Who are you and what do you use your knife for?

[Knife-man]

I'm writing a article for BKTA with the aim of showing people that ordinary respectable people carry knives and use them for ordinary mundane purposes outside work.

So I'm after a few people (No names necessary if you want to remain anonymous) to give a brief rundown of What they do professionally Where they carry a knife and what it gets used for on a daily basis, where you live might also be useful. Just put down anything that seems relevant such as where you never carry a knife and for what reasons, any voluntary work you do esp if you use the knife for that as well. Basically anything which would help promote your good character.

Please note that anything you write here may get quoted but I will ask each person individually for permission before the article is put up for public viewing. Your free to write as much or as little as you want. I'm will also be posting this on BB so try not to double post as it makes my life easier

Cheers

Steve

 

[pierre girard]

I carry a lock blade knife at work. Mainly, I use it for things like cutting people out of seatbelts in car wrecks, jimmying locked doors, prying car doors so I can get a "slim jim" in, and gutting deer. I also use it to cut my meat when I'm eating out.

I usually carry a fairly cheap blade as they break or get damaged quite often. It is usually something I've confiscated from some gang-banger.

PG

 

[Tadpole]

Professionally I carry a knife to allow me to do my job, ok so not really a knife it's a cheap stainless leatherman copy. I use the screwdriver to open computers and the pliers to remove broken bits and to strip wire and the like. The three knife blades I use to open boxes, cut packing tapes and straps, then the larger blade I use to chop huge boxes in to small bits of cardboard that fit in the recycling bins. The saw blade and knife combination has been used to trim foliage that obscures the work CCTV’s the list is endless and mostly repetitive, opening boxes, packages, reinforced plastic packing tapes, chopping up plastics for recycling. Of all my knives it is the one that does the most work and gets sharpened the most. I forgot to add on the odd occasions I use my knife for sharpening pencils and cutting up food.

 

[BOD]

An Operations Manager for a company that does experiential learning in the outdoors in Borneo.

The most used knife is an Iban parang or a Kenyah style (but made by Penans) "parang hilang" for path clearing, establishing camps, etc.. 90% + of my knife use is with this

Way behind is a SAK, Opinel 8, Al Mar Air Weight or Frosts Mora for lighter chores or for use with a fire steel (I try to be a real bushcrafter, if I am not too knackered) and also depending on how serious would be the consequences of losing or damaging the parang.

A knife is with me most of the time simply cos the SAK is on the car key ring. Not used much. I dont carry a fixed blade in big towns though here it would hardly raise an eyebrow unless you brought a parang into a bank.

The silliest thing ever said to me was by a former British policeman who saw my 3.5" drop point folder and said "What do you need that for?"

We were in the bush!

 

[John Fenna]

Leatherman Wave - everywhere all the time as it has tools for everything and as I am an outdoor skills instructor/relief care worker/outdoor journalist/amateur dramatics enthusiast I find that in one day I may be called on to tighten bolts in a canoe, do minor DIY in the service I work in, help build/adjust scenery or do quick repairs or alteration to costume. Having everything from wirecutters to scissors in one tool is a boon!

4" fixed blade knife - when out in the field or expedition in 3rd world countries and it is used for everything from firelighting and food preparation to wood carving and firewood collection - a constant companion for a host of tasks.

Foldong 3" blade - as a rescue knife when canoeing with young people who may mis-inturpret a fixed blade knife.

3" fixed blade rescue knife - serious white water canoeing where time could be of the essence.

Machete/ 6" blade - when out clearing public rights of way, or rambling in areas I belive that paths may be overgrown.

 

[spamel]

I EDC a Leatherman Wave, which I will use every day without fail for something. I don't feel I've got my moneys worth if I don't use it one day!! It gets used for all sorts, cutting green string, 14 guage steel fencing wire, tightening the odd loose bolt and maintaining Armoured Fighting Vehicles. Something will always need trimming to fit, maybe a seal on a AFV door, or a wooden broom handle to fit in the broom head, I have used the Wave for all sorts.

I have started a Caterpiller D6D with my Wave when the starter circuit was playing up, I flashed the pliers across the solenoid and it started straight away. It took a few chunks out of the pliers, but they are still functioning and it is a working tool. I also use the pliers for baring the ends of a command wire when I do explosive tasks and use the knife for cutting detonation cord and PE4 explosives, which has a consistency of slightly crumbly plasticene.

In my mind, a knife is an invaluable tool in any walk of life, most people will use a knife every day, even if it's just to push peas onto a fork at dinner time. I've seen people struggle to complete a task just because they didn't have a knife, I'd lend them mine but one of three things will happen: It gets nicked, it gets trashed or they cut a body part off!

 

[dwardo]

I work as a systems engineer and used to carry a Gerber multi-tool which was used daily for most of the tasks mentioned above. These days I do less break/fix stuff so I only carry a Spyderco UKPK as my EDC. I use my UKPK for anything from cutting zip ties, opening boxes, food prep etc to cutting a loose thread from clothing.

I love the outdoors as most do here and when out bushcrafting/camping I use my 4” Helle Futura modded fixed blade and a locking folder backup. When out walking the dog in the local woods I tend to use a 3” ish locking folder (I have far too many knives lol). I am how ever fully aware of the law on this subject so I tend to stay away from fixed or locking knives for day to day tasks and EDC.

I find that when most people find that you carry a knife everyday they kind of take a step back almost in disgust. Then you find that when the media hype has left them they usually end up using your knife more than you do!

Oh I have a little SAK on my key ring also lol

 

[Tengu]

Whats BKTA? (I suppose I should know...)

 

[Marts]

The British Knife & Tool Association

 

[EdS]

I work in Environmental Health (most drainage), my EDC is an old style Britsh Army "jack" knife with marlin spike carried in my trouser pocket.

The knife gets used for every thing from string cutting, pencil sharpening, cutting back brambles etc to clear access. The spike is also very handy for getting dirk out of manhole key holes.

I usually carry either the Britsh army knife or the Mauser SAK in my rucksac when walking for food prep, bits of wittling etc. I also carry it when out on fell rescue stuff (always bits of string or stuff to cut).

I carry a 4" pukko again mostly in the sac when in the wilds. This is for general camp craft.

 

[BorderReiver]

Retired Biomedical Scientist.

Anywhere and everywhere a SAK.Used at least once a day.

Fixed blade (various) when in the woods either playing or dogwalking.

Stockman (various) daily but not in "sensitive" areas.

The SAK is seen by NKP as "harmless" and possibly a bit of a joke,which suits me fine.The stockman is carried because I like 'em but as they look like "real knives",I won't carry one when going to a closed public place or on a train.

 

[Alchemist]

I ALWAYS carry a knife of sorts.
I have an office based job but am a keen outdoor type person having been a sportsman and ex army.

I still have a bit of a hang up about carrying a strong and reliable knife despite my levelheadedness about everything in life. This is where I differ from most people who would never think of having an over the top knife. That doesnt mean that I carry a machete for opening boxes or cutting string. I am still levelheaded.

I use my knife mostly to cut things around the house or at work (boxes etc). I also like a bit of whittling or playing with wood when walking dogs (most days). And then I use knives if out in the country/bush.

Normally I carry a legal SAK because I can whittle and do boring chores easily with it. I would like to find a double blade lock knife that is both strong for light butchery but with a small blade for wood. It would be a locking blade so not legal everyday. My point is that I want to carry a locking knife everyday in all situations and I dont think it is dangerous or irresponsible, despite the law. I dont want to own an array of knives just so that I can conform to the publics perception and sensibilities.

Anyway, enough waffle. I also like the leatherman wave for handyman jobs and the swiss tool for manly handyman jobs (not legal of course and easy for timid grannies to see on your belt). I love the Normark superswede but I am conscious that most people think it a bit menacing when taken out. Ideal folder for me at the moment would fuse the normark and the SAK 2 blader.

Enough waffle so I will stop. Hope that helps mate.

Just one last thing. In a gun amnesty people hand in illegal items because you need a licence to own a gun. In the recent knife amnesty people handed in mostly legal knives that only become illegal if carried without proper reason. I just think it a little ironic and a little stupid. I also think that the authorities inability to stipulate what is completely illegal (ie some fighting knives etc) fails to make the public fully aware, it fails to ensure criminals know what they are doing wrong and it reinforces the perception that knife=evil.

 

[Knife-man]

Whats BKTA? (I suppose I should know...)

I should have explained for those who are not in the know.

The BKTA is the British Knife and Tool Association we aim to promote and defend the legal and sensible carriage and use of knives as one of man’s oldest and most useful tools.

http://www.bkta.org/

Thanks for everyone who has helped

 

[addyb]

I'm a university student taking psychology and journalism with hopes of publishing a book one day.

All my life I've been active in the outdoors, whether it be hiking, back-country skiing, biathlon, or just "going bushcrafty" on my summer months. Probably my biggest interest these days is primitive survival and how I could survive in the woods if the situation arose. That all started with a group hike I was on a few years ago; one of the members became very badly hypothermic and nearly died. At the time, I knew only the most basic of survival tasks and well, that hike sortof sparked an interest in me to learn how to survive if I was ever in that sort of situation.

As for knives, well: any one of my friends could attest that I NEVER leave my house without a Zippo lighter and a small SAK in my pocket. Because hey, you never know what might happen!

Adam

 

[JohnC]

Hi, I'm a research nurse in oncology, I use a Leatherman tool at work for a surprising number of things in the course of a week, that gets kept in my bag. I have a small folding penknife with a mm rule down one side that is used daily for pencils paper etc. At home or if out on a walk I'd take a short fixed blade knife to whittle, cut wood etc.

 

[Wettstuff]

Im a garden landscaper and always have a SAK the one with only one blade, a victorniks pruning knife and a buck mantis locking folder. Generally all three end up in my pockets at some point. Used for shapping pegs for marking out, re handeling tools, cutting string/ropes banding on pallets, sharpening the obligatory pencils and after all that cutting up me lunch. Ooh and in the summer a bit of tailoring when im wearing trousers and i would be moe comfortable in shorts (so many good pairs of trousers have felt the rath of the blade)

Mark

 

[Wayland]

I'm a living history interpreter. I routinely carry swords, axes, knives and spears into schools and museums to teach people how their ancesters lived.


You might want to take a look at this thread .

 

[Knife-man]

I'm a living history interpreter. I routinely carry swords, axes, knives and spears into schools and museums to teach people how their ancesters lived.


You might want to take a look at this thread .

I had a read through that just the other day and your predicament is precisely what The BKTA is all about. Should you be stopped it should be massively and blindingly obvious that your not carrying the blades for criminal intent But unfortunately that dosent mean you will stay out of trouble. even if you only have to take a trip down the station to sort things out it will still be a hassle I bet you could do without.
What we would love to see is the current UK laws being used against criminals instead of them being used against anyone who carries a knife regardless of there intent.

 

[Wayland]

The problem is that legislation only work on people who are law abiding.

It's very strange but crooks don't seem to care much about the law....

 

[bent-stick]

I work in IT and have a Gerber in a pouch on my belt.

I use it most days (today was cutting the strapping from a pack of priinter paper) but it could be dropping the back off a pc or laptop to sort something out, sharpening a pencil (yep, I still use pencils) or opening a bottle of wine.

Not sure how people manage without something sharp.

I saw a bit in the paper the other day where an ex soldier was caught at Waterloo with a 5cm blade and done for carrying a concealed weapon. Anyone know the full story.