have a number of PM2 in steels such as S110V, M4 and K390. Those should be considered the stars of my EDC rotation but I am happiest with the Manix 2.

About the other thing- a lot of us are collectors, or maybe some of us are just accumulators. I've been in other hobbies that involved collecting/accumulating and this is a common discussion. People always wonder how many of ___ is a reasonable number for a collection. My answer is that it is up to the person- nobody can tell you how many you should or should not have. As long as it doesn't financially impact your family. I recognize that some people have big eyes and may buy a lot, some people may prefer to buy one items that they will frequently use, some people might feel guilty about having more than they can frequently use.

At some point a person might want to cut back. I don't think it is the hobby items that will tax your family after you go, it will be the other things, the ordinary stuff such as clothes, house furnishings, dishes, vases, lamps. And please don't be a hoarder. If a person wishes certain things to go to family members, it is best to make your wishes known, in writing, maybe go ahead and give the items to the family members now. Otherwise it can be a free for all at some point in time. I've heard that normal family members can become horrible people when trying to divide up an estate and I don't doubt it. Back to my previous recommendation- the collector/accumulator should do as they wish. If you want to keep the items that you like, then do so. If you have extra items and feel guilty about keeping them, then sell them, give them away, whatever.

I'm at an age to start thinking about some of these things, and recently went through losing my father, and my mother before him. I have reduced in some areas but not others. I'll continue doing this in bits and pieces as I have time, energy and interest.
 
adluginb said:
Iā€™m doing the small thing you are now. Iā€™m 52 and clearing stuff out. Just from your pics though I probably have about 10 times as much stuff though. Geez where did it all come from. Photography, astronomy, guns, fishing, knives, backpacks, 3 big totes of holsters. Crazy what Iā€™ve accumulated.

I have been watching the classifieds though and plan on snagging a small CRK just to have 1 edc.

Oh who am I kidding, I started selling knives a couple weeks ago and have already bought 7 since Iā€™ve sold those 8:)
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Whoa!
At that rate you re still decumulating knives, but just barely.

I m not sure I could pick just one. I d probably be happy with my Manix 2 in m390, or my PM2 in m390. I would also be happy with my American Lawman in cts xhp, my Ultimate Hunter in cts xhp, or my Recon 1 in cts xhp. If I had to have just one, I might lean toward the bigger knife, the Recon 1.
 
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AmericanEDC said:
What is the 1 single EDC you would keep? Please post your photos if you've got 'em. It's a serious question as I'm not opposed to moving around the chess pieces of my insane board.
This might be my choice. The Benchmade 565-1 Mini Freek in S90V. It's lefty friendly, lightweight friendly and ridiculous edge retention.
Possibly my Chris Reeve, small 21, lefty, micarta inlay, double naked thumb stud that I carry in a leather sleeve.
In a survival situation though I'd keep only my Leatherman Wave+'s, full bit set, extender, Nichia emitter torch on the side in extended pouch, but carry in my manbag/murse/bugout bag.
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Please don't take this as a flex: I certainly don't at all. I bet anything that many of you would have similar dissections of your accumulations.
Young people: Take it from this older guy in his 50's. Don't do this to yourself. It's stressfull as I downsize. This doesn't include most of my kitchen knives, whetstone/sharpening bin, photography, scuba, camping, fishing, tools, hiking, audio. It feels endless as I pull out bin after bin. This project had multiple goals: help me get this stuff back into the correct bins, photograph for insurance purposes, decide what to list for sale, confront myself with my reality.

This sort of thing can be a real burden on those left behind. Not to be morbid, but I'm trying to get a handle on this for my heirs. :p

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Sooo, how long does it take you ta lay all this stuff out?
 
One knife? Probably my Case trapper. BUT I am really loving the first modern knife I bought last week: a Kershaw Launch 8, with a stiletto blade. The trapper's blades (clip and spey) are more versatile, though. But I gotta try more of these "moderns." Maybe a year from now I would say a Spyderco Paramilitary 2.
 
dialton said:
While I get that sentiment, the knife I chose is guaranteed for life and I never use it or any of my pocket knives in an abusive manner but for cutting purposes. I have other tools for screwdrivers, pry bars and such.
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I respect that but I abuse the shit out of mine. I always have a pocket knife on me. Rare is the occasion I have pry bar or screwdriver on me (in my car maybe). Civilized in a way, uncouth in others.

Makes it all the more satisfying when I restore the edge like new again and admire such a useful and versatile tool. Tickles the caveman in me :)
 
AmericanEDC said:
What is the 1 single EDC you would keep? Please post your photos if you've got 'em. It's a serious question as I'm not opposed to moving around the chess pieces of my insane board.
This might be my choice. The Benchmade 565-1 Mini Freek in S90V. It's lefty friendly, lightweight friendly and ridiculous edge retention.
Possibly my Chris Reeve, small 21, lefty, micarta inlay, double naked thumb stud that I carry in a leather sleeve.
In a survival situation though I'd keep only my Leatherman Wave+'s, full bit set, extender, Nichia emitter torch on the side in extended pouch, but carry in my manbag/murse/bugout bag.
AayB9U9h.jpg

7kZQip1h.jpg


Please don't take this as a flex: I certainly don't at all. I bet anything that many of you would have similar dissections of your accumulations.
Young people: Take it from this older guy in his 50's. Don't do this to yourself. It's stressfull as I downsize. This doesn't include most of my kitchen knives, whetstone/sharpening bin, photography, scuba, camping, fishing, tools, hiking, audio. It feels endless as I pull out bin after bin. This project had multiple goals: help me get this stuff back into the correct bins, photograph for insurance purposes, decide what to list for sale, confront myself with my reality.

This sort of thing can be a real burden on those left behind. Not to be morbid, but I'm trying to get a handle on this for my heirs. :p

L70YHNKh.jpg

jG5sfTnh.jpg

rYU96Z2h.jpg

W7LnG7Oh.jpg

rCHyl31h.jpg

1hLkctoh.jpg
Click to expand...

Screenshot 2023-06-09 061826.png

Your Answer.
 
Itā€™s all a matter of personal choice and freedom. Of course the accumulation thing is in my case a gradual thing over decades. I have backpacks, knives, binoculars, and so on that I picked up over the years and still have, even though newer ones, possibly better but certainly different in some manner, have been acquired thinking I had some use for it over what I previously had or in some cases for a different task. If it were a matter of getting rid of the previous stuff for the new and improved ones then it would be fine and we would end up with things that are more suited to who you are today and what your perceived needs are. That hasnā€™t happened for the most part in my case. I stated in another post somewhere that I collected nothing. In my mind Iā€™m not a collector as I donā€™t purchase things with ā€œadding to my collectionā€ mentality but when I took a hard look at my fixed blades and counted them, It made me rethink that statement, intent or not. Possibly many of us have bought into this apocalypse thing a bit and want to be prepared for every scenario that could be thought up. Hey, the unthinkable is happening in Ukraine as we speak. Some get a buzz off the next hunt as soon as the latest acquisition is on the way. I write this because I can totally relate to the difficulty felt when you finally realize that you have 50 knives, 10 ink pens (not counting the 30 cheap or free ones in the cup) way too many of everything and itā€™s time to slim it down and try to keep what you need, will actually ever use, will absolutely regret letting go of, and not what you have merely accumulated over the years. Itā€™s a difficult process that has one looking into the mirror about who and what you are and likewise want to be going forward. For some, realizing that you have a totally ridiculous pile of ā€œstuffā€ for one person is enlightening at the least and others donā€™t think a thing about it. I find it both liberating and difficult at the same time to let go of some things. I have yet to regret things that I have sold, given away, or donated in an effort to trim the excess and yet regularly fight the urge when viewing this and any other forum like it to purchase yet another thing I absolutely donā€™t need. Very thought provoking subject.
Of course do what you want.
Clinic is open and the couch is available.
Reading back through this post, I might try decaf!
 
"EDC", I have always understood this acronym to stand for "Every Day Carry" and took it to mean that the knife in question was the one knife you carried every day.

By asking which EDC someone would select for a specific day obviates the concept of EDC. There have been other similar (but not exactly the same) threads and I always choke a little when reading the title (IT IS NOT OU, IT IS ME).
My suggestion is to rephrase the question to something like: "I want to reduce the number of knives I own. What one knife would you romend as my Every Day Carry knife?"
 
For EDC, my needs re met by a Leatherman Wave.

hen I put my pants on in the morning, that is what is clipped to my right front pocket.

When I wear a suit (rarely now-a-dys), I may substitute a Hen and Rooster pen looking knife stealth blade in my shirt pocket. In the context of camping or some other outdoors activity, while there may be a smallish fixed blade on my belt, the Leatherman Wave is still clipped to my right front pocket.
 
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