People not carrying a knife?

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  • cb51

    Active Member
    What gives?

    I admit that I'm getting to be an old fart, and in the era I grew up in, everyman who had pants on, had some kind of small penknife in a pocket someplace. Not much of a knife, maybe a little one or two blade thing with a 'large' blade of maybe two inches and a small blade of maybe an inch and something.

    Just the other day I was at a kids softball game rooting on the granddaughters team. She's 8 years old and a good ball player. Well someone had to cut a string and there was a call for 'Anyone got a knife?"

    Nobody there, all the parents on both teams, coaches, and league umpires had nothing. I loaned them the little Swiss Army knife I keep on my keyring and the cut was made. Some people admired the little knife that I think they have them at Walmart for all of 10 dollars.

    It seems like people are more interested in the new Smart phone than carrying a small piece of useful hardware. Or is there a cutting app for the phone that I don't know about? That's possible as I'm a bit of a techno phobe and still carry my little flip phone. Yeah, I now, Stone Age.

    I see people carrying pretty heavy smart phones, bottles of water as if they will drop dead from thirst if they don.t have their smart water with them. But a tiny lozenge size penknife on a keychain is not possible. Yet so often I hear; "Has anyone got a knife?"

    Maybe they need to name it a 'smart knife' for it to sell?

    My tiny cutter; don't weight much and goes un -noticed on keyring. Doesn't have to be big, just sharp.

    I guess in these highly techno days, there is not much real need fora knife, after all in modern suburbia there's very little buffalo to skin or few hostile injuns comping over the hill to scalp us. But I'm always really surprised at how few people carry any sort of knife at all these days. If there isn't much call for a knife, then you don't need to carry much of a knife. Growing up in the 1950's, it was the June and Ward Cleaver era. Most dad's were like the Beavers dad, and I remember my dad going off to work in his suit and he always had a little two blade penknife in his pocket. Little thing, but I remember him doing all the normal cutting jobs with it. I guess these days people can't bothered.

    Rant off.
     

    woodline

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 8, 2017
    1,947
    A lot of people from my generation don't seem to value carrying a pocket knife. I always have found it practical. Right now it's a Chris Reeve Sebenza. I would say on an average 5 day work week, I end up loaning it to someone who needs a knife but doesn't have one 3 of those days. I'd like to carry a small multitool too, but I haven't found one with a favorable weight to usefulness ratio for what I need for work. I should search around again soon, actually. New stuff coming onto the market all the time.
     

    Engine4

    Curmudgeon
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 30, 2012
    6,983
    Yep, I have 2 penknives that my dad & grandpa gave me. I carry one every day.
     

    Half-cocked

    Senior Meatbag
    Mar 14, 2006
    23,937
    I keep the same knife on my keychain everywhere I go. You never know when someone will get a splinter, a bee sting, or a tick.
     

    Trekker

    Active Member
    Oct 20, 2011
    687
    Harford County
    I think that the utility of a pocket knife has not decreased, as there are still strings and cords to trim, packages to open, loose stones to pop out of the sole of your shoe, etc. Instead what has changed is the modern attitude of not anticipating problems and being prepared to fix them yourself. This is compounded with rules and expectations of modern society that present risks for having a pocket knife in certain areas (Government facilities, schools, airports, etc.). Even a reasonable person predisposed to carrying a pocket knife, if often visiting a prohibited zone, May get in the habit of not carrying, as to forget one day and be noticed could result in legal charges.

    Think on this, before the era of everyone having a cellphone, how many people could change a flat tire? Nowadays, how many have the knowledge for this, versus an expectation that they should just pick up their smartphone and call for someone to rescue them?
     

    JoeRinMD

    Rifleman
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,014
    AA County
    My tiny cutter; don't weight much and goes un -noticed on keyring. Doesn't have to be big, just sharp.

    My grandfather carried a Case pocket knife, that's one of my prized possessions. My father still carries a Camillus electrician's knife. For me, it's a slightly larger version of your Swiss Army Knife. I've been carrying one for more than 30 years. It's been there for innumerable cutting tasks, as well as opening countless bottles of wine and beer. I also have a mini-Leatherman that I carry for its utility. The first one was a giveaway with needle-nose pliers, but I'm currently carrying one with scissors. Honestly, I found I used the pliers more often than the scissors.

    JoeR
     

    rgramjet

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 25, 2009
    2,962
    Howard County
    I experienced something similar on the soccer field.....they couldnt get the net untangled. Coach came over and said, "I know you have a knife". I said sure and handed him my new Emerson.

    When he brought it back it was covered in dirt and had grass on it. The stupid SOB used it to dig out a stake that was buried too deep and he couldnt pull it out.

    UFB!
     

    cb51

    Active Member
    A lot of people from my generation don't seem to value carrying a pocket knife. I always have found it practical. Right now it's a Chris Reeve Sebenza. I would say on an average 5 day work week, I end up loaning it to someone who needs a knife but doesn't have one 3 of those days. I'd like to carry a small multitool too, but I haven't found one with a favorable weight to usefulness ratio for what I need for work. I should search around again soon, actually. New stuff coming onto the market all the time.

    If you want a small multitool, I've found the Leatherman Squirt to be a great one. Small enough that it drops into a pocket and can be forgot about until needed, but has real world capability to do real jobs. Has flat and Phillips drivers, file, scissors, and great little pliers with light wire cutter capability. The knife blade is a chisel grind, very easy to keep shaving sharp, and the whole package is a low profile under the radar thing that most people think is cute. I use the heck out of mine and found it to be a very rugged piece of gear.



    Since I live a suburban life style here in Georgetown Texas pretty much like when I lived in Maryland, these two tools are my most used everyday carry. I find I really don't need more knife than what these two give me.
     

    Pitbull410

    Active Member
    Aug 1, 2016
    224
    I don't carry one unless I'm going hiking/camping etc. I do keep a folding knife and a couple multi tools and a ratchet set in my car though
     

    linkstate

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 26, 2013
    1,407
    Howard County
    I also carry a small Victorinox on my key ring everyday that is usually backed up by a larger folder.

    I've received a range of reactions from "hey that's cool" to "you gonna stab somebody"....

    I've witnessed an individual on more than one occasion that had voiced concern over me carrying a knife about impale their hand opening a stubborn box with a pair of scissors...
     

    BDWMS

    Active Member
    Feb 21, 2013
    403
    Howard County
    I'm 32 and carry a knife daily, just about everywhere I go. I find I use it daily. I find it odd when men don't carry a knife of some sort.
     

    Haides

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 12, 2012
    3,784
    Glen Burnie
    My girlfriend told me that when we first met, one of the first things she took notice of was my knife when I had to pull it out for something. Apparently her dad told her "never date a man that doesn't carry a knife" multiple times while growing up. Haha.

    I'm 24 and it's unusual for me not to have one on me.
     

    Sundazes

    My brain hurts
    MDS Supporter
    Nov 13, 2006
    21,308
    Arkham
    I usually carry a pocket knife. But i have been spending so much time traveling by air and in and out of Fed installations, i leave it at home during the week. I feel naked without it.
     

    alucard0822

    For great Justice
    Oct 29, 2007
    17,643
    PA
    Might be regional, when I lived in Howard county, I carried a small EDC, and similar to the OP nobody had a blade, and someone needed something cut, usually with some snarky BS for thanks like "don't you know, 3" knives are illegal". Seems a lot of people carried a folder when Ilived in Carroll county and used them without much fanfare. Up here pretty much everyone has a clip sticking out of their pocket, or a small sheathed fixed blade. I usually carry a small leatherman or serrated spyderco paired with a larger plain edge
     

    Dingo3

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 4, 2013
    2,777
    Fredneck
    I always carry one, especially for work. A month ago I forgot one, so when I stopped at the convenience store for coffee, I got one of the $10 ones. Sure enough ended up using a half a dozen times that day
     

    Speed3

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 19, 2011
    7,816
    MD
    I have one I use as a money clip that I carry every day, some times a folder in my other pocket too.

    guess I'm old school, I feel naked without a knife or watch.
     

    HordesOfKailas

    Still learning
    Feb 7, 2016
    2,205
    Utah
    My carabiner that holds my key ring has a knife built into it and on that I have a very small Gerber knife. I also EDC a more substantial folding blade on my belt for self defense. And I have a fixed blade knife in a sheath on my backpack. Never can have too many knives. There aren't a lot of people in my generation like me though.

    My girlfriend told me that when we first met, one of the first things she took notice of was my knife when I had to pull it out for something. Apparently her dad told her "never date a man that doesn't carry a knife" multiple times while growing up. Haha.

    I'm 24 and it's unusual for me not to have one on me.

    This sounds strikingly like my situation... Although nowadays my girl carries her own knife.
     

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