Pocket/Folder knives

nddons

Touchdown! Greaser!
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I'm looking for a replacement for my Victorinox (which is now with my daughter in Ireland - long story.)

Anyway, I've carried a pocketknife forever. The Swiss Army knives seemed to suit me well, but I didn't like not having a locking, more substantial blade. I would be willing to carry a larger knife, though I need to keep it in my pocket vs. on a clip. Often what works well in jeans may not work well in dress pants.

Victorinox has started to make some knives with locking blades, including ones which can be opened single handed, which I will look into. I've never owned a Gerber knife, but I've heard good things about them. Otherwise I'm not really familiar with other brands.



Some other thoughts:
  • Locking blade, one handed open, non-serrated preferred.
  • I like certain Swiss Army knife tools (bottle opener, scissors, etc), but would be willing to give up for a good blade.
  • I've seen both Gerber and Victorinox knives with "seat belt cutter" blades - I don't know if that's a gimmick vs. a standard blade, but might be nice to have in the car and plane.
  • I'm still in the market for a Leatherman or multi-tool, but I think that's overkill and too large for daily carry. It would stay in my flight bag, and I want something for the pocket.
Perhaps my perfect knife doesn't exist, but any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
I've carried a Kershaw GWO 3000A for at least 25 years, maybe longer. Single locking blade, very flat profile, tacky rubber cover that prevents it from sliding out of pockets. Takes two hands to open, or one hand and some teeth, but a tradeoff I can live with. I liked the case so much I found an iphone case of similar rubber.

I think I've got one of every kind of leatherman, Gerber and Swiss knife-tool ever made stuck in tackle boxes, glove boxes, airplane pouches and toolbags and desk drawers, they's some thangs a man just can't have too many of.

I'm looking for a replacement for my Victorinox (which is now with my daughter in Ireland - long story.)

Anyway, I've carried a pocketknife forever. The Swiss Army knives seemed to suit me well, but I didn't like not having a locking, more substantial blade. I would be willing to carry a larger knife, though I need to keep it in my pocket vs. on a clip. Often what works well in jeans may not work well in dress pants.

Victorinox has started to make some knives with locking blades, including ones which can be opened single handed, which I will look into. I've never owned a Gerber knife, but I've heard good things about them. Otherwise I'm not really familiar with other brands.




Some other thoughts:
  • Locking blade, one handed open, non-serrated preferred.
  • I like certain Swiss Army knife tools (bottle opener, scissors, etc), but would be willing to give up for a good blade.
  • I've seen both Gerber and Victorinox knives with "seat belt cutter" blades - I don't know if that's a gimmick vs. a standard blade, but might be nice to have in the car and plane.
  • I'm still in the market for a Leatherman or multi-tool, but I think that's overkill and too large for daily carry. It would stay in my flight bag, and I want something for the pocket.
Perhaps my perfect knife doesn't exist, but any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
The Gerber multitool that I used to have probably fit most of what you're looking at. It had most of the same tools as the Swiss Army knife, good quality, locking blade. Blade was serrated, but I liked that personally. Right now I carry a large Swiss Army knife with lots of tools. I liked my Gerber better, but this one has some sentimental value.

Wait, Wayne has an iPhone?
 
It depends what you need. I carry a Benchmade folder of which I have several of varying blade lengths depending on what Iam doing and where I am going. They are high quality and their Axis lock mechanism is very sturdy. I also have a locking Swiss Army Knife (SAK) that I will carry or multitool.

For flying, my blade list often looks like this. Blame flying in the Rockies for three years.

Flightbag:
Leatherman Multitool
Falkniven F1 Fixed blade knife

Pocket:
Benchmade Griptillian or Benchmade Osborne folder

Leg:
Bark River Bravo-1 or ESEE (Rat Cultery) RC-5 (fixed blades)

Survival Kit:
SAK
Ontario Knife Fixed Blade

Overkill? Well, the philosophy is that what is not attached to you is baggage, like to have a knife or two on my person to cut myself out of seat belts, plexi and/or aluminum should I need to. YMMV.
 
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I am a fan of small Case knives. All I usually need is a sharp blade and a point. But thanks to the TSA I have gotten out of the habit of having the knife with me all the time. I am at the metal tube airport so often I am afraid I will forget to remove it and then have it taken away.
 
I am a fan of small Case knives. All I usually need is a sharp blade and a point. But thanks to the TSA I have gotten out of the habit of having the knife with me all the time. I am at the metal tube airport so often I am afraid I will forget to remove it and then have it taken away.

Same here.

I remember flying home on NWA with an 8" Tanto blade stuffed into my laptop case (I was in MT and did some remote fly fishing *after* work -- yeah, that was it -- after work...)
 
Same here.

I remember flying home on NWA with an 8" Tanto blade stuffed into my laptop case (I was in MT and did some remote fly fishing *after* work -- yeah, that was it -- after work...)

I had an "incident" with the TSA not too long ago. I had been travelling a lot for work via car and had one of my large "survival" type knives in my bag for hiking, general use while on the road. It is a relatively large, heavy, five inch blade knife with sheath that contains a fire starter, compass, and small Swiss Army knife.

Guess what? I totally forgot it was in my bag when I went to the airport to board an airliner with my carry on bag. The TSA pulls me out of line after my bag goes through and sits me down in a private room. They ask me if I want to tell them about anything in my bag. I say no. They ask me two more times, I say no twice. Then they pull the knife out of the bag and asks, "what's this for?" I then explained, very embarrassed and after a 20 minute discussion with a supervisor and group of TSA types, they let me go check the bag. Oy vey! :redface:
 
Yes, and you could have one too if you didn't have to maintain that beast.:p

Yeah, I gave up buying fancy things like iPhones and food when I got the Aztec (it's helped me keep my girlish figure). I'm more impressed that you can figure out how to use it, I can't get the hang of them new fangled gadgets. I've not been able to figure out how to use my BlackBerry Tour as a phone much yet. Clay pigeon? Yeah, I think I can figure that out.

You kids with your iPhones and your YouTube... get off my lawn!
 
Who said anything about using it? Fact is, it has proven to be more problematic than the little LG I carried for years. Since I can use it for more things, I take it out of my pocket and put it on the console of the 'burb. Then about half the time I forget it, sometimes for a day or two.

Eh? What's that you said Sonny?



Yeah, I gave up buying fancy things like iPhones and food when I got the Aztec (it's helped me keep my girlish figure). I'm more impressed that you can figure out how to use it, I can't get the hang of them new fangled gadgets. I've not been able to figure out how to use my BlackBerry Tour as a phone much yet. Clay pigeon? Yeah, I think I can figure that out.

You kids with your iPhones and your YouTube... get off my lawn!
 
Who said anything about using it? Fact is, it has proven to be more problematic than the little LG I carried for years. Since I can use it for more things, I take it out of my pocket and put it on the console of the 'burb. Then about half the time I forget it, sometimes for a day or two.

Yeah, I often forget mine in the cupholder of my Excursion. It doesn't happen for long, though, since when that happens I quickly realize it because more than 5 minutes goes by without me hearing it ring.

Eh? What's that you said Sonny?

From an old engineer here regarding headsets:

Old Engineer said:
Headsets? We didn't have headsets! Every single one of us old farts has hearing aids now, why do you think that is? I remember testing the [undisclosed aircraft], that was the loudest ****ing thing you've ever heard, and this one didn't even have any of the insulation in it. It was so loud the guy six inches from me and I were shouting into eachother's ears and we still couldn't hear eachother!
 
I've never been able to find just the right pocketknife. I came close once, then TSA took it (I had been out of town on a job, and use my knife. I had to hurry to the airport to catch my flight, and forgot to take it out of my pocket and drop it in my checked bag.)

I think it was a Gerber, single blade, non-serrated, locking. Can't remember the TSA guy who made me hand it over, I hope he got a lot of good use out of it.

My problem with the multi-tool knives is with their bulk. I'd rather have a flatter knife that fits in my pocket, than a bulkier tool that I need to clip on my belt or in a carrying case. For what I use it for, I don't need the extras.

--

I've traveled to Europe on business a few times. Folks out there were horrified when I used my knife, even though it was only a 2.5 or 3" blade. I couldn't figure it out, they were using folding knives with longer blades. Turns out, the locking part made it very illegal - probably why a Victorinox or Swiss Army brand knife does not normally have a locking blade.
 
I carry a Kershaw leek non-serrated but there are serrated versions. Amazon had the best price I could find. Have a Gerber with a big locking blade and a screwdriver that takes bits stored in the handle it is nice for some things but too big for a pocket. having gotten used to one hand opening, knives that don't have at least thumb stud really annoy me.
 
I carry a Gerber Covert Ops, which isn't made anymore, but the slightly longer Covert is. It's a high quality knife and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. You'll like the one handed opening feature of this style of knife.
 
I flew back from Springfield, MA commercially (unfortunately) last month after attending the S&W Winter IDPA National Championship. One of the Smith guys had given me a commemorative 4" folder while I was there and I just stuck in my purse. I didn't even think about it when I went to board the plane but TSA was so concerned about my metal knees that they apparently didn't really screen my carry on stuff. I just happened to look in my purse before boarding my connection in Detroit and lo and behold, there was my knife. I just had to chuckle as I boarded my connection to XNA. Guess they can't do anything to me now :)
 
I've been carrying a Leatherman Wave for about 10 years now and use it almost every day for one thing or another. It's like my third hand. You get use to the weight after a while. I even wear it to church meetings, weddings, and the like. It's just that when you need it, you won't want to be without it, and it's always fun to have the right tool for the job for someone else as well.

Ryan
 
I've been carrying a Leatherman Wave for about 10 years now and use it almost every day for one thing or another. It's like my third hand. You get use to the weight after a while. I even wear it to church meetings, weddings, and the like. It's just that when you need it, you won't want to be without it, and it's always fun to have the right tool for the job for someone else as well.

Ryan

I do the same thing with a Schrade Multi-Tool. When I'm working on something it saves a lot of running back for another tool, especially when I'm in the tailcone of an airplane or some such inconvenient spot, and it comes out in a flash if someone has something malfunctioning. Their problem sometimes gets fixed before they get finished complaining about it.

Dan
 
I still carry an old Craftsman that I have had since back in the '80's. Not fancy, but serves me well.
 
The thing I like about my SwissTool is that the blades conveniently open from the outside of the tool, as opposed to the Leathermans where you have to open the tool to get to the blades. An added benefit of this is when you open the tool to use the pliers, the blades are now on the "inside" of the plier handles, so they don't hurt your hands when you squeeze the grips. I hope this makes sense.

I wear it on my belt, and use it almost every day. It is, however, a bit bulkier than a pocket knife. So far, I've been fortunate enough to remember to pack it in my carry-on, or leave it at home, when I fly commercially.
 
You could carry one of these, but I prefer the Gerber its not as heavy:
worlds-largest-swiss-army-knife.jpg
 
I had an "incident" with the TSA not too long ago. I had been travelling a lot for work via car and had one of my large "survival" type knives in my bag for hiking, general use while on the road. It is a relatively large, heavy, five inch blade knife with sheath that contains a fire starter, compass, and small Swiss Army knife.

Guess what? I totally forgot it was in my bag when I went to the airport to board an airliner with my carry on bag. The TSA pulls me out of line after my bag goes through and sits me down in a private room. They ask me if I want to tell them about anything in my bag. I say no. They ask me two more times, I say no twice. Then they pull the knife out of the bag and asks, "what's this for?" I then explained, very embarrassed and after a 20 minute discussion with a supervisor and group of TSA types, they let me go check the bag. Oy vey! :redface:

Yeah I have given the TSA guys a nice christmas present. I took a flight from Seattle to San Diego and when i went through Seattle the TSA took my knife. I told him make sure your son enjoys the present. At least he got a chuckle out of it.
 
i just carry a box cutter. pretty cheap at Lowe's so when I forget to take them out of my pocket at the airport I don't cry about TSA getting them.
 
I've forgotten to pack my Swiss Army knife a number of times. TSA always picks it out, tells me I can't bring it, and then I either check a bag or I head down to the post office and mail it. Surprised to hear about getting taken into an interrogation room.
 
No Leatherman fans? I've carried one for 15 years, worn out 6-8 of them. They work great if you don't over do it.
 
The thing I like about my SwissTool is that the blades conveniently open from the outside of the tool, as opposed to the Leathermans where you have to open the tool to get to the blades. An added benefit of this is when you open the tool to use the pliers, the blades are now on the "inside" of the plier handles, so they don't hurt your hands when you squeeze the grips. I hope this makes sense.

I wear it on my belt, and use it almost every day. It is, however, a bit bulkier than a pocket knife. So far, I've been fortunate enough to remember to pack it in my carry-on, or leave it at home, when I fly commercially.
I guess you've never used a Leatherman Wave. Four of the blades come out of the sides and I've yet to give myself a pinch with the Wave.

Ryan
 
No Leatherman fans? I've carried one for 15 years, worn out 6-8 of them. They work great if you don't over do it.

Had mine for at least that long - keep it in my flight bag.

Same here. I have to remember to remove it from my flight bag if I take it on the TSA controlled people movers. Otherwise, the PIC (that be me)wants it there.
 
Leatherman is making a bladeless version of one of their multitools. Cool that they are, sad that there is a market.
 
If you're looking for a good pocket folder you might want to check out Stryder
http://www.striderknives.com/site/ . They're pricy but make incredible blades. The first time they were at the NYC knife show they bought a blade from another booth and cut it in half. Every time since then it's been the Stryder show. My main pocket folder is a Benchmade much like this one http://www.benchmade.com/products/527-USA only longer lol. The only issue have with it is that the belt clamp loosens up every once in a while. Other than that its a great quality steel. Hold its sharpness.
 
I've seen both Gerber and Victorinox knives with "seat belt cutter" blades - I don't know if that's a gimmick vs. a standard blade, but might be nice to have in the car and plane.

I'm calling gimmick. A regular blade will cut a seatbelt just fine.
 
Seatbelt cutters are not a gimmick for first responders, but for everyone else yeah pretty much. The idea is you can quickly cut a belt without risk of cutting yourself or anybody else.
 
I keep a Gerber open-assist when in jeans - it clips nicely to the inside of the pocket, and a small case single blade when in dress pants.

As an obscure sidenote to this topic... When I did a Google search for my particular knife, this is what came up. Notice the area I outlined in yellow. That just cracked me up.... no pun intended... I mean.. If "all holes" were "open and unobstructed", would you really need a pressure assist toilet?! I'm just sayin'...
 

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I have a 20+ year old Victorinox SA 'Huntsman' that I'm never without, but I often carry a larger folder too. My current EDC is a Benchmade Elishewitz-designed Sentinel, alternated sometimes with a CRKT M-16 or a CRKT Pesh-Kabz, both with the Carson flipper, a Kershaw Blur, or a few others, like a Cold Steel or a Lone Wolf. It's not like a guy can have too many knives.....

The Victorinox Swiss Tool is a great multi-tool, but too heavy for everyday carry, particularly with the leather case with the extra bits. I do keep one easily available though.
 
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