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PaperclipPerfector  5d ago (text post)   3333 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026

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I imagine a fixed-blade knife for rural communities would be something like a Bowie. For urban or suburban, something smaller.

I live on a farm and carry a fixed blade when I'm around the property but it goes back in a tool box when I'm done. Most of my fixed blade knives are marketed as utility or work knives and have plastic somewhat ergomic grips and often chissel ends instead of points though lately I've been using one of the Japanese Hori form knives that double as a passable trowel and have other useful geometries on them. Most of the time its one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092MX1M91

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DN11ZTT3 <- more this one lately

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6WJJWMB - this general price point, about $15, is the sweet spot for a work/utility knife imo. Something you don't intend to be harder on than needed, but thats just the life this knife is going to lead. Walmart occasionally gets decent low end ones in stock too.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N44CY0L - I got introduced to these knives through the scuba knife line. Scuba/diver knives are generally batter value for money. Than a lot of the tool-knives in the same range. This company has a decent system of interchangable blades. Once I had the diving knife with the handle geometry I like then you can get new blades for about 65% the cost of an entire knife.)

My everyday carry off the farm is the same keys, wallet, phone with a tiny multitool keychain that seems popular. My only unusual addition is a 4" brass pocket slide ruler for quick dimensional measurements of items in standard sized, like bolt heads and tube ODs etc.

You can often get higher quality carbon steel knives, that you have to maintain yourself to prevent rust, at lower prices than the various stainless variety. Knowing how to sharpen them correctly is also needed to really get value from carbon steel.

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