The Everyday Carry is an Everyday Cutter.
Man's oldest tool, the knife. has been our constant companion for hundreds of thousands of years, maybe millions. And the evolution of the knife from flaked stone to hardened steel has helped to ensure our survival as a species on this planet.
It wasn't an accessory; it was a necessity. You can rest assured that no matter how technologically advanced we become in our continued march of evolution, there will still be a knife in our pocket hundreds of thousands of years into the future. And for most of us today, there is still a need for the knife that we carry in our pocket.
I, for one, can tell you that I use my knife more times than I can count, without fail. In fact, to be a little cliché, I feel naked if I ever don't have one in my pocket. So let's take a look at this knife that we carry with us every day.
Our Everyday Carry.
The style, shape and size of this genre of knife goes everywhere from A to Z. It can be anything from a folding Bowie knife all the way down to the well-known and ever popular Swiss Army knife.
The name “Every Day Carry” simply means that this describes a knife that you have in your pocket every day. So this knife may be depending on your chosen field of work, expected to perform any number of cutting chores. If you are one who must dress in a suit every day for work, the knife you carry in your dress pants may be a completely different type of EDC than if you are a warehouse foreman or a construction worker.
And if you're like me, and like a lot of you, my EDC does duty as an emergency tool, a ranch tool, self-defense weapon, box opener, and yes, back up steak knife whenever I need it.
Now, for the sake of this discussion, I'm going to discuss the knives I'm most familiar with. The knives I call the “all-rounders,” EDC knives that serve a multitude of duties. Since I know my audience, the knife that you carry is probably 8 to 8 1/2 inches long, fully opened, with a blade length of 3 to 4 inches. It can be opened with one hand, has a pocket clip, and fits comfortably into your pocket.
Now, that's not to say that a small knife doesn't have its place. Remember the hiker that cut his hand off with his Swiss army knife after it was trapped under a boulder? On the other end of the spectrum, I know a lot of cowboys whose EDC isn't a folder but a belt-carried fixed blade.
The point I'm making here is it does not have to be a folding knife. But since this is Emerson knives and we primarily make folders, and most of the people that I know carry a folding knife, that's where I'm going to focus this discussion. As I stated at the beginning of this discussion, the knife is man's oldest tool and there are innumerable reasons why we continue to keep one at our side pretty much 24/7. The biggest reason is that they're just so damn useful and versatile. And because of those traits, it really has helped us survive as a species. After all, think about it. Compared to most other critters out there, we are pretty poorly armed. So, from stone to steel, our knife was our primary protective weapon, a necessary survival resource, and a hunting tool.
Well, for many of us, the role of that EDC knife that we carry is much the same today as it was for our pre-hominin ancestors so many millennia ago.
So, let's talk about that for a moment. In regard to both self-defense and as an emergency tool, there is one golden rule that can never be broken; “You have to have it with you when you need it.” And if you don't have your EDC with you, you won't be able to use it. And that's precisely the time that you will need it.
If you've read any of my books, you'll also be aware of this rule; “You don't get to choose when violence strikes or when an emergency occurs. It chooses you.” So you better be prepared. And part of that preparation is having your EDC knife with you at all times. And in that same regard, if you carry a gun for self-protection, the same rule applies. You'll thank God if you never had to use it, and you'll also thank God you had it with you if you ever did have to use it.
Believe me, I am never “unprepared.”
Again, using myself as a typical “knife guy,” for the purposes of self-defense or emergency, I would recommend that you carry at least a medium sized folding knife secured with a pocket clip with a blade from one of the following shapes. Bowie, Tanto, Spearpoint or Clip Point. I know a lot of you guys really like Wharncliffe blades but try doing an emergency tracheotomy with one and you'll see why it's not on my preferred carry list.
I also recommend Serrations because of their ability to cut through almost anything. And don't buy into that old wives’ tale that serrations aren't good for a self-defense knife. That's a myth. I can tell you firsthand that they don't get caught up or hung up on anything. And when you're cutting a baby out of a car seat in a burning vehicle, you'll also thank God your knife was serrated.
Your EDC knife has to be able to be opened with one hand. Fortunately, most modern folders are. What if you are partially incapacitated or trapped like that hiker with the Swiss Army knife?
And here's a side note. Why do you think I spend so much time practicing shooting with my off hand? And I don’t just mean using two hands in a left-hand transition, but only using one hand? Well, the same rules apply. I don't choose the situation I'm in, it chooses me.
The steel for this knife can really be any good quality alloy, preferably with good corrosion resistance, moderate ductility, a fine grain to take a keen edge and a higher hardness than a combat knife, 59 Rockwell or higher, even up into the low 60’s Rockwell for some steels if they're properly heat treated. And annealed. Personally, I will tell you that 154CM, S35VN or Magnacut are perfectly suited for all EDC knives. For a smaller, thinner blade, though, I would go with S35VN or Magnacut as your choice. But having said that, I have used them all and if I didn't know beforehand what steel was in the blades, I wouldn't have been able to tell you what knife had, what steel.
Now that's just firsthand experience talking here, and you can take my advice for what it's worth.
The bottom line in your choice should be these. Choose a knife you will always have with you. It should be comfortable in your hands so that it fits you. Keep it sharp – always. It should be strong, not weak or flimsy, or you'll never have the confidence in it to perform in a high stress situation. Maintain it, keep it clean.
Lastly, and this can never be emphasized enough – Never go anywhere without it.
After all, you never know when you might need to sharpen a pencil.