Two Wheels - Six Strings

Random news and thoughts about various two-wheeled projects and music, especially my band, Skull Full Of Blues.

Friday, January 05, 2018

New EDC Knife

I have carried pocket knives for the last 50 years. I got my first one for a nickle, at a flea-market in Nashville (and I still have it), when I was six. In school, I sneaked them in, and ended up getting a special "hall pass" to carry one in high school, because I got tired of sneaking around. I was able to convince the principal that I was responsible enough to carry a knife without misusing it. Teachers regularly came to me to cut packages open, etc.

A good knife is one of the most useful tools you can own, and I just can't seem to get through a day without using mine. The only time you will see me intentionally without a knife in my pocket is if I'm flying, attending court, or in some other setting where they are prohibited.

But, my Every-Day-Carry pocket load is a bit of a challenge, sometimes. In addition to my knife, I regularly carry:
wallet
notebook/sketchbook
pen
pencil
marker
keys
nail clipper (another multi-use tool)
change (sometimes)
phone

So, I prefer a small knife, to save pocket space, and one which can be opened with one hand. For quite awhile I carried assisted-opening folders with pocket clips. But, I found that the clips wore the fabric of my pants, and the knife would catch the edge of my hand as I reached in my pocket for my keys.

I also prefer less-expensive knives. Carrying something everyday lends itself to wear and tear, loss and/or confiscation (I have forgotten I had a knife in my pocket 3 times, within the last 5 years, as I was flying somewhere. So, I had to dispose of them at the airport.)

Last year, I started carrying small fixed-blade knives with flat Kydex sheathes. These are designed to be worn around the neck, hanging from a chain or cord. I carried mine, minus the chain, in my hip pocket with my sketchbook. I liked freeing up the space in my front pocket, and it was a comfortable carry, but I found that keeping up with the sheath was something of a pain.

So, I attached the sheath to the knife with a leather cord, so that I could pull the knife out and the sheath would stay attached. I t was a workable solution, but not ideal.

The other day, I was perusing knives online, and I saw a small neck knife that I really liked the blade shape on. Looking at the specs, I realized that it was even smaller than the knife I was currently carrying, so I bought one.  Minutes later, I ran across the Kershaw Pub, a friction folder that looked ideally suited to hip pocket carry.

Naturally, I ordered up one of those, as well. I figured I would choose which one I liked best, out of the two new knives, and try carrying it for a few days to see if I liked it well enough to make it permanent. The M-Tech fixed-blade was under $10.00, and the Kershaw Pub cost a princely $16.99, so I figured I could afford to try both out.

They arrived, today, and I pulled them out to compare them with the Shadow Ops knife (also under $10.00) I've been carrying for a few months:




With the pen to give them some scale, you can see how small all three knives are. The Pub is quite a bit shorter than the other two, and about the same thickness. That is a plus for the Pub...


The knife on top is the new M-Tech fixed-blade. I particularly like the shape of the blade. The point lends itself to drilling small holes through plastic or leather (something I use my knife for more than one would think). That's a plus for the  M-Tech. The Pub is much more like a utility knife shape.


The grip on the Pub is comfortable in my hand, and I can easily open it with one hand.


Plus, there is no sheath to worry about with the Pub, and it features a handy bottle opener and flat-blade screwdriver, which allows me to remove the Gerber Claw tool from my keychain. So, I am going to carry it for a bit and see how the blade shape suits me.

Knives ... yet another thing about which I tend to geek out.

x



1 Comments:

At 10:02 AM , Blogger Steve A said...

Fry's Electronics has all sorts of inexpensive, small knives. My favorite is the small folder, of which I bought 5 last year for stocking stuffers. Under $5 each. This year, I stepped up and bought an Uzi knife with a flashlight. Under $8 for both (including flashlight batteries). If you sign up for Fry's promo codes, you'll sometimes see them and they might even ship the item to you for free. That is uncommon for $5 knives, however.

 

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