A pocket knife

Ever since I was a kid, I found knives to be essential tools to have with you in your pocket. I think my first knife was a cheap rusty Schrade folder that I promptly broke the blade in half trying to dig out some dirt clods from the ground. My mom got me a cheap hunting knife with a leather sheath that I loved but I left it all the time in the sheath and so it of course rusted as well. I eventually got a Buck folder that I really liked and it had a stainless steel blade that held up better than the earlier models. I wish I knew what ever happened to that knife. I could've given it to my son for his first knife.

Since then I have had several knives. Most recently, I've also picked up some Victoronix Swiss Army knives and Leatherman multi-tools but I still need a good daily carry knife.

My brother-in-law turned me on to Kershaw knives a few years ago and I became a fan. Kershaw makes high quality American made knives. My current every day knife is a Kershaw Rainbow Leek. It is an assisted opening knife that is light, thin and sharp but a bit dressy with the titanium oxide rainbow coating. I also have a Kershaw Blackout that is a spare for fishing adventures now that I got the Benchmade Instigator.

I was really impressed with the quality of my new Benchmade Instigator. So much so that I picked up two new Benchmade knives to rotate as my every day carry knives. I bought a new model called the H&K Ally which is actually made by Benchmade for Heckler & Koch, a manufacturer of high end firearms. I also got a Benchmade Mini Griptilian that is a somewhat nicer knife. Both new knives have black oxide coated partially serrated blades though the steel is different and the handles are of different materials. The blade lengths are also less than 3 inches and both weigh under 3 ounces. So in these respects they are close in size to the Kershaw Leek I currently carry.

So, I may carry the Kershaw Leek for dressed up occasions and the Griptillian or Ally otherwise. I'll have to put the new knives through their paces before I finally decide which to carry.