EDCing a fixed blade

[SmokingTrigger]

I've never carried a knife regularly, always carry a firearm.

Any suggestions/videos on how to properly start carrying a fixed blade knife?

I already have a cassel knife plus I ordered a winkler too.

I already carry a Milwaukee box knife but I'm also going to carry a ZT folder.

 

[Edged Tools]

Couple threads with some info

POLL! What's your ideal blade size for EDC?

Saw this on a discussion forum and thought it was a great question!

www.indianagunowners.com

EDC Fixed Blades

Who carries a fixed blade regularly? Not everyday, but some days you grab it instead. What do you carry? And if you don't carry one day, do you have a fixed blade you grab more often than not for every day tasks? :popcorn:

www.indianagunowners.com

 

[Edged Tools]

Scout carry is pretty popular these days for a fixed blade. It’s pretty comfortable

 

[BoilerWes]

Let us know how you like your Winkler.

 

[DadSmith]

Scout carry is pretty popular these days for a fixed blade. It’s pretty comfortable

I tried that it's good, however I went to carrying it crossdraw horizontal where the handle is just left of my belt buckle. I find it works great there. Very comfortable.

Similar to this but with my CIVIVI Stormridge.

 

[Random_71]

So depending on the sheath you have tons of options.
If leather you're kinda limited to how it is made to attach.
If kydex your options are nearly limitless, tech-loks, ulticlips, dot straps, add on danglers, molle, IWB or pocket on a static line..... try several and take your pick.

Personally I carry a pair daily: a Kizer Harpoon horizontal at belt buckle (weak hand draw) as the sheath designed to be horizontally carried.
I also carry either a Civivi Stormridge, or Ferrum Forge Lackey Xl, in my right pocket on an ulticlip.

For a longtime I carried a Kabar Mk1 in scout just below the belt after I lashed molle straps to it.

 

[mikewd1983]

Is there a reason you would prefer a fixed blade over a folding blade? I'm just curious. I carry a kabar folding knife. It was a gift years ago and has been very useful and holds its edge well.

 

[Random_71]

Is there a reason you would prefer a fixed blade over a folding blade? I'm just curious. I carry a kabar folding knife. It was a gift years ago and has been very useful and holds its edge well.

Several.

1. Durability, folders are all already broken in half. Locks like all mechanical items, wear or get dirty and can fail. I've had stitches in my index finger due to a Buck and almost in the other from a Spyderco failing to lock (thank God I had gloves on).

2. Speed, even against an OTF or assisted (spring or manual eg Emerson Wave), fixed is faster and requires almost no fine motor skills. No button, no flick, no wierd angle out of the pocket to engage the Wave, just clear the sheath and you're good to go.

3. Cleaning and maintenance, you clean it like a kitchen knife. You don't need to make certain there is no lint or pocket items that can foul the lock or lock it shut (pennies and a Kershaw leek). If you use your knife for food prep, then you need to clean the entire thing (unless you want raw chicken matter/juice in your pocket). Which is difficult to impossible on many folders/OTF with out taking it apart. Which means if you do, you now have to deal with making sure the mechanism is perfectly aligned again so it doesn't fail.

4. They're cool, and can satiate the inner caveman, in a way that a folder never will.

 

[SmokingTrigger]

Is there a reason you would prefer a fixed blade over a folding blade? I'm just curious. I carry a kabar folding knife. It was a gift years ago and has been very useful and holds its edge well.

Something different.

I've carried a gun almost every day for 10 or 15 years.

Knife carry has always been spotty. But the last year or two I've carried the same folding box knife. Feel like since I can carry something like that and not lose it it's time I can step it up. I got a zero tolerance folder that I'll like start carrying every day first while working in a fixed blade.

I only own 2 fixed blade knives. A cassel and a winkler. The winkler seems to be very good quality.

 

[RobertIN]

When I know Ill be grinding in the fab shop I'll wear my Bradford Guardian 3 in an Armatus horizontal sheath at 2 o'clock, handle pointed past my right hip. Easy access at work but I wouldn't wear it out and about I have folders for that.

 

[tradertator]

A few things I’ve learned over the years:
-Focus more on the sheath than the knife: Think Glock in a Tenicor holster versus a Stucatto in a nylon Uncle Mikes soup sandwich special.
I’ll take a lesser knife with a stellar sheath any day of the week. My go-to is an IWB centerline style that everyone has copied from Tracker Dan. I want it where I can not only draw it in total dark, but also put it away. Something that is quiet upon a draw is a huge plus.
-Exotic steel is exotic for a good reason: Focus on something that retains a good, and will roll instead of chip. Properly heat treated 154CM or most tool steel is perfectly acceptable, as is most common steel used today. Corrosion sucks, so keep that in mind (coated blade, controlled patina, blued, etc…. A dark coating on the blade is > than something shiny if you are trying to conceal it.
-Folders are slower, hard to open under stress, and a much weaker design.
-There is no one size fits all with this stuff. Carry multiple. If you need a hunting / multipurpose knife, carry one. If you need a defensive knife, carrry one too. A multipurpose knife is no substitute for a double edge dagger, and vice versa.
-Glass breakers suck on a defensive knife: if you hold it in reverse, cap the end with your thumb, and stab something: Your thumb is now broken.

Your Winkler will likely be a fantastic knife for 95% of stuff. If you’re carrying it for defensive means: Double edge and keep it simple. If it’s not a full double edge, reverse grip / edge in is my preference. But you’ll find that most knife makers don’t have a clue what a functional fighting knife looks like. You’ll see fantasy BS designs, glass breakers, choils, edge out, and really crappy sheaths 99% of the time.

 

[theslitherysnek]

I've carried a Benchmade Mini Crooked River every day for the past four years. But about six months ago I impulse bought a Vero Engineer Myelin fixed blade. I really, really like the knife and think the functionality of a fixed blade is far superior to a folding knife. That being said, I really hate the sheath that it came with. Like others have said, I think the sheath would make or break your carrying experience.

What do you do for work? I work in HVAC Sales, so depending on if I'm visiting an operator in a Mechanical Room, or a visiting a CEO in their office largely determines what knife I carry on a given day.