Sharp Thing Nirvana?

[Dale Wambaugh]

I do EDC (every day carry) a Swiss Army Classic, mostly for the scissors and toothpick. I always have some sort of folding pocket knife in the 3"-3.5" range. My EDC knife du jour has been a Kershaw 1555TI Cryo which is a 2.75" assisted opening all metal single blade folder.

This is the same tool strategy I use for hiking, with one larger knife backed with a small multi-tool version. I have used the SAK Classic, Leatherman Style, Style CS, or Micra. My "real" folder is a Benchmade Griptilian and I have fiddled with a whole gamut of SAKs. My favorites there have been the One Hand Trekker, Farmer, and Hiker, all with saws.

The Trekker has survived the sorting process. If they made the Trekker with scissors replacing the bottle opener, I think they would have the best hiker's tool. As it is, I still feel the need to back it with a Classic or something like the Westcott scissors to have all the tools I want. I could get by with a smaller SAK, like the Compact model I mentioned earlier in this thread, the downside being the lack of a locking blade. A Hiker model with scissors would be the my 91mm wish tool.

With all of this, I'm getting past the "single edge razor blade" school of UL tools. I can't justify the use of something that small to check off the knife box on the 10 essentials list. IMHO, a trail knife should be capable of making tinder for emergency fire building, but that is really the toughest chore I would ask of a trail knife.

The real everyday chores are food prep, grooming and general repairs, and is see nothing wrong with breaking that down to several good UL tools like the Westcoff scissors, Uncle Bills tweezers and the Victorinox paring knife.

One final mention is the Mora line of fixed blade knives. There are newer thicker blades models like the Robust and Bushcraft that can hold their own with many of the semi custom knives for shear utility and at a tiny fraction of the cost. The Light My Fire version with a firesteel stowed in the handle is quite light and inexpensive and is my first recommendation for a fixed blade trail knife.

The total weight for the Rambo-esque tool kit below is a back breaking 4.4oz.
Light My Fire/Mora knife with integral firesteel, Westcott scissors, Uncle Bill's tweezers:

[Doug Smith]

I thought that I was doing good by only carrying my Leatherman classic instead of the Leatherman, Benchmade Folder, and Strider fixed blade. Now even with just my Leatherman I'm feeling grossly overweight…I knew I shouldn't have clicked on this thread. Damn. Hahahaha

Actually the leatherman is a bit on the heavy side (though nothing like the newer, bigger ones). but the tools are just so useful for so many different things that I don't know how I'd get by without it. It might seem like huge overkill, but the needle-nose pliers work better as tweezers than most tweezers I've used.

All that said, that tiny spiderco is a pretty cool looking little knife. I may have to do some thinking. So far the most valuable thing a knife has done for me is give me fire (magnesium and flint block), when my lighter was frozen on a winter trip.

[M B]

Yep, the tweezers on a swill army knife, or a leatherman style, are worthless.
Too flexible to grip a tick.

Splurge on a decent tweezer.

When you need it, you need it.

You are more likely to need a tweezer, than a knife.

[J R]

Greg, that Kershaw is really interesting, I'll have to look into it.

Dale, I actually already have the Mora Companion, I love that knife despite the fact that I'm a leftie and like most sheaths the one on this knife is made to go on your left side to be pulled out with the right hand. But with sheath it's about 4 oz, I've been sliding down the slippery slope of UL and already pared down to the Paraframe at 2.85 oz. In fact one option for me would be to use the current Paraframe, Uncle Bill's, and Westcott and leave the SAK behind. But I feel I still could drop 1-2 oz off that knife.

And Doug, I started way back with a Leatherman as well. ;-)

[Dale Wambaugh]

I'm a southpaw too and found a way to modify any of the Mora sheaths that have the "piggyback" button option.

Cut the belt loop off the sheath and profile the cut edges with a file or sander:

Simply flip the sheath over and hook the removed belt clip onto the button as you would another knife per the intended design. I thought this might be prone to loss, but it is using the keyhole/button feature exactly as it was designed, albeit cut free of the sheath: the button fits into the keyhole slot snugly and still swings. If it is really an issue, you could drill small holes into the narrow part of the slot below the seated position for the knob and lash across the slot, preventing it from falling out. It won't anyway and getting in there would require some tweezers of hemostats to do the lashing.

Voila!

[David Olsen]

Cant really tell. Is this something that could sheath one of the swiss paring knifes?

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Victorinox/Victorinox®+Blade+Safe+Edge+Protector+For+Knives+with+3-4%22+Blades/F47300.html

[Dale Wambaugh]

I have a couple versions of that blade cover. They weigh more than the knife (0.8oz).

If you go into just about any kitchen store you can find simple slip-on blade edge guards, or do my report cover spine trick. (see http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=74811)

See my thread on Vic knives and sheath options:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=84648&skip_to_post=722045#722045

[J R]

Nice mod on the Mora sheath, Dale. However, mine does not have a button — it does have a button hole on the belt loop but no button on the sheath. I'd learned to give the knife a half-roll as I draw it out to turn it right-side up anyway.

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