All About Pocket Knives

In case you gentlemen haven't seen it here is Gentleman's Quarterly recomendations for a savy little pocket knife.
https://www.gq.com/story/the-best-pocket-knives

Think I'll stick with the unsightly bulge I have now.

philco wrote:Think I'll stick with the unsightly bulge I have now.

I was thinking along those lines myself Philco.

Some are good choices, others aren't.

My watch pockets on some of my pants can fit a full size Leatherman or a quite large folder. I only use that for my backup knife in most pants. To me, virtually every knife they show is too small (or expensive) for my personal use. The smallest Opinel I recommend is a 6 (a frequent EDC of mine) because the non-locking ones just don't have enough friction to be safe to me.

I think they're more repping the sellers of these knives instead of actually showing a practical EDC knife. $160 something can get you a nice GEC, instead of $10 worth of cheap Chinese knife and $150 worth of fancy handles.

In my personal opinion, for an all-around folder, I think you should go between 3" and 4" closed, anything under that feels like a novelty miniature to me, and sure can't withstand any heavy cutting. A 3" or so lockback fits in most watch pockets, and for me, it and a 58mm Victorinox stay in my watch pocket as backups (the Vic for the scissors. I like the 100mm Mercator, thin but works really hard. Not to mention, snaps like a bear trap, or at least my old Kaufmann one does (I have no experience with the Otter Messer made Mercators).

They've obviously never spent much time on a farm or in the Ozarks. While I do carry a small knife in my watch pocket, it would never do as the only knife of the day. About the only exception would be Sunday's between nine and noon.


WB

Correct Rob, I usually carry two knives. One small watch pocket and a larger folder usually around 4 inches or above.

Ahhh, GQ. The wussification of modern masculinity rag.

If I am looking for a real knife I choose it on my own or would refer to a hunting magazine as a backup, not GQ.

Concealed weapon? In some places likely but I don’t or choose not to live there. Any place you pull out a knife whatever size for a cutting task and people are shocked and afraid is not for me.

Jerry

Those would not be my choices - none of them.

Higos are not a good knife for your pocket. The thumb tab sticks out and it is far too easy for the blade to become exposed.

The Stoneworks is a show knife that sits on a shelf or in a display, not a knife you use.

The Elko is a keychain knife. Having a knife on your keychain seems like a good idea, but the keys always make actually using the knife very awkward. The screwdriver is probably more useful than the knife. A Buck Knight, which is a lockback the same size (without the screwdriver), is a better choice.

A small Victorinox is an OK knife, I carried one for several years, but a knife with a better blade shape is much better. And wood handles? Please. With real use they will almost certainly crack.

Opinel #2 - No. Just no. I wouldn't even be able to find that puny little thing in my pocket.

Nope. Wouldn't pick any of them, not even the SAK, as shown. The wood handle on it just doesn't look right to me for a SAK.

I'll take my Buck and Kabar folders and my Kabar fixed blades over all of GQ's options.

My keys make a bigger bulge in my pocket than any pocket knife I have ever carried, including a Buck 110. I have fixed blades that I pocket carry that make less of a bulge than my keys or wallet. BK11, BK13, BK14, BK23, Kabar 1117, Kabar 1118.

I don't see anything suitable for my daily knife usage. Looks like a good start on the next POS exchange to me!

Ken

As I'm a dress pants & shirt during the week kind of guy, I agree with the premise, but disagree with the size limitation. I carry Case 3.5" medium stockman's (63032's) or Ratcliffe muskrats almost exclusively (with an occasional Case barlow, canoe or saddlehorn thrown in as a change of pace). If I'm wearing a suit, I'll carry a 3.5" Case single blade mini trapper wharncliffe, as it's thinner & doesn't print as much.

I have plenty of Case knives much smaller than that, but hardly ever carry them - the little ones don't lend themselves to sharpening on a Lansky, and even for mundane tasks, just seem like toys by comparison ...

I always read way too much into such articles. This one causes me to wonder why do we have front pockets in our dress pants or for that matter our blue jeans or bib overalls? Realizing what I just wrote, Marines don't wear pants, they wear trousers, Sir! To each his own, the last couple of years have abandoned my right front pocket, except for my bibs. My concealed carry on my strong side, keeps my knife in the left front along with my keys, if it prints, so what? At least the dude that wrote the article knows a man needs a knife!
Treefarmer

The bulge in my pocket is not the first thing most folks notice about me.

I carried a Schrade 108OT for several years. At 2¾" closed, from the garage to the lake to the work place, it did everything I needed it to do. That's the very bottom limit in size for me.

This type of article is so common: writer is given the job: "write an article on good pocket knives to carry"; writer has no interest in knives but devotes minimum time looking around on line and then hastily composes an article of poor advice.
Or, the dealers/manufacturers slipped him a few $$ to include their knife. And why not ? GQ likely pays only a couple of hundred per article.
How come GQ didn't ask one of us ? We all know a lot more about knives and many here can write well.
"Someone" should write GQ and tell them it is bad information and anyone who takes the advice given will be disappointed. Tell 'em "Crap Journalism" because that is what it is.
kj

treefarmer wrote: Marines don't wear pants, they wear trousers, Sir!
Treefarmer

Whew! Dodged a bullet there, Philip.

treefarmer wrote:the last couple of years have abandoned my right front pocket, except for my bibs.

Bibs have so many pockets, I'm surprised you can even find your knife.

I don't know about the rest of ya, I'm sure it's the same. But for me, more pockets, just means the more knives I have on me.

WB

I'm with WB.and most anything under three inches is a finger nail cleaning tool, imho.

I think maybe I could get one of those in my right front pocket.

Obviously the GQ article is aimed at "metrosexual" "men" who wear pants like this. Note you can't get your hands into the pockets anyway (explains why it recommends carrying the knife in the watch pocket). For a few hundred dollars you too can have a pair - holes in the knees included!

I'll stick to my $30 Wranglers thank you very much.

Ken

I'm torn...While some of the language in the article is kind of "big scary knife", I appreciate that there is a still a voice out there promoting that it is okay and acceptable to carry one on a daily basis. I agree that it is geared toward men and their skinny jeans. I, like most here, carry at least a couple knives, or a bigger knife than the ones shown.

Perhaps that person who carries one of those knives will decide he wants to upgrade, and will seek out different choices. Win-win.

Glen i agree it could be win-win for a few of the readers. My disagreement is that had it been written by someone who knows knives the recommended knives would be better ones. Not more expensive, but better. 99% of people cannot sharpen an edge. They need the knife to arrive with truly sharp edge. Their use will almost certainly be 'light' so a super steel for prolonged edge holding is not needed.
Knives like: Rough Rider, CRKT, SanRenMu, Spyderco, and others would be a big thrill for someone just getting into knives.
kj