Price of the Blade

[Mortblanc]

Bouncing off of the thread/review Bennie posted about his Boar model EDC knife, and one comment that 45 pounds was too much to pay for an everyday knife, I got to thinking.

I like fine knives. I care for them and keep close eye on them, and carry them for decades. I have one knife in the jewelry box that I carried daily for 30 years. I even have a little SAK Classic I have carried on my keychain daily for almost a decade and my currant EDC pocket knife, that replaced the 30 year veteran, has been with me for 5 years.

The currant knife is a high quality tool not made in a far eastern sweat shop from recycled roofing metal. It holds a razor edge and meets all my demands for a good EDC knife. Comfortable in the hand for long periods, blades no longer than 2 1/5 inches, smooth scales and bolsters. It is not used to hammer nails, cut sheet metal, dig in the dirt, baton yew bow-staves from the green wood or split rocks.

It is a high quality cutting tool that has served me well in the capacity of a cutting tool. Besides removing splinters and opening the mail it has skinned out a host of small game and done primary work on a number of deer. It has made willow whistles for the grandchildren, carved wood spirit faces on the walking sticks, sliced lunch meat and tomatoes and has been a good companion.

I am certain that if I am ever caught in an emergency survival situation, urban or rural, this knife is the one that will be in my pocket. I guess that makes it my "survival knife".

No one ever promised that if TEOTWAWKI arrives we will have opportunity to run back to the house and get the "real survival knife". The one we can not carry because it is illegal to tote, draws unwanted attention and is generally useless in the real world.

I feel that the higher cost of my high quality EDC knife is justified many times over.

But I also carry a second knife! (actually a third or fourth layer of the contingency series)

That knife is of moderate quality and larger size. It is a sturdy "beater knife" that I have absolutely no sentimental attachment too and rotate in and out of use as the needs change or I simply wear them out through hard use.

This is the one that cuts the roofing material, trims electrical wire, digs lead from the target backers, cuts rope and scrapes the corroded battery terminals.

But I do not ALWAYS carry this knife. It is big, heavy and clunky and is best carried hanging inside my pocket by the belt clip. It does not go with me when I am in civilized attire because it just does not fit or feel right. So I do not consider this my primary knife, and do not spend money on it like it was a cherished friend.

If I break it chipping ice from the lock on the chicken house door tomorrow I will simply throw away the pieces and head for the knife box to find a replacement.

I paid about 1/3 the amount for the beater knife that I did for the little EDC blade. I picked it up at Walmart on a 2/4/1 sale while Christmas shopping a few years back. It cost me about 15 of your pounds.

I suppose I do many things in this way. Good clothes and work clothes, good car and the old beater Jeep, casual loafers and muck boots.

But at least I know that if I get caught in an unexpected emergency while wearing my good clothes and loafers I will still have a high quality piece of razor sharp steel at my disposal disguised as a nice little EDC pocket knife.