Pocket Knives

Off Topic
61

[quote]IronHell wrote:
BIGRAGOO wrote:
IronHell wrote:
Excuse my naivity… but wtf do you guys do carrying these knives around?

Self-defense? Hunting and gathering?

Don’t get me wrong, I love knives but I am not sure why you would need to carry around knives everyday, what do you use it for? Just curious. Thanks.

To make you ask questions, that’s why. How about because we like nice blades, not to mention some of us use them at work.

What work do you do that requires knives?
[/quote]

Well, I cut open packages, cut Tygon tubing, cut fiber rope, tie-wraps, anything that needs to be removed that can be cut with a knife.

62

[quote]IronHell wrote:
Excuse my naivity… but wtf do you guys do carrying these knives around?

Self-defense? Hunting and gathering?

Don’t get me wrong, I love knives but I am not sure why you would need to carry around knives everyday, what do you use it for? Just curious. Thanks.[/quote]

Self-defense, some of these people don’t live in a fancy house. Some might live on a farm, I lived on a farm. If you didn’t have your knife you basically were a retard. I also came from the country where you just carried one that’s what you did. Just like your pants you wear one because that’s what you do. I live in the city now, and most people think I carry one because I am causing trouble. Not at all, I like having a knife also because mine is a tool, I can use it as a screw driver, a wedge, a nail cleaner, can opener, if I need to cut some string, take out a cork, anything, with one blade, so ya know it’s better then having to go threw your house to find the tool you need instead of just using the one you have with you all the time.

63

[quote]IronHell wrote:
Excuse my naivity… but wtf do you guys do carrying these knives around?

Self-defense? Hunting and gathering?

Don’t get me wrong, I love knives but I am not sure why you would need to carry around knives everyday, what do you use it for? Just curious. Thanks.[/quote]

I really don’t understand this. Is a knife only useful as a weapon? Don’t you have knives in your kitchen?

A knife is one of the things that separates men from monkeys. Humans have carried them for over a million years… literally. What do I use one for? Wow, you got a week or two? How about some of the things I used my knife for within the last couple of months:

  • Opening packages (everything from Fed-Ex to lunch meat)

  • Cutting rope/string/twine

  • Prying open a stuck desk drawer

  • cutting paper

  • as a screwdriver (I only use the false edge, never the tip, for that)

  • cuttin’ off those “beer bracelets” you get at rock shows and sporting events

  • cutting tags out of clothing ( I hate labels)

  • peeling apples

  • prying back the rubber seal on a car window to help a buddy pop the lock after he left his keys in the car.

And that’s just off the top of my head. You don’t have to be a survivalist wierdo or a ninja to find a billion everyday uses for a decent knife. Sheesh.

64

[quote]elevationgain wrote:

You mean like this Cold Steel Contribution? May I present The Torpedo. 1 inch thick, 15 inches long, and weighing in a two freaking pounds. Strictly a throwing type knife I guess is what you’d call it…

I don’t know why, but I want one, or fuck it, four.

GAINER

[/quote]

Okay, you got me there. The torpedo is pretty cool. Heavy as fuck and fun to throw. I once busted a cinder block with one.

But… is this something you want to carry around in your pocket? It’s about as practical as carrying the Cold Steel Swiss Halberd.

65

“Why do you carry a knife?”

I love this question. My three favorite answers:

  1. To carve up sissy motherfuckers like you!

  2. Because they won’t let me carry a sword.

  3. (And this is the honest answer.) I’m a country boy from Texas. When asked why do you carry a knife, the first thing I think is “How can a person not carry a knife?” I also worked in cutlery stores throughout college. I feel naked without a pocket knife. And not the good kind of naked.

66

My two favorite knives are the Spyderco Endura and Rescue. I find the sheepsfoot on the Rescue to be real handy.

However, I rarely carry any more. Not since Sept. 11. I can recall in 2000 going through airport security with my Endura. I got some funny looks from security, but they let me through. Now I get treated like a threat level 10 because of the Swiss Army tool knife on my keys. I’ve had numerous situations where I had to hide my knife outside somewhere and grab it on the way out, eg, concerts, courthouse, etc. It’s become too much of a hassle to carry a knife around anymore. Drag.

67

http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/./1/.1127361098746.833scb.jpg

I’ve carried a knife practically all my life. When I was a kid it was a basic Boy Scout jack knife. In high school, we all wore Buck folders in sheaths on our belts TO SCHOOL. It was a Voc. In the Corps I carried a K-Bar upside down on my web gear. When I lived in Boston I carried a little Spyderco in my pocket. Never ‘shanked’ anybody with it. Although I did crack a junkie over the head with a Kryptonite bike lock once. He and his buddy tried to hold me up on my own front stoop (stairs for the non-city folks). I have a Bear MGC Mother of Pearl Stockman that weighs practically nothing that I can slip into my suit pocket. Knives are practical pieces of art. Kind of like a watch. Knives don’t kill people any more than spoons made Rosie O’Donell fat.

68

I seriously thought I was the only person who carried a knife regularly. I don’t even have a “favorite” brand as most of mine were bought based on appearance. I am also into throwing knives and have been since my dad bought me a set when I was 8 years old.

69

[quote]Chris Shugart wrote:
“Why do you carry a knife?”

I love this question. My three favorite answers:

  1. To carve up sissy motherfuckers like you!

  2. Because they won’t let me carry a sword.

  3. (And this is the honest answer.) I’m a country boy from Texas. When asked why do you carry a knife, the first thing I think is “How can a person not carry a knife?” I also worked in cutlery stores throughout college. I feel naked without a pocket knife. And not the good kind of naked.

[/quote]

I usually leave the swords at home…seriously.

70

“Why do you carry a knife?”

I work in an office and attend lots of meetings. Sometimes I even have to give briefings and answer questions. I discovered my answers were more quickly accepted when I used a Bowie and big words than when I only used big words.

Really.

71

[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
WMD wrote:
elevationgain wrote:

I’ve been through a lot, bulky ones, tiny ones, super sharp ones, duller more robust ones, belt clips, nylon sheaths, leather sheaths, I think I’ve used them all at one time or another.

I just broke my gerber 3.50 BBS last week. Piece of poop if you ask me, not durable, brittle tip, and clunky function. I broke the belt clip off within the first week of owning it and broke the tip off of it so much so that it has lost all function.

So,

I went out and got the Kershaw Blur, black, spring loaded thumb release, strong belt clip, non-skid inserts on the handle, and the blade is tungsten coated, “shave-sharp” with a unique serrated bottom 3rd of the blade. It’s a really nice knife.

Now lets see how long this one holds up.

Who else here carries one?

Favorite brand? Type?

GAINER

I’ve carried my Spyderco Endura for at least 12 years now. Best pocket knife I’ve ever owned.

How do you keep the blade for 12 years? How do you sharpen it? The Lansky kit?[/quote]

Well Spyderco makes an excellent blade so that helps with durability. I’ve only had to sharpen it a few times since I’ve had it and then I got it done professionally. I have a stone but my blade is completely serrated so I just find it simpler to pay a couple dollars to get it sharpened.

72

I’ve thought about carrying a knife for self protection.

Some of you guys talk about using your knives for opening mail or what not. Come on now! You know you buy knives just for the hell it.

Anyways, let’s say someone comes up on you with a knife ready in his hand and he wants your wallet. How will you defend yourself with your knife clearly visible around your belt or hidden inside your pocket? Yeah, way to go, your wallet just got stolen. That useless piece of sharpened metal did not serve its purpose because it was visible to the attacker or because it was inaccessible.

This is where the belt buckle knife comes in ( http://www.belt-buckle-knife.com/ ). You wear it hidden as a belt buckle and nobody knows it’s there until it’s too late.

73

As far as carrying a knife…

I grew up on a farm, needed a knife all day long.

Also grew up hunting and fishing, so yes a knife was always important to have handy.

Joined the Navy and liked to have one on me for protection as a young sailor in a city where the rifraff enjoyed harrasing us, because we stuck out like sore thumbs. Never had to use it for that purpose, thank goodness.

Once I started working in the Medical Field I liked having one in my pocket or on my belt because there was always work-type use. (cutting tape, surgical tubing, bandages, seatbelts, opening packages, cutting off shoes, boots, etc.

Started mountain biking, hiking, and climbing for recreation, so again, a good knife was a handy thing to have in a cargo pocket or in my pack.

Got stationed with the Marine Corps, then the SEABEES again, a knife was an intrigal part of my everyday work.

The work I do is still in medicine, as well as education, but I’m also wrenching on various types of equipment, doing inventories, recieving packages that need to be opened, also needing to pry, cut, splice, fillet, carve, separate, and occasionally pick little pebbles out of my boot tread.

Then, at home, I use my knife for a miriad of houshold chores, it just makes life a little easier having it on me whether it be opening a bag of dogfood, charcoal, cutting rope, digging slivers out of my finger, or shotgunning a tallboy Coors light when the missus is stressing me out…

I don’t feel naked without it, but I definitely feel out of sorts, like I have a ball hanging out of skivvies, or I’m wearing mismatching boots.

It has been and will always be part of my checklist when I’m getting ready to go anywere to do anything.

Wallet? Check
Watch? Check
Phone? Check
Knife? Check
Keys? Check

GAINER

74

…and honestly, you never know when you will be bound, gagged, and held for ransom yet they forgot to check both boots and your ass crack for weapons giving you the opportunity to saw your way through with your trusted pocket knife. I mean, am I the ONLY one who thinks of shit like this?

75

[quote]nfisher wrote:
IronHell wrote:
Excuse my naivity… but wtf do you guys do carrying these knives around?

Self-defense? Hunting and gathering?

Don’t get me wrong, I love knives but I am not sure why you would need to carry around knives everyday, what do you use it for? Just curious. Thanks.

I really don’t understand this. Is a knife only useful as a weapon? Don’t you have knives in your kitchen?

A knife is one of the things that separates men from monkeys. Humans have carried them for over a million years… literally. What do I use one for? Wow, you got a week or two? How about some of the things I used my knife for within the last couple of months:

  • Opening packages (everything from Fed-Ex to lunch meat)

  • Cutting rope/string/twine

  • Prying open a stuck desk drawer

  • cutting paper

  • as a screwdriver (I only use the false edge, never the tip, for that)

  • cuttin’ off those “beer bracelets” you get at rock shows and sporting events

  • cutting tags out of clothing ( I hate labels)

  • peeling apples

  • prying back the rubber seal on a car window to help a buddy pop the lock after he left his keys in the car.

And that’s just off the top of my head. You don’t have to be a survivalist wierdo or a ninja to find a billion everyday uses for a decent knife. Sheesh.[/quote]

Chill dude. Not trying to bash you or anything. Sheesh.

First of all my question was NOT what “every day uses [are] for a decent knife” go back and re-read the question, why would you NEED to carry around a knife everyday. The question “what do you use it for” that IMMEDIATELY follows is a follow-up and relate to the first half of that question. What do you use it for that you need to carry around knives everyday.

You tell me you need to carry a knife around with you everyday in case you get a sudden urge to cut the tag off of your shirt in the middle of the street where a knife is not immediately available to you unless you carry one? You telling me that you can’t just tear off that bracelet? You can’t just open your box of lunch meat with your bare hands?

No, I don’t knives are to be used only as a weapon. And yes, I have knives in the kitchen and throughout the house, but I can’t remember ever finding the need to chop up pork chop while I am on the street.

You carry a knife with you, that’s cool, I don’t condemn that, I was merely curious as to what you do with it.

I use to carry a knife around just for shits and giggles until it started being a hassle because I can’t carry it to work, I get frisked when I go into clubs, I got inconvenienced at the airport because I forgot I had it with me, and because I hardly found any use for it in times when it would otherwise have not been available to me. But if you found lots of use for it, that?s cool. Just try and refrain from taking offense at other people?s questions, some of them are genuine and are truly out of curiosity. Your lashing out might make them want to lash back.

Peace.

76

[quote]Professor X wrote:
…and honestly, you never know when you will be bound, gagged, and held for ransom yet they forgot to check both boots and your ass crack for weapons giving you the opportunity to saw your way through with your trusted pocket knife. I mean, am I the ONLY one who thinks of shit like this?[/quote]

I do too but posting those kind of wild thoughts on a widely read internet forum would just be crazy. Oops, I just did that very same crazy thing.

77

[quote]IronHell wrote:

First of all my question was NOT what “every day uses [are] for a decent knife” go back and re-read the question, why would you NEED to carry around a knife everyday. The question “what do you use it for” that IMMEDIATELY follows is a follow-up and relate to the first half of that question. What do you use it for that you need to carry around knives everyday.

You tell me you need to carry a knife around with you everyday in case you get a sudden urge to cut the tag off of your shirt in the middle of the street where a knife is not immediately available to you unless you carry one? You telling me that you can’t just tear off that bracelet? You can’t just open your box of lunch meat with your bare hands?

…

… Just try and refrain from taking offense at other people?s questions, some of them are genuine and are truly out of curiosity. Your lashing out might make them want to lash back.

Peace.

[/quote]

Well, I think that’s a bit disingenuous. If this were a thread about cellphones, or palm pilots, I doubt very much that anyone would respond with “wtf do you guys need to carry around a cell phone for?” But whatever. No worries.

Nobody “needs” to carry a knife. Nobody “needs” to wear pants either. My only point was that there are a million uses for this one single tool. I like that.

Besides, sharp things are sexy :wink:

*Neal

78

[quote]IronHell wrote:
nfisher wrote:
IronHell wrote:
Excuse my naivity… but wtf do you guys do carrying these knives around?

Self-defense? Hunting and gathering?

Don’t get me wrong, I love knives but I am not sure why you would need to carry around knives everyday, what do you use it for? Just curious. Thanks.

I really don’t understand this. Is a knife only useful as a weapon? Don’t you have knives in your kitchen?

A knife is one of the things that separates men from monkeys. Humans have carried them for over a million years… literally. What do I use one for? Wow, you got a week or two? How about some of the things I used my knife for within the last couple of months:

  • Opening packages (everything from Fed-Ex to lunch meat)

  • Cutting rope/string/twine

  • Prying open a stuck desk drawer

  • cutting paper

  • as a screwdriver (I only use the false edge, never the tip, for that)

  • cuttin’ off those “beer bracelets” you get at rock shows and sporting events

  • cutting tags out of clothing ( I hate labels)

  • peeling apples

  • prying back the rubber seal on a car window to help a buddy pop the lock after he left his keys in the car.

And that’s just off the top of my head. You don’t have to be a survivalist wierdo or a ninja to find a billion everyday uses for a decent knife. Sheesh.

Chill dude. Not trying to bash you or anything. Sheesh.

First of all my question was NOT what “every day uses [are] for a decent knife” go back and re-read the question, why would you NEED to carry around a knife everyday. The question “what do you use it for” that IMMEDIATELY follows is a follow-up and relate to the first half of that question. What do you use it for that you need to carry around knives everyday.

You tell me you need to carry a knife around with you everyday in case you get a sudden urge to cut the tag off of your shirt in the middle of the street where a knife is not immediately available to you unless you carry one? You telling me that you can’t just tear off that bracelet? You can’t just open your box of lunch meat with your bare hands?

No, I don’t knives are to be used only as a weapon. And yes, I have knives in the kitchen and throughout the house, but I can’t remember ever finding the need to chop up pork chop while I am on the street.

You carry a knife with you, that’s cool, I don’t condemn that, I was merely curious as to what you do with it.

I use to carry a knife around just for shits and giggles until it started being a hassle because I can’t carry it to work, I get frisked when I go into clubs, I got inconvenienced at the airport because I forgot I had it with me, and because I hardly found any use for it in times when it would otherwise have not been available to me. But if you found lots of use for it, that?s cool. Just try and refrain from taking offense at other people?s questions, some of them are genuine and are truly out of curiosity. Your lashing out might make them want to lash back.

Peace.

[/quote]

It is the way that people like you present these questions, because I think two people used the “WTF?” like we are from another planet. Goddamnit, if you have to ask why we carry them around, then go find another thread to post on. Not everybody works in a damn office where the sharpest object is a pen with your company’s name on it. THe least you could do when you ask the question is be polite.

At my job, you have to carry a knife. It isnt optional. If you don’t have one, you are SOL, as no one (including me) wants to lend theirs out (I have lost nice ones from assholes who never give them back and then get fired).

79

I normally carry two knives, one a nice, inexpensive Gerber 3-incher, skeletonized, that I picked up for $15. The other one used to be (stolen) a Spyderco Endura, fully serrated, and shaving sharp. I use the cheap knife for everyday tasks and the Endura I would leave alone to be used only for emergencies like cutting a seatbelt or
–knock on wood–defense. Both knives are extremely light and thin, and quite comfortable to wear.

Metal

80

I have carried a pocket knife since I was 12 yrs old and I have to say my favorite is my SOG Flash 2. It is very durable. Like you I have broken some blades but I have had this one for 4 yrs now and I use it everyday. It is easy to sharpen and the edge lasts a long time.