Comments on: For Want Of A Knife

By: Donald Nelson

Donald Nelson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:18:40 +0000

I carry a small two-blade carbon steel Case knife every day. When I fly, it goes into the checked luggage ’til I arrive, then right back in my pocket. When I have to visit a courthouse or whatever, I leave it in the car. I carry a knife because, well, because I’m a man. It’s a basic tool and I always want to be able to fix/open stuff - whatever. If I ever lose this one, I’ll buy another Case.

By: Doc

Doc — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:27:43 +0000

My father gave me my first knife, a U.S. Camper, on my first day of school in 1958. I have carried a pocket folder of some sort (for at least a portion of the day) every day of my life since.

I usually carry three or four. Always a middleweight SAK, a Buck Metro, a heavy nondescript one-hand opener, and an “antique” serrated EZ slider as a neck carry for seat belt emergencies and such.

Over time they have extricated me from more straits than having them has caused.

By: Coach James

Coach James — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 19:45:43 +0000

I usually carry a Swiss army knife of some sort and had made good use of it yesterday. Last evening I had taken a load of plastic and glass to the recycling collection place to throw in the dumpsters. Some jerk had left two American flags, still tied to their 5′ flagpoles, laying on the ground next to the dumpsters. The little blade on my Swiss classic made quick work of the ropes and the flags were put into the trunk of my car. After explaining to my 4 year old why I was doing this, we were off towards home.

By: Bob TDG

Bob TDG — Wed, 07 May 2008 04:07:03 +0000

it’s not too often my pocket knife gets an odd look. Though I often forget about the 5″ and 6″ plaster knives I keep in my back pocket while finishing drywall. Those have raised a few eyebrows…

The pocket knife sees a surprising amount of use, given I have a 50 gallon tool chest stuffed with drills, saws, blades, and implements of destruction… I’ll carry a blade as long as I can, and my kids will too….

For the curious, it’s just a cheap chinese lockback, when you’ve got a knack for destroying things, you leave the expensive ones at home

By: anthony

anthony — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:26:39 +0000

As some have said earlier I feel like I’m missing something without mine. I used to carry a classic victorinox, tried the buck x-tract and a few other vics for a while, and am currently settled on a gerber evo. Any kind of knife always comes in handy, and its always the times you don’t have it (i.e. leaving the airport) that you need it the most.

By: Scuba

Scuba — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:37:58 +0000

I’ve carried a knife with me for well over 10 years now. Its helped me out so much. I’ve used it to open boxes, cut strings off of shirts, as a screwdriver, to cut food…the list of uses goes on and on. And yes, I guess it’s nice to know I have it as a method of protection, but thats sure not the reason I’ve ever carried one. I will continually get asked and jabbed by people asking me “why do you need to carry that” or “is that for protection…har har har”. But these always end up the same people who a bit later are asking me for help with my knife

By: ambush27

ambush27 — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:26:43 +0000

I carry a knife whenever I’m wearing pants. My favourite is a small Kershaw, I’ve never had a problem carrying at school and I’ve been carrying a knife since the summer when I turned fifteen.

By: hjablomy

hjablomy — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:14:07 +0000

don’t have much to add except I carry a lockback utility knife with me at all times. if I ever run into a “security” situation (quotes to add ridicule to the b.s. term our government is now using to control our ability to fight back when they come after us) I can toss the blade without caring. I know they aren’t too useful, but I use a utility knife all day at work for different things (electrician) and having one is always great. BTW, I was also a boy scout.

I just hope someday our government comes to its senses, but my fears tell me never. long live reason, and can we please go back to governing ourselves???

By: Old Donn

Old Donn — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 22:16:41 +0000

Robert,

Think that’s bad? When my son deployed to Iraq, every GI on the aircraft had their weapons and two loaded magazines should they come under fire while deplaning. But guess what happened to any pocket knives, multi-tools or nail clippers. Yep, they were confiscated before takeoff by Homeland Security!

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:32:59 +0000

Did you know you can carry a knife in the Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery, but not the Museum of Natural History?

In the Gallery, you can touch priceless art if you so dare.

In the Museum, everything is barriered.

Makes no sense.

I long for the day when I would never worry about my knife in my pocket.

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:04:14 +0000

I don’t carry a knife. The only times I find myself needing one are when I’m trying to open some food at work and am too lazy to get my knife from my cabinet; keys work just fine in that situation.

I do have multitools in my car and on my bike, plus a small pocket knife on the bike. They don’t see a lot of use, but come in handy once in a while, adn when they are handy, they are REALLY handy.

By: Turbobrick

Turbobrick — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:35:21 +0000

I have been carrying a simple .99 cent thread cutter in my keychain now for about 7 years, and it has proven to be worth it’s weight in gold many times over. That tiny quarter inch blade is enough to deal with the everyday boxes, packages and zipties I have to cut through.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:29:56 +0000

The best mini knife to carry is the victorinox rambler. It looks like the regular small swiss army knives and is the same size but has a phillips, flat head, scissors, knife and bottle opener. I love this thing. Sometimes hard to find but worth it.

Here’s a picture from the place I buy mine (yes I lose them often for some reason): http://store.defense-tek.com/54031.html

By: Eli

Eli — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:37:38 +0000

Most days a Gerber EZ-out combo blade and a 10-499 Stanley Utility knife with four or five spare blades. A Utili-key always. I have a really nice scrimshaw sided gent’s knife (6th wedding anniversary) for when I rock a suit. Haven’t done Leatherman for a while.

By: Old Donn

Old Donn — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:44:14 +0000

Carry an almost 40 year old Swiss Army every day, augmented by a full-serated Spyderco should I ever encounter a situation described in the story at the beginning of this post. The Swiss Army is like an American Express card, I don’t leave home without it.

By: Nate

Nate — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:21:37 +0000

I’ve carried a small pocketknife ever since I got my first knife as a Cub Scout. I’ve tried larger ones and leatherman tools, etc., but often found them less useful than I’d hoped.

A simple swiss army multiblade knife has been a useful and necessary tool for me for decades. I honestly can’t imagine living life without one in my pocket.

By: Bren R.

Bren R. — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:17:39 +0000

I carry a Leatherman Super Tool on my belt whenever I think to wear a belt, and a small folding Buck Metro whenever I think of putting it in my pocket, but like so many others have said, after the Nth time of having a rent-a-cop tell you you can’t have it here or there, you start leaving it at home…

Those are the days you need a Phillips #2 driver.

By: Jake

Jake — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 04:15:14 +0000

A gentleman carries a knife.

When I see a need for mine, and I whip it out and begin to use it, I usually get some kind of response from someone nearby like, “Wow, prepared.”

And “A gentleman carries a knife” is always my reply.

My current love is a Skeletool CX with my initials engraved on the blade. It’s my security blanket against having it walk away.

By: tbirdsaw

tbirdsaw — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:37:02 +0000

I’ve carried a Swiss pocketknife ever since I graduated high school (it was kind of frowned upon there…). Now I carry two… the Swiss and a Leatherman Squirt E4. People sometimes wonder why I carry two knives… but they never question me when they need it. The wirecutters of the E4 come in very handy (I work in IT quite a bit), and the Swiss is kept sharpened by my dad, so it’s got the sharpest blade in my pocket.
I don’t travel alot, so it hasn’t been an issue. I had to check it though at a museum… I got some raised eyebrows, but they gave it back to me (along with my pocket flashlight) when I came back for them.
I carry one… My dad carries one… my grandfather carried one… my great-grandfather carried one… etc..

By: eosha

eosha — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:29:44 +0000

I got an old Barlow from my grandfather when I was a boy, and I still have it in a box. I’m 24 now, and I carry a Leatherman Wave I got when I was 15. Even after Columbine, I have carried it every day of my life (I was blessed with a private school which wasn’t too paranoid). The only time it’s off my person is when I’m flying or in restricted space. I use it more than any other object I own.

By: Tony S.

Tony S. — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:17:59 +0000

I EDC a knife. I have since I was about 12. First was a Victorianox, then a Spyderco, then a Kershaw, and now a Benchmade. As a trial lawyer, I obviously can’t bring it with me every day. I learned the hard way when I accidentally (I swear) brought the Spyderco with me to the Federal District Court in Boston (I was in jeans, I was just there to turn in a motion). I mailed it back to myself, but I just ended up with a ripped envelope in the end.

By: Chris W

Chris W — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:10:36 +0000

I carry a Coast mini multitool on my keychain and a Leatherman Wave at work. My job sometimes takes me into the White House, Capitol and Pentagon, but the security officers at those places recognize the need to carry sharp tools as long as you have the right passes.

By: Dan Kitchen

Dan Kitchen — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:27:33 +0000

Like a lot of other commentors, I got my first knife at an early age and have tried to carry one off and on since. I used to carry a Leatherman Supertool all the time, but I’ve realized that isn’t really to comfortable on a day to day experience. Now, I rotate between a Schrade Uncle Henry, a small SAK, a small locking blade, the Supertool on tool heavy days, or my new favorite Skeletool. It all depends on the day, and what I have planned. I pretty much try to always have on hand though.

Funny story on the security issue. I had to go through security at the White House visitor’s center (not the White House) as a contractor. They waved my fully loaded tool bag through the scanner, but when I emptied my pockets for the metal detector they flipped out about my small locking blade with 1.5″ blade. Never mind that my tool bag had assorted saws, utility blades, and pronged implements of destruction. After pointed out that my pocket knife was the least of their worries, and that everything else were “tools,” we were able to come to an accord.

By: ToolFreak

ToolFreak — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:24:11 +0000

I’ve made it a point to carry knives, pry bars, unlocking tools, and many other rescue items in my vehicle ever since I saw the police use a brick through the window to “rescue” a baby trapped in a car on a hot day when the distraught mother locked the keys in the car. A knife, or even better, a seatbelt cutter/window breaker combo tool should be standard equipment in a semi, within easy reach of the driver.

Though I like to carry a knife all the time, it usually isn’t practical, and as many others have stated, it’s hard to do in this day and age. I do carry the swiss-tech utili-key that was mentioned, and it is an AMAZING tool that I have personally passed through airport security many times. Unfortunately, they are now made in China, though the $9.99 price isn’t too bad.

By: Eric Dykstra

Eric Dykstra — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:40:00 +0000

Stitch, I knew a guy that was in the guard that did security duty at Logan after the attacks. He had a 4″ key ring full of confiscated pocket knives, among them were several of those swiss+tech utili-keys. I’m sure at least a few TSA agents are wise to them. If i flew i’d probably just play it safe and check it/leave it at home. I wouldn’t want to have to explain myself to Mr. Air Marshall.

Ironically i just misplaced the superknife i keep with me. I miss it already.

I do question the tsa banning all blades at this point. I find it hard to believe that box cutters would cow passengers and aircrew. If you check out the TSA’s blog they explain that it’s in the best interest of the flight crews to keep them banned.

TSA Blog: http://www.tsa.gov/blog/