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PaperclipPerfector  5d ago (text post)   3306 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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What do you carry in your pockets every day?

For me, it used to just be my keys, wallet, and phone. When I started to consider concealed carry, I realized that I had a pocket knife and pepper spray that I never carried around even though it's really not much more cargo than what I already had, and I just need to build the habit. I don't have the pepper spray oriented in a way that makes it very easy to get out and use, but the pocket knife has already been quite useful; at work, cutting off zip ties or opening packages is useful. At July 4th, other people handling the fireworks were asking to borrow my knife quite a lot. The knife you bring with you is a lot handier than the knife you leave at home! Even a dull one.

I also bought an OLight Mini 2 for my keychain. Pretty nice, though I think it's only really come in handy once or twice so far. It seems to be marginally brighter than my phone light, and a lot quicker to bring to bear. It was cheap.

Things I have considered:

  • A telescoping baton. Like the pepper spray, I was considering it for dog defense, mostly, but apparently it's legally questionable to carry one and actually ever use it in a self-defense scenario. I wonder if one would be useful for anything else.
  • A lighter. I don't smoke. When lighting off fireworks for the 4th, I was using someone else's long lighter for lighting grills, and it was very unreliable, bad for what we were trying to do which was synchronize 4 different mortar tubes of fireworks at once. I thought that if I had my own lighter, I could have just used my own and not been as frustrated.
  • A multitool. These are commonly carried, but I don't know if I would use most of the functions or not. Many people swear by them, though.

Does anyone carry a fixed-blade knife instead of a folding one as an EDC?

I think I've seen some people online (not on this site, pocket knives don't come up much) say that fixed blades are better. It kind of reminds me of the old 2DS vs 3DS arguments I've seen. With the old 2DS, you eliminate one of the major structural weaknesses, the hinge. On the other hand, the display itself is exposed, so it could wear out more easily over time. I imagine the same could be said of pocket knives. But to me, it seems a bit impractical; you'd almost certainly need a holster/pouch on your belt for a fixed blade knife, right? Otherwise, you could put your hand in your pocket and cut yourself, or the blade could be dulled by just cutting your pocket up every day. I think the argument for fixed blade knives is best in the case of outdoor, camping, wilderness survival contexts. At least, I think that's the context in which I saw people advocate for them.

you'd almost certainly need a holster/pouch on your belt for a fixed blade knife, right?

Yes. No use, as you said, putting an exposed blade in your pocket day after day.

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