Top reasons to always carry a knife? What are yours?

[DansGunBlog]

Hey guys,

Working on an article to introduce the value and importance of carrying a knife to non-knife folks, as opposed to the echo chamber concept lol.

What suggestions do you have - top couple reasons to carry a knife, as would appeal to regular folks - not the typical knife guys.

Thanks!
Dan

[razorsharp]

I might need to cut something .......




That's really it lol

[Kirko]

I might need to cut something ....... Got that right :)




That's really it lol

[RexGig0]

A knife is an emergency tool; most of life's emergencies are not defensive in nature, but involve such things as entanglements, sometimes complicated by dragging. The young violinist whose slung violin case was caught in a subway door comes to mind, and many of us have probably known someone whose hair or clothing were caught in machinery. These situations require a stout knife, available right quickly. (My Spyderco Assist is one exampe of something I think every person should have handy, 24/7/365.)

[MacLaren]

An emergency tool as mentioned in the above post.
Might have to cut a seatbelt.
But mainly theyre just real handy.
A man needs a good pocket knife like he needs a wallet.
He just does. :)

[3rdGenRigger]

I carry a knife always for more reasons that can be described in even a few long winded sentences, but the one thing they all have in common is this: I might need it and/or be able to make use of it to make my day easier. Often enough to justify carrying one at all times.

[bearfacedkiller]

For the same reason I carry a flashlight and a lighter as well as a plethora of other EDC gadgets, I like to be prepared.

Also, I was brought up to carry one. My father and grandfather and all the other men in my family always carried a pocket knife. I have been an outdoorsman all my life and was a boyscout. I do not actually remember when I started carrying a pocketknife because I was so young. I had a ton of SAKs when I was a kid and still do.

I carry one because I feel naked without one. I just flew out of town for a few days and didn't check a bag so I have been knifeless until tonight and it has been driving me nuts.

I get frustrated with myself when I need one and don't have one.I mean, haven't we all felt this way at least once:

[Dr. Snubnose]

I think people would be better served to know that there are different knives for different things.....Most people who came or stopped by my retail knife shop (when it was opened) who were not familiar with knives automatically saw them as weapons. People were always amazed when I pointed to all the different knives in the cases and educated them about their functions....This is a knife used by Fisherman, specially designed to cut nets and rope, then this is used by EMS personal, it has a seat belt cutter, now this knife you noticed and thought was a deadly weapon with a spike attached is used by boatman to loosen a big knot to untie their boats, now this knife the Kiridahsi is used for detailed wood cutting etc etc etc....People just don't know that their are different knife designs for specific purposes....Once people have an understanding of this they are less likely to view all knives as weapons........My top reason to always carry a knife would be ( an I'm echoing others here) to be prepared.....Doc:)

[wrdwrght]

We were making and carrying knives before we left Africa, so it must have something to do with muscle-memory.

[The Deacon]

I carry one because I might need to cut something, and a knife does that so much more elegantly than anything else. Beyond that, I think the late James Mattis probably said it best:

"My good reason to carry a knife is that God gave me rather weak teeth and rudimentary claws in an evolutionary trade-off. The hairy-armed person who figured out how to put an edge on a suitable rock made it possible for us to be recognizably human in the first place. I carry a knife because I am a human and not an ape."

[tvenuto]

I can relate to what many others have said, so I'll add a different one:

It's a chance to carry something well-made around with me daily. Something that will last a lifetime, and something that impresses me with its workmanship when I use it. We're grown accustomed to everything being disposable nowadays, and there was a time when you had very few of a particular object, but it was a well-made example of that object. Like you had two rocks glasses in the whole house, but they were made of cut crystal. You had one cigarette case, but it was hand-made and gold plated. Watching Boardwalk Empire reminded me of this.

[Johnnie1801]

I carry knives in case I meet Dr.Snubnose in a dark alley, his edc should have a starring role in a horror movie :D

I usually carry 2 knives, 1 large and 1 small. Also I like one of them to be stainless and the other non stainless. For example, I will carry a Spyderco Dice (xhp) in my rfp and a GB1 (m4), in my lfp. Although today I went for the Delica (vg-10), lw Manix (s110v) option :p

I get more usage out of a knife than I do from a multi-tool. I have a bunch of SAK's and was recently gifted a Leatherman but I still prefer to carry a knife. At least here where I live, when you come home from the super-market, half of your shopping is plastic, a sharp knife works better than scissors imho. I also like to use a knife to cut up fruit for a snack, using a knife to cut up an apple works well and It means my greedy dog will always get his share :)

[SpyderNut]

I carry knives because I like knives. Always have. I find them useful with my daily needs. I also enjoy simply holding and looking at them and admiring the thought and hard work that went into the design.

[Surfingringo]

I can relate to what many others have said, so I'll add a different one:

It's a chance to carry something well-made around with me daily. Something that will last a lifetime, and something that impresses me with its workmanship when I use it. We're grown accustomed to everything being disposable nowadays, and there was a time when you had very few of a particular object, but it was a well-made example of that object. Like you had two rocks glasses in the whole house, but they were made of cut crystal. You had one cigarette case, but it was hand-made and gold plated. Watching Boardwalk Empire reminded me of this.

In my kayak fishing I carry them because they are absolutely essential tools. In my everyday carry they are somewhat less essential and my reasons align more closely with some of the thoughts that you voiced here.

[jabba359]

Also, I was brought up to carry one. My father and grandfather and all the other men in my family always carried a pocket knife. I have been an outdoorsman all my life and was a boyscout. I do not actually remember when I started carrying a pocketknife because I was so young. I had a ton of SAKs when I was a kid and still do.

I was also a cub, then boy scout. The motto is "be prepared," which I think is wise advice. While there are plenty of scenarios I can think of where I might need a knife (from the simple, cutting a string, to the wildly unlikely cutting a seatbelt in a car overturned in water), being extra prepared for the things I can't imagine is important as well.

It doesn't hurt one bit to carry a knife and not need it, but it can hurt a lot to not carry a knife but need it.

[OldSarSwmr]

I could say ditto to a lot of the responses here. I just always remember having a pocket knife for most of my life and i've always had a fasination with them.
I also want my sons to know that it is a useful tool and one that I believe makes you more self reliant.


Dan

[Knivesinedc]

I carry a knife for a million reasons and in case of any possible contingency that may require a knife. I went to my local fair today and I was going bananas because they don't allow knives on the fairgrounds and they had metal detectors :mad: I once had to use my knife to cut duct tape off a somebody's entire body (it was a game, not a hostage situation :D ) because everyone was trying to rip it off with their hands, even though it was like, 4-5 layers thick of duct tape. You never know. As the "Monk" theme song puts it, "Its a jungle out there".

[Evil D]

Two very simple ways of thinking here that are often applied to many things that people carry:

1) It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

2) Always carry two, because two is one and one is none.

[Donut]

It is a little amazing to me how many people will tell me to "Use the right tool for the job." The next thing I know, they will turn around and use whatever they can find to cut something.

[Blerv]

For me it's strictly a tool. While I can usually figure out a work-around if I have to open a package certain tasks just are impossible without a knife or scissors (which are crazier to carry in your pocket than a knife ).

My wife is a hobby supporter but not a knife carrier. She opens packages from the mail with our kitchen knives. Besides almost opening her hand with every attempt it's fairly gross to think package materials might be on our cutlery or even where we prep food...