Christmas is nearly here...

 ...so naturally I wanna talk about pocket knives. 

I've always been a guy who carries a pocket knife. I've had a Victorinox Spartan in my pocket since junior high. There's something about always having a little tool handy to do small jobs that just makes life go easier and makes you look like the most useful person ever to the people around you. And in one case - I guess crazy? One coworker was very vocal about my knife and her opinion of it. 

Last year, I went on a deep dive into knives and bought a little collection of new and vintage Victorinox blades. Some I like, some I don't. I got a little one that's very rare called the "Executive" I love. It stays at my desk at work at all times. It has an ORANGE PEELER on it. Come on. 

I also bought the Victorinox Soldier's knife. Cool in that it's a one-hand open and closed but a bit big - especially for office life. And the blade is serrated. It's been relegated to the car for emergencies. 

When I graduated from U Vic last year I bought myself what I thought would be a fancy knife, the Limited Edition Alox Pioneer. It has scissors and looks like the kind of knife you bring to your daughter's wedding. That is to say, it's gunmetal gray. A cool-looking knife and a good package but it's very stiff and I find that it needs a lot of maintenance and furnishing for a tool I spent $100 on. 

All this to say, this week, I've drifted back to my classic, $45 Spartan. It doesn't have an orange peeler or a pair of scissors. But it has a knife that's easy to fold out and a blade driver and you quickly realize, that's 90% of what you need in a knife. That said, I've only ever used the corkscrew maybe 3 times. 

Of course, Victorinox isn't exactly the only knife maker in town. And over the last couple of years, they've come under some criticism for a lack of innovation and use of outdated tool steels. Benchmade is a brand that I find interesting but I'm not sure if the opening mechanism is legal in Canada and they're just a straight-up knife - no other tools. Leatherman tools are cool and useful but far too big for the daily office carry I'm looking for. But my GOD what I'd do for a set of small pliers in my pocket! 

Hacksmith Industries is launching a new knife in the new year that I find compelling. I'm going to get my name on a "Founder's Edition" blade so I can say I have a Canadian-made knife. Plus then I can get one of their lightsabers. They tease pliers in the video but all the pictures I've seen don't feature pliers. 

I even did a small project in school where I started an imaginary knife manufacturing company called "The Reborn Edge" where we made pocket knives in Saskatchewan out of recycled materials. Kind of a fun idea but I doubt it would be successful. And I don't know anything about tool making. 

All this has come to mind as I'm hunting for a case to put my growing kazoo collection into for bringing to gigs and stuff. The knowledge gained in the pocket knife rabbit hole led me to a knife collection case to put my kazoos in. Full circle baby. 

What's in your everyday carry? Do you have a favourite pocket knife I should try? Should I seek professional help for this love of knives? Why is my house being surrounded by police?