In the "too many" knives department . . .
For twenty years I carried an Imperial "USMC issue" clone (US Officers Ulster 916), a scout style, four-blade knife.
For the next twenty or so years I carried a Gerber Silver Knight (geek work, slacks and sleeves).
And then came 2003, and my quest to discover what was out there and what would work well for me . . . which brings us to now . . .
My normal load-out is six knives. Occasionally five or seven, partly depending on clothing.
Three of the knives, the Leatherman Wave, the EKA/Wenger Executive Major, and the Case Peanut are pretty much permanent fixtures. In my "you might be a knifeaholic" thread post, I mention that I evaluate people according to what knife I perceive would be appropriate to display and use in their presence.
Around some people, the default knife will be either the Peanut or the Exec Major SAK. They are, respectively, "cute" and "friendly" looking. Around other engineers, I'll "whip out" the Leatherman, and it never gets an eyebrow.
And then there are the other three: right front pocket, belt pouch, and "other" pocket (usually a thigh pocket, but it depends on the pants).
- Today, for example, front pocket = Kershaw 3120 Black Gulch, left thigh = Lone Wolf Paul Presto, and belt pouch = Benchmade Steigerwald NRA Outdoor.
- Yesterday, it was front pocket = EKA Swede 88, left thigh = Kershaw Double Cross, and belt pouch = Buck EcoLite 110.
- Day before that, front pocket = Buck EcoLite 112, left thigh = Case John Deer Medium Stockman, and belt pouch = Normark/EKA Swede 92.
So, pretty much six knives most days. (I went a whole week with only three because I had chiropractor visits and didn't want the excess baggage.)
Why the "excessive" knife count?
I have a working list of knives that are under evaluation. I only recently picked up the EcoLite Buck series, along with the Buck Paradigm (which I've been carrying on and off in rotation), and some Vantage Select "blems" from the factory. I carry a given mix in my rotation, and then do deliberate tasks to put them through their paces. The tasks
always include some kitchen duty (slicing bread, veggies, meats, cheese, fruits, etc.) and then I compare those with others in rotation. I chop up some cardboard boxes, slice open assorted bags of stuff, open packaging, and all that jazz.
Now, if I didn't go out of my way to
make work for those knives, some of them might go unused for days. So I contrive to make sure each has something to do.
There's also the matter of practice. For example, you peel an orange differently when you use a Kershaw
Northside as opposed to, say, a Case Sod Buster Jr. Big knives require a different technique for cutting/quartering apples than that used with a smaller knife. Another educational experience is to do a "fancy preparation" of bell peppers. Try it with a big knife, small knife, a knife with a point, and one without. Different techniques.
I never go a whole week without learning something new about one of my knives and/or its applications.
Do I carry more than I need? Yes indeed.
I have maybe four classes of routine work I do with knives, and I carry six. And there's a lot of overlap between them (e.g. if I'm carrying both a Stockman and a Sodbuster, or a Vantage and a 110).
I could do pretty much all of that with two knives, and have in the past.
And maybe, when I'm done exploring and testing and experimenting, I may go back to carrying two.
Or maybe not. I've "grown accustomed to her face" where cutlery is concerned, and carrying fewer than three just feels wrong. -
(Perhaps worth noting is that the only knife I carry that "shows" is the Leatherman Wave [in a leather snap pouch]; the full-sized folder lives in a plain black horizontal nylon pouch on my belt, with no markers identifying it as a knife. The only other time a knife is "evident" is when I carry the Paradigm, and all that shows is the clip.)
