What do you use your knives for?

[Ninja Nic]

Hi Guys, I was wondering what most of the folks here use their blades for, or do you just collect and store them? I have an ever-growing collection of folders (only 3 Spydies so far but working on that) and I use most of them for EDC and daily tasks. I do admit that some of these knives were impulse buys and are not really practical as working tools, but they still go in the pocket every now and then.

I'm curious as to what you guys do with your blades - food prep? bushcraft? utility? Whats the weirdest thing you've cut with your Spydie?

Looking forward to your replies :)

[dplafoll]

I decided when I first started collecting Spydercos that I wouldn't buy non-user knives, and I've managed to stick to that. I just got a Nirvana, and I've been carrying it and using it, and it's a really nice user, and definitely nicer in the pocket than you'd think for it being so large.
I carry a knife every day, almost certainly a Spyderco, and I use it to(and I am not being a smartass here) cut stuff. I work as an IT tech, so not every day is full of cutting, but I use a knife for something every day. Open packages or mail, cut a zip tie, whatever needs doing.
One thing I enjoy using my knives to do is to find better ways to do other things. Example: Imagine a pack of toilet paper. It's 3x3, and to get into it you could just cut it at random, or rip into it like a barbarian. What I like to do is to cut a corner out, cutting around the corner roll. this allows the rest of the pack to stay under tension and keeps it together longer as rolls are removed, and I've found it improves a tiny little bit of my life.
I don't really use them for food prep or bushcraft, as I don't really do much cooking personally and I don't spend nearly enough time in the outdoors(3-year-old keeps me occupied).
Maybe not weird, but a good "Knife saved my butt" story: Last year, I was between full-time jobs, and I was delivering pizzas in the meantime. My car's front air dam has been loose for several years after hitting a bit of tire that jumped out in front of me on the interstate in traffic, and it's secured with zip ties and hasn't given me any more problems. However, I was on a delivery, and I went over a speed hump, and then I heard an awful scraping. I pulled over, and one of the zip ties had popped. Now I carry spares, but at the time, I didn't have any with me. So I used my trusty Dragonfly 2 ZDP-189 to trim the zip tie so I could re-use it(it broke in a lucky place) and because it was shorter I had to cut a channel in the bottom of the air dam to allow the zip tie to reach. Zipped it up, and reinforced it when I got home, and it's been fine ever since. If I'd been sans-knife, I'd have been really screwed right then. And if I'd had a lesser-quality knife, it might not have been able to cut the channel in the air dam, as the dam is really hard plastic. That's the kind of story I tell to people to try to convince them to have a knife of some sort with them all the time. On keys, in purse, in car, if not in your pocket.

[anagarika]

I shave, open pack of tea/coffee, shred paper (more random the those machines,& thinner), cut up pizzas, occasionally fruits.
Practice sharpening too .

[npad69]

i use knives 95% of the time in the kitchen and 5% for edc tasks
the big irony is that after owning 2 multitools, a sak, a gerber parang, and 5 spyderco folders.. just recently i finally got the spyderco santoku and the utility knife. cant believe what i was missing out all this time! where im now, it isnt common for my local edc dealers (where i get my gears from) to sell kitchen tools since they are assuming that you can buy those stuff in the local supermarket. unfortunately only a handful of these sellers understand the various knife steels and philosophy of use behind these knives other than 'man jewelries'. because of this, i had to buy my spyderco kitchen knives by preorder which takes almost 3 months. i already ordered the rest of the kitchen models in the series, i hope they arrive much sooner than the first one.

[Ninja Nic]

dplafoll I also have a Dragonfly (frn sprint run vg10) and its really an awesome little blade. I was seriously surprised at how this thing cuts and doesnt seem to go dull. Ive cut everything from steak to bamboo with it.

[Ninja Nic]

i use knives 95% of the time in the kitchen and 5% for edc tasks
the big irony is that after owning 2 multitools, a sak, a gerber parang, and 5 spyderco folders.. just recently i finally got the spyderco santoku and the utility knife. cant believe what i was missing out all this time! where im now, it isnt common for my local edc dealers (where i get my gears from) to sell kitchen tools since they are assuming that you can buy those stuff in the local supermarket. unfortunately only a handful of these sellers understand the various knife steels and philosophy of use behind these knives other than 'man jewelries'. because of this, i had to buy my spyderco kitchen knives by preorder which takes almost 3 months. i already ordered the rest of the kitchen models in the series, i hope they arrive much sooner than the first one.

I hear you man. Spydies here in South Africa cost so much I literally have to save for months to get one. My PM2 cost more than a month's rent and I alsao cant imagine life without it... Maybe im a little obsessed :)

[Ninja Nic]

I shave, open pack of tea/coffee, shred paper (more random the those machines,& thinner), cut up pizzas, occasionally fruits.
Practice sharpening too .

I like that you mentioned sharpening. So its not just me. I need to get a Sharpmaker though. The other brand sharpening system doesnt even scratch the edges on my Dragonfly or PM2.

[Ninja Nic]

I have shaved with my Reslience as well as cut sticks and rope and the usual everyday tasks, my Dragonfly has trimmed micarta, cut cardboad, food,and all sorts of stuff - even Tagua Nuts (also known as vegetable ivory - super hard stuff). My PM2 only arrived on Monday so he's still gonna be plenty busy in days to come.

[anagarika]

The fun part is indeed finding out how each dulls and what it takes to bring it back.
:cool:
Spyderco also cost about 2xMAP down here or buy + shipping + risk

[Ninja Nic]

My PM2 set me back a bit but I think it might have been the last one in South Africa so I grabbed it. I'm seriously impressed with the Spydies I have so far. I'm itching for a Lum Tanto or at 5K folder

[Ninja Nic]

The fun part is indeed finding out how each dulls and what it takes to bring it back.
:cool:
Spyderco also cost about 2xMAP down here or buy + shipping + rusk

I love "testing" my blades. Often go hiking before and sometimes after work, and always end up carving feather sticks by the river or making holes in something or other.

Some famous guy once said something about the Japanese believing that a part of the knifemakers soul goes into each blade, so they don't put the knives in dishwashers... I respect my blades by letting them work. It's a Ninja thing :)

[The Deacon]

I'm a collector, so I do have knives whose only "use" is to give me visual pleasure. I also have users, a lot of users. What do I use them for? Whatever tasks are more easily done with a knife that by other means. I use them to open stuff - boxes, bags, the mail, and other forms of packaging. I use them to divide stuff into smaller units - food, string, rope, paper, and other things. I use them to reshape stuff - putting a point on a pencil, turning a plastic bottle into a scoop. I use them as security blankets when out and about.

[skeletor]

I carry the Spyderco Slip-Its (especially the UKPK and occasionally the PITS) as EDC-knives, because they completely fulfill my needs and are perfectly legal in Germany. Knives like e.g. the PM2 I carry, when I´m on duty as reserve officer in the German army. Each knife I achieve is also a collectors piece, but always an user, too.

[Xplorer]

I take approximately 15 trips per year into wilderness areas in a variety of environments. I use knives on those adventures for things like making kindling, bushcraft-type camp chores, cleaning fish, and cutting paracord. I'm always looking for knives that are well suited for that type of usage and my requirements vary depending on the environment and other factors. Otherwise I carry a pocket knife every day for typical EDC tasks and I have collected a large number of EDC pocket knives to rotate through. Beyond that I am also a collector and aspire to be a maker, so I buy a lot of knives either for the visual beauty (I definitely see them as pieces of art), or I buy for the sake of understanding what a particular shape/design does well.

Best regards,
Chad :)

[abbazaba]

Sometimes it feels like the primary use for my knives is opening packages containing more knives :D

[Ninja Nic]

I'm a collector, so I do have knives whose only "use" is to give me visual pleasure. I also have users, a lot of users. What do I use them for? Whatever tasks are more easily done with a knife that by other means. I use them to open stuff - boxes, bags, the mail, and other forms of packaging. I use them to divide stuff into smaller units - food, string, rope, paper, and other things. I use them to reshape stuff - putting a point on a pencil, turning a plastic bottle into a scoop. I use them as security blankets when out and about.

For some reason my mom never let me have knives as a kid so now I have many. If I had decent space for a display collection I'd probably do it, but I'd be too tempted to take the blades out and used them.

I also believe in security blankets especially with the current crime situation in South Africa. Always helps to be prepared and give yourself at least half a chance. Luckily haven't had to use any of my knife for self defense yet.

[Ninja Nic]

I carry the Spyderco Slip-Its (especially the UKPK and occasionally the PITS) as EDC-knives, because they completely fulfill my needs and are perfectly legal in Germany. Knives like e.g. the PM2 I carry, when I´m on duty as reserve officer in the German army. Each knife I achieve is also a collectors piece, but always an user, too.

Luckily we don't have any restrictions here in S.A but I do favor folders for big hands. I've found that the PM2 fits the hand really well no matter how I hold it. Even acting the fool and gripping it upside down feels comfortable.

[Ninja Nic]

Sometimes it feels like the primary use for my knives is opening packages containing more knives :D

I hear you brother. All my blades are delivered to my office and the co-workers are always surprised to see me using a different folder to open a new one :)

[SpyderNut]

Welcome aboard, Ninja Nic. :) Nice to have you here.

I am primarily a knife collector, although I do have a few knives that are designated for EDC use. Like Paul mentioned, some of my knives are purchased solely for looking at. (I agree with Chad--knives are indeed a form of art). I presently work in an office environment, so I seldom actually "need" a knife for my line of work. However, I enjoy carrying knives on a daily basis and making casual observations of what I like/dislike on each design and what I would want to change on the design, etc.

[Ninja Nic]

... or I buy for the sake of understanding what a particular shape/design does well.

Nice. That's one of the reasons why I got the PM2. Had to check out the compression lock and add one to my rotation