Do you carry some type of knife or multi-tool with you on most days, alongside wallet/phone/keys?

  • Yes - explain what and why.

    Votes: 139 15.5%
  • No - explain why?

    Votes: 758 84.5%

  • Total voters
    897

Mivey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,959
What? Carrying a knife with me around? That's just silly.

After all, when I'm carrying my trusty Husqvarna (or Husy as I like to call him) around, why would I ever need a puny knife?
h110-0459.png
 

Deleted member 8468

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
9,109
As this thread carries on, it's genuinely strange to me that so many consider a small pocket knife to be a weapon. I understand it being illegal to carry one in some countries and that probably affects perception.

Thinking of it now thanks to this thread, I feel like if I ever did try to use a pocket knife as self defense, I would probably just piss off my attacker further, and increase the likelihood of us both being severely injured. It's just never been classified in my mind as a weapon.
 

Onebadlion

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,191
I've never found myself wishing I carried a pocket knife whilst going about my normal day to day.
 

CHC

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,254
Literally never in my life have I needed a tool of any kind when I am not (a) at home or (b) camping. Like what am I going to start tightening screws on the subway, or using a knife to open my granola bar? Not necessary unless your job calls for it or for some reason your life is very rugged.
 

robox

Member
Nov 10, 2017
971
whenever i see pics of edc, the profile fits a male, probably age 25-35 and white. that would explain their infatuation with, and ability to carry a knife without getting arrested.



on the other hand, i'd think my mom would love to carry a knife with her on trips, because she's also carrying a buncha fruit to snack on. not any sort of fancy foldable knife, but a small kitchen knife wrapped in a paper towel or something.
 

Mammoth Jones

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,382
New York
As this thread carries on, it's genuinely strange to me that so many consider a small pocket knife to be a weapon. I understand it being illegal to carry one in some countries and that probably affects perception.

Thinking of it now thanks to this thread, I feel like if I ever did try to use a pocket knife as self defense, I would probably just piss off my attacker further, and increase the likelihood of us both being severely injured. It's just never been classified in my mind as a weapon.

I've just never needed it and I couldn't even use it for self defense so I just don't see the point. If I wasn't working a desk job I could see it being useful for work related shit like cutting/opening shit. But otherwise, meh.
 

Crashman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,173
I don't. Its just wallet, phone, keys, and headphones. If necessary, I use the keys as a knife, but it doesn't come up often.
 

Tempy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,334
Does this count?

1-dece41503b-n9106.jpg


That little knife is used for opening packages.

I actually use the nail clipper a lot too which is why I got this swiss army knife variant instead of others.
 

pokeystaples

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,426
Yup, and I have one of those personal alarms attached to my backpack.

My hours used to have me out at BART before the sun and I'm a smaller woman. It might not do much, but I'm grabbing some dna if I can.
 

Deleted member 8468

User requested account closure
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Oct 26, 2017
9,109
I've just never needed it and I couldn't even use it for self defense so I just don't see the point. If I wasn't working a desk job I could see it being useful for work related shit like cutting/opening shit. But otherwise, meh.
Again, I don't know a single person who carries a knife with the idea or intent it will help protect them in any way. It's a tool. I get not needing one and that's fine, it's the weapon definition part that's strange to me.

Just like I would never carry a multitool again (I did in the past) because I just don't need all the extra bulk in my pocket. Different people have different needs in their lives.
 

NervousXtian

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,503
Usually have my Sebenza on me. Comes in handy. People afraid of pocket knives confuse me. And it's funny people who say they never need one borrow mine a lot
 

nullref

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,074
As this thread carries on, it's genuinely strange to me that so many consider a small pocket knife to be a weapon. I understand it being illegal to carry one in some countries and that probably affects perception.

Thinking of it now thanks to this thread, I feel like if I ever did try to use a pocket knife as self defense, I would probably just piss off my attacker further, and increase the likelihood of us both being severely injured. It's just never been classified in my mind as a weapon.

Yeah, it's one thing to have no day-to-day use for one personally—I don't these days—but it's another to not understand how someone with a different job or lifestyle could find it useful, and to think of it exclusively in terms of being a weapon or for self-defense or some kind of macho posturing, as is prevalent in this thread. Even in places with restrictive knife laws, a non-locking folding knife with a blade less than 3 inches or so (e.g. a Swiss Army knife) is legal almost everywhere in the world.

I've worked office jobs most of my adult life—not much need to carry a pocket knife every day. But I worked summer jobs when I was younger in warehouses, or doing outdoor labor—pretty useful then.
 

Mammoth Jones

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,382
New York
Again, I don't know a single person who carries a knife with the idea or intent it will help protect them in any way. It's a tool. I get not needing one and that's fine, it's the weapon definition part that's strange to me.

Just like I would never carry a multitool again (I did in the past) because I just don't need all the extra bulk in my pocket. Different people have different needs in their lives.

Oh, gotcha. Yea I don't consider someone carrying a small pocket knife a weapon wielder. Usually it's on a Swiss Army knife. Just never really needed.

Agreed about the need. Just cause I don't need it doesn't mean others don't. When I worked in shipping, we all kept blades by our stations. Was a requirement, lol.
 

NottJim

Animation Programmer
Verified
Oct 30, 2017
699
I linked to this before, but I think it's worth putting here in entirety just to emphasis how different it is in the UK.

https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives

Selling, buying and carrying knives
The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife is 4 years in prison and an unlimited fine. You'll get a prison sentence if you're convicted of carrying a knife more than once.

Basic laws on knives
It's illegal to:
  • sell a knife to anyone under 18, unless it has a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less
  • carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it has a folding blade with a cutting edge 3 inches long or less
  • carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
  • use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife)
Scotland
In Scotland, 16 to 18 year olds are allowed to buy cutlery and kitchen knives.

Lock knives
Lock knives are not classed as folding knives and are illegal to carry in public without good reason. Lock knives:
  • have blades that can be locked and refolded only by pressing a button
  • can include multi-tool knives - tools that also contain other devices such as a screwdriver or can opener
Banned knives and weapons
It is illegal to bring into the UK, sell, hire, lend or give anyone the following:
  • butterfly knives (also known as 'balisongs') - a blade hidden inside a handle that splits in the middle
  • disguised knives - a blade or sharp point hidden inside what looks like everyday objects such as a buckle, phone, brush or lipstick
  • flick knives (also known as 'switchblades' or 'automatic knives') - a blade hidden inside a handle which shoots out when a button is pressed
  • gravity knives
  • stealth knives - a knife or spike not made from metal (except when used at home, for food or a toy)
  • zombie knives - a knife with a cutting edge, a serrated edge and images or words suggesting it is used for violence
  • swords, including samurai swords - a curved blade over 50cm (with some exceptions, such as antiques and swords made to traditional methods before 1954)
  • sword-sticks - a hollow walking stick or cane containing a blade
  • push daggers
  • blowpipes ('blow gun')
  • telescopic truncheons - extend automatically by pressing button or spring in the handle
  • batons - straight, side-handled or friction-lock truncheons
  • hollow kubotans - a cylinder-shaped keychain holding spikes
  • shurikens (also known as 'shaken', 'death stars' or 'throwing stars')
  • kusari-gama - a sickle attached to a rope, cord or wire
  • kyoketsu-shoge - a hook-knife attached to a rope, cord or wire
  • kusari (or 'manrikigusari') - a weight attached to a rope, cord, wire
  • hand or foot-claws
  • knuckledusters
Contact your local police to check if a knife or weapon is illegal.

Good reasons for carrying a knife or weapon
Examples of good reasons to carry a knife or weapon in public can include:
  • taking knives you use at work to and from work
  • taking it to a gallery or museum to be exhibited
  • if it'll be used for theatre, film, television, historical reenactment or religious purposes, for example the kirpan some Sikhs carry
  • if it'll be used in a demonstration or to teach someone how to use it
A court will decide if you've got a good reason to carry a knife or a weapon if you're charged with carrying it illegally.
 

Pankratous

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,325
I can't think of a single reason that I would ever require a knife on my person. I'm not Indiana fucking Jonesing my way to work and back.
 

w0rm

Member
Nov 28, 2017
65
Small Swiss Army on my keychain with knife, bottle opener, philips/flathead screwdriver, nail file, scissors, tweezers, and toothpick. Super useful and always on hand.
 
Oct 29, 2017
264
I keep a small (1.4 inch) knife on my keychain (Kershaw Cinder). It gets used frequently to open packages, bottles, and other miscellaneous tasks.
 

Deleted member 6949

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,786
I carry a knife, and a lighter, and Wikipedia on a flash drive in case I'm the only one who survives.
 

Zippedpinhead

Fallen Guardian
Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,817
I voted "yes". So I wanted to stop and say what I have and why.

I have a leatherman micro multi-tool attached to my keychain. It's small (2.5in) when collapsed and had one blade of 2in within, it also has a philips screwdriver, flat-head screwdriver, scissors, a can-openerAND a nail file.

I found it on the last day of my spring semester freshman year (about 16 years ago) and I use it all the time. Having a pair of scissors and a small screwdriver on you all the time is really helpful in engineering And even now in my job (when I have to do lab work), the knife works more as a letter opener than anything else (though I have used it to cut food when desperate once).

overall I find it indispensable having the tiny multi-tool, though I could not imagine having anything larger, and if the knife where not on there (for one reason or another) I would still bring it around
 

Like the hat?

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,624
I wouldn't even know how to use my skeletool as a weapon effectively. I just have it for things like opening packages or cutting the occasional string. The pliers come in handy way more than the knife, though.
 

Pyccko

"This guy are sick"
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,882
I have a little chinese Bugout knockoff from Wish. it weighs like an ounce so I can keep it in my pocket and basically not even know it's there. I pretty much only use it to open packages and junk when I'm out of the house.

JbPwx3E.jpg
 

Rex Griswold

Member
Oct 29, 2017
221
And yet brandishing either is an easy way to make anyone uncomfortable.

Bro, how you gonna compare pulling a knife out to cut like a stubborn package open to pulling out a gun?

Like, I get what you're saying if all the yes people were saying 'hell yeah brother, I flip my knife open as a greeting', but almost all the yes answers are some form of 'yeah, I forget I have it/I feel like it's a useful tool'.

Fear of guns, sure, I get it, that's a very specific item. Knives? A knife is a tool that can be used as a weapon, but is generally used as a tool.
 

Old Man Spike

Member
Oct 29, 2017
2,063
United States
Yes. Here's my current everyday carry knife:

Link (Youtube)

kershaw.kaiusa.com

Scallion

<p>With its 2.25-inch blade, the Scallion is a smaller knife, perfect for pocket or purse carry. Yet it can handle just about any cutting task you’d ask it to—from breaking down a cardboard box to cutting twine to cutting apple slices for

I've built up a small collection of pocket knives over the years, some larger and some smaller than this one and I'll carry those too, but this is the one that I've usually got on me every day as it's next to my wallet/keys on the counter. I also had an everyday carry knife for work (Gerber EAB Lite), but last year my employer instituted a "safety knives only" policy so we were issued those crappy plastic retractable knives with rounded edges, that can't cut much other than thin cardboard. That Gerber was great for work because you could quickly change the blade whenever it dulled, so it was always sharp.

Seeing some of the reactions in this thread is weird. I've been carrying a pocket knife every day pretty much since junior high, and the male members of the family have all carried pocket knives with them.
 
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SquirrelSr

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,049
You'd be surprise how handy having a cutting tool on your person is. I carry around a small multitool. The knife isn't sharp enough to be used as anything other than a letter opener though.
 

CthulhuSars

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,907
I have carried a knife almost my entire life. Nothing big but it is a huge part of my edc right now I have a shinola/benchmade 485. Knives are useful for all sorts of things such as cutting open packages.

One should always carry a comb, knife, pen, wallet, and watch at a minimum.
 
Oct 25, 2017
26,560
Bro, how you gonna compare pulling a knife out to cut like a stubborn package open to pulling out a gun?

Like, I get what you're saying if all the yes people were saying 'hell yeah brother, I flip my knife open as a greeting', but almost all the yes answers are some form of 'yeah, I forget I have it/I feel like it's a useful tool'.

Fear of guns, sure, I get it, that's a very specific item. Knives? A knife is a tool that can be used as a weapon, but is generally used as a tool.
Well, I'm black. So I don't have the luxury of "it's just a tool". For the most unnecessary shit a key can also do

Not referring to the people that NEED it for work, but those that can't eat an apple without one apparently.
 
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PirateHearts

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,695
North Texas
Nah. Back in the day, I used a Victorinox Swiss Army knife as a keychain but then I forgot to put it in my luggage before going through airport security and it got confiscated and I just stopped doing that. Can't say I've ever missed it.
 

hikarutilmitt

"This guy are sick"
Member
Dec 16, 2017
11,528
I carry a cheap knife with a sheath that resembles a key and a 16GB USB3 drive with one FAT32 partition in front that holds a custom Arch Linux installation ISO and has extra space for using our work printer to print and scan documents. The other 15GB or so is an encrypted exFAT partition to store files I may be transporting to and from home (mostly rips of CDs I buy or documents I need to scan).
 
Oct 25, 2017
5,846
As a former Scout, I used to carry pocket knives around with me all the time, but the increasing security post-9/11 in DC killed that habit. Was losing too many knives and multitools to security checkpoints.

Got through three I think international flights before they finally pulled the tiny keychain swiss army knife I forgot was there.
 

kazinova

Member
Oct 27, 2017
944
Bro, how you gonna compare pulling a knife out to cut like a stubborn package open to pulling out a gun?

Like, I get what you're saying if all the yes people were saying 'hell yeah brother, I flip my knife open as a greeting', but almost all the yes answers are some form of 'yeah, I forget I have it/I feel like it's a useful tool'.

Fear of guns, sure, I get it, that's a very specific item. Knives? A knife is a tool that can be used as a weapon, but is generally used as a tool.
Basically saying what I wanted to point out. Almost everyone replying yes or with an example is just stating "yes, I use it somewhat frequently. It's handy to have on me".

But a quarter of the no responses have to ridicule anyone who does as someone compensating.

If the laws in your area allow for a small folding knife, then let people like things. I like having a quality < 3" folder around. You don't have to have one. Thanks for signaling all the virtue though, I get it, you are very modern and do not need any tools in your daily life, that's totally fine. I fully support your choice to do that.
 
Oct 25, 2017
26,560
Basically saying what I wanted to point out. Almost everyone replying yes or with an example is just stating "yes, I use it somewhat frequently. It's handy to have on me".

But a quarter of the no responses have to ridicule anyone who does as someone compensating.

If the laws in your area allow for a small folding knife, then let people like things. I like having a quality < 3" folder around. You don't have to have one. Thanks for signaling all the virtue though, I get it, you are very modern and do not need any tools in your daily life, that's totally fine. I fully support your choice to do that.
No one is virtue signaling, just pointing out it's a bit extra for SOME people to try to sell it as a necessary daily carry.
 

Sir Hound

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,220
No because I don't live in a fucking forest

Edit: All I carry is my phone and keys. I took my wallet down to a card holder and noticed I don't even use that any more so mostly stopped carrying that. I just bought a point and shoot camera that I might keep on me too, depends on how small it actually is. I don't see the knife as a weapon but coming from London which has a serious knife problem I don't think I'd carry one.
 

Unaha-Closp

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,749
Scotland
No. Doesn't really go with an Asthma Inhaler and a Kindle. Nothing I do requires a knife that doesn't involve food and I generally only eat at home so no I do not carry a knife.
 

Deleted member 9241

Oct 26, 2017
10,416
Anyone that views a pocket knife as a weapon first and foremost before considering it a tool gets the side eye from me. I'm currently finishing up renovations on an upstairs bedroom and I used my knife about a dozen times yesterday on everything from box opening to cutting painters tape from windows, paint scraping, and marking measurements. I keep one in my SUV, always take one when doing outdoor activities like biking/camping/fishing/hiking, and I also keep one in my desk drawer. I have 3 knives total, all of them are 2-3 inches with locking blades and thumb studs for single handed use.

This is probably another rural vs urban / blue collar vs white collar litmus test.
 

nullref

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,074
This is probably another rural vs urban / blue collar vs white collar litmus test.

Probably, yes, but I can also certainly sympathize with black people that feel it's not an option for them regardless because of how they might be treated by police as a result. Sadly it's a privilege to feel like you can just carry a pocket knife with impunity.
 

pikablu

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,327
No because being in school for 12 years ingrained into me if someone knew i had it even in my car, I'd be in deep shit. Never lost that fear.

I do have scizzors in my car though.