Question of the Day
Knife/Gun Contest Entry: How Many Knives is Enough?
By Brandon N.
I grew up with a dad who always carried a small pocket knife. The blade was only about 1.5” but I remember it being quite sharp. He would pull it out any time he had an excuse to cut something and as a kid I loved it. I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to have my own pocket knife. When it was finally time to shell out a couple of bucks for something decent I remember getting a Leatherman Squirt. I hated stuff in my pockets and wanted something small enough that it wouldn’t bother me sitting in my pocket but could still be useful. Unfortunately . . .
I melted some of the tools while doing backyard electrical and decided it was time to buy a real multi-tool. After reading review after review (and looking for deals) I decided to go with the Leatherman MUT. It was the perfect accessory to go with my AR-15 and I found an Amazon deal close enough to my budget that I could fudge the numbers without aggravating the wife too much. Obviously this thing was not going to sit in my pocket.
I decided to pick up a decent backpack over at my local Big 5 that had molle straps and would help me lug around my goods. As I started carrying more emergency EDC gear in my backpack I decided a nice survival knife would be a good addition. After watching YouTube videos and reading reviews I decided the Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Serrated Knife would be a good, frugal selection. It wasn’t my first choice, but I knew it wouldn’t see too much action and would be sitting inside the backpack. That meant I could go a little larger and didn’t have to worry about the “look at me” orange coloring.
After that, TTAG turned me on to TTAK and I realized my NEED for a quality self-defense EDC knife. Once again I hit the web (while I was supposed to be doing something efficient at work, of course) and after three days of research, picked up my new baby; a beautiful Benchmade Griptillian. Nice, light weight in the pocket and, of course, a great blade. Don’t leave home without it.
I still have my original Squirt in my backpack because some of the tools still work, of course, and I’m not one to throw a perfectly valuable tool away, but now when I walk into my nice quiet office job to sit at a computer all day, I do so with four knives on me: multi-tools (large and small), a folder, and a fixed blade (with a necessary fire starter of course).
I work with my brother and since I type for a living, he thinks I’m crazy. I’m not denying the fact that I may be, but just the other day he did need borrow my MUT and while he was at it, he asked if I still had that paracord in my backpack as well. I let him borrow them but couldn’t help throw out a line about him being lucky I’m so crazy. Heck, I wouldn’t mind adding a Mini-Griptiliian to the collection (Farago?). So how about it? What do you walk out the door with? How many knives to you need before you can call it a day? Is there such a thing?
I walk out the door with 3 knives everyday….one leatherman on my key ring, a Benchmade 300 in my pocket and a CRKT Fire Spark tucked on the inside of my waistband.
You have a hole in your brace, there. No neck knife.
Of course once you have a neck knife, you will have
a large and small fixed blade, a large and small tool,
but only one folder…
I carry two knives in the summer with shorts. In the winter its usually three. Two folding and one fixed.
I carry a small swiss army with pen and flashlight. A medium knife in my watch pocket, another folder in my left pocket since I am a lefty, and a larger knife in a belt pouch.
Sgt Barry Sadler, the man who sang the Ballad of the Green Beret, had another song called the Garret soldier. This was about the military version of a mall ninja. There was a lyric that went “He has a boot knife, a leg knife, a shoulder knife, a belt knife, and a little bitty one that’s a combination dinner set, flare gun and genuine police whistle.
I love my knives and swap them out like women change accessories, but sometimes it feels a little like that.
I always have my Gerber fast draw. Its not the best, but I seem to have a use for it everyday. I do like to have a multi tool around the house for when I need one.
Three(ish):
– 3″ blade, cheapish liner lock folder. It’s small enough to be inconspicuous, large enough to fit my hand comfortably, sharp & rugged enough to get my jobs done, and cheap enough that I don’t panic about losing it.
– Swiss army knife with only one blade, but a corkscrew. I refuse to be anywhere wine might appear without a means to open it. Priorities.
– Blade in Leatherman multi-tool. This might count as 2, as there’s a second, serrated blade, or 3 if the TSA considers the saw a “blade.”
This just reminded me I should include a small blade in with my first aid stuff.
Pat, I believe that’s a “garrison” soldier–one who stays on post/base and never goes out into the field. A garret is where a starving artist lives.
I usually have 5: my granddad’s 2-blade plus awl, a locker clipped in my pocket, a multi-tool, and a mini-multi-tool and a lock-blade in my jacket/vest pockets.
Sam L.
Here is a link to the Amazon listing for the album. The title of the song is Garet Trooper. I have not heard the term before or since, but that is what the song is called.
http://www.amazon.com/Ballads-Green-Berets-SSgt-Sadler/dp/B0091N0F8O
On a day to day basis I carry two. A Benchmade 707 and a Swisscard Lite in my wallet. Sometimes I add a multitool to that if my work calls for it.
However, I have over 250 various knives in my collection, so I guess I fall into that, “you can never have enough” category.
I carry a gun and two knives in my carry purse each day. As a woman and a wife, dissing your wife in a public forum will not get you any points at home no matter how many knives you walk out the door with.
How is acknowledging that women change their clothing accessories much more often than men dissing them?
My point is that I have a collection big enough that I can pick from a number of knife options each day.
Some people stick with a standard EDC knife that never changes (and there are valid reasons for doing that). I just like picking from a variety.