Every Day Carry (EDC) Knives, by C.C.

Ever thought about the best option for an everyday carry knife? Or why not carry multiple knives for different uses? In my everyday life whether at home or work there are many different scenarios that I could find myself dealing with. Anything from cutting an apple, opening boxes, tightening a screw, or opening paint cans, I choose to be prepared for whatever I may come across. Because of this mindset my Everyday Carry is not one but three different tools. I carry a small fixed blade, an assisted opening folder, and some sort of knife with tool options (such as a screw driver). The following three are the particular knives I am carrying currently; an ESEE Izula 2, a Benchmade Mini Barrage, and a Camillus Military issue pocket knife.
First I would like to go over my ESEE Izula 2. I began buying ESEE products because of the awesome no questions asked warranty. I figured that if I was hard on the knife and it broke the ESEE company would replace the knife, which is exactly true because the warranty is for the knife, not the original owner of the knife but the knife itself. ESEE does not ask questions about purchase dates or receipts, if the knife breaks they will replace it. That being said I bought an ESEE Izula and loved it because it stayed sharp and could handle anything for its size. The one reason I personally got the Izula 2 was because it had a slightly larger handle and I have large hands. But seriously these little knives are users; I don’t believe there are many tasks that an ESEE couldn’t handle, even if that task was prying open a car door. I personally cut through some electrical wire with mine after I broke my wire cutters on the same wire, and to my absolute pleasure the knife was still sharp enough to use. Bottom line is that ESEE knives are absolutely great products and come highly recommended by many people.
Now I chose to carry the Benchmade Mini Barrage for some pretty simple reasons. I needed a nice quality folder because sometimes people get a little sheepish if a person pulls out a fixed blade knife no matter how small or big it may be. This knife has an ambidextrous thumb stud which makes it easy to open no matter which hand a person grabs it with, plus it is assisted open and let me tell you, it is lightning fast and locks up tight. The blade is 154cm stainless steel so if I’m cutting up my apples it is easy to clean and will not rust. Benchmade makes some of the nicest knives I have ever used and I have a few that I’ve owned for more than a decade and they are still going strong.
My option of a knife with some sort of tooling really just makes me feel a little better when out and about. I guess it is just the MacGyver side of me surfacing from child hood. But currently my Camillus knife is what I am carrying. This little guy was made originally for all branches of the military and came with a spear point blade, a screwdriver, can opener, and an awl. Plus it has a very sturdy ring for attaching it to key rings or whatever a person wanted to attach it to. I carry mine on my keys and use it regularly for little tasks like tightening screws or using the awl to get a stubborn knot out of a rope. I love mine because it gives me a little tool option and can easily be carried on my key ring. These can still be found in pawn shops or online for next to nothing and they are little tanks.
Well I hope this gives a little insight into a good EDC option for some people. Here’s to happy cutting and carving keep um sharp folks. Have fun out there fellow knife enthusiasts and always remember to play and work safe.