Could you EDC only a Ladybug or Manbug?

[TkoK83Spy]

EDC around the house, yes. EDC at work, definitely not!

[Doc Dan]

Certainly, there are things that these knives are not suited to. However, for general EDC tasks, I think they are up to most of them. I'd hate these to be the only knife I had, but there is another thing to consider. What if the situation was such that you needed to secret a knife on your person? These knives are so light and so small that it is easily done.

Another issue is that they are the perfect knife to pull out in a place where people are likely to over react to a larger knife, yet it will still get job done.

[StuntZombie]

Funny, I started doing this at the beginning of this month with a Manbug Wharncliffe. I added a lanyard to aid in grip, but so far it's handled everything I've needed to do, both at work and home. Sadly I deleted the pictures, but I was surprised by how close the Manbug Wharncliffe was to the Dragonfly Wharncliffe as far as edge length goes. The main difference was the size of the handle. In the end, I found the Manbug's handle just worked better for me, and since I carried the Dragonfly without the clip, it carried better in the pocket.

[dan31]

The manbug ZDP-189 was my edc pre covid. Everyday for work. It handles much better than the ladybug and I like the extra belly.

[Sharp Guy]

I use my Manbugs for most things I cut with a pocket knife. So I voted yes. However, I would miss having a bigger option on me.

This little guy has seen a lot of use in the short time I've had it

[RustyIron]

serrations are not ideal for the precision cutting that is sometimes required when working with electronics and electrical systems.

Glad you said that. It's why I never got too excited about carrying a serrated knife. Granted, a pocket knife is rarely the best tool for working on electronics, but it's often the most convenient. Sometimes it's an excellent tool, however, when doing things like cutting the clad on a PCB, delicately slicing a tiny wire, or chopping leads on small components. When the work gets small, super sharp tools are the best.

I think compromised suitability applies to almost all jobs to which a pocket knife might be tasked. It's never going to be the best tool for the job. On any particular day, my pocket knife might be called upon to become a pruning shear, wire stripper, fruit chopper, box cutter, letter opener, sushi slicer, door jimmy, or scissors. I midsize to large folder can be pressed into service for all those tasks. A tiny knife cannot.

The other consideration is that a mid-to-large size knife can be used to defend oneself from those who would do you harm. A Ladybug, for me anyway, just wouldn't make a good defensive weapon. But the Ladybug is great for opening a Hostess Fruit Pie. Try that with your Glock, and it's just going to make a mess all over the cab of your truck.

[vivi]

Could I get by with just a manbug? yeah. it could cut the things I need to cut.

But it would be incredibly uncomfortable to use. It would create more work for me by having to perform more cuts to complete the same task. It would be more cumbersome to retrieve out of my pocket. It would be a lot more difficult to manipulate in my hands. etc. etc.

Could I? Sure. Would I? No.

[JRinFL]

<clip>

But the Ladybug is great for opening a Hostess Fruit Pie. Try that with your Glock, and it's just going to make a mess all over the cab of your truck.

Another signature worthy quote!

[z1r]

Could I? Absolutely, 95% of my cutting needs could be accomplished with either. I already carry a MBS on my keychain, so I do EDC one. But I also carry a ZDP DF2 and a K390 Endela or Spy 27 N5 cuz I can.

I could get by with only the DF2 as well. Or the Endela.

[u.w.]

I'm with vivi on this.

Could I? Yeah, I could...

However, for the reasons vivi stated, and for what I use a knife for and how I use my knives, it would ​be a lot less than ideal for me.

A piece of obsidian, flint, or the like, might be enough to "get by", but again - far from ideal for a long list of things...


For me, the Delica/Salt/Salt2 is the smallest that doesn't cross the "not ideal" line, and it's very close with that one, but...

And to be clear, as some have stated that "edc" for them does NOT mean it would the only knife they will have and use.
For me - it would be the only knife I'd have and use for all the tasks I'd encounter across the days covering a month.

i.e. when I "edc'd" the PacSalt for July. with the exception of using the Jester to halve and quarter an Avocado - the PacSalt was the only knife I carried and used for that month - every day, all day, all tasks, only that knife, for every single thing. It worked very well, I am happy to report.
Of course the PacSalt halved and quartered numerous Avocados over that month. I just wanted to see if the tiny Jester could do it... so I tried it. It can, and I posted that photo.

u.w.

[sal]

You might check out a byrd Starling.

sal

[Wartstein]

It really depends on how "could you" is defined precisely...

- I "could" in the sense that nothing really bad would happen to me, I would not be desperate in the sense that I could no longer cut things that absolutely have to be separated somehow and so on.

- But it would more or less severely impact the comfort and efficiency with which I can do my EDC tasks, and some would be extremely awkward to perform with a Lady-/Manbug (cutting a loaf of bread while on the road, making firewood and so on)

My Salt, or even my REX45 Manix LW (the latter just cutting edge - wise), as much as I love these models, feel small for general EDC

[Pete1977]

I answered yes because I tried this in the past with an old AUS 6 Pride. I probably could do it again but i have bad luck with small knives as in I tend to lose them.

[kodai78]

I won’t but if I had no choice I could make it work. Typically the smallest knife I would EDC is a DF 2. I have a small multi tool with scissors and a little knife blade as an adjunct to whatever folder I’m carrying but I find a larger knife more comfortable and usable.

[James Y]

If the question is ONLY a Manbug or Ladybug, technically I could. There were a LOT of people in decades past whose only EDC knives were small, one or two-blade penknives, whose larger blade was narrower and most likely smaller than either of the ‘Bugs. And there are still many people today whose only carry knife is a SAK Classic…again, its cutting blade is smaller than the Ladybug’s.

I could do a lot of my typical cutting with a small blade, especially how things have been for me the past year and a half. But there are other chores where I’d much rather have at least a 3” or longer blade.

Also, for me, very small knives are sometimes harder to keep track of, especially when they’re as thin and light as the Ladybug is down in my pocket (I don’t own a Manbug so won’t really comment on it). Something at least Delica-sized at least has more of a ‘presence’ in the pocket, where I don’t need to fish around for it.

Jim

[JonLeBlanc]

I could, and have, EDCd a Jester for a year.

[RamZar]

I always have a ManBug H1 Sheepsfoot SpyderEdge on my keychain. It's very handy. Hope to see a ManBug LC200N Wharncliffe SpyderEdge as a replacement since the tip of it has a straight edge which is better for opening packages.

[momano]

My Jester has enough blade, but I'm unable to open it one-handed; I have to vote no.

[cabfrank]

I rarely EDC anything for a month straight. It would be hard for me to do with any knife. On topic though, sure, I could get by with either. Sal once said something about how big of a difference there is between having one of these little knives vs no knife, and it is true. Many of our dads got by with just a pocket slip joint after all.

[Tgmr05]

EDC a ladybug or manbug for a month - absolutely. I have solely carried them for over a month many times. There is a difference in edc and general knife usage, though. While I may only have a manbug on me, there are other knives available close by, either in a vehicle or throughout the home.

Not many people only own one knife. If this were a poll about solely one knife to use for everything for an entire month, then the answer would be no. But for a good, usable, edc pocket knife, absolutely.