bought a new knive, seeking advice

[scottgun]

I just bought an Emerson Mini Commander. This is by far the best knife that I own. My old trusty folder is a Buck Odyssey, which I have carried and used all the time. The Buck has served me well over the years but I had a few extra dollars and the bug to get a nice new knife. I am very impressed by the Commander , it came razor sharp and the wave feature is incredibly fast and slick. I have a few questions to those who carry high quality folders (HQF).

Do you use your HQF for daily tasks, such as opening boxes, envelopes or packages? Or do you carry a second knife for daily tasks and carry the HQF for self defense purposes only? Deploying the Commander is so much fun and using for everyday tasks is good practice to become familiar with it. I don't really want to carry another folder on my belt, people think I'm a little nuts as it is. I do have a keychain knife, but its not nearly as effective as the Emerson. If I keep using it for daily tasks, the blade will dull and I won't have a razor sharp edge necessary for a good self defense knife.

Do you ever let anyone use your HQF? When out and about, a friend or someone will need a knife and inevitably they ask me because I always have one, its an Eagle Scout thing. With the Buck it wasn't a big deal to let someone borrow it as long as they are not using it as a screw driver, chisel or pry bar. With the Emerson, no one gets to use it but me. Kind of selfish, but I learned long ago how to minimize having something lost or broken.

What's everyones method or strategy with their carry knives? I know a lot of you carry more than two knives, but my thought is less is better, I already carry too much stuff. Am I just being overly cautious? Thanks in advance for your advice. -Scott

(edited for spelling)

 

[fatboyclone]

i use my HQF for everything from opening the mail to cutting threads off of a pair of worn jeans. i will not however pull out my 8+" Benchmade for someone else to use unless they know that i carry it. i dont let people use my knife if i am not around, as i dont want them slicing themseves and giving me a hard time for carrying a sharp knife. [what's the purpose in carrying a dull one??] but for the most part my knife does get used everyday.

enjoy your new knife

 

[Drjones]

Those Emersons are pretty nice knives and a lot of people like them. Congratulations!

Check out www.bladeforums.com for more knife information if you wish. (Be careful; I've bought a lot of blades because of those guys! Knives are addicting!)

I plunked down all the cash for my Strider Tactical GB so that I wouldn't ever need to carry another knife. Despite its huge size and "useless" blade shape (according to some ) it is quite good at delicate tasks and I'm thrilled with it.

Yeah, I use it for opening packages and whatever else I happen to need a knife for.

Be careful loaning out nice knives to people; they might abuse them. My Strider's tough as hell, but I'm not going to use it as a hammer or prybar unless I *have* to and unless the proper tool isn't available. Darned if I'm going to let some yahoo abuse my baby that way.

Now, whether to keep a separate knife for SD is a whole other issue. There are several factors to keep in mind;

- Blade shapes that are ideal for everyday chores aren't usually the best for defensive purposes, thus a good idea to get a blade designed for SD.

- Your SD blade should be as sharp as physically possible at all times. Unless you sharpen very often, this is another good reason to get a dedicated SD blade and not use it for other chores.

Just my opinions....

 

[Sir Galahad]

I don't cut anything with the folders I carry. My place of employment has to provide me wth carton cutters when they want things cut. They won't pay me wear-and-tear on my knives and whetstones, so they don't get my folders as part of the package with my employment. It's like my wallet and credit cards---they don't get to use those either. People do not get to use or handle my knives. They're personal items. I don't ask to use or handle their personal items, so they can't use mine. I don't carry a second knife to cut with. I pack a steak knife in my lunch box if I'll be cutting food that day. Cutting food with your folder is a good way to get food poisoning. Food juices get into the nooks and crannies of your folder and in your pocket, the bacteria multiplies in there. Then you transfer it on to the next food you cut. I might use my folder in a pinch if I absolutely have to cut something open if it's a plastic bag or paper. But opening cardboard? No way. If you've ever seen the Silver Valley knife sharpening wheel, you know it's a set of cardboard wheels. So you know how hard cardboard can be on a blade.

 

[hso]

'Jones is correct, a knife intended for self defense should not be used for everyday work. Think of using your carry gun as a hammer/nailpuller/wheelchock! Besides the obvious safety problems there's a good chance it might not work the way you need it to when your life is on the line. Same for your knives. As to loaning a knife to someone, I tend to just cut whatever they need cut for them. It certainly means that the knife won't get misused, no one is as risk of injury from improper use and is "returned" clean.Carry your buck, keep it sharp, use it for day to day task.