I also have a Gerber folding knife - because you never know. Plus - I just like knives.

I've also got a leatherman tool. A buddy of mine gave it to me for being best man at his wedding many years ago. I use that thing all the time. It's seldom the best tool for the job, but it's almost always the closest tool for the job.

xoxoxoBruce gave me a leatherman tool he got from his workplace. I have used it constantly.

I'm a knife salesman; I handle the Cutco line. Two of them are practically joined to me at the hip most days: a Cutco 1884D Two Blade Trapper, just plain as from the factory in Olean NY, on my belt, and an 1888 Mini Pocket Knife Plus in a handle color that's no longer available with my name on it -- which option is still available. It lives on my keychain and goes to church with me even if I leave the other at home on my other pants.

Scars? Well, one at the base of my thumb on my left hand, a little fingernail-shaped mark from getting a little excited with a customer's Wusthof. It had a good edge. I think I managed a sympathy sale on that occasion. Cutco knives come sharp enough to comfortably dry-shave. Veteran Cutco Vector reps can tell you the harrowing tale of sharp knives known as "The Monkey Story." Just one more weird thing that happened in Texas...

I like Leatherman tools a LOT for their overall utility, but for edgeholding and cutting efficiency give me Cutco, Cold Steel, or a custom blade. After all, to rephrase a remark about rifles, the only interesting knife is a sharp one that cuts well. Victorinox or Wenger Swiss Armies are great little pocket tools, but I sure wish they'd harden their blades some. However, I've never seen a Swiss Army corroded. I think Cutco and Swiss Army get their little scissors attachments from the same source; they look identical.

The King Tut exhibition at the LACMA in Los Angeles -- where it durn well better be with that name -- features Tut's golden dagger. It's lovely, the way a jewel is lovely. I got within noseprint distance of it in its individual Lexan column-slab-thing, both sides and looking down the edge. It's got an edge like a butter knife. It's a bit slenderer than I thought. I still want one.

I do suffer sometimes carrying my leatherman when I am not wearing a belt. It's uncomfortable and awkward, like a roll of quarters in your pocket, but square in cross section. With rare exceptions, like swimming, or exercising, on the occasions when I choose to leave it behind, I mostly regret it. Not because I found something wrong I couldn't fix, but I might. The Leatherman Supertool I carry most often is an extremely versatile tool. I have used every built in tool for its designed purpose, more than once. Additionally, folded closed, it makes a serviceable hammer; extended can be used as a probe to reach into a narrow space; I have gripped it in my fist to add power to my punch; I have unintentionally used it as a circuit breaker tripper when removing the base of broken incandescent lightbulb (we were both quite dim :eek: :shocking: :wstupid: :crazy: :litebulb: :smack: ). My original Leatherman
was so well exercised that I could and would take it out and whirl it around like a butterfly knife to deploy the pliers as a nervous habit. The new tool is too stiff for that though. I think for non-belt days, the best solution is to get another tool (like I needed a "reason") that is tiny enough to ride in the pocket comfortably.
I have a great book called Bushcraft. It is by this fella that needs only a knife to clear some ground and make a shelter, etc. He has a chapter on Axecraft. His hand drawn illustrations are very good and informative, with a check mark for "do it this way" and an X for "Stop before you hurt yourself". I had to re-read a section about a manuver with the axe a couple of times before what I thought was a typographical error became chillingly clear. He described a move where the axe is headed downward and toward one's feet. He said "...be careful you don't make your toes longer or shorter." Huh? ... Oooohhhh. Ewww. :shivers: An axe leaves little room for error once commited. Be sure you make room before the axe does.

And I wouldn't. Machetes are lighter-bladed, of medium-carbon steel so they're at lot better at being bendy and tough than at holding their edge, and are for brush clearing, which is why a machete blade looks like a machete blade and not like a large clip-point Bowie -- the config. in the pic. Clip point Bowies are a design to take an axelike, very sturdy single edge utility belt knife -- the frontiersman's answer to a stone axe -- and give it a fighter's thrusting point. It's successful enough at this that the US military uses blades of that shape in all their fighting/survival knives and some of their bayonets. Google up "Jim Bowie Sandbar fight" and see what you find for an early success of the Bowie blade form.

BigV, we should talk. {heading over to my profile to see if email addy needs update}

{edit to add} It did. Necessary verification rigamarole completed.

And next busted bulb, use the raw-potato trick. Stick the 'tater into the busted mess of the bulb so the filament post and the glass shards dig into the potato, then turn the potato to unscrew the bulb's remains. Anyone who then tries to cook and eat the potato... deserves to. Or had better be making the bucks with a glass-eating geek show!

I have unintentionally used it as a circuit breaker tripper when removing the base of broken incandescent lightbulb

Oh yea, I made that mistake once, except that it was my finger, and the breaker didn't trip.

And that is a mistake you only make ONCE.

I always carry mine in my purse. But perhaps that's not the route you want to go... ;)

Hoch aye, it takes but a wee space in a sporran, and it's aye more handy than a dirk, e'en for the most veteran kilt wearer!

_______________________
...Weird sgeans inside the gold mine...

That was a joke, UG, not a technical description. :rolleyes:

I have unintentionally used it as a circuit breaker tripper when removing the base of broken incandescent lightbulb

Some of the guys I work with carry leathermans and will wip them out for any reason , I DON'T carry one for the reason stated above , i work around TOO much live power AND the leatherman tool are FAR from the best ,
As to that knife shaped slab of steel that NBN showed , in the marines , in the field , newbys would have some thing like that , and learn REAL quick that it was useless and heavy , I ' ll take a few bics of some USEfull field blades , hell I 'll lay out ALL my blades for comment .

Ok folks here is the blades i could lay hands on quick ,
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11268176@N00/47303485/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/31/47303485_378cc1f1d3_o.jpg" width="720" height="540" alt="b1" /></a>
And here are the big blades ,
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11268176@N00/47303486/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/33/47303486_826ccf1715_o.jpg" width="720" height="540" alt="bb1" /></a>

The three at the bottom are my field blades from the USMC ,
Kbar on the left , Marines MUST have a K-Bar !!!
Tanto point , This was my newby knife , I carryed it for 3 years in the field . The old guys approved , hell the gunny approved when it came time to cut open ammo crates .
and a Bianchi Knight Hawk , expencive but the BEST field knife EVER !!!!
My LT freaked when he knoticed I had the same field knife as him ,

Oh the top big blade is a Machete a friend brought back from El-Salvaror for me , he saw it and said " OH THAT IS SOOO Chris !!!"

:mg: :faints:

drool.

I knew you were a real cutup. ;)