The left hand must be punished

[BigV]

Originally Posted by mitheral

--snip--I've lost the larger swiss though and have been contemplating a leatherman or one of it's cousins but I'm not sure I want to be carrying a belt knife around all the time; sometimes I'm not wearing a belt. For those of you with a leatherman do you ever just put it in your pocket?

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 ). 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.

Originally Posted by mitheral

As to the topic on hand the only single edged tool scar on my hands is actually from an axe on my left thumb. So I guess my left hand is more cut up but it's a pretty small sample set.

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.

[plthijinx]

left hand for sure. two nice one's stand out. one about 1" on my thumb and the other about the same length on my middle finger. i am though missing a small chunk of flesh on my right pinky.

[Nothing But Net]

This is a knife!

[dar512]

Originally Posted by Nothing But Net

This is a knife!

I dunno. I'd call that a machete.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by dar512

I dunno. I'd call that a machete.

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.

[dar512]

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla

And I wouldn't. Machetes are lighter-bladed *snip*

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

[mitheral]

Originally Posted by Nothing But Net

This is a knife!

Aren't the serations going the wrong way on that pig sticker?

[BrianR]

I have four of those multi-tools and don't know how I ever got along without one.

Two Gerbers, one Leatherman and one no-name that I got as a doorprize for ordering a subscription to the Navy Times. Love the little things. I also have two combat-carry knives, both from Smith and Wesson. One is the 24/7 model and one is too old for me to remember or read on the blade. Both are still razor sharp though, thanks to my Dremel.

I probably have a few penknives around somewhere that I can't find or remember.

Brian

[zippyt]

Nice blades every body ,
Now the question IS , DO YOU REALLY NEED and USE THAT KNIFE ???
As beestie pointed out you can get busted for carrying a big blade , I have to go into secure places on ocation so emptying my pockets infront of ARMED guards happens , a small knife raises less eye brows than a big serated tanto point curved auto opener .
So as I said do these fine blades EVER get used for any thing but opening mail and spliting the occational bagle ??

[Beestie]

Originally Posted by zippyt

So as I said do these fine blades EVER get used for any thing but opening mail and spliting the occational bagle ??

I live in Virginia where my blade is perfectly legal. However, I work in DC where only the criminals have access to weapons. I have to walk about a mile from my client's site to my car and when I work late (as I have been lately), I can encounter some interesting characters to say the least. I have had some close calls. Hopefully, it will never come to that but I'll take a felony over an assault anyday.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Nice blades every body ,
Now the question IS , DO YOU REALLY NEED and USE THAT KNIFE ???
As beestie pointed out you can get busted for carrying a big blade , I have to go into secure places on ocation so emptying my pockets infront of ARMED guards happens , a small knife raises less eye brows than a big serated tanto point curved auto opener .
So as I said do these fine blades EVER get used for any thing but opening mail and spliting the occational bagle ??

I carry a very small blade on my keychain. I usually remember to remove it before I pass through courthouse security. Sometime I forget. So far, they have never spotted it. Hope it stays that way, if I forget again.

It is a decent tool. The Swiss Tech UtiliKey Very small, cuts packages and cords very well. I use the phillips head screwdriver pretty often. It's the right size for smaller screws. It would be of no value in a self defense situation.

[Kagen4o4]

thats not a knife
THIS...is a knife



i see you've played knifey spoony before

[dar512]

There is no spoon.

[dar512]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Nice blades every body ,
Now the question IS , DO YOU REALLY NEED and USE THAT KNIFE ???
As beestie pointed out you can get busted for carrying a big blade , I have to go into secure places on ocation so emptying my pockets infront of ARMED guards happens , a small knife raises less eye brows than a big serated tanto point curved auto opener .
So as I said do these fine blades EVER get used for any thing but opening mail and spliting the occational bagle ??

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.

[wolf]

All of my folders are legal in Pennsylvania.

As everyone knows, I try to avoid visiting neighboring states as some of my other typical pocket contents tend not to be viewed as kindly on the wrong side of my state line.