“What I want now is an EDC that will sit between the [Skeletool and the Mora] that I can keep on my person the whole time without a problem.”
Between the two? Unless I wanted to scare off Bad Guys, I would go small.
I have carried many, many ECD knives, and I have finally settled on an Victorinox Classic, Alox. Why?
- For EDC, I have never needed, not once, a knife larger than 2".
- However, I have often regretted carrying around a larger knife. Too bulky, too heavy, too scary, too expensive, all for no purpose.
- I have also forgotten to carry a knife when I needed one.
- Also, I have often needed a pair of scissors, and didn’t have any.
The Classic goes on your keychain, so it is always with you. The blade steel is soft but easily sharpened. It has a tiny pair of scissors, which works when nothing else is handy. I have used mine to cut away clothing when a friend busted an ankle, to trim moleskin, etc. To my surprise, the nail file is essential; it fixes torn or chipped fingernails, preventing the tear from growing, bleeding, snagging on things, etc. It is also useful as a light-duty poker and prier. I have used it to dig up weeds when nothing else was handy.
The Alox (aluminum) version seems to be more durable than the red plastic, and is less bulky. You lose the tweezers and toothpick, but I at least have never needed those. Once or twice I could have used a bottle opener, but there are ways to open bottles with rocks, pieces of wood, etc.
I use the snot out of this tool. I have resharpened it so many times that the blade has become visibly shorter and narrower. When it becomes unusable, I can get another one for $25. How often have you used a tool to death?
Other people have gone off on the camping tools idea, but you haven’t actually said you need those. Cutting wood is handy for making fires, if cutting wood and making fires are allowed. They often are not, at least in the US.
https://www.swissknifeshop.com/swiss-army-classic-sd-alox-silver
