Jackknife this is a fantastic post. Most of the reason why I carry a Bassett Trim Trio is nostalgia. My first pocketknife was a Trim Trio "Aid Association for Lutherans" advertising one that I received from my mom's stepfather. I carried it for years to camp and to school. The knife was chained to my beltloop. As I have posted before, my entire EDC fits into a coin purse. The tiny ballpoint pen in the coin purse is because years ago I was told a lawyer should always have a pen available at all times. EDC to me does not mean carrying a plethora of items. To me, it means useful items that can easily assist someone when needed. I have enjoyed this group immensely and always look forward to the great post here.You're very lucky, these are great nostalgia items!
Seeing them takes me back to a more simple time, before the "EDC" thing became an obsession, and a pocket knife was just something the all men carried on them if they had pants on. (And a lot of women had them in purses.) Some kind of little pocket knife, some kind of pocket/keychain screw driver, maybe some black electrical tape (the duct tape of the era) wrapped around an old card or pencil stub that was used to take notes. The short pencil stub was everywhere, like a golf pencil, and used on whatever scrap of paper was in the wallet. The tip could be scraped down for graphite, the finest dry lubricant you can use on locks and fishing reel gears.
When I was growing up, most the men were vets from WW2, and I suspect the majority of them had their old P-38 stashed in the wallet. I know my dad did, as well as my Uncle Charlie, who got his feet wet on a beach in Northern France and walked most the way to Berlin.
The Trim Trio and the like was the SAK classic of the day. It was for people who were not knife nuts, but knew that modern life made a small sharp edge a needed thing on a daily basis. Packages didn't have a 'tear here' tab, but arrived wrapped in a heavy brown paper, that was in turn sealed with that heavy town packing tape that was put on wet and red like an iron brand. Or the [acakge was wrapped in white twine that you needed a knife to cut and unwrap said package. Any small keychain knife would cut through the wrapping if it was sharp. And then there was pencils to sharpen. This was before the ball point pen explosion that made ball points more plentiful than the pencil. The cheap ball point pen did for pencils what the cell phone did for the home land line. The old fountain pens leaked, went dry, so everyone just carried a pencil.
Times and technology have changed what we carry now, but somehow our grandfathers did very well with what they had. A simpler and maybe better time.
Jackknife this is a fantastic post. Most of the reason why I carry a Bassett Trim Trio is nostalgia. My first pocketknife was a Trim Trio "Aid Association for Lutherans" advertising one that I received from my mom's stepfather. I carried it for years to camp and to school. The knife was chained to my beltloop. As I have posted before, my entire EDC fits into a coin purse. The tiny ballpoint pen in the coin purse is because years ago I was told a lawyer should always have a pen available at all times. EDC to me does not mean carrying a plethora of items. To me, it means useful items that can easily assist someone when needed. I have enjoyed this group immensely and always look forward to the great post here.
The greatest generation did not need to be carrying a heavy group of tools to get the job done. Jackknife is exactly right about the internet commandos who would EDC a bazooka if they could. I have been thinking a lot about when EDC went from a nice pocket supply of versatile tools to the gargantuan items that are EDC for some. So many tasks can be done with a minimum of tools, but it is not as "cool" as using the latest multi tool, pistol, etc. 99% of us do not need to carry a Glock as our EDC. We can thrive with a small knife and some good keychain accessories. Unfortunately neither a 58mm SAK nor a Trim Trio attract as much attention as a pistol, lock blade knife or an oversized Leatherman. The vast majority of these items risk being confiscated in any government run area in the post 9/11 world. I respect those who have a vast EDC. I will stick to my coin purse containing my modest EDC.I fondly remember gentlemen who carried pen knives and Sears & Roebuck 4-way pocket screwdrivers. It wasn't just the tools, these were renaissance men who could do a lot with very little.
The greatest generation did not need to be carrying a heavy group of tools to get the job done. Jackknife is exactly right about the internet commandos who would EDC a bazooka if they could. I have been thinking a lot about when EDC went from a nice pocket supply of versatile tools to the gargantuan items that are EDC for some. So many tasks can be done with a minimum of tools, but it is not as "cool" as using the latest multi tool, pistol, etc. 99% of us do not need to carry a Glock as our EDC. We can thrive with a small knife and some good keychain accessories. Unfortunately neither a 58mm SAK nor a Trim Trio attract as much attention as a pistol, lock blade knife or an oversized Leatherman. The vast majority of these items risk being confiscated in any government run area in the post 9/11 world. I respect those who have a vast EDC. I will stick to my coin purse containing my modest EDC.
I copied those images off the internet, by the way - I don’t have any of those items…I have that exact Trim Trio display. You are really bringing back great memories
Just got this in today...! It went right on my keychain...
Great purchase. Mine is on my keychain and it never lets me down.
They have a rudimentary back spring similar to the old Leatherman tools. It’s a very hearty knife.I’d be interested to see how it would compare to a the SAK classic we’re all familiar with as a keychain tool. Is there a backspring like a slip joint or is it purely held by friction?
They have a rudimentary back spring similar to the old Leatherman tools. It’s a very hearty knife.
Give us all a full report about your opinion of the Trim Trio as an EDC keychain knife. I am biased, but I fully enjoy it as a super dependable knife.
Well, I have to say I luv it... Great little file on this... I do remember having one as a kid. As soon as I found this thread I searched Ebay for one. Although I do carry a knife and a leatherman it is still the most convenient for most tasks...Give us all a full report about your opinion of the Trim Trio as an EDC keychain knife. I am biased, but I fully enjoy it as a super dependable knife.
Welcome to the Trim Trio club!
Anyway I could get you to sell me one?I've got a couple of these TRIM TRIO's around somewhere.
I have no use for them myself, but I love the Basset TRIM nail clippers.