how many blades do you use?

[longshot]

how many blades do you use regularly, including knives, axes, etc.? and what are they?

longshot

[armedandsafe]

That's an interesting question, since you actually asked about "blades."

Right hip = Old Timer 70T
Right hip pocket = Kershaw 1560ST
Right front pocket = Coast 2-blade pocket
Left front pocket = Old Timer 1940T
Fanny pack = cheap, small multi-tool

Outside......................
3lb Swedish double bit
3 1/2 lb Single bit
2lb hatchet
7lb splitting maul

Wood shop.............................
Let's not go there

Kitchen......................
Primary knives:
Full set of Chicago, less cleaver
Full set of Old Homestead, including cleaver
1 ea ceramic paring knife

That is regular use blade stuff, unless you want to start counting saws.

Pops

[pickenup]

How often is “regularly” ?
I use my steak knife the most.

[offeror]

The knives I use most often lately are my Swedish Moras. They are sharp as razors and that makes them handy for everything from cutting paper to trimming branches to cutting pills in half, whatever. Can't recommend them too highly for utility, tackle box, pocket or glovebox.

I've been wearing a most useful knife, a USAF survival blade made, they say, by Camillus. It's Parkerized, strong enough to use for prying, yet sharp as can be and the point is sharper than most everything else I have. A very useful design. You wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of this thing. I find it comfortable to wear, and rugged enough not to worry about it getting scratched up or showing use much. It's a better alternative, for me, to a folder, at least outside the office. Even the sheath is excellent -- thick leather with metal reinforcement, great belt slots, and the squared end keeps it from telegraphing "knife" when worn under a jacket. It's a handsome package and for $20 I just can't fault it. It's going to be mine permanently.

Of course I also have an excellent Ka-Bar for those times when nothing less will do. My pocket knife, when I carry one, is as big as a belt knife. I'm going to be getting a new folder, maybe a Cold Steel or CRKT or similar. I like my folders to be near as strong as my full-tang blades, which is a tall order for some knife makers. I don't want to pay gun money, but I'm shopping for that special folder that will satisfy me for a while. I believe the large Cold Steel "voyager" may be of interest. (Is that what they call them?)

I had a couple of Schrade X-Timers recently but I got a refund on both. I love my old 49er hunting knife with the stag handle, but these models didn't light my fire. After giving them a good look, I felt they weren't worth the $30-35 each that I paid. The black finish just wasn't going to hold up as well as either Parkerizing or stainless, and the folder did not seem to me as if it would stand up to much force at all. For example, the blade, when open, rested directly on the seam of the Zytel grip. The full tang X-Timer was better, but the nylon sheath had a horizontal flap design that wanted to unbutton itself when rubbed against door frames and such, and the black finish on the blade was just as fragile on that. Just not reality tested.

I like big strong knives and will continue to collect them. I have a (fairly irrational) longing for one of those Cold Steel walking canes, and I prefer the (apparently discontinued) Cocobolo styled finish. As long as I'm getting one I'm thinking I may as well get the sword cane. It's only good for thrusts, which doesn't strike me as incredibly useful even for defense, but hey, it's there -- and my knees are not good, so a walking stick would be practical one of these days.

I love my bayonet collection but the old ones, while intimidating, are mostly "used" as a hanging display on my wall. And I have a couple of swords, Samurai type but shorter. There are sling sheaths for those but I haven't had any use for them in a while other than practice. I also have one of Dad's WWII fighting knives which I cherish but it doesn't get used at all -- it's to hold and look at and enjoy.

Other blades I use would include my camp axes, my milsurp machete, and miscellaneous. Oh, and there's a scalpel in my milsurp surgical kit in the survival box. Hope I won't be needing to use that...

[z537z]

Having been caught in enough situations where I wish I had a sharp edge and didn't, I now carry enough to suit me in any situation.

In my pocket, I carry a Cold Steel Voyager. My only complaint with this knife is that the handle is not as strong and useful as a steel handle. My last carry knife was a Kershaw VaporII, which just weighed my pocket down too much, so I traded it in for a Zytel handle knife which only weighs a few ounces even with a heavy 3.5" blade.
The tanto point ensures a long straight cutting edge, and a strong tip. I use
it for everything: Cutting, prying, as a screwdriver, as a hammer, etc. The handle's not let me down yet, so I don't mind its "plastic" nature. I also like the lockback, as liner locks tend to get jammed in the locked position after they wear down a while, in my experience. Even with nicer knives, like the CRKT line.

I liked it so much, I carry a Cold Steel Tuff-Lite for my keychain. It's tiny, but has the same nice AUS-8A steel. It doens't have stellar edge-holding capability, but it hasn't snapped on my, so I like it fine. I've had both for over year now, sharpening once and a while to keep happy.
I use the smaller one for delicate jobs, so it stays super sharp. Like if I don't have scissors, it'll cut paper no problem, as well as envelopes, even hangnails when I can't find clippers. It's also nice to have when I'm in a setting where my Voyager is a little inappropriate (people aren't always comfortable with larger blades out in the open).

Finally, I've carried a regular old 10 cent razor blade in my wallet in a custom "sheath" made of index card and masking tape. It's thin and I don't notice it in there, and it's great when you've forgotten everything but your wallet.

In addition, I have a few straight sections of hairpin in my wallet. You'd be surprised how often you need a small thin piece of metal. I once one when a friend realized he'd forgotten his bolt lock on his Remington out in the field.

Finally, I have a Swisstool multitool on my keychain. The 420 steel's nothing too impressive, but without too much weight the pliers are incredibly handy, as are the 4 screwdrivers on there, and wire cutters underneath the plier jaws.


I was never in boy scouts, just find myself using these things all the time!

I highly reccomend the Voyager. You can't feel it there, but if need be it's still tough enough to fend off somebody threatening.

_z

[tireman]

right front pocket--hk model 11 with 4 in blade and pocket clip----boker top lock with pearl inlay in pouch on my belt otherwise-boker is original german-very crisp auto open