EDC

There's a lot of heavy breathing that goes on in knife and knife-related forums regarding the concept of the EDC knife.  In case you are not up to speed on web-speak, EDC = Every Day Carry; that is, the knife you chose to carry with you every day.

Seems a lot of internet commandos just can't bear the thought of leaving the house with anything less than an 11" combat Bowie strapped to their side 'just in case'.  In case of what I'm not sure.  Perhaps a zombie attack.  Or an asteroid impact.  Or an instantaneous world-wide Ebola outbreak.  Or...  well, you make something up 'cuz some of their reasoning resides at the far edges of normal human imagination and paranoia.

Now I'm not against big knives.  Lord knows I've got my share of them in my collection.  But I don't wear them to Wal-Mart.  However, I do carry a pocket knife regularly.  Roberta would perhaps say compulsively.  I normally won't even go out to the mailbox or walk the dogs without a knife in my pocket.  Or go to Wal-Mart, or on a day hike, or out to do yard chores, or out to do some fishing.  A pocket knife is part of my daily 'kit', and goes into my pocket before my car keys or wallet.

I simply can't imagine daily life without a pocket knife.

Earlier this year I wrote about my search for a suitable replacement for my venerable Uncle Henry pocket knife. At the time I sang the praises of the Chinese-produced CRKT Pocket Classic Stockman.  It was and still is a great knife.  Perhaps the best value in a pocket knife available today.  But the Chinese connection started to weigh on me more than I thought it would.  I started looking for a replacement for my replacement.

After a few weeks of searching I decided to give an old American classic another look and I picked up a new Case medium stockman to try out.  Since I'm wary of carrying a highly finished pocket knife around with me, particularly one that costs as much as a nicely finished Case, I settled on Case's line of working pocket knives that sport the synthetic G-10 handle material.

Case Pattern 10316 SS Medium Stockman

At first glance this knife lacks the elegance of other Case pocket knives.  The G-10 scales (similar to Micarta) are somewhat blah looking and the blades have a rough satin finish.  But on closer inspection it's clear Case put the effort into finishing the knife where it really counts.  The bolsters are nicely rounded and polished which means the knife won't be poking holes in your trouser pockets.  The knife includes brass liners which helps the blades open and close smoothly.  The blades all have a good (though not great) 'walk and talk'.  Overall the knife is well fitted, with the scales blending nicely with the stainless steel bolsters and the brass handle pins nicely flushed and polished to the handle scales.

It is a very nice working knife.  A worthy EDC knife, and one that is made in the USA.  I can now sleep guilt-free.

So the next time you see me at Wal-Mart ask to have a look at my knife.

Stay sharp!

Brian