Saturday, June 15, 2013

Saturday Gear: A Man's Pocketknife

In our modern, high-tech world of iPhones, you don't see too many guys carrying pocketknives anymore. One of my first pocket knives was the ol' Swiss Amy that carried me through many years of Cub and Boy Scouting, surviving trips to Scout camp and Philmont.

College at W&L often saw me without a knife, which was probably for the best from a public safety standpoint, but I did carry a cheap folding gerber knife during most of law school, which was most useful during a my 3L year for opening rejection letters to big law firms that I applied to. (Except for one large law firm that merely sent me a postcard with a rejection message that basically amounted to "LOL").

A few years ago, I upgraded from the folding Gerber to a folding Benchmade.

My current pocketknife
This knife goes most places with me (where I am allowed to carry it) and people are typically astounded when a situation calls for a knife (splicing some rope, peeling an apple, cutting a package open, etc.) and I produce a knife from my pocket as if by magic.

To me, a knife is an old, trusted friend that is always reliable and will be there when I need it. My knife isn't as pristine as the picture above, but (as with old books that you read over and over, or your favorite pants that have paint on them and a few rips) wear and tear is the evidence of love. It's still sharp, though.

Our grandfathers carried pocketknives and handkerchiefs almost everywhere, almost everyday. I know times are different, and your iPhone is now indispensable, but your iPhone can't open an oyster or slice a lime.

If you don't carry a pocketknife, I encourage you to try it.

1 comment:

  1. I do not pretend to be a 'liberated' female, although I am a Southern female and can do (if I must) a lot of things for myself.

    But I really appreciate when you (and my other son-in-law, my husband, and my father) wield your pocket knives and other tools for me. Especially a corkscrew.

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