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Do you carry a knife with with you? If so, what type/company?
I do, and my personal go-to is the SOG Key Knife. Small, fits perfectly on my keychain, usable for most daily tasks, and not made in China, despite being inexpensive. I also tend to keep an old folding Buck my dad gave me in my bag for heavier duties.
Edit: added a photo of the SOG.
Second edit: Don’t get a knife for self-defense, they require significant training to properly use without getting hurt, and put you closer to your assailant. Learn situational awareness first and foremost, then if you still would like, pick up some pepper spray or a firearm.
I do not. I’m a black man and doing so might get me in trouble with the police, specially in public transportation (Bahia, Brazil). It’s not uncommon for the police to search every male passengers during operations.
To a smaller degree, the same is true for white people.
This is something I struggle with also as a brown/black man. I would like to carry a weapon for my personal safety but I also realize that someone like me having a weapon, even legally, will almost always be perceived negatively and will work against me more than it would bring me comfort.
It’s a bit tangental to what you are saying, but I don’t encourage knives for self-defense for anyone. They require significant training to be even semi-competent at, put you closer to your assailant (generally the opposite of what you want to do), and make it much easier to get hurt.
If you would like a knife for other tasks, but are concerned about appearances, I would look at Swiss Army Knives, Opinel, Buck, Case for “classic” pocket knives that look more traditional.
Makes sense. With the possible exception of a firearm, I kinda think pepper spray would be the best option. But I’m no specialist.
Those are generally the best options for active self-defense, obviously which you choose depends on what you are comfortable practicing, your job, your locality, etc. Regardless, you should always practice passive self-defense (situational awareness, mostly). You need it to practice active SD anyway.
Since taking up farming in the Dominican Republic, I have almost obligatorily begun to carry a knife. EVERYBODY in the countryside seems to carry one and they are used for an amazing range of work. Actually they are machetes, usually with a leather scabbard; the blade is about two feet long. On my scabbard is a short piece of 1/2-inch PVC pipe in which I can hang a triangular fine file for keeping the blade razor sharp. I trim banana leaves (every day, every stalk has a new leaf and an old one that is starting to wither and become a route for vines to climb the stalk) and generally hack back the constant explosion of tropical vegetation. But also I can dig with it, peel an orange or avocado for a mid-morning snack, plane and scrape wood to a smoother-than-sanded finish, and cut fence posts. With the back edge of the blade I can hammer fence-wire staples or drive a second machete like a wedge to split wood. After carrying it on my belt daily for almost a decade, I really feel naked without it.
I put my belt on my trousers starting with the left front loop, so I tend to put the machete on my right hip. The locals say this is all backwards, the machete should be on the left hip so the belt should go the other way, and they have good reason. On the right, the sharp edge of the blade is toward the right arm, and the blade is most easily drawn with the left hand. If it is drawn with the right hand, then it must be re-grasped to hold for cutting. But one grows accustomed.
I have carried a pocket knife almost every day since I was about 12. Leaving the house without a knife feels like not having my wallet.
I had a Crkt for a while that I liked but the last several years I've been carrying a spring assisted Kershaw.
Same for me but multitool. I’ve carried a multitool of some variety since my dad gave me a Swiss Army knife when I was 11. Currently I have a Gerber Center-Drive and absolutely love it. I find myself needing a screwdriver lots (multiple kids + a house to maintain + hobbies) so having an actual usable hex driver with half a dozen size/style bits in your pocket is amazing. Plus proper pliers and cutters and a really good knife.
It’s also a lot less suss than carrying a dedicated knife.
I carry a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife everywhere I go, just for the non-knife tools, plus if I need to cut something around small children, parents don't feel threatened. My preferred daily carry comes down to either a Spyderco Spydiechef or a FF/(Mass)Drop/WE Gent. The Spydiechef is just about a perfect knife for the daily tasks that come up in modern society, holding an edge well, with a thin blade, never having to worry about corrosion, plus it's amazingly well-built, so I never feel worried about the lock failing or that it won't last me most of my life. The Gent is just very good, but it's a little more socially acceptable simply due to its size.
Interesting, hadn’t heard the term gent’s knife before.
Oh, it is a term, but this is a specific model. For a more true gentleman's knife, I carry a Great Eastern Cutlery Beer Scout, which is a small traditional wharncliffe with maroon micarta covers. It's not the classiest knife in the world, but it has some classic charm that works with a suit and tie.
I carry a Benchmade Bugout. It weighs absolutely nothing, has a narrow profile, has a deep carry clip (so it doesn't poke over the edge of your pocket) and is exceedingly high quality, it's like not having one with you at all. You can find them for $130-$150. Lifetime guarantee as well.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you want to carry a fixed blade knife, the absolute best edc fixed-blade imo is the ESEE 3. That's a knife that can take a beating and will last multiple lifetimes.
I have a similar Benchmade knife, I don't recall which model. It's a similar size/shape, and has that same blade lock/release. I love it so much, it was a gift from my brother. Best knife I've ever owned. I've sent it in for sharpening a couple times, they do a great job.
Nice! I've been considering a Mini Bugout for a while but I'm not wild about the limited color schemes compared to the full-sized Bugouts. I've thought about replacing the scales on an orange one with Flytanium Ti scales but that becomes a bit pricey for a knife I don't strictly need. I've also heard of people Rit-dyeing the white-handled ones but I'd prefer the silver blade to the black blade. Hopefully they expand the color range at some point in the future!
A Victorinox Deluxe Tinker. (Prior to that I had a Handyman, which was lost to airport security. The Handyman was pretty excessive, but did help me figure out what tools I actually use and want. The wood saw is basically impossible to use in that form factor, for instance. The Deluxe Tinker—not to be confused with the Super Tinker—has almost exactly what I want. My most used tool is actually the scissors.)
That’s surprising on the scissors. I’ve found multi tool scissors to be suboptimal to regular ones.
They're not as good as regular scissors, no, but I always have them in my pocket.
Since the pandemic started I’ve embraced not having to care about appearances at all, and actually wear a Leatherman Charge on my belt.
I honestly cannot believe I have become this person. I never expected it. But it is just so incredibly handy, especially with the pocket for a mini flashlight as well. I use it probably 5 or so times a day on average, and so much more accessible than my old pocket Swiss Army knife was.
When I’m actually back in an office again, I’ll probably stop wearing one, but until then I’m gonna enjoy it.
I used to carry different knives. Now I mostly carry a leatherman rebar with me. Since we started working on our van it has come in handy a few times.
I also carry my Leatherman Charge everywhere! It's super convenient. A little heavier than some of the other tools listed in this thread, but it's tool selection and quality are excellent. I have needed and used every tool on it. The only issue I have had is that the wirecutters have gotten close to unusable (I don't have the replaceable kind), but Leatherman offers a lifetime warranty so I could probably send it in for that.
I own a Benchmade Griptilian, but it's not an every-day-carry because my work has a strict no-weapons policy. I do carry it on off days when I get out, but that's not exactly often because of the pandemic. I had the partially serrated version at first a few years ago, but that knife is currently sitting in a wash I was climbing through in Utah assuming there hasn't been a flood... RIP. I haven't been able to find that version so I have the non-serrated version now. I love the knife, it's light, the blade holds an edge but sharpens easily, the action is smooth and feels secure, and it fits in my hand really well.
Where do you work? I work at a nuclear facility, and even they allow pocket knives under three inches for general carry.
I'm currently working as a warehouse associate at Amazon (yes, I, a devout communist, hate every single minute detail of this entire existence.) Security there is pretty tight, but more for loss prevention and less for threats of violence. Before COVID-19 they supposedly had metal detectors and wands, they've got badge-in (and out) turnstiles, several stationed and roving security guards and more cameras than employees seemingly that reportedly have audio monitoring as well. Did I mention I hate it?
Y I K E S
So, you could get fired over a 2 inch SAK or Opinel that is in no way practical as a weapon?
Also don’t y’all need knives to do your job?
Yeah, they've actually got little signs in the break room on a few tables offering details. If I recall correctly, it's either a final warning write-up (e.g. if you get in trouble for any other reason it's a zero-tolerance dismissal, this could be as simple as not being able to make your rate), or just termination. We are given these instead, they actually work pretty well for maybe a shift and then the irreplaceable blade is useless.
Jesus Christ. That’s just sad (and also bullshit, but mostly sad).
I honestly don’t understand the point of banning pocket knives. I really don’t.
I think this is much sadder. Our thirst for fast turnaround times and cheap goods has brought us dystopia. Same-day shipping/delivery sounds awesome. @precise's situation is the other side of that.
Yeah, a lot of the stuff can be pretty arbitrary too. Like, unverifiable violations and repeat offenses of things that they can't prove but are your fault because the system says you touched that thing last. I could go on, but this isn't the place. I've actually been thinking about starting a blog to catalogue my experiences for public eyes. I'd probably get fired but fuck it, I've got some privilege to spare.
Catalogue them, then have a think about how to publish - you could always do it anonymously via a journalist. Amazon's warehouse operations are in the public eye at the moment, so you'd probably find somebody interested.
I mean... I do. I hate Amazon, but I also don't think that a weapons free campus policy is that uncommon... You can do a lot of damage with a little blade and I can't blame a private company for trying to avoid that. This is probably one of their more sensible and less encroaching policies...
There may be a workplace liability concern here in addition to a weapons concern. Purpose-designed box-cutters are (generally) safer for that specific task than a general-purpose knife and also run less risk of damaging product inside the boxes due to their shorter, sometimes retractable blades. One of my friends is a stockman at a supermarket and has to use work-issued box-cutters for those reasons. I remember stocking staff at my first job in high school telling me similarly.
Oh absolutely, I've done warehouse and stock before this, albeit a long time ago, and that's one of the reasons why.
I guess I just don’t view a two inch pocket knife as being a “weapon.” An improvised one, maybe. But it simply isn’t capable of the same type of damage as a firearm or a dagger (or even a similar-length push dagger).
I’ll admit that my views on knife ownership are probably a little out there. Same with my views on CCTV, metal detectors, and advertising, among other things. So there is that.
I've seen courthouses disallow 4cm LED flashlights. "Impact weapon", apparently.
Another warehouse worker on tildes! I'll admit I'm not there anymore but I was rather recently at a very similar job just for a different multinational. Do you have the biometric scan in scan out for timesheet?
Nope, maybe it'd be different if COVID-19 wasn't around, but we use badges, NFC I think. Pretty standard from my experiences as a wage slave. That said, I'm not convinced they don't have facial recognition at the door.
Yeah they had to cut the biometrics for covid as the thumb scanners could be transmission points and replaced it with a roll call. We had those NFC things for the doors to the buildings as well. It wouldn't surprise me with amazon.
A few months ago I got myself some pepper spray for protection at night. I didn't think I would need it ever in the city, but the pandemic and impending eviction cliff had got me worried enough to be safe than sorry. I felt a knife was too risky and the city wasn't actually that dangerous.
I do have a question for those who do carry knives regularly, though: what makes it so useful to carry so often? I've never got why nearly all /r/EDC users have a knife. For me, it seems like an added liability that wouldn't get much practical use. Multitools may get some use every month or so when I need a screwdriver, but a knife never needs a use outside of my kitchen set.
So is it for the protection? Do I just not encounter the wilderness enough? I'm genuinely curious what the draw is.
Knives are not useful for self-defense without extensive training. Nearly anyone carrying them for that use is kidding themselves. Knives are the oldest tool, and even in modern society they find themselves useful for little things on a near-daily basis. Trimming hangnails or threads on garments, preparing food or opening bags and boxes, etc. These are all small, inconsequential tasks that are usually framed as unimportant, but they add up. Knowing that you don't have to search around for a tool in any given situation, that it's right there in your pocket or bag, is really a great boon to a comfortable life.
When I used work in retail I had a little knife clipped in my pocket all the time, it was useful for opening boxes, cutting cables and so on. I carried it to and from work, I suppose. But only because we didn't have lockers to leave stuff there.
Other than that sort of thing I have no idea why people carry knives. Or multitools for that matter. I just don't encounter that sort of problem regularly enough for it to be worth the hassle of putting more things into my pockets.
Zero Tolerance 0562 TI
It's a showy, expensive, overbuilt titanium monstrosity.
It's pretty cool though. Sure cuts that packing tape.
The original 0562 was my daily carry for almost two years. It's utterly impractical, but damn, it feels good in the hand. Every once in a while I'll pick it back up just to have that sense of "I could probably cut through a car door" again.
I've carried a Kershaw Launch 4 every day for about 4 years now. I purchased it when I was working as a line cook and needed something that was quick to operate one handed to open up and break down boxes. I got this specific knife because it's short enough to be California legal despite being being an automatic opener and because I've been carrying some kind of Kershaw knife for the better part of 15 years now. I've since moved on from both the job and the state, so a bigger knife, automatic or not, would work for me, but I find that the 1.9" blade is all I really need accessible in my pocket at all times.
I keep a black Swiss Army knife on my keychain. No component of it is great but if I need a small tool on the spot it's got something that'll do well enough, and it doesn't take up much space at all. I've got bigger multitools, but once they get bigger they are more of a pain to carry every day.
Spyderco Manix 2. This particular model is made in Colorado.
Yes. I carry a Leatherman Skeletool around in my backpack - although it's lighter than my phone, the form factor and its top-heavy nature means it bounces around in most of my pockets. Having a knife, a quality pair of pliers, and four+ screwdrivers all in one package can't be beat. It's pretty much everything I need or use frequently, with the added benefit of being much lighter than any other butterfly-folding multitool I've had.
I also carry around a Gerber Shard on my keychain.
Can you talk more about how you use your Shard? I've never found a very compelling use case for the keychain/wallet tools, particularly those made without blades. They often aren't big enough for something like pliers or a philips head screw driver, so often they seem to be some combination of bottle opener + flat head screwdriver, which has never seemed that useful to me. But I think I am clearly missing something. Can you speak a little to what sorts of things you use this for?
Sure thing. It does have a Philips head screwdriver on the end, which is probably the primary use I get out of it. Having a proper blade would be very nice and make it much more useful, but the little "v" between the prybar is sharp enough to open packages or strip wires with, and is also travel-and-school-safe.
Just having two screwdrivers and a prybar (which found much more use pre-pandemic) for effectively no added weight or mass to my keychain makes it worth the $7 to me, but it also complements a regular knife well - meaning if I don't need to carry around pliers, I can switch out the Leatherman for something that fits better in my pocket at any time.
Sorry, you are right! I swear I looked at the listing, but I hadn't heard the term "cross driver" before, and the photo is very dark. But, that does seem fairly useful!
I had never thought about this as a tool specifically, but there have definitely been times when I needed a prybar and just used the flathead screwdriver, which wasn't really made for that purpose. I bet this does get a surprising amount of use.
Yeah, I can see the appeal here. I'm pretty used to the over-powered nature of my Leatherman Charge and thus may look for something with pliers if I had this usecase, but it does seem to have a lot of the swiss-army knife features (sans blade) while being of a fixed design, which is cool.
This is something I hadn't thought about before, but makes a lot of sense! Thank you for mentioning it. I had never thought of these tools as a complement to a classic pocket knife, but I can see the appeal. Especially if you have to travel/work at schools a lot, you can just leave the blade at home and still have the rest of your kit.
I personally don't get the whole knife culture, but I have a feeling that's because I'm living in the fantasy world that is white man living in the city with a white collar job.
I absolutely get the people who say they get a lot of use out of them, though, particularly with people who work with their hands. In fact, I do carry a 'knife' of sorts with me, but it's actually a particularly serrated house key. Sure, it won't open thick plastic packaging and straps, but frankly I rarely come across them (and when I do I'm usually in a place where I have access to a box cutter or similar).
What’s funny is that I also have a white collar (mostly, I work nuclear and have to go into the building sometimes) office job, but I’m still carry around a knife frequently, even when not at work.
I have a bunch. The one I'm current carrying is a Boker Urban Trapper Gentleman. It's a pretty nice knife; elegant, sturdy, lightweight, generally a good clip on it. The build quality is not as good as I would hope at the price point; it gets loose sometimes and I have to tighten things up. The blade is exquisitely good and holds an edge really well.
The other one I have been carrying lately is an Ontario RAT folding knife, which is not a "nice" knife, but it's a very good knife at the price point, which is about a quarter the price of the Boker. It's heavier and clunkier, but it also holds an edge really well. It certainly feels sturdier; if I'm going to be doing something I usually favour bringing this one on camping trips or other places that there'll be lots of use.
I've enjoyed the Ontario RAT a lot as well, and I agree the knife feels very strong for the price point. The fact that it's sturdy but not expensive enough to baby makes it my go to for harder work.
Very satisfying flick motion as well.
Gerber LST Ultralight. Slightly large for the keychain, but very very usable.
Swiss-Tech Utili-key
I carry a Benchmade Griptilian. Got it for myself about 6.5 years ago now. I don't use it that often, but it's always nice to have it when I need it.
I used to carry a little Swiss Army knife, but I lost it when I went to the airport without removing it from my key chain. I lost a leatherman that way too. (They said I could mail it but I was in a hurry.) I don’t fly much anymore, but haven’t gotten into the habit of carrying a knife again.
I have a little Leatherman Squirt PS4 multitool on my keys. I mainly use it as a screwdriver but the blade and tiny pliers have come in handy on occasion
I have a Gerber Paraframe Mini that I picked up for a camping trip a few years ago. I didn’t realize how often I needed a knife until I started carrying it everywhere! I accidentally left it in my purse once on my way to the airport, so I buried it in one of the lobby potted plants, hahaha. It was still there when I got back.
I should have thought to do that with mine when I accidentally carried it into the airport! I deep-sixed it in the trash (glad I realized before going through security…) and bought a replacement when I got back.
Out of curiosity, are you a lady?
I am! The lil’ knife also has the advantage of fitting perfectly in the small pockets all women’s jeans have.
That’s interesting that it fits so well. Do you get strange looks from people when you pull it out? Do you find you have issues with the broader knife community?
I can’t imagine anybody giving me strange looks for carrying a useful tool. I also carry a bottle opener on my keyring, and that has saved me so many times. Not sure what you mean by the knife community. I wouldn’t think me being a woman has much to do with any of that. Certainly doesn’t in the circles I associate with (cyclists and camping types).
I guess I’m referring to knife forums, and people who talk about knives in general. I know some hobby and enthusiast communities communities aren’t always welcoming toward women, just wondering if you’d encountered any issues. Glad to know you haven’t!
Funny enough, the beater Buck my dad gave to me has a bottle opener built into the handle!
Ah, I’m not really a knife enthusiast in that regard. I just have the one knife that’s super useful, especially for opening packages and camping.
I carry a Leatherman Wingman with me pretty much every time I leave the house, and I use it regularly at home. Most prized and used feature is the package opener, which is not only the easier/safer tool for opening packages IMHO, but it also keeps the blade nice and clean. Since as a kid I managed to completely gum up a Swiss Army knife opening packages and not taking enough care of the blade, I decided that would be good to have. I have used pretty much everything on there except maybe the wire stripper and the ruler, the wire stripper because I forgot it was there until I found the product page, and the ruler because if I measure something that small I probably want the precision of calipers. The scissors do leave a lot to be desired, though.
I have an older K.J. Eriksson (carbon steel) that I used to carry everywhere on the farm and regularly beat the crap out of. I don't think the thing can die. It was given to me by a friend from Sweden, and was well used when I got it. It doesn't get as much use as it once did, but I strap it on whenever I have to do work outside, and it always seems to be useful when I do so. I love that knife so much that I bought a handful of Mora knives (both carbon and stainless) and have them stashed in various places where a knife might come in handy. I don't like them as much, maybe because my Eriksson also has sentimental value.
I pick up small, cheap pocket knives from the feed store so that I can have one in all my coat pockets, backpacks, and vehicles. I don't care if they break or get lost, and often I just give them away.
Victorinox Outrider, but with the slider/button safety catch. I have it always in my backpack, and I almost always take my backpack when I go out (apart from just walking the dog). I’ve always had a swiss army knife ever since my dad gave me one when I was a kid.
As a scout and sailor for many years and my work requires some international travel as well, so there are some parts that I learnt to rely on:
When traveling I also take a foldable spoon and fork, and a miniature spice set with salt, pepper and sugar compartments. I typically also take a few tea bags and a few satchels of instant coffee. Jet lag is bad, but jet lag with crap coffee and crap tea is far worse ;)
Are you from the British Isles? I know many people are particular about the tea they drink but I know more brits/Irish who are than others.
Nope, not at all. Continental EU. Can tell you even that in my experience, the average cuppa in the UK (PG Tips, Lipton and Tetley are meh; Twinning and Sir Winston are mere shadows of their former selves), and Ireland even more so (Barry's tastes of fish) is pretty shite.
There are far worse though. Hotel (even 4-5 star) coffee and tea can be pretty bad (and super pricey). And conference coffee is an established term for a reason.
I have to say that the best tea I've had at a conference, was indeed at the Dublin Congress Centre. Of course it wasn't Barry's, but oddly enough while an Irish brand it sported the name of a German master blender.
I agree about a fair few of those. What tea do you go for then? I'm a fan Yorkshire Gold. I completely agree about conference coffee though, it's almost always a disaster.
From the UK I find Betty’s / Taylors of Harrogate to be pretty good. East India Tea Company can also have som good stuff.
For darjeeling, assam etc., I haven’t found a better choice than Vahdam, which is Indian-owned and claims to package directly from plantations.
As for flavoured teas, my go-to brand for the past few years has been Kusmi, but they also have some hit-or-miss ones. In general I feel the French have a pretty good grasp at flavoured blends, as complanies like Mariage Frères and Damman Frères are at least as good, but probably a bit harder to get. The Austrian Demmer has some good ones as well (I really like their Sacher tea).
For Souchong specifically (I love their Tarry, but their Tiger is a bit too strong even for me), I like Le Palais des Thés, but since they closed shop in my town, I haven’t bought anything from them yet.
That being said, we have quite a few different tea houses in my town, so I’m a bit spoilt for choice even when it comes to brick and mortar shops.
For Chinese teas I like Tea Vivre quite a bit. But haven’t ordered any in a long time. Part of the reason is that I manage to source quality teas from Japan, China and Taiwan through gift exchanges at conferences ;)
BTW, if you like your teas earthy, a less known (and younger) tea growing region) is Kenya. Taylor’s has a pretty good Kwazulu.
My dad was an Eagle Scout, so I got started early. He gave me my first pocket knife when I was eight (still have it, actually) and I've been carrying one ever since.
I've sworn by the Leatherman Skeletool for the past ~10 years. My current ST is a base model with a 154CM straight-edge blade from a CX model swapped onto it. I've never cared for the aesthetics but the feature set is exactly what I need. Having a blade, screwdrivers, pliers, and wire cutters available in a compact form factor in my pocket is really convenient at work. I also recently picked up a Civivi Elementum that I've started to carry instead of the Skeletool on my days off.
One knife that I like to keep around is the Opinel Classic I think it looks, well, classic, the steel is high in carbon, and it's $17. The locking mechanism is really reliable too. I think it's a good design for both aesthetics (wanting to carry a knife that doesn't look like a Navy Seal might as well) and functional work due to the simple construction and decent blade size.
Nice, I picked up a Number 6 stainless for my mom for Christmas (and grabbed one for myself as well).
I do not. It is illegal to carry a knife in the UK.
I remember watching an interactive short film many years ago, on YouTube. I think it was commissioned by the Manchester Met Police, or something.
At the start you had the choice to:
Basically every branch from that point onwards resulted in you being taken in for custody, unless you chose to not bring a knife.
My understanding is that, as restrictive as Britain’s knife laws are, it is legal to carry a knife without good reason so long as it is less than three inches, a folder, and non-locking. That said, I don’t know how overzealous some police agencies may be about enforcement.
I carry a Laguiole folding knife in my pocket, which I use most days. It has a beautiful finish, but the blade is potentially a little bit long for every day carry - I sometimes feel self conscious pulling it out around other people.
That does sound nice. How big is the blade?