Pocket knives in the shop..

[markus shaffer]

Was wondering how many of us here carry a pocket knife in the shop and use it as an everyday tool? If so, what do you use?

-Markus

[Lee Schierer]

I've carried a Buck #303 pocket knife for years. It gets used in the shop from time to time since it is nearly always in my pocket. I sometimes forget I have it which is getting to be a problem with all the security checks that are popping up most everywhere these days.

[Mike Holbrook]

I try not to go anywhere without my pocket knife, it comes in handy to often. the airlines have become a little fussy about them though :)

I carry an Avenger Recurve by RJ Martin. It is about as tough and functional as they come IMHO.

http://www.martinsite.com/knives.shtml

[Charlie Woods]

I carry a leatherman super tool and a small flashlight with me in a belt pouch. I use it 10- 20 times a day, whether it is the blade or one of the other tools, it has become an indispensable part of my daily activities; even used it to cut myself out of my seatbelt after my wreck.( truck was smoking and about to catch on fire).

[Roy Wall]

I try not to go anywhere without my pocket knife, it comes in handy to often. the airlines have become a little fussy about them though :)

I carry an Avenger Recurve by RJ Martin. It is about as tough and functional as they come IMHO.

http://www.martinsite.com/knives.shtml
Yea.....I bet you'd lose that one at the airport.....

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I carry a pocket knife every day. I use it at work at least once a week. I work in an office building, so I am sure someday there will be a rule against it. However, I will carry mine until I can't. Whenever I am working on a job site I carry a gerber multi plier.

[Lincoln Myers]

I got in the habit when I was younger from my Grandpa and Dad. They always had one and used it a lot.

The one I carry is a lock-back folder from A.G. Russell, you can see it here:

http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_maker/a_through_d/a_g_russell_knives/folding_knives/a_g_russell_mini_lockback_white_bone_handle.html

I really like the quality of this knife and it seems to stay sharp forever. I also have come to really like the A.G. Russell company, they just seem like good folks.

One of the nice things about them is their guarantee:
"We guarantee total satisfaction. You, the customer, decide what satisfaction is. You decide how long you are entitled to be satisfied...
"

No relation to company, just a satisfied customer.

What do you carry Markus?

-Linc.

[Wes Newman]

I carry a knife everyday. I second that for A.G. Russell. I used to live in Northwest Arkansas, where A.G. has his show room. Great knives and great customer service. I got a wallet from them for Christmas about four years ago, it's made out of Stingray and shows minimal wear, real top notch stuff they carry.

[Gary Breckenridge]

:) I think you will want a reasonably priced American made lockback pocket knife. The lockback is so that the knife will not close and slice up your knuckle. I use a Case mini Blackhorn, about $17. A Gerber LST is also a good choice, $20.:o

[Roger Fitzsimonds]

I carry a swiss army knife everyday. I feel undressed without it. I keep a Buck folder in my truck if I need a bigger knife. I bent the scissors and sent it back to the factory and they compleatly reconditioned it for free ( or the shipping to them).

Roger

[Jim Becker]

Nope. I don't even own a pocket knife anymore. And my Leatherman was retired post 9-11 since I can't carry it when I travel, anyway. The only knife I use in the shop is a standard utility knife.

[Mike Holbrook]

Actually I think it is possible to check a pocket knife at check in and get it on return or at most destinations.

I have forgotten I had one and left it at baggage claim & picked it up on my return before. Back when I use to travel every week you could dump one in the tray with change & no one even glanced at it. I think I would take a swiss army or something else on a trip. The Martin is big enough to get me out of the many blackberry entanglements I fight through on a regular basis.

If you had police dogs chasing you through the woods on a regular basis you would have a big one too :)

[Bob Winkler]

Nope, only knife I use is a Japanese marking knife in the shop.

What I do carry with me at work is a small screwdriver with slot and philips heads. Can sometimes act as a knife, and very useful for general electronics work.

Bob

[Gary Herrmann]

A bit more durable than my Swiss Army was (scissors at least) and isn't as long, so is more comfortable in my pocket. In the shop, I usually have my old beat up Spyderco in my pocket, but use a marking knife for marking.

[Bill Ryall]

Leatherman PST all the time at work;

Gerber ARS 3.0 all the time. Everywhere. Only exception is the airport.

My grandfather gave me a few pieces of advice when he was on his deathbed. One of them was ALWAYS carry a knife. It is an indispensable tool.

Bill R.

[Tom Scott]

Yep, I carry one always. Even though I work in an office, it always comes in handy. A little 2-blade, German made Hen & Rooster brand...for me it's the perfect size to carry. I'm careful not to take it when I travel since I've had it for 10+ years now, but back in the day I could walk through airport security with it in my pocket and my steel watch on, and the metal detector would never go off. I remember I bought it when travelling with the family through Tennessee...saw a billboard for Knife World outside Knoxville and just had to stop.

Not used in the shop, though. I've got other knives for those applications.

Tom

[Randy Meijer]

The title asked about "POCKET" knives so some have been a little off-topic and I will follow the trend. Can't remember when or why I started carrying a pocket knife or what the first one was. If I had to guess, it was probably a BSA pocket knife acquired sometime during my days as a Scout. Today I carry two knives and use one or the other several times per day. The workhorse is my Gerber Alligator Lockback that hangs on my belt. But I also have a little 2" Winchester pocket knife that comes out for the more delicate jobs. I used to carry a Leatherman; but started walking with a tilt so it is now relegated to temporary duty as needed.

[Ted Shrader]

Markus -

I have a knife in my pocket everyday and carry it everywhere - unless specifically prohibited. When flying, it goes in the outside pocket of checked baggage so it can be returned to its normal location upon landing.

So, do I have a knife in the shop? Yes. Does it get used? Yes. Swiss Army Knife - Tinkerer.

Ted

[Bob Noles]

I keep my Leatherman combo at my bench at all times. Like the saying goes... don't leave home (shop) without it.

[Al Lupone]

I agree with Gary. I've been carrying a Soyderco with a heavy duty drop point blade for over 20 years. I feel naked without it. It's rugged enough that I used it in the computer room prying up the 20 lb raised floor tiles & then turning around & slicing up wires & cables. In the shop I reach for it all the time. Cut double sided carpet tape, pry off stuck on glue drops, slice up the boxes that the UPS guy drops off. You get the picture. I once dropped it off the dock in 30' of water with a murky silt covered bottom. Put on my dive gear, went down & after half an hour in 1' visibility finally found it.

Al

[John Longwitz]

...carried a large Craftsman brand for over 20 years and finally lost, or misplaced it a month ago. Got a Case XX to replace it. I use the large clip point blade quite a bit but the sheepfoot one the most.

[Jim Dunn]

Quit carring one when I kept loosing them. Use a utility knife now. Use a traditional spinny type pencil sharpener.

[Tyler Howell]

Now you did it. You hit a nerve. "Won't leave home with out it."

These are the are daily carriers. Have a bunch of Leatherman type multi tools but they fall into the RAS/Shop Smith department for me.
The Spyderco Harpie and Mariner are my favorites.
Like hand planes, it's an addiction:o

[Per Swenson]

Unfortunately I suffer from the disease CRS.
I compensate for this brain dysfunction
by purchasing yellow Stanley razor knifes
in large quantities.
I have permanently misplaced untold numbers of these tools,
along with schrade lock backs and leathermans.
The only way my accountant would let me purchase
a 500 dollar knife, is if I epoxied it in a cabinet.
But I sure would like one.


Per

[Jim Stastny]

Man, I'm a pocket knife junkie :p I own several. Use them all the time. I find just about any will do for most use. If I were to chose just one I would go with one with at least two blades if not three. In the shop I like to use a Stanley utility knife with disposable blades. I don't want to dull my good knives. One word of advice; keep your knives sharp. One of the most dangerous tools around is a dull knife.

[Bob Johnson2]

Swiss Army Tinker, been carrying it for 25 years, well that's not quite right, I think I've had 3 of them over those years. Used to carry them everywhere, 911 took care of them while traveling. I use it at least a dozen times a day for anything from stripping and cutting wire to peeling an orange. The philips head screwdriver it has makes it indispensible at work (electronics). I've even sent them back to the manufacturer a couple times when they start to loosen up, get a free new one back in a month or so. I keep a spare in my dresser for the times I have to send one off or god forbid, misplace it...

[Mike Cutler]

Well , since Tyler got to show me his knives, I'll show some of mine.
I usually have a Black Mamba Stiletto with me.Great little knife I got on closeout years ago. I keep knives in all the vehicles, in the toolboxes and in the shop also. I usually use an Xacto in the shop tho'. most pocket knives are too coarse for use in the shop, although I have some Boker's that would do nicely.
I've given away more Gerber folders than I can remember, I just don't like them, no good reason, just don't. I get them as gifts so I give them to people who like them. I've had two Leatherman's, I gave those away also. I work with live energized circuits, and that is just too dangerous a tool to have at the ready. Someday I'll learn to fish, and maybe I'll get a leatherman.
That SOG Bowie at the top of the pic would get you arrested most places nowadays, but it's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, especially for a tactical knife.
I guess like Tyler, I have a slight fetish/problem. Hi my name is Mike and......

[Ian Barley]

I have a Gerber which I carry in the van when making deliveries. Has saved the day several times when nothing else was available.

In the shop I use one of the many Stanley(utility) knives which I have scattered around.

[Dan Mages]

There is no better way to open a box than with my Gerber lockback knife. It is an indispensable tool. I also have a Gerber multi tool that gets occasional use. I like that Gerber made thier multitools ambiadextrous. My third knife is a left handed Werner pocket knife, but that one has been retired due to heavy use and light construction.

Dan

[Keith Christopher]

Al Mar Osprey. http://www.almarknives.com/catalog_2005.shtm
Black Micarta handle. After the army I worked in a custom knife shop and I was so impressed with the Al Mar knives I had to own one.

[Keith Christopher]

Now you did it. You hit a nerve. "Won't leave home with out it."

These are the are daily carriers. Have a bunch of Leatherman type multi tools but they fall into the RAS/Shop Smith department for me.
The Spyderco Harpie and Mariner are my favorites.
Like hand planes, it's an addiction:o

Tyler,

Very good choice in spyderco for a paramedic. ;)


Keith

[Cecil Arnold]

Haven't been without a pocket knife for the past 45 years or so. Boy Scouts seem to know that having a good pocket knife is part of being prepaired. As a firefighter in Houston, I always needed one to cut a car seat or matress or whatever else needed cutting. I've carried Case, Buck, Puma, and some other that you may have heard of, all lock blades, but currently (for the past 15 years or so) I have been carrying an Al Marr design made by Seki, using an ATS-34 blade that holds an edge pretty well no matter how I try to abuse it. Even though I have marking and striking knives it is often the pocket knife that comes out as it is closer and handy. Scraping, cutting, substitute Awl, or just being crude and cleaning your fingernails are easily handeled. And, as someone said earlier, it goes in the outside pocket of the suitcase when I fly. Don't leave home without it.

[Roger Bell]

I carry a knife as a go-to utilitarian tool wherever I go and always have. For everyday use, I carry a Benchmade folder with an Osborne style locking and release mechanism and a pocket clip. The steel (154 CM) is superior to most factory made knives and the design is technologically quite advanced. I believe that it among the very best of the one hand opening knives out there. While I do use marking knives, exacto and ordinary utility knifes as well in the shop, I feel I must have a good folding knife in the pocket as well.

[D. Sheldon Best]

I carry a pocket knife just about always, even to church. It is surprizing how many times I'm asked if I have I knife. I carry a Shrade Old Timer Junior and I use it constantly.

[Adrian Rogers]

I carry a Benchmade 705, and on the rare occasion that I forget it, I find myself reaching for it multiple times and have to kick myself for forgetting it. When other guys at work ask to borrow my knife, I hand it over and say "You know, you're old enough to carry one yourself now."

[Mike Holbrook]

Ok I have a little addiction too since Tyler started it. My name is... I have a Spyderco, monogramed present from the Macon, GA Police Department K9 Unit so I am afraid to carry it. They make a nice knife very popular with police officers and EMT's. I have had a couple with the Spyderco serrations too. Shall we debate serrations or no serrations now?

[Joe Mioux]

I have my pocket knife in my hand, probably 2-4 hours everyday. It is my main tool at work.

I used to use some really good expensive knives, but kept losing them. The best one was a Bear, damascus (sp?) steel. Lost it. Now I use a freebie Gerber knife.

Joe

[Allan Johanson]

I almost always carry a small no-name folder with a thumb stud. I can open it in a fraction of a second so it's always ready to open boxes, trim things, etc. No pics of that though. I also have over a dozen other knives and swords, including this throwing knife. If this could fit in my pocket I'd carry it all the time. I don't think the cops would like that though. :D

Cheers,

Allan