I am curious about the role that a single-bladed locking folder plays (something like a Griptilian or a simple Ka-Bar Dozier Folding Hunter, for example). Personally, I'm having a hard time seeing where such a tool would be preferable over the alternatives (either a fixed blade on the one end, or a multi-function tool on the other).

In an urban setting, I find myself preferring either a multi-tool or, more recently, a simple SAK. With my multi-tool (Leatherman Skeletool) I can have a strong locking blade in addition to the pliers & screwdrivers that seem to get used as much, if not more than, the blade. With the SAK (Victorinox Alox Cadet) I have a super-slim tool with a good non-locking blade and again the screwdrivers that come in useful on a seemingly regular basis. It seems that in this setting, the single bladed folder while providing a larger blade would not be as useful of an all-around tool.

Now, out in the woods, I definitely see the benefit of the larger knife, but realistically I see this as being the domain of the fixed blade knife. Heading into the woods, I am most likely to carry my fixed blade (Fallkniven F1) with either a SAK (Wenger S13) or the Skeletool in my pack as back-up. And, if for some reason I decide not to carry a fixed blade (either its in the pack or not carried at all, which is rare) then the Wenger would likely be the tool I'd carry (the wood saw being the big draw, but it does have a locking blade). And if I did decide that carrying a fixed blade was no longer working for me, I think I'd give the nod to something like a Wenger Ranger 78 or Victorinox OHT. Again, I'm not seeing the benefit the single bladed folder would provide over the other options out there.

Now, I do appreciate different tools having different strengths & places, but I'm just not seeing where a single-blade folding knife would be preferable to either a fixed blade or something of the multi-tool / SAK (including the large, locking SAKs) variety.

What are your thoughts on the topic?

Ever since 1985, when I first wrapped my fingers around a Leatherman PST, I have carried one variety or another of multitool; before that,I was an ardent SAK fan. I currently carry a Wave (and a PS4 on my keyring). The pliers on the L-tool sold me. Don't need pliers in theee backcountry, you say. You have never had to deal with cactus spines or jammed locking carabiners. The L-tool handles both of those problems as well; also makes a dandy pot lifter.

I own several fixed blade knives and a bunch of single blade folders (Buck 110, anyone?) and they are occasionally useful, but I could go with the Wave or similar and never miss anything else. Actually, the PS4 handles about 90% of the situations I encounter.....

...Pocket carry at work or in a small kit (where little else fits). Current preference; the Gerber compact scout.

Well.... it cuts.

Therefore it has a role. I usually carry a Kershaw blur, or a SOG II flash, or some other single blade knife. Occasionally a knife with 2 blades (a la SAK).

In daily life, I've never needed pliers. I've never needed tweezers. I've rarely needed an eyeglass screwdriver (which the tip of a knife can do). I've never needed a full size screwdriver (which is in my toolbox at home, or in my car). Or a saw. Or a file. Or a bit driver. What the heck are you doing where you use a multi tool so often?

So why carry the extra weight and bulk?

This is one reason I've started to favour the Victorinox Alox Cadet for EDC; its a much lower profile & easier to carry alternative for pocket carry at work.

Looking at the specs of the 2, the Compact Scout & the Alox Cadet are pretty close in closed size, blade size, and weight but the Compact Scout has a locking blade while the Cadet has a non-locking blade, cap lifter/screwdriver/wire stripper, can opener/small screwdriver, and nail file/nail cleaner.

Jammed locking carabiners - a very common occurrence after they have been significantly loaded. I was to the point of carrying pliers in my SAR pack just for that purpose when the L-tool came into my life.

Cactus spines? Well, you can just pound them in and bite them off inside, but I am extremely fastidious and I prefer to pull them out.....

I EDC a Leatherman Wingman and a SOG Flash II Tanto.

To be honest, the Leatherman gets a LOT more use.... The pliers and screw driver tools are very useful.

However, if I am getting into a cutting job, like cutting up boxes to get them to fit into the recycling or cutting rope, I'll break out the SOG, but if I had to choose between the two, the SOG would go in a heartbeat as much as I love it.

I also have a couple CRKT Sting fixed knifes stashed around if I need something sharp that's also pretty much indestructible, but to be honest, I hardly ever use them.

Good point . A knife is absolutely a useful tool on its own.


The advantage I see in a multi-tool or SAK for an EDC tool is that while I have full size, dedicated tools, I don't need to go get them to get a quick job done; its more a matter of convenience than necessity (in an urban environment). So, around town, I'll often use my EDC tool to do quick repair jobs, opening battery compartments, etc. rather than going to get a dedicated tool from my toolbox or vehicle.


An additional point is that it doesn't always add that much more weight or bulk. For example, my Skeletool is pretty close in overall dimensions & weight to your Kershaw Blur; the Skeletool is 4" closed, and 5.0 oz while the Blur is 4.5" closed and 4.2 oz. The trade off is that for a similarly sized tool, the single-blade folder gives you a bigger blade than the multi-tool (e.g., the Skeletool's 2.6" blade vs. the Blur's 3.375" blade) while the multi-tool provides more tools.

I guess this is my main hang-up, I am finding that the additional tools provide more utility and over-all value for a pocket knife than I believe can be derived from having a longer knife blade alone.

I have an original Leatherman PST, and have bought a number of their other tools since then. Love 'em. I'm constantly using them in the datacenter, on the range, on bike rides, at the campsite and occasionally on hikes. I don't consider an emergency kit (BOB, whatever you want to call it) complete without one.

A good locking folder has its place for me, though. That place is in heavy cutting tasks, precision cutting tasks or (very rarely) where you need a knife right now, and don't have time for the slower opening of a multitool's blade. Even the Wave and the Surge are slower in my hands than a locking folder.

So I carry both, pretty much constantly. It works for me. If they made a Leatherman with a one-hand-opening blade with S30V steel and as solid a lockup as my miniRittergrip, I might change my mind.

Although I admit that the MultiTool has reduced the number of places where a single blade folderis king, but it still has its place.

The multitool is a medocre knife, particularly when it comes to accessability. By the time you get your mut out of the case, my knife has come out, opened, finished the job and returned to my pocket. This is particularly true where the blade is inside the mut and the handles must be opened to use it (especially those where the handles must then be closed to use it saftely. I use a knife often, a multitool rarely. The knife is in my pocket, the multitool in my bag. I must admit I have been trying a small Leatherman without a knife blade. It is now riding in my watch pocket. This may or may not continue.

When on the water or in the air (not on an airline) I always carry a knife. Many times a fixed blade is inappropriate for political, comfort or other reasons. This is the place for a single blade, quick opening, folder. The same can be said of fire or rescue personnel.

Some of us are also just old codgers and have carried a knife clipped to our pockets since Spyderco brought out the Worker. I am probably not going to change any time soon. I still carry it even when I carry a fixed blade (for uses I might not use the fixed blade for like striking a fire steel or testing the hardness of a rock) or a multitool for when I want a knife more quickly.

It might not be for everyone, but many of us find lots of reasons to carry the single blade folder - and some of them even make sense!

Respectfully,

Jerry

It all depends, doesn't it? Just walkin' around, whether in the suburbs, city, or the woods, a kabar dozier (one hand opening, locking, easy to sharpen, only weighs 2.2 oz) and the PS4 covers 99% of anyone's needs. UNLESS you're a farmer, electrician, etc, etc. Why carry the extra weight unless you really need it?

wouldn't let met delete entry

One hand opening single blade folders are very practical. I usually find myself holding what I want to cut with one hand before I pull out a cutting tool. The locking blade also enables types of work I would not do with anything else other than a fixed blade. There are new models of multi-tools with one hand opening, locking blades which I find very useful. I do usually carry a single blade, one hand opening, locking blade folder, and I do use them frequently for cutting just about everything imaginable, even in the kitchen.

The single blade folder has several advantages over the multitool. The handling is better, the blades are usually sturdier and the knife is easier to clean. The blades of multitools use to have steel inferior to that of a good folder.
I will not use the weight argument as I carry a multitool as well if I think I might need it.

The single-bladed "tactical" folder essentially splits the difference between a fixed blade and a multi-tool, with an emphasis on convenience.

Obviously more specialized tools would be better depending on the task and the environment, but you can't carry everything all the time.

I don't always have the opportunity to switch between a fixed blade for the sticks, or a multi-tool for an urban area, or a dive knife for on the boat. Even when I do, whatever I choose might not end up being the right tool for the job anyway.

The majority of the time, I've just got my single bladed Benchmade clipped to my pocket and I make do. Be it in the sticks, at the office, on the construction site, or out on the boat.

Yea, sometimes it gets abused because it's not the right tool for the job, but after 10+ years of carrying and using the same tool every single day you get a pretty good idea of what it can and can't handle.

I have more knives than common sense, and yet I find that I grab my RSK folders first for most tasks. As opposed to a fixed blade (I have custom fix blades, a 40 year old Randall, and my cheap and battered mora) the RSK folder is always in my pocket and I always seem to go for it first. The way I hunt, camp, and tramp in the woods... that folder does everything I want a knife to do. Yep, I have an array of multi-tools too. I STILL grab the RSK folder first. Creature of habit, I guess.

Weapon, where fixed blade knives are illegal to conceal?

I like the SA bantam cause of the multi tool bit.

On those locking biners- they usually get frozen closed because someone locks them when they are under tension. Just girth hitch a sling around them and add a bit of body weight and they should unscrew. I have collected several this way at anchor stations where people did a hanging belay before they screwed the gate closed.

My thought exactly. You can't conceal carry (in the pocket or even in the bag) a fixed blade in California. Open carry is out of fashion here either (except when in the woods). But I'm using LM Wave for almost everything now anyway. To address the lesser steel quality of the multitool blade there are several other cutting blades available, just chose wisely what to use for what.

For the pliers - think of them as an Iron Man hand/fingers You will see then a lot of decent applications for them in the field as well as in the urban environment, especially if you add a small bungee cord to keep them closed and hangable.

Also I disagree with opinions about the lack of swiftness in arming the MT knife. At least on the Wave, all you need to do is to loosen the pivot screw a little, so you can open the blade with one hand's thumb easily, and practice doing that for a while.

Has anyone died as a result of the "lesser steel quality" of their blade. I can get Wave blade to the point that I can shave forearm hairs (I use a Sharpmaker) and I do this now and then, most likely before a prolonged field trip. When I am actually going to shave, I go with a cheap disposable razor. When I cut paper, I use scissors. Frankly, I think a lot of the dithering about steel types doesn't translate to real world effectiveness.

I have been carrying my Wave for about two years, and it hass gotten to the point where it opens very nicely with one finger as I draw it from its holster. I am very comfortable with it at this point.

I have a multitool I keep on my belt or in a pocket (it's really small) which offers a short clip blade, short saw, phillips and straight screwdrivers, pliers and an led. This will do almost anything I need while in the city. If I'm in the country I also carry a fixed blade (generic) on my belt. It is for batoning and anything else the little multi's not up to. I sharpen both when I go to the woods.

Since the primary tool I use is the knife blade, I carry a locking folder (BM 940, 710 or RSK Mk1) because they are lighter and easier to carry and more convenient to use. Then I keep a Leatherman MT handy -- either a Supertool or the Charge TTi. Right now the Supertool is in my truck and the Charge sits at the bottom of my EDC backpack.

I guess I'm a "contrarian", in that I don't routinely carry a multitool or a fixed blade. I like to keep things simple, so maybe that makes me a "simpleton"?

I always carry a modest folder. At work that't usually a Gerber LST. Very lightweight, thin and unobtrusive in the pocket of my slacks, and quite adequate for my needs. Outside of work I usually carry a SAK instead. About the only time I don't have a knife in my pocket is when it is forbidden, such as when I'm on a commercial flight. If I'm out in the boonies I generally have a short lanyard in my pocket. On it is a folder, a waterproof match case, a Windmill stormproof lighter, and a small compass. I find I can usually manage firebuilding quite well enough without a fixed blade.

With an nod to hikermor, we don't have cactus around here, and such spines as we have (notably devils club) are best dealt with using tweazers. I don't do much technical climbing anymore so I don't need to deal with stuck locking biners. I spend a lot of time outdoors but in general I don't find that I need a multitool for most of my outdoor activities. Therefore I don't see the point of carrying the weight. As the old saying goes: "When in doubt...leave it out!"

Pliers, screw drivers etc are most useful when one has to deal with nuts, bolts, screws, cotter pins etc. Therefore I do carry a multitool occaisionally in situations where it is more likely to be useful. I usually have one on if I'm fishing or messing around on boats. I often carry one while doing chores at home. When backpacking it is nice to have one multi in the group in case we need to do a field repair on a stove. When sea kayaking I carry a small repair kit which includes a multi, in case we need to fix a rudder or something of that nature. Getting entangled is always a hazard on the water, so I have a stout fixed blade serrated "river knife" on my PFD.

Those are my choices, based on my experience and my situation. Your experience, your situation, and your choices may of course differ.

In my younger days, I was never without a knife. Like all of the other guys in grade school, I carried a pocket knife which was used at recess for mumbley peg or whittling. In my teen years I switched to a belt carried SAK, and eventually to a series of Buck 110's, some of which I broke by prying or hammering. As I recall, I purchased a big Western W36 fixed blade for hunting in my mid-20's.

I still have my Buck 110, and Buck 112 but sadly, they reside in my gun safe now. In my opinion, their best use is where a fixed blade would draw unwanted attention, but a bigger knife is still necessary, such as mobile hunting situations where you expect to go into town. Some of the guys I deer hunt with use big folders on their belt to avoid the clanging or poking of a fixed blade on their deer stand seat. I keep a fixed blade Bear MGC in my pack for deer dressing. It grips better than a folder, and is easier to get clean after field use.

I love my old Bucks, but they live at home now. This thread may inspire me to break them out this fall and take them into the woods for old times sake.

As far as EDC, I am never without my Gen 1 Leatherman Wave (not at work), and my Vic Classic. When I am in the back woods, I usually carry one of my Beckers on my pack.

One more comment regarding multitools. As I noted above, I'm a keep it simple kind of guy.

The trend these days seems to be to add more and more tools to the multi. I see scissors, saws, bit drivers, tweezers, magnifiers etc. I fail to see much point in most of the additional stuff that seems to be fashionable on multitools. For example, what is the point of scissors? I can't think of much that I would need scissors for that I can't do with a sharp knife. If I really expect to need a bit driver, I should probably just carry my tool box with real tools.

I have several multis, but they are all the most basic kinds. My favorite is a Leatherman Kick, with just pliers, screw drivers, knife blade, can and bottle opener. Interestingly, Leatherman has discontinued that model, as apparently simple doesn't sell as well as complex. My other favorite is a Leatherman Juice C2. It's not quite as robust as the Kick, but it is nice and compact. I do find the corkscrew to be a very useful accessory!

As other have wisely said, it depends on the application.

For serious bushcraft work or hunting, it's hard to beat the strength, reach, and cleanability of a fixed blade. Cleanup of folders is a bit of a job. And I can't imagine how you'd get all that goo out of a Leatherman. Maybe run it through the dishwasher when DW isn't looking?

I have a lot of nice fixed blades, but in practice I find that I rarely have one on my belt. So I focus on folders, which I have in abundance.

My usual combination is a Leatherman for the pliers and a clip-on folder as my go-to cutting edge. I don't usually have expensive folders, as these are my SAAB (s___ and abuse) tools that get burned up or lost over time.

Love the Mora steel, though, and the Scandi-grind. Their folders are few and far between. I really want one (or a box) of these:

I find a folding scissors to be very useful, although I don't argue your point that a knife would also do these things, and agree that some multi-tools have gotten nearly big enough to require their own propulsion systems. I use scissors to cut open packages of jerky, cut paper, small cordage, open envelopes/packages, make tinder from jute, trim broken fingernails, snip off fish hooks, mark my deer tag, and trim wicks.

My wife also borrows it for the scissors on a frequent basis for undisclosed reasons. IMO, these things are done more safely with a scissors than with a blade.

One day, not being a slave to fashion and finding myself miles down a trail on an unexpectedly hot day, I used my L-Wave scissors to cut the long sleeves off of my flannel shirt at the shoulders. I seriously considered doing that to my cargo pants too, but wisely decided against it. I retained said sleeves to safety pin back onto the shirt when it cooled off, coincidentally providing unequaled ventilation at the armpits.

I still have that 'convertible' shirt, and the scissors that spawned it.

I have a ton of multi-tools. Usually two on me, key chain and pocket, one in the truck, one in wife's SUV, one in each BOB (2x), one in my desk I need to send to Leatherman for repair and probably a couple I left out.

I also sometimes carry a folder, usually on my belt. The folder does the job a multi-tool really isn't designed for. Like cutting heavy stuff. The folder has a more robust blade than the mut and I can control it better.

I took my Mora and BG fixed blades with me on an overnighter with bacpacboy this week, as well as my Bacho Laplander folding saw. They were the perfect tools for around camp. However, I kept my CRKT Mt. Rainier in on my belt as well. It was perfect for collecting tinder an slicing up an apple during a day hike. It was hot and humid and the less I had to carry the better.

I like fixed blades and my Leatherman (Charge Ti) but my issue is with ease of carry and weight.

My favorite knives:

--Ritter Mk2 (fixed): 12.8 oz -- belt - or bag - only
--Leatherman Charge Ti: 8.4 oz -- belt is best, big for clip
--Ritter Mk3 (fixed): 5.7 oz -- belt only
--Ritter Mk1: 3.82 oz -- good clipped, big for EDC
--Ritter Mk1 mini: 2.68 oz -- my EDC

Of course a lot depends on your own circumstances.

At home and around town (suburbs) my Mk1 mini does everything I need. If I need pliers, a screwdriver, or whatever, I get them out of my toolbox. If I have car troubles, well, a Leatherman isn't going to fix my car. I call a tow truck.

When car camping I ALWAYS bring along both a fixed blade (usually my Mk3). It gets used a lot - cooking, fire prep. I ALWAYS bring the Leatherman, but the LM doesn't typically get used much. I also always bring a saw (bow or folding) and an axe (I prefer a long handled axe). One of my Mk1's was always clipped on my pocket.

I don't backpack anymore, but when I did weight was everything, so I typically only carried one of the Mk1's clipped.

For survival, well, consider me in the "a survival knife is the knife you have when you need it" camp. I carry minimal gear and dress for potential weather. I like Peter Kummerfeldt's view of survival gear (see outdoorsafe.com)

I carry a PLB and bring the minimal gear needed to survive until rescue. A knife is going to have to help me stay dry and warm while I wait. It will cut things - smallish things. It won't split wood. No snares. No building log cabins. At most it may need to cut small saplings, which my Ritter Mk1 mini has done.

these days if I am doing wilderness work, especially overseas, I nearly always carry a single-blade folder as my primary tool. the locking mechanisms on these knives are generally excellent, and so is the blade quality if you spend good money.

I used to carry fixed blades and have nothing against them - for purely wilderness or survival uses. I carry the folder because it functions as both a survival tool and a good self-defense weapon. fixed blades knives are long and cannot fit in your pocket. if you are overseas and carry one on a sheath on your belt, then you could attract the attention of policemen (generally after a bribe). a good locking folder, with a blade of 3-5 inches, will fit neatly into a pocket when folded, and is hardly visible. so it's a one-stop-fits-all solution.

Pete2

It depends on your lifestyle and what you do

From MY experience, I noticed the two most commonly used tools are the knife & the pliers ( in that order ). A SAK has no pliers so it is out in my case. Multitools do have pliers but they are heavy and have a dozen tools that I rarely use, so they stay in the car and inside the bag. What I cary in my pocket and USE DAILY is a folding knife.

In addition to cutting, I use it for light prying ( like half an hour ago, I pryed out a dead battery out of a clock).

There is a medical problem in my right hand which affects the use of my thumb, so the folding knife comes in handy in many of the day-to-day chores. For example, instead of exerting more pressure to open a stubborn packet , I just cut it or poke it with the knife .... that makes my life easier.

A multi will be a bit too heavy to carry around , and the tools are rarely used in my case. So, MT's stay around here and there , but not in my pockets

So, again, it all depends on your lifestyle & situation

I EDC a Leatherman wave that's used 4-5 times a week, and also have a SOG folder I carry everywhere. The SOG I use, like many others on the forum, for heavy cutting chores. The blade on the leatherman I use only when I don't have my SOG (rarely). When I DO use the Leatherman blades, I'm not worried about getting the blade out fast. This ain't a race, and I'm usually the only one with a blade anyway. I have a leatherman micra on the keychain as well. So redundancy is my motto. Weight I don't worry about. I'm carrying more around my gut than any series of blades would add up to.

I prefer a single blade folder for EDC. All kinds of reasons: the first being simplicity. I don't have to mess around with orienting, then finding the blade, then opening like I would with a SAK. I don't have to deal with the flak of having a fixed blade in public which is frowned upon by most LEOs. It's easier to open, use and close single handedly. A single blade is compact and fits in my pocket and clips on. The blade is larger and less of a compromise than using a SAK style knife. It's the right size and weight for carrying and not be threatening. Single edge, not serrated it works very well for slicing, cutting and opening packages/boxes. I use it for cutting up lunch (so much handier and sharper than any knife in the cafeteria) and quite a bit around the kitchen because it's with me all the time and I don't have to reach for the knife block. I carried a small folder on me practically since I was a boy and I still get a kick out of watching "innocents" aka non-knife carriers, and their reactions to me using a pocket knife. I silently scream to them how foolish they are for not carrying anything.

I wore a Delica 2 for years then switched to a very similar Salt 1, a this year changed to a larger Tenacious (although I might switch back to a Delica 4). I do carry a SAK, actually both a L-Wave and L-Squirt as EDC backups just not as primary. The pliers on the wave are used a lot and the scissors on the Squirt are used a lot. I also carry a bit kit. I used my L-Wave and electric nut driver as my only tools to assemble my new BBQ.

I view a multi-tool as what you use when you can't get to your real tools. It's an emergency stand-in. A Jack of All Trades, Master of None.

I just don't find the ergonomics of any multi-tool to be good. They are clever, but cumbersome and awkward. However they can help you complete a simple task in a pinch if you have nothing better to work with. They are good in that role. But as a general replacement for real tools ... not even close. I'll take a folding or fixed blade knife over a multi-tool any day.

One of my reasons to EDC a MT/SAK with scissors; I never get caught by my wife cutting paper on the top of one of her tables, scoring the surface with a blade.

Try the Victorinox Spirit. It's solidly built and the handles are shaped similar to a set of pliers. Usual disclaimers apply. Just own older Gerbers, both styles of Victorinox, and a Leatherman PST knockoff.

Or in my case, using the WRONG pair of her scissors to cut something with. Evidently there is a difference between "paper scissors", "sewing scissors", "food scissors", "eyebrow scissors", and "dog hair trimming scissors". Who would have thought?

To me a Spyderco Delica or Endura on the large side will do anything I need a folding knife to do. Any more than that and I'll probably use my RAT7 or something.

One of the more useful types of scissors would be "EMT shears," (you now, the ones advertised as slicing through pennies) - much safer to use around tender flesh.

We have several pairs of those from back in my paramedic days. They are great utility scissors. They don't do as well cutting thin limp stuff (like a strand of dental floss - unless you pull it really tight), but they are fantastic for the heavier-duty materials. They don't cost much either. I think of EMT shears like I think of Mora knives. Good solid workhorses that are strong on function, light on style.

A single-blade folder is my most most fundamental survival tool. If there room for only one tool to carry, it would a single-blade folder. I might be walking/jogging while wearing workout shorts. I would not be able to carry a multi-tool because it's too heavy, but at least I can have a single-blade folder in my right front pocket.

When I get dressed, it's like clockwork. My single-blade folder goes on me every time for any kind of attire, including suits, jeans, shorts, etc.

If I do not have "equipment" that requires pliers (locking caribiners for one), I carry a pair of hemostats in my FAK for porcupine quills and cactus spines. Lots lighter than most pairs of pliers. I have never needed anything larger for just woods loafing. Often when I have other purposes for going in the bush. Then I carry a pair of pliers best suited to the equipment I carry. I have yet to be sold on the MUT for most things in the bush.

I also carry a pair of bandage scissors (or more recently sometimes EMT shears) in my FAK.

Respectfully,

Jerry

I like the MUT but it lives in my range bag or MOLLE'd onto my hydration pack for 3-gun. It's too specialized, in my mind, for me to haul around at other times. I could imagine putting it on my belt if I'm carrying my AR, but that's not exactly a standard hiking accessory for me.

For "woods loafing" (stealing that phrase!) it would be a LM Wave for me, possibly the Surge if I felt like I needed something bigger.

I carry a single blade folder cuz when I carry a sword, people look at me funny. Big lock blade is as close as I can come to a broadsword, and dragons are smaller now, anyway.

LOL, loved that post Nursemike!

I shot a poor match at the Ft Benning 3 Gun Match in 2010, but earned some style points when I pulled my steak knife out of my pocket....if you can't shoot, at least look good...

Ironically, I'm now the proud owner of a Wave. marriage's third anniversary traditional gift is leather... and my wife is quite the clever lady.

Can't carry it at work, so won't be able to use it much. Wonder if it'll get as much use as it deserves.

Scissors are precise tool compared to a knife. My LM Wave scissors are fantastic on tin and aluminum cans, when I need to improvise something more sophisticated than just a boiling vessel out of them. Also they are much better than a knife at trimming hair (esp. facial), toenails, or sewing thread.