First of all and most importantly, it's an excellent and tough little cutter. It does everything I need a knife to do. Nice enough to be "gentlemanly". Small enough to fit in any pocket. It's not the least bit scary looking; it would be "grandpa approved". Excellent ergonomics. Very adequate handle for my hands with or without the choil. Grippy G-10 on one side and smooth titanium on the clip side. With smooth Ti on the clip side, it slips right into the pocket with ease. No pockets get shredded. It takes up a minimum of pocket space since it's not tall for a Spyderco. It's not wide in the pocket and is never in the way. A Delica seems huge in the pocket by comparison. It's a very adequate tool for most situations. I also really like the green. The only thing I'd change is that I wish the show side scale didn't have clip screw holes.
Otherwise, it's a Delica, a Delica-sized Salt 2, Chaparral, or a G-10 Para 3. I usually end up carrying or playing with one or more of these for awhile each day. I get a lot of use out of the two Salt 2s since I have no concerns about their corroding or their replaceability. There are others, but these are the usual suspects.
I’ve already replied, and while nothing has changed, it’s now Saturday morning, i.e. one of the “other-days”.
So while the “every-days” kicks off in a chaotic mess of tanking up people and pets with the adequate fuel to get them started, prepping lunch boxes, getting kids off to school, dog walked and make it to work in time… the carry conundrum just doesn’t qualify for a time slot most of these days.
Now that I’m a little closer to the actual process I’m going through on days where I have more control of my own time, I realize that the carry conundrum, how little or big it may be, is an integral part of my ritual.
Coffee is of course my first priority. A ritual in it self.
When the coffee is consumed, I’ve read a few pages in my book, a few threads on a certain knife forum or some other mentally rewarding activity, that usually marks the end of my zen-time.
The next phase is the activity/productivity phase, and while I usually like to get started, the motivation isn’t always there. The weather could be horrible, the chores of the day can be extremely unrewarding, the coffee and/or the book can be incredibly good..
And I realize that picking out the knife, and possibly other tools, for the day is a trigger point. It makes the transition from passive to active easier and more interesting. Maning up, kind of.
Anyhow… I’m staring at the bottom of an empty coffee mug. Time to man up. Bye now!
I like variety and try to change up what I carry each day. Lately I've become lazy and keep a few knives on my desk to choose from during the week. Sometimes I actually carry the same knife a few days in a row. I've never really done that before now
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
Hey Paul, you might have posted this before but I was wondering if you have any photos of your entire kiwi collection? That was a neat project and you’ve probably got the most complete collection in existence. It would be nice to see some photos of the collection and some closeups of the individual pieces.
Hi Lance, well here's a shot of all the different ones. It's not really the entire collection, because I have "pre-need replacements" for most of the production versions.
kiwi_group_shot.JPG
For the individual shots, you can start here and work your way through them.
Thanks Paul. I felt sure I said seen this before but couldn’t find it. I am especially grateful for the link to the individual photos. I’m about halfway through those now and I enjoy the detailed description on each one. Beautiful collection.
I have the opposite problem, I try to carry something and keep circling back around to the same one. I've had days where I put a knife in my pocket and before I'm out the door I've turned around and gone back to switch it out for the one I carry the most.
+1
When you find the knife that actually fits you, you forget about it because it just works. The forgetting about it registers as ‘boring’, so you try to cheat on your love with the all the shaving sharp closet usurpers who might seem alluring for a moment, with their lack of scratches and bckakshxkakdbxj blade shapes, but you always come back to the favourite. Even within a collection of multiples, i have a yo 2 that lives in my pocket, and two yo 2’s that feel like intruders when they rest their clips on my denim.
I have the opposite problem, I try to carry something and keep circling back around to the same one. I've had days where I put a knife in my pocket and before I'm out the door I've turned around and gone back to switch it out for the one I carry the most.
+1
When you find the knife that actually fits you, you forget about it because it just works. The forgetting about it registers as ‘boring’, so you try to cheat on your love with the all the shaving sharp closet usurpers who might seem alluring for a moment, with their lack of scratches and bckakshxkakdbxj blade shapes, but you always come back to the favourite. Even within a collection of multiples, i have a yo 2 that lives in my pocket, and two yo 2’s that feel like intruders when they rest their clips on my denim.
It's a strange situation because I'm lucky enough to have some really good options, so it starts to feel wrong that many of them aren't getting used much anymore.
I have the opposite problem, I try to carry something and keep circling back around to the same one. I've had days where I put a knife in my pocket and before I'm out the door I've turned around and gone back to switch it out for the one I carry the most.
+1
When you find the knife that actually fits you, you forget about it because it just works. The forgetting about it registers as ‘boring’, so you try to cheat on your love with the all the shaving sharp closet usurpers who might seem alluring for a moment, with their lack of scratches and bckakshxkakdbxj blade shapes, but you always come back to the favourite. Even within a collection of multiples, i have a yo 2 that lives in my pocket, and two yo 2’s that feel like intruders when they rest their clips on my denim.
It's a strange situation because I'm lucky enough to have some really good options, so it starts to feel wrong that many of them aren't getting used much anymore.
Thats the slippery nexus between a user and a collector lol.
I have the opposite problem, I try to carry something and keep circling back around to the same one. I've had days where I put a knife in my pocket and before I'm out the door I've turned around and gone back to switch it out for the one I carry the most.
+1
When you find the knife that actually fits you, you forget about it because it just works. The forgetting about it registers as ‘boring’, so you try to cheat on your love with the all the shaving sharp closet usurpers who might seem alluring for a moment, with their lack of scratches and bckakshxkakdbxj blade shapes, but you always come back to the favourite. Even within a collection of multiples, i have a yo 2 that lives in my pocket, and two yo 2’s that feel like intruders when they rest their clips on my denim.
It's a strange situation because I'm lucky enough to have some really good options, so it starts to feel wrong that many of them aren't getting used much anymore.
You and me both. I spent a lot of time putting together my micarta Manix XL in M4, my pakkawood K390 Police, tracking down a foliage green C95 sprint etc., gathering all the different Chief runs I wanted, etc.
I generally just reach for a Siren or Pacific Salt because I know no matter what the days brings they'll be up to it with no issues, and carry comfortably in any clothes.
I have the opposite problem, I try to carry something and keep circling back around to the same one. I've had days where I put a knife in my pocket and before I'm out the door I've turned around and gone back to switch it out for the one I carry the most.
+1
When you find the knife that actually fits you, you forget about it because it just works. The forgetting about it registers as ‘boring’, so you try to cheat on your love with the all the shaving sharp closet usurpers who might seem alluring for a moment, with their lack of scratches and bckakshxkakdbxj blade shapes, but you always come back to the favourite. Even within a collection of multiples, i have a yo 2 that lives in my pocket, and two yo 2’s that feel like intruders when they rest their clips on my denim.
It's a strange situation because I'm lucky enough to have some really good options, so it starts to feel wrong that many of them aren't getting used much anymore.
You and me both. I spent a lot of time putting together my micarta Manix XL in M4, my pakkawood K390 Police, tracking down a foliage green C95 sprint etc., gathering all the different Chief runs I wanted, etc.
I generally just reach for a Siren or Pacific Salt because I know no matter what the days brings they'll be up to it with no issues, and carry comfortably in any clothes.
The pacific salt has been my weekend/post work (I work in an office) knife for the last month. I wish I could carry it all of the time . The pacific salt has been my after work gardening champion.
I've only been an EDC guy for a little over a year now and have a small collection, but it's always the Smock or the Para3 that I switch between. Looking to get a Spidiechef next.
“ …. It's a strange situation because I'm lucky enough to have some really good options, so it starts to feel wrong that many of them aren't getting used much anymore.”
+1
I have felt this more times than I can count … one thing I’ve learned about myself is that my preferences can be cyclical and so I try not to make any changes to my collection based on what I happen to be carrying in the current cycle.
One day I invariably wake up and re-discover something I was enamored with a year or two ago, or once again appreciate its functionality in a given scenario and seem to have overlooked of late … OR … this is just a convenient form of justification for the collection itself …
“ …. It's a strange situation because I'm lucky enough to have some really good options, so it starts to feel wrong that many of them aren't getting used much anymore.”
+1
I have felt this more times than I can count … one thing I’ve learned about myself is that my preferences can be cyclical and so I try not to make any changes to my collection based on what I happen to be carrying in the current cycle.
One day I invariably wake up and re-discover something I was enamored with a year or two ago, or once again appreciate its functionality in a given scenario and seem to have overlooked of late … OR … this is just a convenient form of justification for the collection itself …
The rediscovery is a really fun process . It’s like new knife day all over again
I have 62 knives and I carry 3 knives at a time....
So if my math is right that gives me 37,820 different combos to choose from without ever carrying the same 3 knives twice. If I carried a differnt combo every day it would take over 103 years to carry every combo.
If I only carry 2 knives at a time that gives me 1,891 combos to choose from. It would only take me about 5 years to cary them all if I carried a different pair every day.
-Matta.k.a. Lo_Que, loadedquestions135I ❤ The P'KAL
"The world of edges has a small doorway in, but opens into a cavern that is both wide and deep." -sal
I allways carry a blade in spyderedge and sometimes I add one in plain edge. The Ladyhawk aside which is allways on my keychain I usually grab the SE wharnie Delica in VG10, the Rockjumper or the Dragonhawk. When I head towards wild environment I bring one of my SE Pac Salts with me and/or a fixed blade. That is the easy part. When it comes to which plain edge should I choose things get more complicated. One of my Urbans or a Vic Camper is in my fifth pocket when I go downtown but sometimes I carry a larger blade, the Smock being my go to medium size edc lately. I rarely bring something larger, a PM2 or the Kapara.
Marius
" A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it "
( Rabindranath Tagore ) Proud member of the old school spyderedge nation
