No way I can narrow that down to one single knife. I'm kinda mission-specific that way. Plus, I go out of my way to rotate knives in and out of my EDC, since as you know, variety is the spice of life. (Either that or oregano.)
I typically have different sorts of "load out", and my current fave for each is:
Dress: I work in a corporate headquarters, and while it's pretty casual, we're talkin' khakis/Dockers instead of jeans. Current fave, for about the last two years actually, is a Kershaw 1436 G-10 Hawk. Thin, flat, weighs almost nothing, the matte grey clip doesn't scream for attention, but it packs a flat-ground 3¼" clip point ATS-34 blade. Back-up, when I don't want to whip out the bigger blade in mixed company, is a Victorinox Executive that lives on my keychain.
Summer casual: out of the office, I favor lightweight nylon blend shorts or cargos, without a leather belt, so don't like a lot of weight. The Kershaw Hawk is my go-to here as well, along with the Vic Executive, although when I *really* wanna go light, the Executive alone is usually all I need.
Cool weather casual: jeans, or khakis; my fave the last few months is a Benchmade 581 Barrage, the new model with the aluminum bolster. Manages to be both elegant, and no-nonsense practical at the same time. That Vic Executive is usually on my keychain, but I often back it up with one of a half-dozen favorite slipjoints.
Working around the house or yard: my favorite workhorse is a big, beefy CRK&T M16-10z. Just can't bust the thing, and Lord knows I've tried! For lighter-duty work, my backup is an old Schrade/Craftsman 4" stockman with brass bolsters and stabilized rosewood scales. If I can't handle a cutting job with those, then I need a sawzall or an axe.
Kitchen: while I have some nice chef knives and a very handy santoku, believe it or not the knife that sees the most use is a Victorinox/Foschner 4" Parer. No, really! It's bigger than the usual 3" paring knife, smaller than a typical 5" utility knife, but it's so light, slim, sharp and just doggone handy.
I typically have different sorts of "load out", and my current fave for each is:
Dress: I work in a corporate headquarters, and while it's pretty casual, we're talkin' khakis/Dockers instead of jeans. Current fave, for about the last two years actually, is a Kershaw 1436 G-10 Hawk. Thin, flat, weighs almost nothing, the matte grey clip doesn't scream for attention, but it packs a flat-ground 3¼" clip point ATS-34 blade. Back-up, when I don't want to whip out the bigger blade in mixed company, is a Victorinox Executive that lives on my keychain.
Summer casual: out of the office, I favor lightweight nylon blend shorts or cargos, without a leather belt, so don't like a lot of weight. The Kershaw Hawk is my go-to here as well, along with the Vic Executive, although when I *really* wanna go light, the Executive alone is usually all I need.
Cool weather casual: jeans, or khakis; my fave the last few months is a Benchmade 581 Barrage, the new model with the aluminum bolster. Manages to be both elegant, and no-nonsense practical at the same time. That Vic Executive is usually on my keychain, but I often back it up with one of a half-dozen favorite slipjoints.
Working around the house or yard: my favorite workhorse is a big, beefy CRK&T M16-10z. Just can't bust the thing, and Lord knows I've tried! For lighter-duty work, my backup is an old Schrade/Craftsman 4" stockman with brass bolsters and stabilized rosewood scales. If I can't handle a cutting job with those, then I need a sawzall or an axe.
Kitchen: while I have some nice chef knives and a very handy santoku, believe it or not the knife that sees the most use is a Victorinox/Foschner 4" Parer. No, really! It's bigger than the usual 3" paring knife, smaller than a typical 5" utility knife, but it's so light, slim, sharp and just doggone handy.
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