Arc AAA vs Peck Knife

bluewater · Dec 6, 2003

(I'm not sure where this post belongs...but since the Arc is an Led, I stuck it here.) My Arc resides happily on my key chain most of the time. I just bought a Columbia River "Peck" knife to add to the keys. Which one will destroy the other? The AAA already looks quite "experienced", so I'm more concerned about the knife getting beat up. A while back someone posted a picture of a key chain with an ArcLs and Peck on it, so there is an answer out there somewhere!

Blair

4x4Dragon · Dec 6, 2003

i have a gold/chrome PECK on my keychain right now with a black bodied Arc AAA turquoise. it took about a day for the PECKs gold trim to start wearing away. i expected that though cause my brother has had is PECK on his keychain for a while with his Natural body Arc AAA white and his PECK looks beat to he!! Neither my Arc AAA nor his has shown any noticeable wearing from the knive.

Dave Wright · Dec 7, 2003

I predict that the Arc will win. I carried an AAA on my keychain for over a year. I eventually replaced it with a Leatherman Squirt P4 for two reasons.

1. I figured out that discoloration on the Arc wasn't the finish wearing away to expose bare aluminum. It was brass being filed off my keys, and some of them were getting balky.

2. The Leatherman is very consistently useful. Day in day out. The Arc AAA, on the other hand, is often useless. Too little light output. These days I carry my Arcs in my non-key pocket or around my neck, and grab the one that is best suited to my expected needs. Often the AAA or AA, but more commonly the LS.

The Leatherman's red anodized finish wore more in a week or two on my keys than the Arc AAA did in a year. It's looking real worn now, but that doesn't bother me.

Sorry to ramble. The point is that I would carry the Peck on your keys and put your AAA in your other pocket. Use a BP Mini-Clip to carry the Peck. If there's more to do than snip one thread or open one envelope, I find it better to have an easy way to separate knife from keys.

bluewater · Dec 7, 2003

Just as I suspected...the ARC is a mean little bugger. I use one of the clips off an Inova Microlight as the base of my key ring. Everything that goes on it has a split ring attached, so I can quickly take off whatever I need at the time. Works great for me as I hate to carry alot on my key chain and I can quickly customize it.

DumboRAT · Dec 7, 2003

Let's put it this way....I'm actually afraid of my ARC AAA LE's HA-III cosmetically damaging my Strider SnG's finish.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Allen
aka DumboRAT

haertig · Dec 7, 2003

My PECK sits on my keychain next to the ARC. The PECK hasn't worn one little bit - but then mine is the brushed stainless finish, not anything anodized, plated or painted.

One thing about the PEKC on a keychain. Occasionally the knife will open up slightly after being caught on who-knows-what in my pocket. Luckily I've never been really cut because of this, but I've gotten maybe three pricks to the end of my finger by that sharp little point. I've heard of others experiencing this also, so be careful. I will soon be retiring the PECK to "emergency knife" status in my backpacking kit because of the danger it presents when kept in a pocket with other junk.

Dave Wright · Dec 8, 2003

It is a neat knife for sure, but I've wondered about that. Plus the single bevel is the wrong direction for a right handed person.

haertig · Dec 8, 2003

I'm not knocking the PECK - I still like mine - but I respect it a bit more when it's in my pocket because of the potential for accidental partial opening. For me, the knife cannot be easily opened with one hand using the thumb stud. Yes it can be done, but it's not a natural nor easy feeling for me. The knife is too small to allow this. So I open mine two handed. I would personally prefer some type of blade locking/securing mechanism to keep the thing solidly closed, since for me one handed opening is not a terribly useful feature of this particular knife. I have also found that I prefer a less pointy blade shape for a knife this small. Cutting threads and cleaning fingernails is what I typically use a small blade for. That sharp point makes the little PECK sometimes intimidating for those two tasks. Real cutting jobs need a slightly bigger blade (in my case, a Kershaw Vapor is my "real" EDC and the PECK is my "cute" EDC). The PECK is very well made however. I am NOT trying to disparage it. For me, it just didn't work out as well as I had originally hoped. It's small size and light weight will make it a very nice match for my backpacking/hiking emergency kit (although a bigger knife will always be carried in addition).