what tasks do you use your knives for?

[Lt.Hawkins]

what do you/have you used your knives for? the mundane AND the exceptional. or, if you carry it Just In Case, what sort of things do you imagine it would be useful for in a Just In Case situation?



in my daily life, theres very little that actually needs to be cut. an occasional package, really. i'm asking because i live a rather sheltered life and am curious <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

[J Smith]

At work [PEPSI COLA] I use my knife [FRN endra] to cut plastic wrap off the product mostly. I don't think much about self defence with a kife. I have a carry permit so I have my Kimber 1911 with me alot. But it is nice to now I have got a pretty mean blade on me in places I can't carry.


J Smith

[Jeff/1911]

My uses include...

At work: opening boxes, cutting tie wraps, cutting (for my lunch) oranges, tomatoes, sandwiches... opening letters, trimming threads from my clothes, and personal entertainment through repeated opening and closing cycles; hundreds of these a day.

At home: to cut apart juice boxes for my kids, toy packaging, their cheeseburger at McDonalds, the annoying tags from the neckline of their clothes (instant hero status here), a piece of tattered shoelace...

Did I mention toy packaging?

In the wilds; when camping etc, tie wraps, all kinds of food itself, rope, food products packaging, hot dog roasting sticks, the little foil insert in the top of the new mustard and ketchup containers, bags of ice for the beer cooler, and so on.

Jeff/1911.

[Clay Kesting]

Let's see: sharpening pencils (lots), trimming woodwork joints, opening envelopes, removing splinters, cutting up food for lunch (apples, oranges, tomatoes, bagels), opening packges, cutting threads off my and the kids clothes (see Dad, he's got his knife <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>) etc. etc. and did I mention sharpening pencils <img src="smile.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>.

Clay



Don't worry that the world might end tomorrow, in Australia it's tomorrow already.

[Clay Kesting]

Mostly I use it to get my meal in, but otherwise it just stands neatly cleaned and shining in a box with a window in front of it for when I doubt if I spend my money right, I'll just have to look at my knifes and know I did well.

Edited by - Hannibal on 8/28/2001 1:30:08 AM

[sam the man..]

Mainly for utility..

At work ~ opening packages, letters, cutting cords and fiberous materials
At home ~ they rest...
At play ~ Dressing game, gutting fish, carrying out camp chores and keeping things in order..

Sam

have spydies will travel

[vampyrewolf]

Work[Burger King, maintanance): opening boxes, deflapping boxes, foil liner from bottles(soap, cleaner, etc.), scrapping crap off the floors

Home: Pencils, Thread, boxes(just can't escape), fingernails, plastic wrap, food(cheese, sandwich, carrots, celery, etc.)

Play: boredom(knife-sturbating), threads, wittling(never my spydies), shelter(multi-tool)

We all start with 10 fingers. Those with Spydies have 9 to spare, Still need a thumb. Good thing I still have 8 to spare...

[chinook]

Retired a couple years ago and been working harder ever since. This new home has over an acre of grass, fruit trees and a creek in back. I am continually cutting back Mother Nature from reclaiming the property.
Blackberry vines, dandelions, morning glory, thistles, willows and alders obscuring the view of the creek all have felt my blades. Bags of soil amendments (cowsh*t), new plant containers, pesticide/herbicide container foils, repairing hoses, pruning, flower gathering/deadheading/dividing, tomatoe/artichoke/brocoli/bell pepper gathering (only things in the garden the deer haven't eaten)
Speaking of deer, hope to dress out one this year (my revenge) Salmon and steelhead cleaning, steak testing on the barbie (chef's perk), crab and clam cleaning.
Various scraping and cleaning chores (including my fingernails) (not earwax, tho)

And maybe the best part... fiddling with my newest one (tufram Cricket) while typing onehanded on one of the knife forums.

Disguised as a responsible adult

[Jeff/1911]

Chinook,

Sounds like a great place you have there. Good luck hunting this season. I'm getting itchy to go out myself, and it's still two months away.

Cheers, Jeff.

[Tightwad]

Not to be a smart pants, but everything that is listed here thus far and everything that will be listed.
A knife is an extension of who / what mankind is. It more than any tool has set us apart from
the rest of the creatures on this planet.

[yog]

In the office - Sharpening pencils, opening letters, trimming building plans to a handier size.

On site - pruning small branches and vines for sight lines, cutting cord where someone has used it to &quot;lock&quot; a gate, untangleing my cloths from barbed wire and brambles, and the original reason I started carrying a knife for work - digging out those pesky thorns from my hands / legs.
It's a bad habit, but if I see a thorn / splinter imbedded in my person it HAS to come out. I've often cause more damage getting it out than I would have done leaving it in place, but I can't help myself.

[scolby]

Tightwad, I think the opposable thumb thing and the brain thing are a wee bit more significant at differentiating us from other life forms than the ability to make knives. All of our technology (knives being just one tool) kind of follow from that.

I carry a knife so that I feel prepared, as is suggested by my signature. I use it for whatever comes up. I acquire production folders that are relatively affordable and carry a good wow factor when used in public. So I suppose you could say I use them as an image accessory, in addition to the other obvious uses.



"Chance favors the prepared mind" - Louis Pasteur

[80L]

Hey Chinook...are you cutting each blade of grass with your spydie? That'll keep ya busy <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

Me...hmmm, I use my Native (my only spydie <img src="sad.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle> ) to cut just about everything. In fact, I just used it like 30 minutes ago to cut some twine that I used to tie an entertainment center down (damn thing was trying to get away). I use my knife for the most mundane of purposes...I haven't used it to save a life or anything, but I did offer it to this guy at Auto Zone who was trying to cut some of that annoying packing tape with a ball-point pen..hero for a day, yahoo!

[Dav]

VampyerWolf - LOL &quot;knife-sturbating&quot;

Clay - Your a guy after my own heart. It's part of the zen of drawing to sharpen ones own pencils. Once I got the hang of it I never went back!

I have one you guys didn't mention. go-go-gadget ice-pick!

My SS police makes a spectacular thumb tack for the dry-wall when there is no tape around!

And of course opening my coronas. ;-)

Dav

[chinook]

80L....
Not until Spyderco makes a riding mower with a 42 inch cut. <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>

(Just what does 80L mean anyway?)

Jeff/1911...
One more raid on my garden and I won't be waiting any longer than nightfall. <img src="wink.gif" width=15 height=15 align=middle>


Edited by - Chinook on 8/28/2001 5:18:00 PM

[80L]

Chinook...ah, you mentioned something about an acre of grass...cutting back nature....I just imagined some spydienut out back trying to...aww nevermind.

[vampyrewolf]

Dav&gt; Actually, I saw that over at BF... in the General forum

We all start with 10 fingers. Those with Spydies have 9 to spare, Still need a thumb. Good thing I still have 8 to spare...

[Mr Blonde]

Two main uses really: opening stuff and food preparation. Actually, teaching people about knives has been something of a chore for my Spydies too lately,especially since I got my Delica drone. Apart from that, I like to train with, and carry them for self defense. Certainly I never hope to use it for the latter purpose!

Wouter

[toast250]

This week I've used my delica serrated to cut or trim a few mudflaps,helped a coworker cut some old conveyor belt to fit in p/u bed. He used a very nice looking boker skinner(just sharpened).Before we were finnished boker was dull, delica kept on cutting.heater hose,split some air compressor hose,plastic bags,opening cardboard boxes cleaning fingrnails and some other stuff.use calypsojr for food prep and envelopes.

[Gary]

Everyday: opening mail, as well as everything else that's taped or tied
Other Days: hiking, backpacking and mountainbiking... all's been mentioned above except my most popular use... cutting medical/duct tape, moleskin and blisters... oh yea.. hehe, and to protect me from bears and the such like I read in books, etc.

[Tom Percy]

Cutting papers, plastics, rubbers, food, tapes, cardboards, foams, and instructing people how to use knives a cutting tools, and not pry bars.