Today, my very first Case Peanut arrived in the mail. I’ve been on a quest to downsize my edc, and as such have gone from a Leatherman Skeletool CX, to a Spyderco military, to an old trapper, and as of recently to a SAK executive. I’m tempted to try the peanut as my main knife, maybe in addition to a small Leatherman so I still have the screwdrivers
What say you? Should I start my journey into the mythical world of the Case Peanut?
You're going to love the peanut. It's like the mighty legume that can get it done. Veeeery under estimated pocket knife. In my knife nut days, I carried a peanut for years with no problem. If the peanut can't do it, then another inch of blade won't either, and its time for a much larger knife or a fixed blade.
If I needed a flat or Phillips driver or can opener, I had the old Sear's 4-way keychain screw driver and my old army issue P-38 in the zipper compartment of my wallet. The peanut and the keychain screwdriver and P-38 did everything in a very old school kind of way. For all the years growing up in the 1950's, I saw my dad getting by with just that combo. In just the last few years I've given the little Victorinox Quatro a second chance and it's replaced the Sear's 4-way screw driver in my wallet. It has better formed Phillips driver bits than the old Sears that is primarily a flat screw driver.
If you have doubts the mighty legume is too small, think about this; on most the job site and construction zones in the U.S., most of the really hard use cutting is done by the humble Stanley 99, or one of the modern clones of it. All of a one inch blade, about the thickness of two razor blades. A peanut can open bags of mulch, bags of cement, cut all kinds of twine/rope/string, cut off the spout of a tube of caulking, open plastic blister packages, mail, UPS boxes, and make the best hot dog roasting sticks for the grandkids. My grandson Ryan became a peanut fan at age 8, and now he's a college guy and a strapping 6 foot tall brown belt in Krav Maga and can dribble me down the sidewalk like a basket ball. He still carries the yellow CV peanut I gave him so many years ago. For dress occasions he had a chestnut CV peanut.
BUT... The mighty legume can only be truly appreciated by going cold turkey and making it a point just from the peanut in your pocket and go out the door and about your day. You will find that carrying just the peanut, the world will still be rotating onto axes, the sun will still rise in the east, and the day will end with nightfall, and the peanut will cut what you need.
Go for it, Panther!
If I wasn't so plagued by arthritis in my fingers, I'd still be carrying a peanut. But the stiffly sprung little knife with half stops is just a bit much of rme, so my EDC bow is a Victorinox executive that is easy to open and deal with. But I miss my legume and if I could, I'd still be carrying it. Imay be packing a SAK, bu toy heart will always be with The Cult that I loved as much as the legume itself.
Carl, Grand High Muckba Of The Cult, (Retired)