I’ve always carried a crappy Swiss army knife that does a lot of things, each pretty poorly. Then I made the mistake of reading an article where a guy was talking about being a father and getting older and what every father should leave their son when they pass on. He talked about 3 things: a classic car, a good pocket knife you carry with you every day, and a good automatic Swiss watch.
Well, in spite of a lifelong lusting for an early C1 convertible Corvette, I’ve never had the money to get one. And my brother is into watches, so there’s an IWC I also lust for, but haven’t had the luxury cash to buy one. But I did go looking at knives, and purchased a couple of good but less than $100 pocket knives with gorgeous wood and nice sharp blades from A.G. Russell, as well as one from another manufacturer (Santa Fe Stoneworks) made with Woolly Mammoth Tooth as the handle material. Now I’m kind of in a pocket knife collecting mode - which could get expensive.
Anyway, two questions: 1. Anyone else here into cool pocket knives? 2. If so, how do you sharpen yours? Recommended stones, techniques, etc.?
When my grandfather died I took a bunch of his pocket knives - I was kind of obsessed with them as a boy and I couldn’t bear the thought of them just being thrown out. They’re kind of dirty and I don’t doubt they need sharpening, but that’s a minor thing in the end.
I had always wanted a Swiss army knife myself, and one year my wife picked up a cool multi-tool/pocket knife from a local shop. I actually like it better, it’s got a wood handle and a nice heft to it. Maybe a little too heavy to just stick in your pocket and carry day-to-day, but still a pretty great little tool.
I use my pocketknife multiple times a day, and always have one in my pocket. I decided long ago that I didn’t like a big, bulky knife though, and started looking for one that was small enough to carry, but not terribly expensive. As the saying goes, “The perfect knife is the one you have with you!”
About 6 years ago I finally found one that fits the bill:
Small and slim, and at 1 oz you hardly know it’s in your pocket. Twice I’ve lost them at the airport because I forgot it was in my pocket and had to leave it behind at the security checkpoint. They cost less than $20, so if you lose it you just buy another. I have half a dozen sitting in a drawer because I know that one day Gerber will discontinue them and I’ll never find another one like it.
The blade is just over 2 inches long, but that’s plenty big. Let’s be real: I’m not going to get in a knife fight or need to skin a moose anytime soon, so that’s more than I’ll ever need.
I am curious what you use it for? Other than cutting food, I seldom need a knife. My second most common use would be to cut open a package, but that’s hardly a daily occurence.
I have carried a swiss army style knife since I was a wee lad. I would like to carry a leatherman style multitool, but I never got one compact enough to fit in the pocket as I prefer, and a nice one-hand folder doesn’t do enough for me. My cutting needs are not that extreme, so a small SS blade is fine, and I get a lot more of use out of having a Phillips and Slot screwdriver on hand at all times. I have considered something like a Leatherman Squirt to be able to have a small pliers in similar size.
I spend about half of my day working inside, and there I’ll use it for opening packages, letters, and things like that tough plastic clamshell material you find on retail items. The other part of my day is working outside and I’ll use it on small rope or twine, and occasionally use the tip as a screwdriver. I’ve broken a few tips that way. ;)
I also work around boats and a lot of the tank caps (for fuel, water or waste) are flush mounted and have a slot in the cap that you’d normally use a fuel key to open. I’ve found that the blade of my knife fits in there perfectly when it’s closed, so I use it there several times a day as well.
In typical 9-5 office environment I don’t know that you’d use a knife very much. But being brought up as a farm boy in the south, everyone carried a knife and it’s a hard habit to break. You may be surprised how often you actually use a knife if you have one handy!
The Knife_swap subreddit is a great place to pick up quality knives for a good price, lots of collectors who baby them and then sell for 70 percent. I’m a Benchmade fanboy because they have arguably the best lock out there, and the lock and clip are ambidextrous which is nice for a lefty. The upper end is spendy, but the Griptilian series is affordable and fantastic.
I’ve had a Buck Crosslock for many years. Solid as a rock. Thought I lost it for a while. Turns out the wife washed it. Once it was dried off it was fine. No stains or corrosion. The pic above is an example. Mine has green inserts.
I ordered this as a replacement.
Ken Onion Kershaw Blur, assisted open. Really amazing knife. My favorite.
I also have a Leatherman Charge+ TTI
and a Swiss Army Cybertool.
I found that the Leatherman and the Cybertool were all that I needed for computer repair.
The Swiss knife with a screwdriver I hadn’t considered. It wouldn’t be an everyday use but having a screwdriver in my pocket would be useful at times. The scissors, too, but those scissors on knives are the worst scissors I’ve ever tried to use.
A good knife would be cool, but what would be cooler is a sword cane with a dragon head!
I still don’t have a good use case for one! Maybe spearing paper trash on the ground?
Pretty much useless, except a few weeks ago I was eating an apple and got some skin stuck between my teeth. I was in the middle of nowhere and spent an hour trying to get it with my fingernail and tongue. Then I remembered the knife, and sure enough, it had a toothpick! Such sweet sweet relief. Long live Victorinox.
