I appreciate her content so much due to the fact that she ACTUALLY uses her knives. Unlike most knife channels who don't at all. Nick Shabazz and many others have no business reviewing knives because they don't use theirs at all. Great video as always

I've been wanting to address this situation as well😂 It always makes me laugh when Metal Complex uses the "99.9% of people don't need more than a Civivi Elementum." I grew up on a cattle ranch and I work on a ranch in the summers and I know that many people need hard use knives. The work is out there😂

Very good discussion! I have two tool boxes full of hand tools from the time 40 years ago when I was working as a finish carpenter. My knife was a common Stanley razor knife. It dropped in my hip belt pouch. Nothing to flip, no action to worry about, just took it out and used it. Then, for 32 years I worked in an office environment and my “edc” was either a SAK Classic or Rambler (which I still carry on my key chain). Now that I am a 60-year-old retiree just padding around the house, I am discovering my knife “needs” and “wants” for mail processing, package deconstruction, food prep, and most of all (remember this youngsters!) to help do the things my fingers and fingernails don’t do as well anymore! As a result, I am drawn to small, modern-traditionals, with pokey and slicey blades and good hand-feel. In short, and what I think Erica has alluded to, our knife and tool needs change as we move through life and we should not be judging the needs and hobby wants of others. Are there similar discussions and controversies about crescent wrenches? Hmmm….

Okay you have to take a picture of Zach’s knife because that thing looks like it’s been through hell and back!! You’re so right, the people with hard labor jobs don’t give a f*ck about people who think “knives should only cut things and never be used as multitools” they’ll use whatever they have on them to get the job done.

I just found your channel and I immediately subbed. Great content and down to earth conversation!! Thank you!!

Why would anybody say "hard use" isn't real? Do they think all anybody ever uses knives for is cutting cardboard and tape?

I mainly cut rope & strap with a serrated edge. I keep a pry tool on me for other stuff. And I EDC a multitool for mainly the pliers. Along with a flashlight. Distribute the weight on different sectors of my body. I carry it all because I need it all to function/operate.

I thoroughly enjoyed this video! I enjoy all your videos! Thank you!

Everyone has different use case scenarios. Some people live/work on farms, some work in factories, some work in offices, some beat the crap out of knives others will only ever open and break down the occasional amazon box. Both sides are great. Just too many people cant wrap their heads around the fact that not everyone has to use things the same way they do. Everyone has the right to spend their hard earned money on whatever they want, and to use what they buy with that money however they want. For some people opening mail and breaking down boxes literally is using their shit. Use your shit, or dont, either way enjoy it!!! and let others enjoy it too.

When I was working in plating my go to hard users were actually the large locking 111mm series of SAKs. The Locksmith is an awesome tool that I could cut with pry with and fix pumps with. Good stuff

Hard Use is of course a real segment. Different users have different parameters for their tools. I’m terms of what we see in the collector sphere on social media I see it as the knife market going through cyclical trends. 10 years ago there was an abundance of overbuilt beefcake folders that were (I’m saying this generously) ground like a shovel. With many options quite frankly being poorly designed. I’m not talking Striders and Emerson’s but some of the other mega thicc titanium frame locks. It actually pushed me out of the hobby for some time . Then the pendulum swung to the other way. So right now the industry has a thin slicey blade fetish. While that works for me, it is another very specific style of knives. My guess is that the market will swing to a different trajectory in a couple years There are variety of different knife needs, and is great to see a wide variety of options.

First of all, I'm loving the channel. That said I am in Las Vegas and I do landscaping, maintenance, concrete work, stuff like that I am in the sun about 10 hours a day doing hard labor and I do carry a Leatherman wave, a large folder, flash light, Leatherman bits, notepad/ pen, knipex cobra pliers and two cell phones all day every day in up to 118 degree summers.....not a problem for me.

FINALLY!! someone who tells it like it really is!!! I’m going to share the shit out of this video!!! Once again! Thank you!!! Now… if you’ll excuse me… I’m going to go USE MY SHIT!!! CHEERS!!!

Couldn't agree more, well said 👍 As someone who works in agriculture, you definitely want to be able to do more jobs with less tools, and get the most of those you have on. Really enjoyed the rant :)

Hard use is definitely a thing for me. I carry my thin BGM reground Sebenza most days now since I'm temporarily handicapped. I don't use that knife hard at all though. On the job fixing appliances, I pry on stuff, scrape against metal, all kinds of abuse. That requires a totally different knife.

When I was younger working on a goat farm I used a Buck small drop point f8xed blade (forget the model), case large stockman and a ancient Boker USA camp pattern slipjoint. Besides a pocket hone, this is all I needed and most days I didn't even need the pocket hone. I would get home after work and usually after a short rest I would strop them or repair any damage if any and be good for the next day. To think I could probably have done that job a week without going through that ritual with something like a CPM-M4 PM2 is actually very curious to me but I used what I had as a teen and that was hunting/camping knives and they got the job done and that's what mattered most.

The Native 5 Lightweight 😍😍😍 it is the only knife that I have multiples of! (One in Rex 45 and one in S90V) so my Rex 45 version is the hard use Native and the S90V is more delicate but slices for days! Honestly I love Spyderco lockbacks because the handle ends up being more comfortable than a compression/liner lock in my hands. And if you are really using your knife handle comfort is a big deal and that’s why I love the Native Lightweight!! Plus, that backlock is so smooth I can still spydieflick it with ease 😎 not an outdated lock imo

I have a couple Benchmade knives and I love them but I must be one of the lucky ones because I had an omega spring break within about two months but I still love them

Yeah, I have Alot of Knives. The more expensive the Less hard use they are..I combo carry daily. From CRK TO Swiss Army. Love Them ALL .😉👍✌

I love it that we have so many options of knives to use. I do construction but don't hard use my knives because I have a tool belt on my waist all day with every tool I need. So I like more of a slicy blade. But I do like the bigger hard use designed style knives because they fit my hands better than a bugout, I just get them reground. One of my fav is the z wear shaman with a 10 thou bte full flat grind, and it's amazing. Great topic Erica

In my opinion Cold Steel makes the best hard use folder. Testing by reviewers confirms you don’t have to spend hundreds if you aren’t concerned about being patriotic.

Love hearing more about your work!

Another informative and insightful episode 👏

Some people also say they dont use folders for hard use and to carry a folding razor.

These are the voyages of NotYourAverageEDC - going places no other knife channel has ever gone before.

Less is more! If you have a knife that has proven capable to be a multitool, I don’t see why not use it that way. Leathermans are nice but they are bulky and can be a pain in the ass to deploy quickly. A quick one hand open on your folding knife and it can get the same job done… let people use their shit the way they want to. Hard use is definitely alive and well. Great video Erica

I believe your knife resembles your hands , if you work with your hands all day and they're all scratched and beat up chances are your knife looks the same. I also believe if you work in an office and your hands are soft and delicate so is your blade. I think it's that simple and I'm grateful your out there representing the small group of people who actually use their shit for it's intended purpose .

Dude I butchered about 50 chickens with my M4 G10 Bugout cause it was the only thing I had. It was sharp enough to be way more ethical than dull kNives some people use to kill the birds quick, and cut through bone and cartilage, prying and twisting totally fine. Not a damn scratch on it. Wasn’t a big fan of the Bugout until that day but now I’m totally sold.

I’m here because MC. Subscribed!!!

Of course CRK’s are hard use knives but the price prevents most people from using it that way. I have 5 of them and the only one I won’t be rough with is the Mnandi. I don’t know if you have tried out a Sandrin tungsten carbide knife yet but they are all about thin and slicey. They look like the blade will snap in half with the slightest pressure but I accidentally dropped my Torino onto my driveway and it didn’t do a thing to the blade! I thought for sure the blade was gone.

Really enjoying the feedback on how these tools perform in your world. 👍

Love hearing opinions from people with real world experience. Do you ever take your fixed blades to work? If you do, which are your go to's?

Hey. Enjoying the vids very informative. I use to hate the Spyderco just ugly to me. But then I decided to get a Para 3 and I do really like it. It’s a great knife. I do still love my benchmades though. And I love my Barkies

I often need my knife to do slight "prying" more like levering, Spyderco Shaman is my goto when I need more from my knife than just cutting.

When I worked in a grocery store my knife was also my scraper. When I work in a kitchen my pocket knife is for boxes, and still scraping. Today I used my CJRB feldspar to put grip tape on my skateboard (cutting it to size is just cutting coarse sandpaper) and I used the spine to “dull” the grip tape edges. Don’t need to be working on a farm to work the knives!

New subscriber. Excellent content!

You should check out and test the overland fixed blade in magnacut from TJ Schwartz! Looks very promising

Lots of good info here. Thanks!

Theres always a varied purpose for everyone for their knives. Knife enthusiasts and collectors, users like craftsmen, farmers, labourers, or city dwellers with less hard use opportunities etc etc. Most who are actively chasing reviews and content for knives (no matter fixed, folders or art knives) on KZfaq are mostly a mash-up of such use cases with enthusiast / collector purposes sharing the bulk of their interest. I tend to have the impression that people who truly just use their knives as 100% tools are like my father, who just select their knives based on their own experience and what’s readily available. A knife is a knife when it’s on their hands.

Hey Erica, Long, long time viewer - first time poster. I love your videos, your delivery, content, errrahthin...(everything) I too am a user (abuser?) of knives, mostly folding in my case. From cutting sealant off metal pieces, to digging in dirt and cutting roots, vines, branches, saplings, food, recycling, etc... I get'em, and I use'm. They are tools after all 🙂 All that out of the way. I have a few Para 3s, and have always thought of them as Spyderco's version of an Emerson (just my own opinion, and yes I've owned and used Emersons) So when you put the Small Sebie in the "hard use category" and the Para 3 in the "slicey" category, I looked at the specs... The Para 3 has a thicker blade 0.150"/3.81mm, than the Small Sebenza 31 0.120"/3,04mm -or- 21 0.13"/3.30mm. I'm not saying one isn't "slicey" and/or one isn't "hard use" or anything like that. Just passing info along. Erica's planet, Erica is all that and a bag of tater'chips, etc... 🙂 Love'ya girl. Keep on being the bad ass you are! willin'

Hard use doesn't mean abuse, which alot of people don't get. Each tool is the best at it's specific job: axe to chop, knife to slice/carve, prybar to... pry :P I know, crazy lol! I'm personally tired of "multipurpose, hard use knives" that are just thick slabs of steel. I mean sure, that thing is tough and can handle abuse, but it's a crappy knife at "knify" things.

This is very useful information. It is important to know how tools are used in the real world.

Loving the channel. I'm a union carpenter and do alot of foundations. Currently carry a SOG terminus x in D2 but I end up rusting out the blade every day with the summer heat.. looking for something easy to touch up but also tough and really stainless. Is spy27 my go too or is there some other options??

Love your thoughts and how people who actually use a knife hard use the most basic of tools and get it done . Also can I give a shot out to the benchmade presidio 2 cf elite thatvknife is a tank I'm a Mason by trade and have beat that knife to hell pryed stuff scraped concrete of off stuff and the s30v steel takes an edge and keeps on going .

Anyone who doesn't know what EDC is that carries a knife, definitely has used a knife as a pry bar. Most normal people do

Helle Knifes is a company that totally gets a multi purpose knife. I have a couple videos of helle Knifes on my channel. I also love the look of a knife that has been a real every day no matter what knife. The character alone could tell hours and hours of stories.

Just got my magna cut deka in the mail this morning. Didn't come centered and the tolerances seem kind of iffy. And the housing in the handles where the little liners rest in are not good. It's flush in some spots but the metal sticks out in others. I'm honestly pretty disappointed in the quality control of this because I expect a lot from Hogue. I may carry it for a few months before I send it over to knathans knives to make me some custom handles because I hate how light it is. That's just a preference. I prefer heavier knives.

I'm pretty sure none of those Jamaicans or Mexicans will be using Chris Reeves knives. OTOH, Zach's $10 Mora seems to do just fine as a hard use knife.

Great reviews by the way.

Made a knife lanyard today for a modified opinel

i never know when the noti sounds are from my phone or yours in videos XD

I wear 10lbs of gear everyday with jeans and a long sleeve shirt in the middle of summer with no issues and using hot tar. I'm a union roofer working in the steel mills and in the oil refineries.

Actually I thought of this video for some days now and I came to the following conclusion. There is a deeper sense in the rule "Always use the right tool for right task." And that is "Always be sure what your skills are and what your tool is capable of." Otherwise you will start a task like popping out gaskets with your knife and end up in stabbing yourself by grabbing the knife and/or the piece in a wrong way. Or you break the knife and then cut yourself because your tool is damaged. And this would be absolutely valid for me. I'm sitting in an office chair all day long and rather go for a different tool when I'm not sure if I can solve a task with what I have in my pocket. If you know what you are able to do with your hands and you know your tool then go for it and beat the heck out of it. By the way, this is valid for all kinds of tools, especially when you start working with powertools.

I’m not bringing anything less than a large fixed blade when I go into the woods. Esse6 all the way

Best hard use? Buck 110 or 112, the classic ones, especially with S30V

does your 940 have any blade play? like at all? if so, has it affected your use. My 940 has a bit of blade play and im wondering if it will affect usage. love your vids!!

Where are your go to places to get scales btw, I'm looking and can find stuff with wait times but nothing of the shelf,

One of the sexiest things ever is that beat up 940 of yours.

Any experience with TRM for the thin and slicey category?

When i buy a knife with my hard earned money I buy it to be used, not playing dress up. That said it also my job to research what i buy, and treat it appropriately.

Syderco native 5. Yes please.

Different strokes.......but hard use is what I work with......when I want to enjoy cutting I reach for something thinner..... But if I had to grab just one I know which I would grab hahahaha

Educational/Enjoyable...

Interesting video, thanks

The best hard use folder ist the Cold Steel Mini recon!!!!!!! Or the American lawman🤷‍♂️

By in large, white collar doesn’t understand blue collar. Maybe also one not being able to comprehend that other people might actually live a different life than one does.

Internet knife posers make up 90% of all the knife people on the internet. They are annoying as hell. I buy, test, and rotate knives daily as an electrician on construction sites doing a variety of tasks including stripping up to 750 MCM coppper and aluminum cable with a hard thermoplastic jacket. I don't have the time or energy to make videos or huge posts, and neither do my coworkers who also are knife people. We all use tool steel spydercos for the most part. I make a special concession for testing, and knife blade shapes/ergos/actions that are easy to use. The thing we don't do is use knives as "multi-tools" because we carry a variety of tools already. I only cut with my knife. But anything less than tool steel requires excessive sharpening.

did you find a sunscreen that you found works best for being outside all day?

I’d love to see the mini adamas tested for a month

Not a myth i use my spydercos in my construction business, used my native 5 on 3 provincial buildings which it was cutting 2inch foam insulation to cutting thick tie downs i def have hard hard use knives and some dandy ones aswell haha

I carry Busse fixed blades. Folders are not for hard use. IMO

Erica what angle is on the A100.

The Jamaicans need to be carrying spyderco Caribbeans and the Mexicans ought to be carrying cold steel espadas.

Good job girl I'm from farm back round

Hard use is very real. I do shit to my pocket knives that would make most people cringe. I baton, I pry, I cut brutal shit like burlap or super heavy duty zip ties, I gut fish, etc. I don’t care how much the knife costs either. I beat the shit out of my knives whether it be a $20 KA-BAR Dozier or a $600 Spartan Harsey

is harsey folder not one of them?

For extreme use, this is where the Compound edge excels! I just chunked out a huge (quarter size) section out of a sv20 blade. GRRRRR!! The Compound edge (grind) would have prevented the damage. KnifeMaker

Sebenza means “work” in Spanish. Those things are absolutely tanks

This is definitely for metal complex lol.

I agree 100%

Are you going to blade show?

Yes i know about seasonal workers being from Ontario Canada

Only people who have never used a knife as a pry bar, are ones who don't know what hard work is.

Isn't the best slicey knife a utility blade? Why spend hundreds on a Benchmade just to wreck it with hard use? Wouldn't a cheaper Gerber be a better choice? 🤷‍♂️

Who is claiming hard use is a myth?

What about a buck

I wonder what the jamaicans are using.

Algorithm comment

None of the knives on here are anything particularly hard use. None of the jobs you are talking about are even really hard use. When I think hard use, I look at something like a Cold Steel SR1 or Gerber Strongarm. These are all edc knives that do nothing more than a Buck 110 has been doing for over 60 years. Most of the blue collar folks I’ve worked with had one knife and probably wouldn’t go over $100 at today’s prices and will not buy another knife until they wear it out. These are designer knives and are cool, but are mostly for soft hands. I also have snicker when you say that an 8 hour day in the sun is hard :-) You kids have no idea! I do like your channel, share your love for most of the same knives, but you didn’t make the sale that these are particularly blue collar knives.

Holy crap, i follow you on instagram under the same name, how in the hell wasn't i subbed to your channel.. the FFFF... 😅 'sup yo !! ✌🤟