I appreciate her content so much due to the fact that she ACTUALLY uses her knives. Unlike most knife channels who don't at all. Nick Shabazz and many others have no business reviewing knives because they don't use theirs at all. Great video as always
Very good discussion! I have two tool boxes full of hand tools from the time 40 years ago when I was working as a finish carpenter. My knife was a common Stanley razor knife. It dropped in my hip belt pouch. Nothing to flip, no action to worry about, just took it out and used it. Then, for 32 years I worked in an office environment and my “edc” was either a SAK Classic or Rambler (which I still carry on my key chain). Now that I am a 60-year-old retiree just padding around the house, I am discovering my knife “needs” and “wants” for mail processing, package deconstruction, food prep, and most of all (remember this youngsters!) to help do the things my fingers and fingernails don’t do as well anymore! As a result, I am drawn to small, modern-traditionals, with pokey and slicey blades and good hand-feel. In short, and what I think Erica has alluded to, our knife and tool needs change as we move through life and we should not be judging the needs and hobby wants of others. Are there similar discussions and controversies about crescent wrenches? Hmmm….
I've been wanting to address this situation as well😂 It always makes me laugh when Metal Complex uses the "99.9% of people don't need more than a Civivi Elementum." I grew up on a cattle ranch and I work on a ranch in the summers and I know that many people need hard use knives. The work is out there😂
A lot of city people do not realize how many people live in rural areas. Metal Complex is probably not to far off when it comes to people in the suburbs.
@@erico2079 takes those people you know and average in the rest of the population that lives there. I’d bet the numbers of hard use users is a low number.
@@MPerry-ox9qb I disagree tbh. I'd guess at least 25% of people who carry pocket knives use them for hard use. I've worked with thousands of contractors on different jobsites, everybody in construction uses their pocket knives as scrapers, prybars screwdrivers etc. Grew up in the country and everybody I knew beat their knives up.
Many large companies ban the use of pocket knives for safety reasons. If we ignore that fact, farms payroll is about 2.5 million and construction is 1.5 million. Taken out of the whole US population, this is 1.2%. For sure there are a lot of hard users out there, but as a percentage it isn’t that high.
I mainly cut rope & strap with a serrated edge. I keep a pry tool on me for other stuff. And I EDC a multitool for mainly the pliers. Along with a flashlight. Distribute the weight on different sectors of my body. I carry it all because I need it all to function/operate.
Okay you have to take a picture of Zach’s knife because that thing looks like it’s been through hell and back!! You’re so right, the people with hard labor jobs don’t give a f*ck about people who think “knives should only cut things and never be used as multitools” they’ll use whatever they have on them to get the job done.
When I was working in plating my go to hard users were actually the large locking 111mm series of SAKs. The Locksmith is an awesome tool that I could cut with pry with and fix pumps with. Good stuff
Everyone has different use case scenarios. Some people live/work on farms, some work in factories, some work in offices, some beat the crap out of knives others will only ever open and break down the occasional amazon box. Both sides are great. Just too many people cant wrap their heads around the fact that not everyone has to use things the same way they do. Everyone has the right to spend their hard earned money on whatever they want, and to use what they buy with that money however they want. For some people opening mail and breaking down boxes literally is using their shit. Use your shit, or dont, either way enjoy it!!! and let others enjoy it too.
FINALLY!! someone who tells it like it really is!!! I’m going to share the shit out of this video!!! Once again! Thank you!!! Now… if you’ll excuse me… I’m going to go USE MY SHIT!!! CHEERS!!!
Hard Use is of course a real segment. Different users have different parameters for their tools. I’m terms of what we see in the collector sphere on social media I see it as the knife market going through cyclical trends. 10 years ago there was an abundance of overbuilt beefcake folders that were (I’m saying this generously) ground like a shovel. With many options quite frankly being poorly designed. I’m not talking Striders and Emerson’s but some of the other mega thicc titanium frame locks. It actually pushed me out of the hobby for some time . Then the pendulum swung to the other way. So right now the industry has a thin slicey blade fetish. While that works for me, it is another very specific style of knives. My guess is that the market will swing to a different trajectory in a couple years There are variety of different knife needs, and is great to see a wide variety of options.
i always carry 2 knives of different size and shape because if you are working then its hard to use only one specific knife unless you are doing a repetitive task. In a dynamic environment one knife doesn't work for optimal results.
When I was younger working on a goat farm I used a Buck small drop point f8xed blade (forget the model), case large stockman and a ancient Boker USA camp pattern slipjoint. Besides a pocket hone, this is all I needed and most days I didn't even need the pocket hone. I would get home after work and usually after a short rest I would strop them or repair any damage if any and be good for the next day. To think I could probably have done that job a week without going through that ritual with something like a CPM-M4 PM2 is actually very curious to me but I used what I had as a teen and that was hunting/camping knives and they got the job done and that's what mattered most.
Couldn't agree more, well said 👍 As someone who works in agriculture, you definitely want to be able to do more jobs with less tools, and get the most of those you have on. Really enjoyed the rant :)
First of all, I'm loving the channel. That said I am in Las Vegas and I do landscaping, maintenance, concrete work, stuff like that I am in the sun about 10 hours a day doing hard labor and I do carry a Leatherman wave, a large folder, flash light, Leatherman bits, notepad/ pen, knipex cobra pliers and two cell phones all day every day in up to 118 degree summers.....not a problem for me.
I love it that we have so many options of knives to use. I do construction but don't hard use my knives because I have a tool belt on my waist all day with every tool I need. So I like more of a slicy blade. But I do like the bigger hard use designed style knives because they fit my hands better than a bugout, I just get them reground. One of my fav is the z wear shaman with a 10 thou bte full flat grind, and it's amazing. Great topic Erica
Hard use is definitely a thing for me. I carry my thin BGM reground Sebenza most days now since I'm temporarily handicapped. I don't use that knife hard at all though. On the job fixing appliances, I pry on stuff, scrape against metal, all kinds of abuse. That requires a totally different knife.
I have a couple Benchmade knives and I love them but I must be one of the lucky ones because I had an omega spring break within about two months but I still love them
The Native 5 Lightweight 😍😍😍 it is the only knife that I have multiples of! (One in Rex 45 and one in S90V) so my Rex 45 version is the hard use Native and the S90V is more delicate but slices for days! Honestly I love Spyderco lockbacks because the handle ends up being more comfortable than a compression/liner lock in my hands. And if you are really using your knife handle comfort is a big deal and that’s why I love the Native Lightweight!! Plus, that backlock is so smooth I can still spydieflick it with ease 😎 not an outdated lock imo
When I worked in a grocery store my knife was also my scraper. When I work in a kitchen my pocket knife is for boxes, and still scraping. Today I used my CJRB feldspar to put grip tape on my skateboard (cutting it to size is just cutting coarse sandpaper) and I used the spine to “dull” the grip tape edges. Don’t need to be working on a farm to work the knives!
@@KnifeCursed it's just weird to me. I don't know anybody at all IRL that is into knives, but only occasionally uses them for light tasks. Most people I know abuse their knives, so it's really weird to hear people say stuff like that
Have to get benchmade to replace my m4bailout blade about 1-2 times a year. Definitely hard use as a concrete finisher/pumper. And I'm not just talking about a sharpening, usually broke off tip or chipped so bad you aren't getting it out.
Theres always a varied purpose for everyone for their knives. Knife enthusiasts and collectors, users like craftsmen, farmers, labourers, or city dwellers with less hard use opportunities etc etc. Most who are actively chasing reviews and content for knives (no matter fixed, folders or art knives) on TH-cam are mostly a mash-up of such use cases with enthusiast / collector purposes sharing the bulk of their interest. I tend to have the impression that people who truly just use their knives as 100% tools are like my father, who just select their knives based on their own experience and what’s readily available. A knife is a knife when it’s on their hands.
I believe your knife resembles your hands , if you work with your hands all day and they're all scratched and beat up chances are your knife looks the same. I also believe if you work in an office and your hands are soft and delicate so is your blade. I think it's that simple and I'm grateful your out there representing the small group of people who actually use their shit for it's intended purpose .
In my opinion Cold Steel makes the best hard use folder. Testing by reviewers confirms you don’t have to spend hundreds if you aren’t concerned about being patriotic.
I pretty much focus on USA made knives but I'm almost equally happy with great knives from Taiwan and Japan. Supporting democracy globally is just as important as supporting democracy at home.
Less is more! If you have a knife that has proven capable to be a multitool, I don’t see why not use it that way. Leathermans are nice but they are bulky and can be a pain in the ass to deploy quickly. A quick one hand open on your folding knife and it can get the same job done… let people use their shit the way they want to. Hard use is definitely alive and well. Great video Erica
Helle Knifes is a company that totally gets a multi purpose knife. I have a couple videos of helle Knifes on my channel. I also love the look of a knife that has been a real every day no matter what knife. The character alone could tell hours and hours of stories.
Of course CRK’s are hard use knives but the price prevents most people from using it that way. I have 5 of them and the only one I won’t be rough with is the Mnandi. I don’t know if you have tried out a Sandrin tungsten carbide knife yet but they are all about thin and slicey. They look like the blade will snap in half with the slightest pressure but I accidentally dropped my Torino onto my driveway and it didn’t do a thing to the blade! I thought for sure the blade was gone.
Actually I thought of this video for some days now and I came to the following conclusion. There is a deeper sense in the rule "Always use the right tool for right task." And that is "Always be sure what your skills are and what your tool is capable of." Otherwise you will start a task like popping out gaskets with your knife and end up in stabbing yourself by grabbing the knife and/or the piece in a wrong way. Or you break the knife and then cut yourself because your tool is damaged. And this would be absolutely valid for me. I'm sitting in an office chair all day long and rather go for a different tool when I'm not sure if I can solve a task with what I have in my pocket. If you know what you are able to do with your hands and you know your tool then go for it and beat the heck out of it. By the way, this is valid for all kinds of tools, especially when you start working with powertools.
Hey. Enjoying the vids very informative. I use to hate the Spyderco just ugly to me. But then I decided to get a Para 3 and I do really like it. It’s a great knife. I do still love my benchmades though. And I love my Barkies
How do you find the very tip of the blade? I have the normal size version, some owners have snapped the tip of fairly easily. Mine is still intact but I can see how thin it is compared to other knives I own.
Just got my magna cut deka in the mail this morning. Didn't come centered and the tolerances seem kind of iffy. And the housing in the handles where the little liners rest in are not good. It's flush in some spots but the metal sticks out in others. I'm honestly pretty disappointed in the quality control of this because I expect a lot from Hogue. I may carry it for a few months before I send it over to knathans knives to make me some custom handles because I hate how light it is. That's just a preference. I prefer heavier knives.
I wear 10lbs of gear everyday with jeans and a long sleeve shirt in the middle of summer with no issues and using hot tar. I'm a union roofer working in the steel mills and in the oil refineries.
Dude I butchered about 50 chickens with my M4 G10 Bugout cause it was the only thing I had. It was sharp enough to be way more ethical than dull kNives some people use to kill the birds quick, and cut through bone and cartilage, prying and twisting totally fine. Not a damn scratch on it. Wasn’t a big fan of the Bugout until that day but now I’m totally sold.
does your 940 have any blade play? like at all? if so, has it affected your use. My 940 has a bit of blade play and im wondering if it will affect usage. love your vids!!
Hard use doesn't mean abuse, which alot of people don't get. Each tool is the best at it's specific job: axe to chop, knife to slice/carve, prybar to... pry :P I know, crazy lol! I'm personally tired of "multipurpose, hard use knives" that are just thick slabs of steel. I mean sure, that thing is tough and can handle abuse, but it's a crappy knife at "knify" things.
Hey Erica, Long, long time viewer - first time poster. I love your videos, your delivery, content, errrahthin...(everything) I too am a user (abuser?) of knives, mostly folding in my case. From cutting sealant off metal pieces, to digging in dirt and cutting roots, vines, branches, saplings, food, recycling, etc... I get'em, and I use'm. They are tools after all 🙂 All that out of the way. I have a few Para 3s, and have always thought of them as Spyderco's version of an Emerson (just my own opinion, and yes I've owned and used Emersons) So when you put the Small Sebie in the "hard use category" and the Para 3 in the "slicey" category, I looked at the specs... The Para 3 has a thicker blade 0.150"/3.81mm, than the Small Sebenza 31 0.120"/3,04mm -or- 21 0.13"/3.30mm. I'm not saying one isn't "slicey" and/or one isn't "hard use" or anything like that. Just passing info along. Erica's planet, Erica is all that and a bag of tater'chips, etc... 🙂 Love'ya girl. Keep on being the bad ass you are! willin'
I could be wrong but I think she was referring more to the grinds than to stock thickness. The Sebbie thickens up at the tip, while the Para 3 has a full distal taper, so it sheds that extra thickness quickly as you move away from the plunge grind.
Loving the channel. I'm a union carpenter and do alot of foundations. Currently carry a SOG terminus x in D2 but I end up rusting out the blade every day with the summer heat.. looking for something easy to touch up but also tough and really stainless. Is spy27 my go too or is there some other options??
When i buy a knife with my hard earned money I buy it to be used, not playing dress up. That said it also my job to research what i buy, and treat it appropriately.
Love your thoughts and how people who actually use a knife hard use the most basic of tools and get it done . Also can I give a shot out to the benchmade presidio 2 cf elite thatvknife is a tank I'm a Mason by trade and have beat that knife to hell pryed stuff scraped concrete of off stuff and the s30v steel takes an edge and keeps on going .
I love your videos gratis channel and for the most part I agree with most of what ya said and honestly at the end of the day it all comes down to opinions but I work on a ranch in Tuscon arizona in 120° weather almost every summer and have for years I have always carried a very simple 3 pouch lether edc holster on my belt and in it I've carried for the past 5 summers my Gerber suspension next multitool a knife of my choice generally a Rick hinderer xm18 slicer or a benchde griptilian/hogue Doug Ritter. And either a titianium pen or titainium flashlight. And I'll be the first say that no it's not any more inconvenient then carrying just a single knife. That concept is very dependant on gear specifics I've seen people carry one hunting knife that weighed more then my entire edc pouch loaded with gear and I've seen people carry super lightweight titainium multitools that weigh less then 2 ozs with a knife that weights 10 Oz so really that is just an excuse to not carry the correct tools on my opinion. But on the same token I understand some people's want to reduce the weight they carry all im saying is if u have lightweight tools u can carry more with little if any inconvenience. I also think that for every day tasks when possible the right tool should be used for the right job. Personally I'd never use any of my folders to pry at anything unless I was in a real situation were I didn't have a choice. I value my tools mainly my knife collection far too much to ever abuse them unnecessarily. That being said if I ever did have to use one of them to pry at something or use as a screwdriver or any other hard use I'd of course want to know that the tool I have could and would stand up to that type of abuse. I think the real situation comes down to time being money and efficency over all else as a reason to use your blade as a multi tool and I understand that view point. It's never as fast to use a multi tool as it is to not have to change tools for different tasks so having a blade that can be utilized as a dozen other tools is much faster then stopping every time a task changes to put away a knife and grab a Leatherman.but for those situations I generally find something less expensive but thoroughly durable for instance if I were to work at your farm I'd most likley buy an ad10 so that I had something moderately cheap that I could beat to shit and knew would hold up. But you'd never catch me using my inkosi to pry at anything. If I had a choice. Now if I were stranded on a desert island with nothing but a 700 dallor folder yeah I'd use it for everything but in a world were I can choose a tool for a job no way I'd be caught dead abusing something like that.
Internet knife posers make up 90% of all the knife people on the internet. They are annoying as hell. I buy, test, and rotate knives daily as an electrician on construction sites doing a variety of tasks including stripping up to 750 MCM coppper and aluminum cable with a hard thermoplastic jacket. I don't have the time or energy to make videos or huge posts, and neither do my coworkers who also are knife people. We all use tool steel spydercos for the most part. I make a special concession for testing, and knife blade shapes/ergos/actions that are easy to use. The thing we don't do is use knives as "multi-tools" because we carry a variety of tools already. I only cut with my knife. But anything less than tool steel requires excessive sharpening.
By in large, white collar doesn’t understand blue collar. Maybe also one not being able to comprehend that other people might actually live a different life than one does.
Hard use is very real. I do shit to my pocket knives that would make most people cringe. I baton, I pry, I cut brutal shit like burlap or super heavy duty zip ties, I gut fish, etc. I don’t care how much the knife costs either. I beat the shit out of my knives whether it be a $20 KA-BAR Dozier or a $600 Spartan Harsey
Not a myth i use my spydercos in my construction business, used my native 5 on 3 provincial buildings which it was cutting 2inch foam insulation to cutting thick tie downs i def have hard hard use knives and some dandy ones aswell haha
I'm pretty sure none of those Jamaicans or Mexicans will be using Chris Reeves knives. OTOH, Zach's $10 Mora seems to do just fine as a hard use knife.
Different strokes.......but hard use is what I work with......when I want to enjoy cutting I reach for something thinner..... But if I had to grab just one I know which I would grab hahahaha
For extreme use, this is where the Compound edge excels! I just chunked out a huge (quarter size) section out of a sv20 blade. GRRRRR!! The Compound edge (grind) would have prevented the damage. KnifeMaker
Isn't the best slicey knife a utility blade? Why spend hundreds on a Benchmade just to wreck it with hard use? Wouldn't a cheaper Gerber be a better choice? 🤷♂️
I appreciate her content so much due to the fact that she ACTUALLY uses her knives. Unlike most knife channels who don't at all. Nick Shabazz and many others have no business reviewing knives because they don't use theirs at all. Great video as always
Very good discussion! I have two tool boxes full of hand tools from the time 40 years ago when I was working as a finish carpenter. My knife was a common Stanley razor knife. It dropped in my hip belt pouch. Nothing to flip, no action to worry about, just took it out and used it. Then, for 32 years I worked in an office environment and my “edc” was either a SAK Classic or Rambler (which I still carry on my key chain). Now that I am a 60-year-old retiree just padding around the house, I am discovering my knife “needs” and “wants” for mail processing, package deconstruction, food prep, and most of all (remember this youngsters!) to help do the things my fingers and fingernails don’t do as well anymore! As a result, I am drawn to small, modern-traditionals, with pokey and slicey blades and good hand-feel. In short, and what I think Erica has alluded to, our knife and tool needs change as we move through life and we should not be judging the needs and hobby wants of others. Are there similar discussions and controversies about crescent wrenches? Hmmm….
I've been wanting to address this situation as well😂 It always makes me laugh when Metal Complex uses the "99.9% of people don't need more than a Civivi Elementum." I grew up on a cattle ranch and I work on a ranch in the summers and I know that many people need hard use knives. The work is out there😂
PREACH!
A lot of city people do not realize how many people live in rural areas. Metal Complex is probably not to far off when it comes to people in the suburbs.
@@erico2079 takes those people you know and average in the rest of the population that lives there. I’d bet the numbers of hard use users is a low number.
@@MPerry-ox9qb I disagree tbh. I'd guess at least 25% of people who carry pocket knives use them for hard use. I've worked with thousands of contractors on different jobsites, everybody in construction uses their pocket knives as scrapers, prybars screwdrivers etc. Grew up in the country and everybody I knew beat their knives up.
Many large companies ban the use of pocket knives for safety reasons. If we ignore that fact, farms payroll is about 2.5 million and construction is 1.5 million. Taken out of the whole US population, this is 1.2%. For sure there are a lot of hard users out there, but as a percentage it isn’t that high.
I mainly cut rope & strap with a serrated edge. I keep a pry tool on me for other stuff. And I EDC a multitool for mainly the pliers. Along with a flashlight. Distribute the weight on different sectors of my body. I carry it all because I need it all to function/operate.
Okay you have to take a picture of Zach’s knife because that thing looks like it’s been through hell and back!! You’re so right, the people with hard labor jobs don’t give a f*ck about people who think “knives should only cut things and never be used as multitools” they’ll use whatever they have on them to get the job done.
When I was working in plating my go to hard users were actually the large locking 111mm series of SAKs. The Locksmith is an awesome tool that I could cut with pry with and fix pumps with. Good stuff
Everyone has different use case scenarios. Some people live/work on farms, some work in factories, some work in offices, some beat the crap out of knives others will only ever open and break down the occasional amazon box. Both sides are great. Just too many people cant wrap their heads around the fact that not everyone has to use things the same way they do. Everyone has the right to spend their hard earned money on whatever they want, and to use what they buy with that money however they want. For some people opening mail and breaking down boxes literally is using their shit. Use your shit, or dont, either way enjoy it!!! and let others enjoy it too.
I just found your channel and I immediately subbed. Great content and down to earth conversation!! Thank you!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this video! I enjoy all your videos! Thank you!
FINALLY!! someone who tells it like it really is!!! I’m going to share the shit out of this video!!! Once again! Thank you!!! Now… if you’ll excuse me… I’m going to go USE MY SHIT!!! CHEERS!!!
Hard Use is of course a real segment. Different users have different parameters for their tools.
I’m terms of what we see in the collector sphere on social media I see it as the knife market going through cyclical trends. 10 years ago there was an abundance of overbuilt beefcake folders that were (I’m saying this generously) ground like a shovel. With many options quite frankly being poorly designed. I’m not talking Striders and Emerson’s but some of the other mega thicc titanium frame locks. It actually pushed me out of the hobby for some time .
Then the pendulum swung to the other way. So right now the industry has a thin slicey blade fetish. While that works for me, it is another very specific style of knives. My guess is that the market will swing to a different trajectory in a couple years
There are variety of different knife needs, and is great to see a wide variety of options.
i always carry 2 knives of different size and shape because if you are working then its hard to use only one specific knife unless you are doing a repetitive task. In a dynamic environment one knife doesn't work for optimal results.
When I was younger working on a goat farm I used a Buck small drop point f8xed blade (forget the model), case large stockman and a ancient Boker USA camp pattern slipjoint. Besides a pocket hone, this is all I needed and most days I didn't even need the pocket hone. I would get home after work and usually after a short rest I would strop them or repair any damage if any and be good for the next day. To think I could probably have done that job a week without going through that ritual with something like a CPM-M4 PM2 is actually very curious to me but I used what I had as a teen and that was hunting/camping knives and they got the job done and that's what mattered most.
Couldn't agree more, well said 👍
As someone who works in agriculture, you definitely want to be able to do more jobs with less tools, and get the most of those you have on.
Really enjoyed the rant :)
First of all, I'm loving the channel. That said I am in Las Vegas and I do landscaping, maintenance, concrete work, stuff like that I am in the sun about 10 hours a day doing hard labor and I do carry a Leatherman wave, a large folder, flash light, Leatherman bits, notepad/ pen, knipex cobra pliers and two cell phones all day every day in up to 118 degree summers.....not a problem for me.
You are a rare breed then my friend!
I love it that we have so many options of knives to use. I do construction but don't hard use my knives because I have a tool belt on my waist all day with every tool I need. So I like more of a slicy blade. But I do like the bigger hard use designed style knives because they fit my hands better than a bugout, I just get them reground. One of my fav is the z wear shaman with a 10 thou bte full flat grind, and it's amazing. Great topic Erica
Hard use is definitely a thing for me. I carry my thin BGM reground Sebenza most days now since I'm temporarily handicapped. I don't use that knife hard at all though. On the job fixing appliances, I pry on stuff, scrape against metal, all kinds of abuse. That requires a totally different knife.
I have a couple Benchmade knives and I love them but I must be one of the lucky ones because I had an omega spring break within about two months but I still love them
Some people also say they dont use folders for hard use and to carry a folding razor.
Yeah, I have Alot of Knives. The more expensive the Less hard use they are..I combo carry daily. From CRK TO Swiss Army. Love Them ALL .😉👍✌
Another informative and insightful episode 👏
The Native 5 Lightweight 😍😍😍 it is the only knife that I have multiples of! (One in Rex 45 and one in S90V) so my Rex 45 version is the hard use Native and the S90V is more delicate but slices for days! Honestly I love Spyderco lockbacks because the handle ends up being more comfortable than a compression/liner lock in my hands. And if you are really using your knife handle comfort is a big deal and that’s why I love the Native Lightweight!! Plus, that backlock is so smooth I can still spydieflick it with ease 😎 not an outdated lock imo
When I worked in a grocery store my knife was also my scraper. When I work in a kitchen my pocket knife is for boxes, and still scraping. Today I used my CJRB feldspar to put grip tape on my skateboard (cutting it to size is just cutting coarse sandpaper) and I used the spine to “dull” the grip tape edges. Don’t need to be working on a farm to work the knives!
Why would anybody say "hard use" isn't real? Do they think all anybody ever uses knives for is cutting cardboard and tape?
Yep. Because that’s all they do.
It’s all I do😅
@@tubbiergenie That’s cool too
@@KnifeCursed it's just weird to me. I don't know anybody at all IRL that is into knives, but only occasionally uses them for light tasks. Most people I know abuse their knives, so it's really weird to hear people say stuff like that
Have to get benchmade to replace my m4bailout blade about 1-2 times a year. Definitely hard use as a concrete finisher/pumper. And I'm not just talking about a sharpening, usually broke off tip or chipped so bad you aren't getting it out.
These are the voyages of NotYourAverageEDC - going places no other knife channel has ever gone before.
Love hearing opinions from people with real world experience. Do you ever take your fixed blades to work? If you do, which are your go to's?
Theres always a varied purpose for everyone for their knives. Knife enthusiasts and collectors, users like craftsmen, farmers, labourers, or city dwellers with less hard use opportunities etc etc. Most who are actively chasing reviews and content for knives (no matter fixed, folders or art knives) on TH-cam are mostly a mash-up of such use cases with enthusiast / collector purposes sharing the bulk of their interest. I tend to have the impression that people who truly just use their knives as 100% tools are like my father, who just select their knives based on their own experience and what’s readily available. A knife is a knife when it’s on their hands.
Love hearing more about your work!
Really enjoying the feedback on how these tools perform in your world. 👍
I believe your knife resembles your hands , if you work with your hands all day and they're all scratched and beat up chances are your knife looks the same. I also believe if you work in an office and your hands are soft and delicate so is your blade. I think it's that simple and I'm grateful your out there representing the small group of people who actually use their shit for it's intended purpose .
In my opinion Cold Steel makes the best hard use folder. Testing by reviewers confirms you don’t have to spend hundreds if you aren’t concerned about being patriotic.
I pretty much focus on USA made knives but I'm almost equally happy with great knives from Taiwan and Japan. Supporting democracy globally is just as important as supporting democracy at home.
@@Brewhound77 Yes, well put. Cell phones, appliances and our car’s parts come from other places. I think it’s ok if a good knife does too.
@@marty1685 you realize I said I'm perfectly happy with Taiwan knives
Less is more! If you have a knife that has proven capable to be a multitool, I don’t see why not use it that way. Leathermans are nice but they are bulky and can be a pain in the ass to deploy quickly. A quick one hand open on your folding knife and it can get the same job done… let people use their shit the way they want to. Hard use is definitely alive and well. Great video Erica
I’m here because MC. Subscribed!!!
This is very useful information. It is important to know how tools are used in the real world.
Helle Knifes is a company that totally gets a multi purpose knife. I have a couple videos of helle Knifes on my channel. I also love the look of a knife that has been a real every day no matter what knife. The character alone could tell hours and hours of stories.
Of course CRK’s are hard use knives but the price prevents most people from using it that way. I have 5 of them and the only one I won’t be rough with is the Mnandi.
I don’t know if you have tried out a Sandrin tungsten carbide knife yet but they are all about thin and slicey.
They look like the blade will snap in half with the slightest pressure but I accidentally dropped my Torino onto my driveway and it didn’t do a thing to the blade! I thought for sure the blade was gone.
Actually I thought of this video for some days now and I came to the following conclusion. There is a deeper sense in the rule "Always use the right tool for right task." And that is "Always be sure what your skills are and what your tool is capable of." Otherwise you will start a task like popping out gaskets with your knife and end up in stabbing yourself by grabbing the knife and/or the piece in a wrong way. Or you break the knife and then cut yourself because your tool is damaged. And this would be absolutely valid for me. I'm sitting in an office chair all day long and rather go for a different tool when I'm not sure if I can solve a task with what I have in my pocket.
If you know what you are able to do with your hands and you know your tool then go for it and beat the heck out of it.
By the way, this is valid for all kinds of tools, especially when you start working with powertools.
Hey. Enjoying the vids very informative. I use to hate the Spyderco just ugly to me. But then I decided to get a Para 3 and I do really like it. It’s a great knife. I do still love my benchmades though. And I love my Barkies
How do you find the very tip of the blade? I have the normal size version, some owners have snapped the tip of fairly easily. Mine is still intact but I can see how thin it is compared to other knives I own.
You should check out and test the overland fixed blade in magnacut from TJ Schwartz! Looks very promising
Just got my magna cut deka in the mail this morning. Didn't come centered and the tolerances seem kind of iffy. And the housing in the handles where the little liners rest in are not good. It's flush in some spots but the metal sticks out in others. I'm honestly pretty disappointed in the quality control of this because I expect a lot from Hogue. I may carry it for a few months before I send it over to knathans knives to make me some custom handles because I hate how light it is. That's just a preference. I prefer heavier knives.
Any experience with TRM for the thin and slicey category?
Made a knife lanyard today for a modified opinel
I wear 10lbs of gear everyday with jeans and a long sleeve shirt in the middle of summer with no issues and using hot tar. I'm a union roofer working in the steel mills and in the oil refineries.
That sounds like hell on Earth to me- but glad you seem to be unbothered by it👍🏻
@@ericasedc oh its fucking sucks. Love the videos. Have a good day.
Lots of good info here. Thanks!
Great reviews by the way.
Where are your go to places to get scales btw, I'm looking and can find stuff with wait times but nothing of the shelf,
Dude I butchered about 50 chickens with my M4 G10 Bugout cause it was the only thing I had. It was sharp enough to be way more ethical than dull kNives some people use to kill the birds quick, and cut through bone and cartilage, prying and twisting totally fine. Not a damn scratch on it. Wasn’t a big fan of the Bugout until that day but now I’m totally sold.
Erica what angle is on the A100.
does your 940 have any blade play? like at all? if so, has it affected your use. My 940 has a bit of blade play and im wondering if it will affect usage. love your vids!!
Mine has slight play. Hasn’t affected usage for me
My 940 is old as fuck and no blade play hahaha got lucky! Shouldn’t change much if it does though!
@@ericasedc hahaha thank you!!!!
Hard use doesn't mean abuse, which alot of people don't get. Each tool is the best at it's specific job: axe to chop, knife to slice/carve, prybar to... pry :P I know, crazy lol! I'm personally tired of "multipurpose, hard use knives" that are just thick slabs of steel. I mean sure, that thing is tough and can handle abuse, but it's a crappy knife at "knify" things.
Anyone who doesn't know what EDC is that carries a knife, definitely has used a knife as a pry bar. Most normal people do
The Jamaicans need to be carrying spyderco Caribbeans and the Mexicans ought to be carrying cold steel espadas.
This Mexican carries a Bastinelli Pika and Medford Marauder 👍🏽
@@MedHead1 How has the Marauder held up? Is it in S35VN?
did you find a sunscreen that you found works best for being outside all day?
Hey Erica,
Long, long time viewer - first time poster.
I love your videos, your delivery, content, errrahthin...(everything)
I too am a user (abuser?) of knives, mostly folding in my case. From cutting sealant off metal pieces, to digging in dirt and cutting roots, vines, branches, saplings, food, recycling, etc...
I get'em, and I use'm. They are tools after all 🙂
All that out of the way. I have a few Para 3s, and have always thought of them as Spyderco's version of an Emerson (just my own opinion, and yes I've owned and used Emersons)
So when you put the Small Sebie in the "hard use category" and the Para 3 in the "slicey" category, I looked at the specs...
The Para 3 has a thicker blade 0.150"/3.81mm, than the Small Sebenza 31 0.120"/3,04mm -or- 21 0.13"/3.30mm.
I'm not saying one isn't "slicey" and/or one isn't "hard use" or anything like that. Just passing info along. Erica's planet, Erica is all that and a bag of tater'chips, etc... 🙂
Love'ya girl.
Keep on being the bad ass you are!
willin'
Geometry cuts my friend!!! Cheers!
I could be wrong but I think she was referring more to the grinds than to stock thickness. The Sebbie thickens up at the tip, while the Para 3 has a full distal taper, so it sheds that extra thickness quickly as you move away from the plunge grind.
@@stevendalton7686 YES. Thank you for saying that for me! I was at work and didn’t have time to explain that!
New subscriber. Excellent content!
Loving the channel. I'm a union carpenter and do alot of foundations. Currently carry a SOG terminus x in D2 but I end up rusting out the blade every day with the summer heat.. looking for something easy to touch up but also tough and really stainless. Is spy27 my go too or is there some other options??
When i buy a knife with my hard earned money I buy it to be used, not playing dress up. That said it also my job to research what i buy, and treat it appropriately.
Syderco native 5. Yes please.
Love your thoughts and how people who actually use a knife hard use the most basic of tools and get it done . Also can I give a shot out to the benchmade presidio 2 cf elite thatvknife is a tank I'm a Mason by trade and have beat that knife to hell pryed stuff scraped concrete of off stuff and the s30v steel takes an edge and keeps on going .
One of the sexiest things ever is that beat up 940 of yours.
Educational/Enjoyable...
Best hard use? Buck 110 or 112, the classic ones, especially with S30V
I’d love to see the mini adamas tested for a month
I did that! It’s on my IG
I love your videos gratis channel and for the most part I agree with most of what ya said and honestly at the end of the day it all comes down to opinions but I work on a ranch in Tuscon arizona in 120° weather almost every summer and have for years I have always carried a very simple 3 pouch lether edc holster on my belt and in it I've carried for the past 5 summers my Gerber suspension next multitool a knife of my choice generally a Rick hinderer xm18 slicer or a benchde griptilian/hogue Doug Ritter. And either a titianium pen or titainium flashlight. And I'll be the first say that no it's not any more inconvenient then carrying just a single knife. That concept is very dependant on gear specifics I've seen people carry one hunting knife that weighed more then my entire edc pouch loaded with gear and I've seen people carry super lightweight titainium multitools that weigh less then 2 ozs with a knife that weights 10 Oz so really that is just an excuse to not carry the correct tools on my opinion. But on the same token I understand some people's want to reduce the weight they carry all im saying is if u have lightweight tools u can carry more with little if any inconvenience. I also think that for every day tasks when possible the right tool should be used for the right job. Personally I'd never use any of my folders to pry at anything unless I was in a real situation were I didn't have a choice. I value my tools mainly my knife collection far too much to ever abuse them unnecessarily. That being said if I ever did have to use one of them to pry at something or use as a screwdriver or any other hard use I'd of course want to know that the tool I have could and would stand up to that type of abuse. I think the real situation comes down to time being money and efficency over all else as a reason to use your blade as a multi tool and I understand that view point. It's never as fast to use a multi tool as it is to not have to change tools for different tasks so having a blade that can be utilized as a dozen other tools is much faster then stopping every time a task changes to put away a knife and grab a Leatherman.but for those situations I generally find something less expensive but thoroughly durable for instance if I were to work at your farm I'd most likley buy an ad10 so that I had something moderately cheap that I could beat to shit and knew would hold up. But you'd never catch me using my inkosi to pry at anything. If I had a choice. Now if I were stranded on a desert island with nothing but a 700 dallor folder yeah I'd use it for everything but in a world were I can choose a tool for a job no way I'd be caught dead abusing something like that.
I agree 100%
Internet knife posers make up 90% of all the knife people on the internet. They are annoying as hell. I buy, test, and rotate knives daily as an electrician on construction sites doing a variety of tasks including stripping up to 750 MCM coppper and aluminum cable with a hard thermoplastic jacket. I don't have the time or energy to make videos or huge posts, and neither do my coworkers who also are knife people. We all use tool steel spydercos for the most part. I make a special concession for testing, and knife blade shapes/ergos/actions that are easy to use.
The thing we don't do is use knives as "multi-tools" because we carry a variety of tools already. I only cut with my knife. But anything less than tool steel requires excessive sharpening.
Interesting video, thanks
By in large, white collar doesn’t understand blue collar. Maybe also one not being able to comprehend that other people might actually live a different life than one does.
Hard use is very real. I do shit to my pocket knives that would make most people cringe. I baton, I pry, I cut brutal shit like burlap or super heavy duty zip ties, I gut fish, etc. I don’t care how much the knife costs either. I beat the shit out of my knives whether it be a $20 KA-BAR Dozier or a $600 Spartan Harsey
The best hard use folder ist the Cold Steel Mini recon!!!!!!! Or the American lawman🤷♂️
Not a myth i use my spydercos in my construction business, used my native 5 on 3 provincial buildings which it was cutting 2inch foam insulation to cutting thick tie downs i def have hard hard use knives and some dandy ones aswell haha
I'm pretty sure none of those Jamaicans or Mexicans will be using Chris Reeves knives. OTOH, Zach's $10 Mora seems to do just fine as a hard use knife.
Are you going to blade show?
I wish! Can’t afford that haha
I carry Busse fixed blades. Folders are not for hard use. IMO
i never know when the noti sounds are from my phone or yours in videos XD
I’m not bringing anything less than a large fixed blade when I go into the woods. Esse6 all the way
Different strokes.......but hard use is what I work with......when I want to enjoy cutting I reach for something thinner.....
But if I had to grab just one I know which I would grab hahahaha
Only people who have never used a knife as a pry bar, are ones who don't know what hard work is.
For extreme use, this is where the Compound edge excels! I just chunked out a huge (quarter size) section out of a sv20 blade. GRRRRR!! The Compound edge (grind) would have prevented the damage.
KnifeMaker
Yes i know about seasonal workers being from Ontario Canada
Sebenza means “work” in Spanish. Those things are absolutely tanks
Haha no not in Spanish my friend🤣
@@ericasedc 🤦🏻 Zulu lmao
I knew that because the Umnumzaan is my grail, not sure why I typed Spanish
Good job girl I'm from farm back round
Isn't the best slicey knife a utility blade? Why spend hundreds on a Benchmade just to wreck it with hard use? Wouldn't a cheaper Gerber be a better choice? 🤷♂️
This is definitely for metal complex lol.
It actually wasn’t but must be now haha
I wonder what the jamaicans are using.
Who is claiming hard use is a myth?
Many people haha
internet knife posers
What about a buck
Algorithm comment
Holy crap, i follow you on instagram under the same name, how in the hell wasn't i subbed to your channel.. the FFFF... 😅 'sup yo !! ✌🤟