EDC or “Everyday Carry” knives take a number of different
forms. For some it’s a tiny folder like your Grandpa’s old CASE, for others a
more utilitarian instrument such as a Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman Tool, and
for others still, more personal-defense oriented blades.
I was taught from a very young age that “if your pants are
on, there should be a knife in the pocket”. Advice that served me well as a
young man when I had occasion to rescue a Gentleman who was fishing upstream of
me, lost his footing and fell into the river. His waders filled in an instant,
the current quickly pulled him under and he was not strong enough to overcome
the combined weight and pressure of the current. I was able to jump into the
river, grab hold of him with one hand and with the other cut the shoulder
straps on his waders and pull him out and to safety. Had I not had a knife on
my person the man may have died that day.
When flying in the Coast Guard I carried two. The first and
primary being a Leatherman tool and later a Gerber Multi-tool and also a “Rescue
Blade” strapped to my survival vest that included a seat harness cutter a glass
breaker point and a heavy chisel-point blade that could double as a pry-bar. Sadly, the
latter device was used two times too many.
The most common uses for EDC blades are by no means as
dramatic. Essentially it comes down to having a handy tool, on your person for innumerable
tasks one encounters in daily life.
When one decides to begin to carry an EDC blade one quickly
realizes that a single knife is not appropriate for every situation. What you
carry on your person while working in the yard or fishing is not what you want
when wearing a suit. Hence, most people have a number of different knives that
they rotate through depending on what they are doing on any given day.
My current rotation is amongst the four knives shown below.
From Left-to-Right, Spyderco Walker Zytel, Kershaw Whirlwind, CRKT Endorser and
Kershaw Leek.
