# What kind of pocketknife or multi-tool do you routinely carry? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2019, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211 "2019-08-25T12:57:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2019, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/81 "2019-08-28T23:34:25Z")
I have 4-5 knives, a Swiss Army knife (Picnicker, I think) a similar knife of German make, a Mercator lock blade, an old Schrade, similar to the Buck 110, and a very small, maybe 1.25 inch blade, all stainless Buck. The only tool I actually carry around daily is a Palamino Blackwing 602. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/82 "2019-08-30T00:04:15Z")
Don’t you need a knife to sharpen your Blackwing? ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/83 "2019-08-30T00:28:56Z")
I carry a Swiss Army knife, either a Spartan (if there’s a chance I’ll need a corkscrew) or a deluxe tinker (if pliers are more likely). ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/84 "2019-08-30T00:36:04Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Don’t you need a knife to sharpen your Blackwing? That’s why I have all those knives stashed all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/85 "2019-08-30T01:20:08Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > A long time ago my mother was looking at my knife and asked “What if someone takes it from you and uses it against you?” I pulled out the other one, the big one, and said, “That’s what this one’s for!” 😃 (NYC mugger pulls out a 3-inch pocket knife) Hot Babe (panicked): “He’s got a knife!” Australian Guy: “‘At’s naw a knoife…” (pulls out a ten-inch fixed blade) Australian Guy: “‘AT’S a KNOIFE.” — _Crocodile Dundee_ Me and my pinko friends are all urban sophisticate anti-gun types, and most of them are horrified that I enjoy knives. Sorry, dudes, I like to be able to slice cheese on picnics. ---
**Author:** ![Hapax\_Legomenon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hapax\_Legomenon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hapax_Legomenon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/86 "2019-08-30T14:41:34Z")
I carry 2: Gerber Evo Jr. in my pocket, Swisstech Utilitkey as a pendant. The Gerber is small and lightweight but big enough to, eg, cut an apple in half, and it’s a one-handed opener (convenient) but not springloaded (safer). The Utilikey is nice because of the little tiny Phillips-head screwdriver. I’ve also learned how to trim my fingernails with the serrated bit, eliminating the need to carry scissors. Theoretically it has a bottle openiner as well, but I’ve never tried it out. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/87 "2019-08-30T14:53:59Z")
> [@Hapax\_Legomenon](#): > > I carry 2: Gerber Evo Jr. in my pocket, Swisstech Utilitkey as a pendant. The Gerber is small and lightweight but big enough to, eg, cut an apple in half, and it’s a one-handed opener (convenient) but not springloaded (safer). > > The Utilikey is nice because of the little tiny Phillips-head screwdriver. I’ve also learned how to trim my fingernails with the serrated bit, eliminating the need to carry scissors. Theoretically it has a bottle openiner as well, but I’ve never tried it out. Oooh! I just bought a utili-key. If it works for hangnails, it may replace the little key knife I’m carrying now. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/88 "2019-08-30T15:04:37Z")
SOG Twich 2 here - i’ve bought a few others I thought might replace it (Benchmade, Kershaw, etc) - but the twich just sits perfecty on the pocket. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/89 "2019-08-30T17:20:35Z")
I used to carry a big Swiss Army knife, then I started working in a federal facility with heavy entry screening. Not allowed. Also not allowed on airplanes. I just gave up on carrying anything with a blade. I carry a small tool that is a tiny pair of pliers with straight and Philips screwdrivers. Fits in the palm of my hand. ---
**Author:** ![sjankis630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sjankis630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjankis630)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/90 "2019-08-30T20:12:49Z")
No pocket knife here. I haven’t had one since i was a boy. I tried to put together a bed frame with a leatherman tool once and after it kept twisting in my hand I went out and bought a screwdriver (they didn’t have anything besides the leatherman at the house I was helping a person to move into). Am I the only one on earth who consistently opens all of his boxe/packages with his house keys? Try it sometime they work great. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/91 "2019-08-31T00:22:21Z")
I carry daily one of several Chinese made Schrade pocket knives. I collect the USA made ones and carry the imports. The imports are a little crudely finished but the blade steel is decent. Depends on which ones have been sharpened recently. I have a Leatherman Micro multi-tool in my backpack. It has a little pair of scissors that comes in handy sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/92 "2019-08-31T01:28:59Z")
> [@sjankis630](#): > > …Am I the only one on earth who consistently opens all of his boxe/packages with his house keys? > Try it sometime they work great. I’ve done it. They work adequately. A sharp knife works much better. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/93 "2019-08-31T16:36:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’ve done it. They work adequately. A sharp knife works much better. Which I usually have in my kitchen drawer a few steps away. Amazon usually doesn’t deliver to me when I’m off the grid in the wilderness. 😃 Seriously I don’t carry one because I usually have something that will work much better fairly close. Tool box with anything you could need in the garage, a smaller one in the trunk if I’m away. A nail clipper seems to handle 99% of anything that comes up… a snagged nail, no problem, opening a box, use the nail file… trying to remove one of those things that holds the new socks together, not a problem. If I need a wrench, screwdriver, corkscrew, can opener, bottle opener, or any other thing… the tools are usually not too far away to justify keeping a smaller version in my pocket. ---
**Author:** ![sjankis630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sjankis630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjankis630)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/94 "2019-08-31T17:12:45Z")
> [@](#): > > trying to remove one of those things that holds the new socks together, not a problem. I absolutely hate these. It is like they are trying to mess with you by putting them in the most annoying places. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/95 "2019-09-01T06:47:04Z")
> [@](#): > > I have no need of the huge multi-tools with nineteen different “features” that do nothing but add weight and cost. > [@](#): > > I also carry around a multitool that I rarely use; it’s not particularly good at anything. I carry a Leatherman Supertool ('98 vintage) most of the time, and find the above sentiments alien. I use almost every feature on the multitool regularly. We just moved, and I would’ve been semi-helpless without the Leatherman. Of course a tool the size of a Snickers bar that has two knives, pliers, wire cutters, a set of screwdrivers, a hacksaw, a woodsaw, a ruler and a can opener isn’t “particularly good at anything”. The point is that you have a whole toolbox on your belt wherever you go. I got myself a Victorinox Swiss Champ 30 years ago, before there were any Leathermen (heh) in my locale. After getting the Supertool, I realised how toy-like the Very Best SAK really is. You have all the tools that the Leatherman has and then some, but with the SAK you can’t actually do anything useful with the woodsaw, file or pliers. They are just too small and flimsy, no matter how well constructed from quality steel they are. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/96 "2019-09-01T12:38:19Z")
Actually, the swiss army knife file is one of the useful parts – it’s suitable for filing your nails if they get ragged. And the can-opener is a little slow, but works fine. Ditto bottle opener and cork screw and toothpick. The tweezer is an exercise in frustration, and I agree that the saw blades and pliers and stuff aren’t substantial enough to actually be useful. But as a multi-tool to prepare your picnic lunch, it’s quite functional. I used one as such for years. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/97 "2019-09-02T15:42:30Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Actually, the swiss army knife file is one of the useful parts – it’s suitable for filing your nails if they get ragged. And the can-opener is a little slow, but works fine. Ditto bottle opener and cork screw and toothpick. > > The tweezer is an exercise in frustration Interesting. I find that the tweezers work fine but the toothpick is useless. (At least, as a toothpick. It is good for clearing certain types of spray nozzles if they get clogged. – yes, organic farmers sometimes use sprayers. It’s not the tool that’s the issue, it’s what you put in it.) Maybe we have different size gaps between our teeth. About the tweezers I have no clue – maybe we’re trying to grip different sorts of things with them? I use them mostly for pulling out splinters or thorns in the field. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2019, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/98 "2019-09-09T17:35:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > it’s suitable for filing your nails. You made my point. When I use a file, I need to shape, sharpen or smoothen metal. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/99 "2019-09-10T02:59:14Z")
It’s definitely a nail file, not a metal file. I have use for a nail file, though. In fact, that’s a handy thing to always have in a pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2019, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211/100 "2019-09-10T06:49:24Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > I like to carry a small, simple little pocket knife on my person as I go about my daily business. I don’t want to carry anything too big and bulky and I have no need of the huge multi-tools with nineteen different “features” that do nothing but add weight and cost. For many years, my preferred blade has been an “Old-Timer” similar to [THIS ONE.](https://www.cabelas.com/product/SCHRADE-CUTLERY-OLD-TIMER-FOLDING/3278424.uts?productVariantId=1630379&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=50020644&rid=20&ds_rl=1246543&ds_rl=1246546&ds_rl=1247984&ds_rl=1252079&gclid=CjwKCAjw44jrBRAHEiwAZ9igKCeKD5nhhjDliqrDiNFDFoJwnkg-FuKKCgIU_4V7UMOGuLSqKRS2aBoCOWEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) As far as I’m concerned, for my needs, a pocketknife doesn’t need to get much more complicated than this. My ‘daily’ pocketknife is [the Buck 309](https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2163128715?pid=128715). It’s pretty similar to your Old Timer, but with a black resin body. I’ve had it for over 25 (!) years now. I sometimes carry a similar but slightly larger (and prettier) Gerber Stockman Stag pocketknife whose longer blade locks open, which is handy. It’s like [this one, but with two blades instead of three.](https://www.gerbergear.com/Activity/EVERYDAY/Stockman-3-Blade-Knife_22-41035) I also keep [one of these](https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Leathers-DoohicKey-Stainless-Convenient/dp/B0156G099O/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=keychain+box+opener&qid=1568098003&s=gateway&sr=8-5) on my keychain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-pocketknife-or-multi-tool-do-you-routinely-carry/839211.md?page=6)