Owning one pocket knife

emjay said:
My father is the mystical "one knife for life" guy. He's had the same Victorinox Camper SAK for probably over 40 years. The blades are so worn that they stick out past the scales when closed. That SAK is his pocket knife. That's it.

That SAK of his has been on pretty much every family holiday and every camping trip as far back as I can remember. Us knife enthusiasts think Victorinox steel is slack in the edge retention department, but he thinks it's great steel. It does what he needs it to do. To cut. It keeps an edge long enough for his needs. In fact, he thinks highly of the edge retention of Victorinox steel... I would say he's the average knife user. He just sees a sharp tool that is used to cut stuff. He's also had the same bait knife that he's used for fishing for over 30 years. It's probably about two thirds of its original width from years of sharpening.

My father thinks I'm crazy for owning a bunch of knives. He once asked me why I would need more than one knife. I didn't have a convincing answer for him. I can't have just one pocket knife, but I envy him for his ability to go through decades with the same pocket knife. We get carried away with this hobby

Would be interesting to hear your stories of these "one knife" people if you know any
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Sounds like he has two knives for life. Some folks are just practical.
 
I carried a bali during high school and college. I had that for years and it fulfilled all my needs. Until I lost it when the outrigger canoe we were fishing in, capsized. I never felt the need for multiple edc knives until I got on the forums.
 
I was a one knife kid. I had one sak until I snapped the blade. Had one Opi till I snapped the blade. Had a first blood replica I broke in 2. Along the way I learned the limits of steel, and after stopping to abuse and break knives the collection started building up.
 
I do not need more than one or two knives, one for the pocket and one for large tasks. Still, I want more knives. That is it. It is fun to buy and collect what interests me. Nothing more complicated than that.
 
While my dad does have various knives for particular tasks (fillet knife, skinner, etc.), as far as carry goes he is a one knife guy. He's carried the same Case knife in his pocket for many years. He does, however, own a drawer full of knives still in the box that I've gifted him over the years :p

Also, my wife's grandfather carried just a Case knife in his pocket for as long as I knew him, and he was a badass who jumped out of airplanes to blast Nazzis.
 
ferider said:
That means somebody else has cooked for your father all his life. You can’t possibly go camping with a SAK only.

Unless you use other knives and don’t count them.
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I was referring to him having only one pocket knife. There are kitchen knives available as well. Food prep isn't impossible with just a SAK, but of course a kitchen knife gets packed in a bag on a camping trip for food duties.

Funny now that I think of it, my mother uses only one knife in the kitchen for cooking at home or on a trip. All she uses is a 10cm Victorinox paring knife for absolutely everything. Has been for the past 15 years or so. Does everything with it. Cutting veggies, butchering chicken, skinning fish, etc. When she loses it or the blade gets a bit too narrow from sharpening, she gets a new one. Replaces it with no emotion attached. Like changing the oil filter on a car.

I can definitely learn a lot from my folks when it comes to making the most of one thing
 
I seem to keep searching for a knife that I just only want to carry but the longest I've gone is about 6 months. Now I can't even choose between traditional and modern folders so I carry one of each most days.

I would like to be the person, and have dreams of being the guy, that just has one knife that everyone knows I have but I'm sort of just ok with being the guy who people know is carrying a knife every day.
 
I’d fall into the one knife guy category.
been carrying a 710 since 2017. Before that, a 940 since 06’. Yeah, I have some other ones that I put in the pocket for a few hours. Sometimes even a day! I am an enthusiast nonetheless tho. I also wear the same workboots every day. They last about 3 years before I gotta buy new ones.
 
I use to just have 1 folder and a Leatherman and I was ok


all-knives.jpg


Then I discovered this site and my wallet was never the same 😅
Bladeforums I hate you 😜🤣
 
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One knife for an EDC is all you "need" along with some fixed blades for specialized uses(kitchen and so on). That isn't to say you wouldn't want and enjoy more, but I believe one can take care of normal daily tasks just fine. During a number of phases of my life I have carried just one. At present I have been carrying one folder for a year then switching to another of my folders-which I have a few.
but of course this is just one persons opinion
 
rhino said:
I have encountered a number of "one knife" people, some of whom were a little too judgmental about others' choices!

The key word in your father's question is "need." I assert that the premise of the question is flawed. The concept of "need" isn't applicable unless your knife acquisitions somehow adversely affect your life or deprive your family of some other important resources. It's not about need! Most of us probably don't need even one knife. We could get through life with a pair of scissors or a sharp rock. Most of us also don't want to live that way. If you like knives and you can afford to acquire what you want, the "want" is more than sufficient.

I do many things in life that are not based on need, but rather on simple want/choice. It makes my life better.
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🙌
 
SOLEIL said:
never, ever will i have fewer knives than pockets.
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I feel the same way! I have a knife in both front pockets. I used to think that was weird, but then I joined this forum.


A knife that I have grown to love is a knife a lot of people looked away from because it is not one hand opening. That knife is the take on traditional knives, the Spyderco SPY-DK. It is a simple slip joint, and the blade is narrow and pointy. It is really addictive the way it is purposeful when you pull it out and open it with two hands, just like I did as a kid, only this one has better materials. It is better by far than any Proper. Great for carving pumpkins, eating apples (the most important thing), opening packages and the mail, carving sticks for roasting marshmallows, you name it. It is slim in the pocket. We need more of this knife. It is very frequently carried, now.

C179POR_Both.png
 
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mmyron1 said:
I always carry 2 knives. One is always an SAK and the other is a heavier folder. If someone asks to borrow my knife I always give them the SAK. Lately the other one is an Emerson CQC 15.
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I used to always carry a SAK in addition to my main folder. I'm actually going to start carrying that way again. It falls under the "big three" in our Every Day Carry community - Knife, tool, and a light. And there's a reason that combo is so popular.

Not to mention the SAK is a good loaner knife, and a good option if your main folder is very large, and you're around sheeple.
 
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