Pocket knife

[Ceabeceabe]

My father and I give each other pocket knives every once in a while that we each end up using for home utility stuff or whittling if we are in the woods.

I have carried lock blades or straight blades for self defense at times (I am well trained) ...had to use one once...

[dirkronk]

Probably the first "real" knife I owned was an official Boy Scout knife. I was in Cub Scouts, so I was probably 8, maybe 9 when I got it, and boy was I proud of it. However, I only lasted two years in that organization (a sad story which I shan't recount here), and when I no longer wore the uniform, the cachet of having an official knife kinda wore off. Sat in a drawer for years...not sure what eventually happened to it. As I recall, it was sort of a junior Swiss Army style, with one large knife blade, a small one, plus can opener, bottle opener/screwdriver blade, maybe some other blade? I have no idea who made it, and my old Handbook for Boys (fifth edition, third printing, April 1950) isn't any help; I find an ad that shows a drawing of the knife, but no maker name...just an assurance that: "There are dozens of knives, but the Official Scout Knife stands head and shoulders over all." And then it tells me that "Official Boy Scout equipment on sale only at your LOCAL SCOUT DISTRIBUTOR. Ask your Scoutmaster for his name or phone your local Scout Office."

How many here had said knife? Any of you still have it? And who made them?

Dirk

[M Hayden]

I have a nice old (60+ year old) Case. I loaned it to a friend....it doesn’t end well. I had left the opening action a bit stiff deliberately, and rather than ask me to fix it, the person who’d borrowed filed out the ends so he could snap it open one-handed.

I still have to send it back to Case and see if they can fix it.

In the interim, a Spyderco Tenacious has to fill that gap.

[Mooh]

I've carried a pocket knife for over 50 years, every day, in my left pocket. Lately, my choice has been one of two Buck folders but I have others. Most days I also have a multi-tool in my right pocket or on my belt, Leatherman or Gerber. A Swiss Army folder with a few extra blades sometimes does double duty. Also, there is always a knife in my truck, desk drawer, coat, fishing vest, dresser, shed, tool box, gig gear bag, and my day to day shoulder bag. When fishing, hiking or bicycling in the bush I usually have a fixed blade sheath knife as well.

Be prepared.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by dirkronk

How many here had said knife? Any of you still have it? And who made them? Dirk

Get on eBay. There are plenty there. My first was a Cub Scout pocketknife made by Camillus. I think my brother received the Boy Scout Knife made by them at the same time. I got my "Totin' Chip."



I loved that little brass diamond with the wolf's head in it. As I recall, mine was stolen. Were I floating in money I'd snap one up from eBay without a hesitation. But alas, guitar has hold of my wallet.

Bob

[Scott O]

I carry a switch blade in my sock. In case anyone decides to get smart with me.

[Fogducker]

It took some doing but I found my Boy Scout knife. I remember it because it had a Phillips head screwdriver on it that I found handy and carried it for a couple years until I got my Swiss Victorinox Tinkerer.

The B.S.A. knife has an emblem on it and is made by Imperial, Providence, R.I.
It has main blade, bottle opener, can opener on one side and a Phillips screwdriver and awl on the other. It doesn't say stainless on it so it might be good knife steel. Don't know where I got it or how old it is but I put it away again.

Fog

[tinnitus]

In shorts, jeans or a suit, I feel a little off-balance without my slim Kershaw Hinderer 1555ti (2.75" blade). It hides up under the belt in Sunday pants so I don't look "armed" in genteel company (though most everyone I know has something similar). It's a handy tool that I unconsciously reach for several times a day for boxes, bags, sealed packages, wine foils/bottle tops, gentle prying, scraping, wire stripping, string/rope, sharpening carpenter's pencils, whittling, strapping tape, slicing and serving up snacks on hikes, etc., etc. Opens and closes one-handed. Gets a good re-sharpening probably once a month, needed or not.

When I misplace it, I break out a newer identical spare until I find it in a day or two on my workbench or in the car/truck/shed - never more than a week.

I keep a big 8.5x11 note in my travel suitcase to remember certain things I don't want to leave at home on trips (vitamins, charger, flashlight, earbuds, book, etc.), and a reminder to toss my trusty pocket knife in the checked bag so it's not a problem at the airport.



Edit Add-On:
Since posting the above comments last night, I paused a few times today to reflect on what I use the knife for most. It's @#$% packaging. The world has gone crazy with packaging! Whether it's a 40-pack of AA batteries from Costco, a couple of steel handles to screw onto a wooden recycling box, certain desirable fruits/vegetables, tools (???), or tamper seals on sauces, spices, vitamins, etc., everything I touch lately is overly packaged, almost to the point, it would seem, of wanting to deny access to the bare-handed consumer.

Thus, the EDC (Every Day Carry) pocket knife becomes a suburban warrior survival tool.

[magirus]

I have a Leatherman Micra on my keyring for everyday use. Some tasks are quite enjoyable . . .

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by magirus

I have a Leatherman Micra on my keyring for everyday use. Some tasks are quite enjoyable . . .

You had me at Adnams

[Fogducker]

You rascal Magirus, you know how to one up the entire thread---"Adnams" indeed, does one need any other reason to carry a good pocket knife and with an opener to boot!

Fog

[Bikewer]

Have followed “Gibbs rule # 9” for many years... “Always have a knife”.

On duty as a cop (recently retired) I always had two. One of several quick-opening folders for regular cutting chores, and a fixed-blade K-Bar “TDI” knife for more serious purposes.
Off duty, my current EDC is a Spyderco “Yojimbo”, a rather special-purpose knife designed my Michael Janich around his “Martial Blade Concepts” ideas.

[TRose]

I’m a fan of the Leatherman Micra. It’s a very functional piece in a tidy package.

On the other hand, I’m sad to say, I’m unfamiliar with Adnams stout. I looked it up and it’s apparently made in Britain. I’d enjoy trying it. I’m sure I can find some somewhere in the US. I wonder how well it travels. My experience with a particular Irish stout is that the canned variety is nothing like( not nearly as enjoyable) as the product flowing from a tap just down the street from the brewery.
Maybe that’s a topic for a different thread. [emoji846]

[kentwinterton]

I was raised on a dairy farm and at the age of 8 each of us kids got our own pair of 6 inch pliers and a 3 blade Old Timer pocket knife in a scabbard that my dad made. It was a rite of passage. I have, since then, learned to make my own scabbard and have thus rewarded my kids and grandkids with the same thing. I use them everyday and can't imagine not having them around. It is a bummer when I fly to stick it in my carry on.

[ceciltguitar]

I carry a Swiss army pocket knife with me in my left pocket, and I use it every day. I gave each of my 4 boys a Swiss army pocket knife and told them “this knife and your car keys should always be either in your hand, in your pocket, or in your top dresser drawer”