Do You Carry Tools????

Last week when planting at the farm, I lost my knife... I have
been carrying at least a pocket knife since I was a boy,
believe it or not, had to leave it in the Detroit MI airport, hide in
the lobby seats after 9-11.. Until my return flight,,Yes you
could bring a small knife on a plane before that. Anyway just
wondering if I'm a complete Redneck .?? or does anybody
else carry like I do?? I have any office job now,, so I put my
(holster) on when I get home and head out farming. Many
times I'm reaching for my knife when I don't have it on.

I carry a:: Leatherman (kick) buddied with a foldover belt clip
knife.

I have carried a knife in me pocket since childhood.
I feel naked if I don't have some kind of knife in my pocket at all times.

I carry the Spinden's Farm Tool.Hand made to order in Delta Colorado.

Love that, my uncle carried a farmers pliers like that with a 1/2 open end and and a 9/16. Homemade

I've carried a pocket knife as long as I can remember. I'm 62 now and I carry a small one in my dress clothes and an Old Timer for everyday. I got to thinking awhile back, I wonder how many of the boys in my grade school carried a pocket knife. We were in a small farming community. Sure couldn't do that now.
Gary

I have carried a pocket knife since I was about ten years old. I bought a cheap one at a dime store for about fifty cents, Dad showed me how to keep it sharp and the rest is history. I have always carried a small tool box with basic tools in my car or truck since I bought my first car. Of course, back then, you needed a good tool set and the know how to work on them because you never knew when something would break.

I carry a three blade Old Timer, that my Grandparents gave me when I was 10 or so, with me when I'm dressed up to go out. When I am working, which is pretty much all the time, I carry a Buck 112, a Leatherman, and one of those folding razor knives. On top of that are three key rings (((one main set, and two which are nearly identical...never been locked out of my truck---LOL))), one of which has a small screwdriver and a P38 can opener on it.

I also carry a Steyr M40, or Colt Government .380 everywhere it's possible to do so. To me they are nothing more than tools that I hope to never have to use.

I have carried a pocket knife since childhood, but I leave it home when I fly somewhere.

brady.........I've carried a pocket knife since I was 9-yr old in 3rd grade (1947) when I hadda sharpen a knife fer Cub Scouts merit badge. It was a 4-bladed ex-Marine stainless knife with can-opener, bottle-opener, cork-screw, and a summaBitc# to sharpen main blade. I always wondered how the Marines sharpened theirs. I carried a 3-bladed Boy Scouts whittler knife that confiscated by the Drill Sargent in basic training. (frown) It was eazy to sharpen. Couple of weeks ago, I hadda check into the hospital and they wanted my billfold with credit cards, my paper money clip, my coin purse and I tossed in fer good measure my pocket knife. The rent-a-cop got all excited. Heck, I didn't know I was goin' to be put in the horsepittal. (frown) Bottom line, I need the knife to balance my pants so I don't walk lop-sided. A friend of mine, goes down to Olympia and rummages thru the confiscated knifes from SeaTac Airport. Picked out a few good ones. .........HTH, Dell

I started carrying a pocket knife in fourth grade and it was a Swiss Army knife. Since than I have had 2 Buck three bladed cattlemen knives.I also carry a steel tape, keys, Sigma 380 and a phone.

Ditto

I always have a pocket knife and small tape measure in my pocket,also have various tools in every vehicle and most tractors.Guess I'm noted for having the tape measure at auctions guys I know are always asking to borrow the tape.

I carried a pocket knife or a Leatherman knock-off for several years but I found that I was consistently wearing holes in my pockets and in the denim over them so I stopped about 5 years ago. I keep tools in the tool boxes on the tractors and of course there are plenty in the buildings if I need them so it seems to work pretty well for me and now my pockets stay happy.
Zach

I always carry my Schrade 80T everywhere. Each tractor has its own tools with the right tools for it.

I have a knife in my pocket right now. I don't fly on planes anymore.

Always have a jackknife and a 4" adjustable wrench. That wrench seems small but it has gotten me out of a lot of troubles.

I was eight years old at the time. Every year the scrap iron man would bring a flat bed truck with watermelons on it and parked it on the court house lawn. Then everyone that come by he would slice off a piece of watermelon for them. Its kind of hard for a kid to eat it without getting it from ear to ear. I seen guys there with pocketknives cut off a piece and stab it with there knife and eat it. How neat. After that I always carried a knife.

Yes, in the past, always had a decent pocket knife in the left front pocket, not so keen on something larger on the belt, but would definitely use it and carry it on the belt at certain times, remainder of the time in the tool box pliers drawer, there is a knock off one in there right now, something I found somewhere.

That was an awakening, realizing what was done during that tragic and cowardly attack, that you are no longer trusted to have something like that in your pocket, as prior to and following this event, I flew quite a bit for work and always had a pocket knife on me, felt naked without one. Ironically, and within 6 months of this attack,(I kept them as proof which makes me a petty thief I know, something I hate and is hypocrisy on my part). Seeing I was on W3rd and LaGuardia place when this event unfolded, and it was the first flight I had taken since that event, the anxiety level was beyond belief until we were in the air, when I finally relaxed a little. All I could think of was being shredded like the people were that day, because Continental Airlines issued stainless steel silver wear, fork and soup spoon for the in flight meal. Fork as handed out, though not sharp, is about as dangerous of a weapon, more so if some underhanded evil person brought some sort of a stone and sharpened these. I did not understand the logic, could not believe after what happened, with all the heightened security and department of corrections type philosophy employed, that every passenger on a flight to California was given stainless steel forks and spoons. They reside in my kitchen drawer and are used daily. I did not want to fly again, ever actually, but had to for work, alone and can remember how awful I felt while on that runway and tarmac. It was just as these terrorists wanted to make you feel, man.... I had to get over it, had no choice, but I felt as if I was being buried alive, unbeknownst to the other passengers, I mean one has to also stay in control, never experienced such anxiety before or after, just closed my eyes and went to a happier place, and it worked for me. I never had a reservation about flying until after what happened, more so because it was in plain view of the jobsite I was on. I had the worst nightmares about planes crashing for years after, like nothing I have ever experienced before. I figured out it or strongly believe it was the planes flying over my house late at night headed to the nearby airport, they put the landing gear down when they go by here, as I would look at the planes through the binoculars from my deer stand. I'll bet that went on a good 6 years for me, it abruptly stopped when it all made sense. Somehow I broke the chain that was playing in a loop in the background I suppose. There were a lot of tiring days having to work with sleep deprivation because of this. Some of the things in life are not easy for everyone, this was not for me, but on a much more positive note, I did get over the fear of flying and was not tormented in my sleep anymore, we are resilient but it can take a lot of time for that characteristic to help. Your post reminded me of this experience.

I always thought of a pocket knife as a handy tool, not a weapon, it was hard to accept that there are people out there that hate Americans and will use any opportunity they can to cause us harm or worse, even with a box cutter.

One late evening, after all of this, I decided I'd like a couple of slices of pizza from a long time place in the nearby city, which at that time of year is loaded with college students. While in the place, a young lady, a damsel in distress over a wrist band from a local college patronized establishment, says "Can you get this off of me?" I had to think about this for a second or two, uhh, hmmm, how did I get involved in this? Well sure, so I take out the stout little Buck 505 and said "do you trust me"? she said yes, so I carefully grabbed her forearm, and made a gap between her skin and the wrist band, it was that really strong paper/Tyvec kind of material and cut her free LOL !!! Thinking to myself, that was really odd, but it was while we were in line, just did someone a favor is all. Older man with a pocket knife saves young lady from.... well umm... a paper wrist band LOL !! I thought that was the most unique use of a pocket knife, "gee its a tool to mingle with the young ladies !" LOL

I have always carried a pocket knife. Now it is a small (2" blade) 2 bladed one that carries comfortable in my pocket. Also the standard 6" slip joint pliers in the side pocket on my bibs.

My work set. I carry the same things only nicer on my regular clothes.

Pocket knife, pliers, tape measure, cell phone. If i go to the doctor's office i make sure my puckets are empty before they weigh me.

Started carrying a pocket knife again about 2 years ago. Don't know how I ever got by without it.
On the farm, I have a small Rossi 22 in a holster in my pocket to scare off coyotes, stray dogs, and you never know anymore about some drug crazed thieves stealing to support their habit.
Have a bag with tools, trouble light, test light, electrical tape, wire, trailer bulbs and even an 8 inch pipe wrench in in it. It is usually in my truck but I will throw it in my 17 Model T when I drive it.
Keep a few things in tractor tool boxes and a 10 inch crescent wrench hanging from my cultivators on my JD H.
And my eye crutches are always in my shirt pocket to be able to find and use the tools.
Richard in NW SC

At work I carry my cell phone, keys on a gate clip and a pocket knife. About 3 days a year I forget the pocket knife, therefore I keep a spare in my desk for such emergencies. Also, in my shirt pocket I have a flashlight, pen and marker. At the farm I carry the phone knife and leatherman.

We toured Graceland a few years ago, I noticed a sign that said "no knives or guns allowed inside" so I pulled the clip off of my pocket edge and dropped it in my pocket so it wasn't visible. I don't carry it for protection, I carry it because its a tool I use on a regular basis.

I carry a Gerber multi tool, similar to a leatherman. I too am lost without it, I even caught myself reaching for it at church! Gerber warranties their tools if broken but the need to be sent in for the repairs. I sent mine in one time and after the second day of not having it I went and bought another one for a spare!

My grandpa (in his 80's) to this day still carries a pliers and a small vise grip in the right side pocket of his jeans, he's worn those carpenter style pants as far back as I can remember and that's where he's always carried them.

I have been carring A pocket knife all my life as lots of you do too. I would feel lost with out it. It is good to have at all times when needed.

Hammer Man

I have a ripoffs holster that I carry a gerber pliers and a AA stream light, I carry it everyday, everywhere except the airport. So much I've worn the anodizing almost completely off the flashlight.

always carried a knife but got tired of losing (had couple confiscated at airports after 9/11) expensive ones. now carry a folding razor knife from Lowes. Blade can be pulled out and thrown away (after waiting over an hour to board the boat out to the Statue of Liberty, saw all the signs & was able to just pull blade out and drop it).

bib overhalls allow enuf pokets to carry a hardware store , no wonder a felers wore out before the day is up .. I prefer razor knife in the rite leg poket and pliars ,,,

Have always carried a pocket knife. Years ago I started to carry a leatherman knock off but they didn't stand up. Got a real Leather man for Xmas one year and it has always been on my belt. I use it several times every day. have broken two of them, sent them back for replacement. When I fly, it goes in my luggage. I don't leave home without it.

Well, it looks like I know what I am welding on the first rainy day.

Carry a small 3 blade pocket knife and a set of fingernail clippers.
Stopped after work (11PM) to visit my mother in hospital and wasn't allowed past metal detector with either.

sure in the pickups-tractors-vans. If I owned a car there would be some in the trunk.

I've carried a cheap green pocket knife for 40 years. Have bought several more expensive ones but somehow always soon lost them. I've lost my old standby several times but it has always shown up. I also always carry a lineman's plier and am widely known to--always have guys ask me in various situations, "got your pliers?"

Started carrying a knife when I was 9 years old. Hardly gone a day in my life without one in my pocket since. When I was farming, I always carried a 9/16-1/2 inch pocket wrench, a 7/16 wrench, and a small cresent wrench in my pocket. You could see me coming a mile away from the holes wore through my jeans where the pockets were.

Here's some irony: When I flew for a living I always carried a cheap knockoff "leatherman". After 9-11 they told us no more tools, period. A couple years and they say small tools are ok but no knife blades.

Meanwhile, there is good sized crash axe in the cockpit and the airplane can not legally leave the gate without it being on board. It has a so-so edge on one side and a sharp pick on the other. You chop through the plane/bust doors if need be. So up front I'm not allowed to carry so much as a pen knife yet I have what amounts to a battle axe that I can deploy in seconds. Government logic.

Yes I do......But never the right one !!!!!!!

John

That's the thing or point in me sharing that experience, and of course all the what if's with say a pilot like yourself or the federal agent on board or this or that, which leads to the when does it end sort of thing. I think I forgot, they do have one of those on board, for that reason. I guess ones faith about the good nature of the majority of people come to play, if you let it go further, in the other direction, the terrorists own you in a way, and its exactly what they want as I see it.


The purpose of some of these flights was to go to testing labs as needed, and we would bring key personnel, like our foreman, who would eventually build the real thing, after testing was completed. We would ship a gangbox via common freight carrier, but like all of us here and similar to the topic, each has their own tools or preferences of same. I thought I recalled their small tool bags being checked in as carry on, having the same thoughts, I just can't remember if it was post 9-11 or not, time fades memories, so it had to be checked and put into the belly compartment, for some silly reason I was sure I've seen it as carry on. Each foreman did bring hand tools in a tool bag, that was certain, as to them, they are of high value and must not have trusted the steel gangbox and common freight. It was excellent experience and it sure improved or helped meet the quality and specifications that were required of what we built.

My dad used to fly, earned his license in 2 stints of instruction, one sometime in the 60's, then finished it in the early 80's but I am not sure if he got the IFR rating, he owned a Cessna 172 for 5 years. He aspired to be an air force pilot, but they found out about a fractured skull injury cause by a drunk driver that smashed into him while he was driving sometime after high school in the mid 50's. That was unfortunate, but he still served later on. He was drafted by the Army and ended up in the 7th SFG ABN Civilian Affairs Detachment. I think he really enjoyed flying and with what happened with the Air Force, he still wanted to achieve the objective on his own, which he did. We have somewhere, a photo of the plane at the airport, myself looking on and in the divided frame was the piece of the back of his shirt they cut out and had marked information about his solo flight.

I have carried a Leatherman Super Tool for over 20 years. It was great for shear bolts on the baler.

One thing that stands out is these new LED flashlights, I got one off ebay, from china of course, but the darned thing puts every flashlight I have ever owned, (lots of mag lights) to shame, its just incredible the illumination and the uses it has, especially when working on the innards of a tractor or dark compartment, fuel tank or similar, it is equally as valuable as a knife or multi-tool. Its a MXDL SA-T68 The o-ring seals used in it are typical of poor quality, but the flash light is just unreal, and its got flat spots machined on it for mounting to a firearm. A person with a dark, rural farmstead or having to work in conditions like that will highly appreciate one of these, its amazing that these have not taken over the market, beyond belief given how bright this hand held thing is, its right up there with the bulky million candle watt lights you can get.
MDXL SA T68

All times I am dressed I carry a very sharp 50 yr old 3 blade folding knife. When working on things, I carry a small pouch with folding hex key, Phillips driver, Leatherman, point file, and 6 inch adjustable. Jim

I carry 4 pocket knifes on me and my key ring has a crescent wrench on it made by Proto and has saved me more then once. I also have spark plug gap gauge on that same key ring

I carry a "AA Stream light" on my belt, feel lost with out it,,my friend would tease me about being afraid in the dark,, I told him I'm not...just can't "see" in the dark...

DR is your screwdriver blade reversible?

You also carry a hammer?

Rich, I've got a small key ring size Proto crescent/adjustable as well, and I don't even know where the heck it came from. It resides in the smallest drawer, top center of my top chest tool box. It is literally one of the most useful or handy tools I can think of in the entire box, it ranks in the top 5 for me LOL ! Even funnier, I used to work with a masonry foreman on high rise buildings in Manhattan, his last name was "Proto", think of him every time I use that small wrench LOL !

I carry a leatherman skeletool. It's lightweight and has everything I need. I use to carry a knife but needed some pliers too so I switched.

I've always carried at least a pocket knife. I'd rather leave the house without pants as my knife. I usually also carry a leatherman and have carried a 6" crescent and a pair of slip joint pliers.

I always carry five pocket wrenches, a small crescent wrench, a pocket knife and a tape measure. I also have a small clip-on screwdriver in my shirt pocket. And, because I am a farmer, I have a pliers holster and a pair of pliers. (It's part of the uniform and no self-respecting farmer would go anywhere without them.) Mike

I carry this crescent wrench on me any time I have pants on and call it my magic wrench. Have had many times that I go to someones place to fix there tractor and I wave my magic wrench at it and the thing starts right up but the owner has been messing with it and it will not start for him. My key ring also has a bullet on it just in case LOL

Thats the best, and it makes you one of kind. The one in my tool box is priceless, and is often times for whatever reason, handy or small enough to get in somewhere. Next best one I had was a double ended adjustable, that I found as a kid in the shoulder of the lane here, in a clear puddle of water, it was starting to rust. None of the neighbors said it was theirs so I kept it, and cleaned it up. When I was about 19, I had a C30 single wheel chevy truck with a 454 and 4 spd. I stopped somewhere briefly, forgot my tool box was in the back, near the headboard and covered up with some other junk, someone stole the tool box with that one in it.

Back when I was in the Navy we where given one of those wrenches for some odd reason and I had it up till 1995 when I let a guy borrow it and he laid it down on the trailer hitch along with all my keys. Lived with out that little wrench up till around 10-12 years ago when a friend who owns a pawn shop had one laying on his shelve and I asked him about it. He told me to take it no cost and have had it ever since and almost NO one gets to use it but me

I hear you on that, I think I've seen them on ebay and some time back here, years probably, someone brought up the subject, I should go find one to add to the tool box, some of the simplest tools have the most value !

Had a friend in the navy that would carry a pair of small vise grips on him all the time. He would clip them to his pants some place sort of out of sight. He seemed to never be with out them

I have been carrying since about the age of 10. A plier pouch with a pair of cee-tee style pliers with a #2 flat blade screwdriver tucked along side the pliers.

Don't understand how people get along without carrying. Fastest screwdriver west of the Pecos. I have, over the years, been told several times I could bring them into where I was going. Alway told those silly security people my tools aren't on their banned list.

Just last week the mind numb security guard at the VA clinic told be I couldn't have my "knife" inside. I asked him, "what knife, you see a knife?". He went back over and set in his chair and sucked his thumb.

Having to put up with that at a VA facility just irritates me.

Right after 9/11 they were the most crazy; taking away nail clippers and such from the flight crews even. Once I saw them take an entire inventory of "beauty tools" from a flight attendant, anything made of metal. No consistency, some stations were real bad and some reasonable.

Rather than take everything away, my inclination would have been to issue a K-bar to everyone as they boarded. You may further arm half a dozen bad guys but you also just armed over 100 (more or less) other folks. My money would be on the rest of the passengers. Sure, not really a practical idea but more of a way of thinking. Empower regular folks to do for themselves and they will rise to the occasion. Obviously that goes against the grain of those who would rather have the gov telling you what clothes to put on in the morning and what kind of car you can drive, etc.

Our mechanics would put the tool boxes in the back whenever they were riding to a broke airplane. Usually the boxes were a little big to bring inside anyway. I'm not 100% sure how much of the tools they had to own. There were a lot of highly specialized tools that the company owned that they would "check out" for a road trip. The biggest problem with checking stuff is it getting lost or misdirected, especially if you have connecting flights. There's a lot of variable and a lot of opportunity for things to go wrong.

Ah, the old "solo shirt". I remember that day. Our school used 152's for primary instruction and my instructor was a big guy. Funny how a 1200 lb airplane responds when you subtract 200 lbs!

I was amazed at the quantity of new contraband seized, I remember seeing allotments being bid on and turned around for a handsome profit. It was crazy in NYC in the following months, also seemed like there were a lot more jerks to deal with post 9-11, can't prove that, but every job I was on, there was always one and it just seemed different than the past, people on edge and angry all the time over nothing, boy did I have to put up with a lot of flak at times, dished it back out too when needed LOL !!!!

I'd be inclined to subscribe to the equalization theory, wouldn't that just set the tone? They sure did rise to the occasion over PA that day, how could you not? Just hard to imagine having to confront something so evil in confined space, thousands of feet up, all of them are cowards in my book.

Our foreman must have known to use care with shipping tools, I just remember never thinking about carry on or checked luggage that consisted of tools, but I guess all kinds of things are taken aboard, freight, hunters and their gear/firearms etc. Cargo holds must have an array of items each flight.

I remember the day he solo'ed, we celebrated the occasion, really is quite an accomplishment. I've wondered if it was something I could do, as I did have a lot of interest in aircraft and aviation as a kid, never missed the blue angels when they came to the base in this area. It was a great place to see all of this up close and one of my fathers long time friends, who was a Bell UH-1 pilot in Vietnam, would be their with one of those on display, he was with the ARNG if I recall. I remember seeing riveted patches on one, was wondering if they were bullet holes! This man still flies and I believe is still working as an operating engineer, he was a long time crane operator.