Outside the house recent uses:

Cutting some cord while camping. Cutting food while camping. Making a slit in a facemask lining to allow insertion of a filter. Cutting some card for a bookmark.

If you have a knife on you, it gets used.

Side-note - people tend to assume it's for self defense. I doubt that's actually practical, and I'll run away every time. Maybe throw the knife into a lake along the way to be safe from someone using it against me.

Same experience here. I’ve been carrying a knife since I worked a retail job in high school unboxing product. I still use it almost every day. Likewise I have no intention to use it in an altercation. They can have my wallet. Getting into a knife fight, knife/gun fight, or any sort of other situation where I’m more likely to be hurt than walk away... is not in my life plan.

Lots of things that people tear open are better cut open instead. New bag of coffee? Out comes the knife. Annoying stickers they seal boxes with? Knife it. Packing tape? Knife it.

> Lots of things that people tear open are better cut open instead. New bag of coffee? Out comes the knife. Annoying stickers they seal boxes with? Knife it. Packing tape? Knife it.

While this is true, a key usually works almost as well, and is something you are likely to already have to hand.

A small pocket knife is a handy tool to have, whether you think you need it everyday or not. The general idea is that it's better to have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it.

Beyond self-defense, which is a fairly obvious use case for any "weapon," I've used my pocket knife to cut loose threads from clothing, open plastic packaging that broke a good pair of scissors, removing stickers, splinters, and even as a makeshift screwdriver (in a pinch).

You can do almost all of those with scissors, but are you going to carry a pair of scissors in your pocket? Probably not.

Beyond that, there are emergency scenarios you may never run into, such as cutting seatbelts, clothing, or stuck shoelaces -- again, better to have it and not need it...

It is a bad idea to rely on it in any sense for protection, unless you are mentally and physically prepared to use it.

The best option is always to run if you can. Everyone loses in a knife fight.

Unless you are trained in knife combat unlikely you'll be able to use it effectively and risk your knife being against you by the attacker.

Yup, the laws around knife possession/self defense are much worse than many other things, at least in the US. As the OP mentioned running is a better choice and only if no options existed should you even consider it.

(not a lawyer)

I carry a benchmade knife everywhere. Why? Because all hell breaks loose if you have three kids and only one nectarine. Not that you need a fancy-ass knife for such work.

Other field-knife activities include “what does the inside of this seed look like?” and “I got a splinter!”

The only issue is even though the state of California permits them, the university of California forbids carrying knives, and there is one of those right in the middle of my city.

Yup, +100 on Benchmade. Their locking mechanism is the best I've ever used(strong, can be used single handed with gloves on, and doesn't put your fingers in the path of the blade). We've got a small farm and put their blades through a workout, really a fan of the 535 as a non-flashy, lightweight EDC knife.

Toured their factory pre-covid and it was pretty darn cool.

Last I knew, in California you can legally walk around with a sword, so long it’s in a sheath hanging from your waist and not concealed.

I believe that's true. You can openly carry anything. The University system claims to forbid any folding knife with a blade that locks open (i.e. most any pocketknife) and any blade longer than 2.5 inches, carried openly or concealed.

That's why I like to carry a Spyderco Dragonfly. A small (<2.5in) knife that is legal pretty much anywhere but feels like a much bigger knife when you use it.

I've carried a pocket knife since I was a boy. I cut myself once, as every boy must.

The knife is an endlessly useful tool for exploration, for testing materials, for abusing as a screwdriver or lever, removing splinters, trimming loose threads/cloth, etc. I've sometimes thought that carrying a pair of scissors might be handier but then cutting boxes, carving wood or cleaning under my fingernails would not be so easy and I worry about what image it might project. Nonetheless I would be hesitant to pick a fight with a tailor or a seamstress.

Perhaps you're too old and fixed in your ways to adapt to carrying a knife, since it seems that it's presence worries you.

If you are thinking of self-defense, you could always carry a firearm instead (or perhaps a sword or staff), since most people apparently consider that a more persuasive deterrent to violence. You can always carry a pistol unloaded, with ammo in a separate pocket, so you have time to think clearly whether to load should violence occur!8-)) Remember that one can both punch or bludgeon quite effectively with a pistol even if it is not loaded. This is called "pistol-whipping" and is commonly displayed in old Hollywood westerns.

If you cannot make up your mind there is always the "Apache" knife/gun/brass knuckles:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=apache+knife%2Fgun+brass+knuckles&...

but this is unwieldy for removing splinters and in everyday use tends to make companions unduly nervous.

> I cut myself once, as every boy must.

My 12-year-old daughter would strongly disagree that this is gender-specific :)

> If you are thinking of self-defense, you could always carry a firearm instead (or perhaps a sword or staff), since most people apparently consider that a more persuasive deterrent to violence.

Frustratingly, knife laws in the US are bad and inconsistent. It’s often the case that you can legally carry a firearm but not a good knife. Knives are also comparatively very difficult to use defensively, and extremely dangerous to the user. Every skilled knife user I know has the same opinion: If you end up in a knife fight, you will get cut.

Finally, while they can certainly be lethal, they are not typical fast-acting - for defensive purposes, it does you no good if an attacker dies hours later in the hospital from blood loss if they’re able to continue their assault in the meantime. In all circumstances where it is legal, OC (“pepper spray”) in its various forms is much better suited for defensive use. It’s relatively fast acting and has the added benefit of not killing your attacker.

> If you cannot make up your mind there is always the "Apache" knife/gun/brass knuckles:

Brass knuckles are illegal in most states, even with a carry permit in the ones that offer and require them. I couldn’t carry this in Arkansas - not because of the gun, but because of the knuckles.

> You can always carry a pistol unloaded, with ammo in a separate pocket, so you have time to think clearly whether to load should violence occur!8-)) Remember that one can both punch or bludgeon quite effectively with a pistol even if it is not loaded. This is called "pistol-whipping" and is commonly displayed in old Hollywood westerns.

This is objectively terrible advice. I’m a strong advocate for carrying a firearm, but carrying unloaded is the worst of all worlds. It’s not going to be ready when you need it, and presenting it immediately escalates the situation both legally and in the eyes of a potential attacker.

You shouldn’t carry a gun unless you have seriously considered what that means, know when you can legally use it, and are 100% certain that you understand an accept the moral responsibility that it entails. If you do, you should carry it in a way that protects it from being taken from you and makes it available for your immediate use.

Apparently I’m just a moron, because i see no reason to believe your post was satirical. The advice is silly, sure - but I’ve seen worse advice posted here, and this very thread is full of people who are apparently fearful of carrying a pen knife.

I’d say this is an excellent example of Poe’s Law.

LyndsySimon says> "I’d say this is an excellent example of Poe’s Law."

Incorrect.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law:

"Poe then replied, "Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is utterly impossible to parody a Creationist in such a way that someone won't mistake for the genuine article."

My earlier post reads:>"You can always carry a pistol unloaded, with ammo in a separate pocket, so you have time to think clearly whether to load should violence occur!8-)) "<

Note the !8-)) emoticon/smiley.

While your first affirmation/admission above ("Apparently I'm...") holds, Poe's Law does not apply.

As another city-dwelling office worker, I used to carry a knife everyday when I had a use for it at work. Changed jobs and eventually I realized I hadn't used it in months, so I stopped carrying it. My partner has a pretty large knife collection and enjoys expanding it, but similarly doesn't find it convenient to actually carry one.

Definitely cutting food. Maybe this goes back to my camping days, it was easier to carry a loaf of good bread and a chunk of cheese than a bag of sandwiches. (And a tube of mustard, must not forget). A pocket knife didn't make the cleanest of cuts, but did the job, and the food always got eaten as fast as I could cut it up and hand out the pieces. Likewise for bringing food along on a car trip.

Being able to do this prevented us from getting into the habit of traveling with junk food.

The knife for this job never had to be particularly big or sharp. I have a Victorinox and a cheap old boy scout knife that won't take an edge at all.

Oddly enough when my family traveled in Europe, we would usually rent an apartment for a week or two, and would just borrow a knife from the kitchen drawer for our daily hike. It was usually a stainless serrated knife with molded handle.

Yes we also used the corkscrew. ;-)

I think your experience is totally valid. For me, a Swiss Army Knife is often provides a better tool for the job than a knife.

In descending frequency of use as a city slicker:

- scissors

- Philips screwdriver

- tweezers

- awl

- package hook (untying knots)

The knife doesn't make it in the top 5, but would get used on the occasional picnic when someone forgets to bring a knife.

I live in the city and carry a knife where allowed. I use it to open boxes and packaging, cut food, turn screws (sometimes when they fit), pry things open, pick out splinters, strip wires... Its the most basic tool.

The other day I was replacing my windshield wiper blades and needed to pry out a small adapter that they came with and used an old knife I keep in my car. I was doing this in the parking lot of the auto parts store because the first set I took home did not fit correctly even though the computer said they did.

I don’t understand American knives. Too big, and in my taste often very ugly. Something like the a Victorinox Climber fits better in the pocket and works better both for city life as well as for camping, with essentials as cork screw and pincer (works very well for ticks).

Simply, many of the common situations where you'll find a pocket knife handy around your home also happen outside your home not infrequently. As you go through your day, look around for situations where a tool that can cut, pry or poke would be useful. They're probably more common than you might think.

Some examples I can think of off the top of my head, some of which may be decried as blade abuse by knife enthusiasts.

* Need to get a can of paint open, and just how all Phillips-tip screwdrivers in a 30 meter radius spontaneously cease to exist when it's time to open the case to some piece of tech, so do all flat-tip screwdrivers when it's time to open a can of paint. But the spine of the knife behind the tip makes a decent pry tool in this case.

* The ram upgrades that were ordered two weeks ago for all the CAD workstations in the engineering department have just arrived, in those thrice-damned bubble packs that cut you back when you try to cut them open with scissors. Stab, slice and now the only gods that are getting a blood sacrifice today are the gods of the insides of computer cases.

* Pulling network cable in a new office installation. Juan borrowed your jacket stripper, and hasn't come back from back from lunch yet. But, you've got practice in applying just the right pressure to cut the jacket without nicking the insulation of the twisted pairs inside or slicing your thumb.

* While visiting a friend, the mail arrives, including little Billy's latest issue of Superman. To Billy's frustration, it in one of those plastic bags that simply does not tear when pulled on, it just stretches. One poke later, and now it actually will tear open, and Billy can see how Superman's fight with Darkseid comes out.

* It's Reverse Engineering Night at the local hackerspace. Ahh, gadget makers are so cute. They think a recessed plastic tab smaller than human fingers can protect the case screws from your kit of specialty screwdrivers designed for voiding warranties.

* Rebuilding the engine for a project car. While assembling the cylinder head, you notice that the caps for the camshaft had little slots machined into their faces to act as channels for oil distribution. But, when the machine shop did a hot-tank cleaning of these parts, not all of the hardened crud came of of those little channels. Dammit, now your remember the reason you'd been keeping that old set of dental picks that you threw away last week when cleaning out the garage. Well, pocket knife tip is fine enough to get in there with some care.

I'm sure you or your friends can probably come up with some more examples.

I'm surprised not at those uses, but that anyone would use a fancy steel knife for any of them. I have a utility knife that takes replaceable utility knife blades, and I'd think having a replaceable blade would work best for any of those things.

That is why I don't regularly carry around an expensive pocket knife. Maybe for camping or something I would have a nice one, where quality is paramount, but otherwise if it is half decent steel, ill get every dollars worth out of it even when it eventually gets destroyed. Like if I was opening a bag of dirt or soil, I sure as fuck not going to want to fuck up the edge on some fancy expensive knife that will take forever to grind and sharpen back to service.

If I do need a knife like that, there is no problem in bringing two. Like I might carry a utility knife and a general pocket knife so I can cut cardboard products with the utility knife and maintain a better pocket knife edge. If im working in the dirt I might use a general pocket knife with a serrated section that im not worried about plunging into some dirt or sod, and carry a better and sharper knife for something like cutting insulation or cutting wood or tough string.

My pocketknife is first and foremost, a tool. By modern fancy pocketknife standards, it's rather pedestrian. But it isn't a cheap knife either. A cheap knife would not hold up actually being used as a tool.

And yet Stanley sell a billion stanley knives and blades.

> I'm surprised not at those uses, but that anyone would use a fancy steel knife for any of them.

Speaking only for myself - I get enjoyment from using quality tools. That goes for knives, but it’s also why I invested in Milwaukee M18 Fuel power tools when the much cheaper Ryobi line would technically have met my needs. It’s also why I use vim and have spent as much time as I have customizing it to my liking.

For knives, there are three that I regularly carry:

For everyday use, I always have my Microtech UTX-85 D/E (~$250). It’s an OTF (“out the front”), the blade is ELMAX, and is easily opened with one hand. While I originally chose it primarily for defensive use - I often carry a full-sized handgun OWB, and it’s well suited for use as a retention tool - I’ve found its ability to hold an edge and ease of opening makes it ideal for everyday tasks like opening packages. If I had to do it over I would buy the single-edged version; the double edge makes it difficult sometimes to get leverage when cutting something stubborn.

I usually carry a second knife that’s sturdier and well-suited for “serious cutting”. If I need to open a thick plastic package, or (gently) pry on something, I use it. It’s a Gerber US-Assist (~$100). The blade is S30V, and has a nice, thick spine that I can lay my finger on to gain good control. It also a locking blade (so it can’t fold on my fingers when using it) and has a safety button so the blade can be affirmatively locked either open or closed.

Finally, for food purposes only, I have a CRKT CEO (~$50). Its blade is commodity steel (“8Cr13MoV”, I had to look it up), and it holds an edge adequately. Pretty much every time I use it, I touch up the edge that night so it stays razor sharp. Because I’m mostly cutting meat with it I chose a long, slender blade with a gentle curve. Since getting it I’ve found myself increasingly annoyed when I unexpectedly go out to eat and end up having to tear a steak with a dull serrated steak knife provided at a restaurant.

> I have a utility knife that takes replaceable utility knife blades, and I'd think having a replaceable blade would work best for any of those things.

If I were regularly using a knife for cutting boxes, tape, plastic, etc., I’d do the same. Many years ago when I was working as an electrician, I had a folding knife that used standard utility knife blades. When I was working in PC Support at a large company and was often opening boxes and breaking them down to be crushed, I carried it as well.

I carry a single expensive knife (my Microtech) because I like it. It’s not that complicated :). I have other knives for specific purposes, and carry them when I expect I might need them - but in a pinch, the Microtech can serve almost any role adequately well. A good steel will hold an edge very well and give you that flexibility - I don’t hesitate to cut anything with it. Meanwhile, I would never use the slender generic steel blade of my “food knife” to open a plastic package that might have metal staples; it would destroy the edge and would at least take time and effort to restore the edge. I might even have to reprofile it.

All of this is to say: I highly recommend that everyone carry a good quality, general purpose pocketknife. They can be had at any budget level and you’ll use it far more than you’d expect. Beyond that... spending more money and acquiring knives for specific purposes is something you either enjoy or you don’t.