A couple of thoughts on nostalgia and carrying more knife than I need

[Steinar]

I usually don't EDC a heavy knife, most of the time it's a 91 mm Vic, today it's a Deluxe Climber. On the other hand, pretty much all MT and knife related tasks I encounter throughout the day could be solved perfectly well with a Rambler. So, why do I insist on keeping a 91 mm, or for that matter, some dedicated folder which sometimes finds its way in my pockets?

Frankly, I think I want a knife I can use for whittling. I rarely whittle anything. Even pencil sharpening I usually do with some kind of dedicated sharpener. I think the real reason is the kid I was, who explored the woods around his home 30 odd years ago. That kid had a pocket knife (a two layer Wenger, btw), and used that to explore his surroundings and whittle sticks, flutes and make simple tool like things.

I think my carrying a knife big enough for more than small, precise strokes is an unwillingness to embrace the life I'm actually leading. I don't see too much of a problem with that, really, but it's an interesting insight. Most of my reason for carrying a knife I can do a somewhat heavy cut with, is an echo of simple pleasures I enjoyed as a kid. Not everything has to be rational or optimally efficient.

Edit: I still have that Wenger mentioned above, but it's enjoying its retirement in a dedicated tin.

[LoopCutter]

Pictures would be nice of the Wenger and EDC.

Great insight, I will agree, as I have carried a knife everyday (except current air travel) since I was 7 years old, 56 years. 
I would do farm work and a blade was handy for cutting bailing string, making a make shift lead for a wayward calf, or whittling any piece of wood to pass a hot sunny afternoon in the shade.   Used for dressing rabbits and cleaning fish.  Making a spear tip on a long stick when exploring or cut a walking stick down to the right height. 
A Micra and vagabond in left pocket and a Pioneer in the right.  Today the ST300 and Wingman are in tool tote awaiting to be called for duty. 
 Must keep items in balance, otherwise this old fella could tip over.


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[SAK Guy]

You nailed it Steinar. Well said!!! 
Like you, it's based on what I might do, what I've done in the past and certainly not for what I will probably do.

Draw on experience and always be prepared.

[Poncho65]

You nailed it Steinar. Well said!!! 
Like you, it's based on what I might do, what I've done in the past and certainly not for what I will probably do.

Draw on experience and always be prepared.

Yep he got it I have carried some sort of pocket knife with me, except while in school for as long as I can remember  I think it should be something kids still do today It teaches them to respect knives not fear them but I digress as time goes on society seems to think less and less of these wonder tools that mankind has had escentually since mankind began nice writeup Steinar 

[Aloha]

Theres no need to fully abandon our sentimental youth.  Joy comes in the simplest of pleasures and memories.  What a treat to be able to enjoy both by carrying a blade or 3. 

[pfrsantos]

I usually don't EDC a heavy knife, most of the time it's a 91 mm Vic, today it's a Deluxe Climber. On the other hand, pretty much all MT and knife related tasks I encounter throughout the day could be solved perfectly well with a Rambler. So, why do I insist on keeping a 91 mm, or for that matter, some dedicated folder which sometimes finds its way in my pockets?

Frankly, I think I want a knife I can use for whittling. I rarely whittle anything. Even pencil sharpening I usually do with some kind of dedicated sharpener. I think the real reason is the kid I was, who explored the woods around his home 30 odd years ago. That kid had a pocket knife (a two layer Wenger, btw), and used that to explore his surroundings and whittle sticks, flutes and make simple tool like things.

I think my carrying a knife big enough for more than small, precise strokes is an unwillingness to embrace the life I'm actually leading. I don't see too much of a problem with that, really, but it's an interesting insight. Most of my reason for carrying a knife I can do a somewhat heavy cut with, is an echo of simple pleasures I enjoyed as a kid. Not everything has to be rational or optimally efficient.

Edit: I still have that Wenger mentioned above, but it's enjoying its retirement in a dedicated tin.

I think we can use this text, change the knife brand and anyone of us could subscribe it as our own.

 

[Steinar]

Thanks for the kind words, everybody!

I have taken a picture for LoopCutter. The retiree enjoying the sun below was bought with money I got for Christmas (and from collecting a bottle or two) probably around 1987. It then lived in my right front pocket for about the rest of that century. The logo is worn off, the keyring is gone (from a fatigue break, no abuse), the locking mechanism for the screwdriver no longer works well (as one would expect), but otherwise it is just fine and has plenty of mileage left in it.

[Steinar]

Hm, I see I wrote Deluxe Climber in the initial post. It is a normal, very recent date Deluxe Tinker. Probably wishful thinking, since the Deluxe Climber is one of the many missing in my collection.

[Poncho65]

Thanks for the kind words, everybody!

I have taken a picture for LoopCutter. The retiree enjoying the sun below was bought with money I got for Christmas (and from collecting a bottle or two) probably around 1987. It then lived in my right front pocket for about the rest of that century. The logo is worn off, the keyring is gone (from a fatigue break, no abuse), the locking mechanism for the screwdriver no longer works well (as one would expect), but otherwise it is just fine and has plenty of mileage left in it.

Glad it's living the good life now

[Steinar]

You nailed it Steinar. Well said!!! 
Like you, it's based on what I might do, what I've done in the past and certainly not for what I will probably do.

Draw on experience and always be prepared.

Yep he got it I have carried some sort of pocket knife with me, except while in school for as long as I can remember  I think it should be something kids still do today It teaches them to respect knives not fear them but I digress as time goes on society seems to think less and less of these wonder tools that mankind has had escentually since mankind began nice writeup Steinar 

I like to point out our genetic line has made knives since before most of us would call our ancestors human. The oldest known knives are about 2.5 million years. Older than speech, older than the current brain layout, older than...

[Steinar]

Theres no need to fully abandon our sentimental youth.  Joy comes in the simplest of pleasures and memories.  What a treat to be able to enjoy both by carrying a blade or 3.

I like your way of putting it; a knife, or several, may be a lot more than a tool.

[cbl51]

I usually don't EDC a heavy knife, most of the time it's a 91 mm Vic, today it's a Deluxe Climber. On the other hand, pretty much all MT and knife related tasks I encounter throughout the day could be solved perfectly well with a Rambler. So, why do I insist on keeping a 91 mm, or for that matter, some dedicated folder which sometimes finds its way in my pockets?

Frankly, I think I want a knife I can use for whittling. I rarely whittle anything. Even pencil sharpening I usually do with some kind of dedicated sharpener. I think the real reason is the kid I was, who explored the woods around his home 30 odd years ago. That kid had a pocket knife (a two layer Wenger, btw), and used that to explore his surroundings and whittle sticks, flutes and make simple tool like things.

I think my carrying a knife big enough for more than small, precise strokes is an unwillingness to embrace the life I'm actually leading. I don't see too much of a problem with that, really, but it's an interesting insight. Most of my reason for carrying a knife I can do a somewhat heavy cut with, is an echo of simple pleasures I enjoyed as a kid. Not everything has to be rational or optimally efficient.

Edit: I still have that Wenger mentioned above, but it's enjoying its retirement in a dedicated tin.

Aw man, you have no idea how this post hits home with me!!!!!

For most of my life I was a woods roomer, fisherman, camper/hiker. I always carried a knife more suited for these activities. A large Buck stockman, a Victorinox huntsman or camper.

But as I got into late middle age I think I went though some kind of awakening. I took stock of just who I was, and what I was, and went under a huge downsizing. Okay, it wasn't really late middle age, it was the dawn of old fart age, like in eligible for social security. I was seeing this gray bearded guy in the mirror every morning, and after a while couldn't deny it any longer: I was getting old.

It took a while, but little by little I started to leave my 'heavy duty' stuff at home. I had to face that I was a white geared social security retired guy, not Rambo, Paladin, or Robinson Crusoe wannabe. I put my 91mms in the sock drawer alone with the 4 inch stockman, and Wenger SI, and dropped a peanut size pocket knife in my pocket to augment the 58mm SAK on my keyring.

It's been several years now, and I've really not missed the bigger SAK's or other knives. Much. I still love my pocket knives, and sometimes I do still find myself carrying more than I need. But they are all still smaller knives that I carried in my younger day. I'll have a classic on my keyring, a Remington or Case peanut in a pocket, and just for yuks I'll drop a spare small knife in a pocket. Sometimes a Leatherman micra or squirt will go in a pocket.

I once worried about being able to make the 'heavy cut' like you talk about, but after I sat down and really really thought about it, I had a hard time remembering the last time I had to make a heavy cut. I'm an old guy now, and living in a 55plus community, in a small Texas town that is a far north suburb of Austin Texas. Modern suburbia in other words. We do go out in the country still, but at our age the hikes are shorter, and in state and national parks. I know my days of backpacking into the true boonies are over, and last time we were at Yosemite, we took the seniors train ride. They chauffeured us around to all the major sights and then some, with stops to get out and take pics and go oooah and ahh over the scenery. I really had no use for anything over a 58mm SAK to open plastic snack packages and a file for a chipped nail.

If I have to make a heavy cut these days, I wouldn't. BUt…I can take my little peanut or ask and make a series of small cuts to weaken and make a stress line to break off a make-do hiking staff, or cut a hot dog roasting stick. With old mans arthritic hands, the heavy cut is a thing of the past, but a small very sharp knife lets me notch around then break it. I guess I finally learned to to sue my head for something other than a hat rack. Now as an old man, I embrace the small precise cuts as an end run around what I used to be able to do, but now figure out another way.

I've found that age makes us re-think and adapt to chaining our tactics to deal with things. No biggie, just take a lot pleasure in the smaller knives and tools we can use in our day to day life. I love and will always be a knife nut, but I just carry smaller knives now. And I fund another reason to love the little ones; you can carry two or three smaller ones for the weight of a single 91mm. My classic and my Remington peanut weight less than my old stockman.

Great post, Steiner.

[Barry Rowland]

Right on!  I just had this conversation with my son last night as we were out fishing.  Everything I do, especially when it comes to fishing, can be accomplished with a 58mm or Wenger Esquire.  I always rationalized carrying my bigger knives in case I needed the heavier screwdriver, more than anything else.  I just like the feel of the bigger knife there, but I'm giving it a go today with just a Minichamp.  So far I've not needed the bigger tools.  For me it's part nostalgia and part just plain security

You nailed it Steinar. Well said!!! 
Like you, it's based on what I might do, what I've done in the past and certainly not for what I will probably do.

Draw on experience and always be prepared.

[LoopCutter]

Thanks for the kind words, everybody!

I have taken a picture for LoopCutter. The retiree enjoying the sun below was bought with money I got for Christmas (and from collecting a bottle or two) probably around 1987. It then lived in my right front pocket for about the rest of that century. The logo is worn off, the keyring is gone (from a fatigue break, no abuse), the locking mechanism for the screwdriver no longer works well (as one would expect), but otherwise it is just fine rew awayand has plenty of mileage left in it.

Thank you for the picture, it just looks broken in, with a lots of life remaining. 

I have only one of my old knifes, either my brothers took them from dresser draw when left for school or dad threw away when he was cleaning up when my room was designated a guest room.




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[Steinar]

I have only one of my old knifes, either my brothers took them from dresser draw when left for school or dad threw away when he was cleaning up when my room was designated a guest room.

I think I would have uttered some choice expletives in those situations... 

[cbl51]

Right on!  I just had this conversation with my son last night as we were out fishing.  Everything I do, especially when it comes to fishing, can be accomplished with a 58mm or Wenger Esquire.  I always rationalized carrying my bigger knives in case I needed the heavier screwdriver, more than anything else.  I just like the feel of the bigger knife there, but I'm giving it a go today with just a Minichamp.  So far I've not needed the bigger tools.  For me it's part nostalgia and part just plain security

You nailed it Steinar. Well said!!! 
Like you, it's based on what I might do, what I've done in the past and certainly not for what I will probably do.

Draw on experience and always be prepared.

If you think you may need a bigger screw driver, carry a Sear's $-way keychain screw driver in your wallet. It's about the size of a half dollar, and has 4 different size flat driver bits, with the smaller one doing a very good job on being a flat phillips. They have them in the tool department at Sears for all of .99 cents. I've used the ever login poop out of mine. It's one solid piece of tool steel, so you can twist the heck out o fit. I also carry my old P-38 can opener in my wallet. That and a safety pin take up very little room in the zipper compartment of my wallet, and go unnoticed even going through TSA security.

[jerseydevil]

Excellent post Steinar! In terms of what I truly NEED everyday, a knife like the Compact, or a slipjoint backed up by a Rambler or Minichamp would cover my needs unless I'm at work. Then I carry a larger SAK like my Deluxe Tinker or Troubleshooter.  I live in the city, no need for a massive survival knife.  Why do I carry a larger folder at times? Because I can. At work a dedicated folder is useful.  I've been carrying a knife since my Dad gave me my first Barlow around the age of 12. In my family or group of friends, it's expected that I have a pocketknife on me.  If something needs to be cut, it's always me they turn to.   It's nice to be handy at times......

[Kickalion PL]

It's something in the human nature. For example: everyone has a mobile phone which shows us the time but many people still are wearing a hand watches. I see no reason to stop carrying your favourite item even if you don't need it that often. I feel naked without the knife but I use it pretty rarely when I'm outside the house.

[cbl51]

It's something in the human nature. For example: everyone has a mobile phone which shows us the time but many people still are wearing a hand watches. I see no reason to stop carrying your favourite item even if you don't need it that often. I feel naked without the knife but I use it pretty rarely when I'm outside the house.

It's funny that you mention watches as an example. I've been wearing a watch for my whole life, and only recently questioned why. The better half dragged me into the cell phone age in 2001, and after a while of leaving it in my car, home whatever, finally got used to carrying one. The past decade it's been in my pocket or on a belt pouch everyday to the point where I now feel strange without it. Like I used to feel about my pocket knife.

The other monring I was just out of the shower and getting dressed, and my watch was sitting there on the bathroom counter. I actually looked at it and wondered why I was still wearing it. It's not like I'm a watch person at all, I've always had just a cheap Timex that if it broke I just bought another one at Walmart. So it's not like I'm attached to some old high class watch dad gave me for graduation or something.

I feel naked without a knife, but my knife has downsized as I aged. But there is still a couple of small sharp knives on me everyday, like my classic and peanut. So why can't I shake the habit of wearing a wrist watch? Are we such creatures of habit that it slows our evolution? I have a clock in my kitchen, there's a clock on the TV display, theres a clock on the car dashboard, there's a clock on my cell phone, and there's even a clock on the instrument panel of my Vespa motor scooter. So why do I still wear a watch?

If I can downsize from a 4 inch stockman to a classic, why can't I kick the watch habit?

[Steinar]

For what it's worth, I stopped wearing a watch for a few years, then I started again. It's simply too convenient, especially since my phone is one of those which can double as a surf board.

[Aloha]

While the cell is feature rich and frankly so much apart of our daily lives it still needs plenty of juice to keep it going.  In some situations taking the phone out can be rude or inconvenient.  Our watch by comparison is there ready with the time only needing a glance.  The timers most watches have is also a terrific convenience by comparison.  I don't like to always have to locate my phone then press the home button for the time or if in my pocket turn my volume up to hear the timer go off.

The watch is silent, steadfast, and can also be feature rich.   

[twiliter]

Good thread and replies! I think I am comfortable minimalizing to a point, but I use the opener layer and scissors so much that a Climber or now a Pioneer X is my basic choice. I would prefer a smaller one, even a Classic is great, but I use the bigger blade for food prep so often, along with the openers for screws etc. that a 91 or 93 is more suited to what I like having in my pocket at any given time. Even an 84mm main blade feels like a compromise when slicing food, or I would have hunted down a small Climber or Salesman long ago.

I have definitely downsized, I remember carrying a SwissChamp and Vic pocket watch for years, before the flip phone, as I never got used to wearing a watch (or any jewelry for that matter), and more recently tried belt carrying an MT or a 111mm, which only lasted for a while, as belt carry has always been troublesome for me too. I do like to pocket carry the Spirit if I have anticipate doing a lot of odd repairs or adjustments that day, otherwise it lives in my tool bag. The time displays I look at most often are on the dashboard and the oven, and the phone when available, but I just throw my phone in my pocket as needed, it's not always with me. I still do enough with a pocket knife that a full size SAK still makes the most sense for me, but I am old enough to see a time when I may be OK with a Rambler or Manager too, just not yet. 

[Fortytwo]

While the cell is feature rich and frankly so much apart of our daily lives it still needs plenty of juice to keep it going.  In some situations taking the phone out can be rude or inconvenient.  Our watch by comparison is there ready with the time only needing a glance.  The timers most watches have is also a terrific convenience by comparison.  I don't like to always have to locate my phone then press the home button for the time or if in my pocket turn my volume up to hear the timer go off.

The watch is silent, steadfast, and can also be feature rich.   

+1

[strmliner]

For what it's worth, I stopped wearing a watch for a few years, then I started again. It's simply too convenient, especially since my phone is one of those which can double as a surf board.

 
Yep Steinar...I'm with you all the way...especially about the size of smartphones these days!     

[Barry Rowland]

My wife has carried a Classic and one of the keychain screwdrivers for over 30 years.  I can't get her to take a bigger knife even when I've offered her one.  She sticks by her Classic and says that's all she's ever needed.  I'm on day 3 of only the Mini Champ and so far it's done all I've asked of it.  Nothing too heavy duty, but still I haven't needed anything else.  We'll see!

[Steinar]

My wife has carried a Classic and one of the keychain screwdrivers for over 30 years.  I can't get her to take a bigger knife even when I've offered her one.  She sticks by her Classic and says that's all she's ever needed.  I'm on day 3 of only the Mini Champ and so far it's done all I've asked of it.  Nothing too heavy duty, but still I haven't needed anything else.  We'll see!

Interesting to see what you end up with!

[Barry Rowland]

I agree Steinar!  I'm taking it out on an overnight hike tomorrow with my son.  We'll see what we get into!

[ReamerPunch]

My wife has carried a Classic and one of the keychain screwdrivers for over 30 years.  I can't get her to take a bigger knife even when I've offered her one.  She sticks by her Classic and says that's all she's ever needed.  I'm on day 3 of only the Mini Champ and so far it's done all I've asked of it.  Nothing too heavy duty, but still I haven't needed anything else.  We'll see!

Not even a Signature? Or does she use the toothpick? 

[Barry Rowland]

Everything on it Reamer, probably the tweezers least of all.  Her Dad got it for her back in the mid 80s and she's had it ever since.  It's one of the early SD models, but I've never seen her use it for that.  She uses the keychain screwdriver for that sort of work.  I think it all goes back to having a tool and making it work for whatever you come across.  I wish I could narrow it down that well, but once I started buying them, I just keep on finding ones I want!  I've had my eye on either a Wenger Evo 88 or the Pocket Tool Chest as I like the little added length over the 58s.