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Everyday carry, or EDC knives, are becoming more commonplace, especially for folks who are always on the go. It’s a handy tool with a broad range of uses, and it certainly helps you out in a pinch. Best of all? EDC knives are usually small enough to fit in your pocket.
These knives aren’t solely for skilled industrial workers or advanced outdoorsmen. Anyone can wield an everyday carry knife, and you’ll be surprised by just how much they make your life easier. Let’s dive into what an EDC knife is and some of the most common usages for it.
What Is an EDC Knife?
EDC represents a category of gear that encompasses essential items, such as phones, flashlights, knives, and watches. EDC knives are lightweight and compact. They usually fold, and are also referred to as “pocket knives” or “folding knives.”
Additionally, they’re used for more generalist rather than specialist purposes. As part of the EDC spectrum, these everyday carry knives are capable of cutting a wide array of materials, from clamshell packaging to cardboard to tape.
Handles for EDC knives are typically wider and sturdier than, for example, the slender pen-like body of a craft knife. Most everyday carry knife handles are made of aluminium, carbon fibre, stainless steel, and titanium. As for EDC knife blades, you’ll find that most are composed of stainless steel, zirconium oxide, and carbon steel.
What Can You Use It For?
Cut Loose Threads
Everyday carry knives definitely come in handy when you have a loose thread or two on your clothing. Sometimes, simply pulling on the thread isn’t enough, and you may damage your clothing or create an even longer thread. In addition to cutting rogue threads, EDC knives are great for removing clothing tags.
Open Packaging
If you don’t have a box cutter for opening packaging in your toolkit, then an EDC knife will work just as well. You can use your tool to slice through triple-wall-corrugated cardboard packaging, as well as clamshell packaging, polybags, printed shrink film, envelopes, skin packaging (or “skin packs”), and more.
Pro tip: if you’re opening a cardboard box, consider cutting through the cardboard instead of the tape so you don’t get tape residue on your blade. (Be careful with the area that you cut if you would like to reuse or recycle this same box.)
Fishing
An avid fishing enthusiast should always have a quality everyday carry knife on hand. It’s perfect for trimming a fishing line and cutting the tag ends off a newly tied knot. But that’s not all! If you need to cut bait into smaller portions, an EDC knife will do the trick.
After you’ve caught your fish, use your tool to gut it. While a fillet knife is normally utilized to fillet fish, an everyday carry knife can be brought into the equation for smaller catches.
Preparing Food
Believe it or not, but an EDC knife can be beneficial in the kitchen. Don’t have a peeler for potatoes at the ready? Then use an everyday carry knife. It’ll easily remove the skin from potatoes.
These tools are helpful for slicing fruits and veggies as well as tender meats like steak. If you’re baking a dessert, your EDC knife can be utilized to zest lemons or oranges in place of a zester.
First Aid
Accidents happen, which can lead to serious injuries. Having an everyday carry knife at your disposal will help facilitate treatment. For example, if you need to remove clothing to access a wound, EDC knives will easily cut through a cloth.
If the wound is particularly severe, you may need to apply a tourniquet until emergency services arrive. Your everyday carry knife will make quick work in cutting bandages for the said tourniquet.
On a less serious note, you can utilize your tool to remove pesky splinters.
Gardening
Pruning keeps your plants in top form, both in terms of health and appearance. You may find a use for your EDC knife when tending to your garden. Utilize it to prune your flowers in place of a pruner. These tools are also great for cutting vegetables off plants.
Camping
You’re spending some much-needed time in the great outdoors, and no camping trip is ever complete without a fire. Put your everyday carry knife to good use by making kindling for that fire. If s’mores are on the menu, whittle a stick for roasting your s’mores over the fire.
In addition, your EDC knife is a trusty tool for trimming tent stakes and preparing food while you’re camping.
Conclusion
EDC knives can be an essential part of your daily gear. Whether you need one to simply cut a loose thread or to quickly dress a wound, you’ll find that the possible uses for these tools are endless.
