Occupational Knife Use?

I'm a radiographer (the proper term for X-ray technologist) at a large hospital.
Over the years I have carried a variety of different knives at work but the current one is a yellow Benchmade 556 Mini-Griptilian, plain-edge.

It's big enough for anything I need to cut in the hospital.
It's easy to open and close even when wearing gloves.
It's light-weight so it does'nt pull my scrub pants down.
The 440C holds an edge for a long time.
And the bright yellow color is rather "friendly" in the eyes of patients and co-workers.

I use it for everyday small tasks like cutting down cardboard boxes, opening packages, cutting lots of tape (EMTs love to tape the patient to the back-board), and removing the clothes of patients (pants, shirts, bras, etc).

Maybe it's because I live in the South but I've never recieved any negative feedback from any patient or co-worker.
And many times a co-workers has ask to borrow my knife.

Good luck,
Allen.
 
I work for Uncle Sam, and there is a rule that nothing longer than 2.5" can be carried in a govt building by federal employees. Well, the guards don't seem to know this, or maybe it doesn't apply to my branch. Either way, I don't chance it. The rest of the day however I do carry a Spyderco Ladybug, Leatherman Squirt and Delica. I also have in the truck an el cheapo Tomahawk machete (United Cutlery, surprisingly does a good job). I also have a Spyderco Native III and Leatherman Juice. My BOB truck knife is a Kabar shorty tanto. It used to be a CRKT Crawford Polkowski or Kasper Polkowski companion, but the point bent backwards after pushing it into a log while using it hiking. My basic truck utility knife is a CRKT F4 clipped to my sun visor. In my day bag/BOB, I store my SOG Blink.

I do use the Ladybug and Squirt daily, for cleaning my fingernails, cutting string etc. The Delica is my EDC, hoping it gets replaced by my Twitch II when I get it back from SOG.
 
I often have a few knives within reach, but my Manix is carried as my main back up as a Sheriff. It gets alot of action when things go bad.
 
When I worked on a charter boat, I would feel naked any days I forgot to bring a pocket knife with me. The first couple years I used a Schrade SP3 lockback, which was retired in favor of a Spyderco Endura. When that was lost overboard, I went to a Spyderco Delica. The pocket knives did everything from cutting lines, to performing small field surgery. I did get a few remarks when I used an AFCK and a Spyderco Military as fill-in knives, but for the most part, no one said anything about what I used. Fillet knives were also part of my daily use equipment. Some of the ones that passed through my hands over the years were an Old Timer fillet knife with rubber handles, Cold Steel fillet, Old Hickory, and Dexter white handled fillet knife.
 
allenC said:
I'm a radiographer (the proper term for X-ray technologist) at a large hospital.
Over the years I have carried a variety of different knives at work but the current one is a yellow Benchmade 556 Mini-.
Click to expand...


I also work at a large NC Hosp. I usually carry 2 knives every day they tend differnt from week to week. But a Vic Yeoman or Explorer seems to find it's way into my pocket most weeks. No one thinks much you open a SAK blade.

And like you this week I've been carring a Benchmade Griptilian, plain-edge this week. :)
 
I´m an electronics engineer, I EDC a Leatherman Wave in a belt pouch and use its pliers and screwdrivers for general tasks that doesn't require precise or specialty tools, the PE blade is mainly used for heavy cable striping and I modified it to a "tanto" tip that is better suited for light scraping of rust, adhesive residues or paint in circuit boards, on the other hand the serrated blade takes care of the cardboard boxes disassembly when we receive new components or equipment. I also carry IWB a Spyderco Native in case a bigger blade is needed (behind the multitool Pouch so the clip is partially hidden). For "office tasks" I use a Spyderco Kiwi.


Jaime Orozco.
 
I work in a grocery store. Being the ACSM my duties are usually confined to the front where I don't need a knife for much else than opening boxes, cutting detail tape, etc. But I'm really a jack of all trades there, so I've been known to stock and even run dairy and that's where a knife comes in handy. Box cutters are great, but their blades just aren't long enough to do some things, like cut the thick plastic bands holding pallets of milk crates together.

I also carry my old Leatherman and Vic Soldier. The Leatherman has come in handy more than you'd expect in a grocery store and the Soldier is for food prep on break where I don't want to use my larger folder because I don't know what may be on the blade.

As for the place dictating what knife I carry... it doesn't, really. Everyone's gotten used to my toys so they don't bother anyone and those who were once wary grew to accept it when they needed to cut something and I handed them a knife. It does, however, dictate what I carry in regards to size... I have no need to go to work strapped with my full size Ka-Bar or RTAK... if I worked outdoors then I'd have a use for the big knives.
 
Hey allenC, my first degree is in radiology also.
These days I spend a lot more time at my university and in our labs than I do in a hospital though.
Good idea on the bright colors--I figured people might respond more favorably to them. Personally, I carried a Lightfoot/CRKT Urban Shark, a gift from a friend. Its two inch blade and gray plastic scales have failed to scare the sheeple for years, but it was just enough to do everything I needed.
I retired it only a couple weeks ago in favor of this M16. Now that I'm out of the hospital, (for a couple more years) I have a little more freedom. I am concerned that the 3 inch M16, which looks very tactical, might be too aggressive, even if I love it for its simplicity and ergonomics. We'll see when I return to the university this fall.
 
Another computer geek here. Work in IT, mostly open boxes, cut cables, etc, etc. I carry a Bark River Mikro II and a Bark River OMF knife, both small, along with a SuperTool.
 
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