It’s no secret that a knife is probably your most versatile tool in pretty much any situation. It’s not going to be the best tool for any job, but a quality knife is going to suit you much better than if you were without it. Oftentimes it will be the best tool for a job and even if it isn’t you can always tackle an obstacle with a pocket knife in your hand and a winning spirit. The perseverance is half of the battle most of the time. They also say that the best knife for cutting open a package and the best knife for cleaning a trout are the same – the knife you have in your pocket.

That’s a bit of tongue in cheek humor from people that are used to pulling out a knife whenever they need a tool, and no, they’re not suggesting that the same knife will equally filet a fish as open a plastic clam pack. What it means is that it’s much better to have a knife in your pocket than without one, especially when the need for one arises. Moreover, it means that the ingenuity of the person behind the blade is going to go far beyond the design of the knife and its inherent qualities.

Even though it’s no secret that a knife is an indispensable tool, there’s been a pretty pronounced trend in the industry and among people that carry knives for work or play called EDC. It means everyday carry and it refers to the practice of carrying a knife with you much of the time so that you’re never without one whenever you need to open a package or some other unforeseen task. While it was always universal practice for a hunter to carry a knife on his hip or a tradesman to keep a knife in the shop, the concept of EDC is to designate a specific knife to carry on you every day in addition or supplement to any other knives you use for specific purposes. In essence, an EDC knife is a universal knife that isn’t specialized to one purpose but rather is intended to be your go-to whenever there’s no other knife on hand.

The beauty of an EDC knife is it doesn’t need to be specialized because you’re basically going to carry it on hand to help you break down obstacles you generally wouldn’t have foreseen. That leaves you with an immense measure of freedom in the type of knife you want to carry, both in how you want it to look, how you want it to feel in the hand, and what you want it to be best suited to handling.

You will want to give a little consideration from what you expect from an EDC knife since you’ll more or less have it on you all the time. Consider your environment. Will your EDC knife be more likely to come up against envelopes, boxes or office materials on a daily basis? Is it more likely to need to be able to whittle wood and perform the basic functions of camp craft and bushcraft as a supplement to another knife you carry with you on the trail? Maybe even you live in a farm or rural area and you’ll need an EDC knife for your front pocket to help you with agricultural chores. These are some of the questions that you’ll want to ask yourself when you’re looking for a dedicated EDC knife to make you more prepared to tackle life’s various challenges.

Further considering the environment you most frequently inhabit, you’ll want to consider the construction of the knife in terms of the steel used in its blade, the type of locking mechanism, the style and function of the scales as well as the blade profile. All of these things come together either to make the perfect EDC knife for its handler or to leave something lacking. Don’t leave anything lacking - do your homework and figure out what you’ll need in your EDC knife.

First, consider blade steels. Generally, you’ll have to choose from several different types of steel types. Higher carbon steels offer steel higher strength and the ability to be heat-treated to higher levels of hardness that give the knife better edge retention. They tend, however, not to resist corrosion and rust as well as stainless steel. There are also various types of stainless steel, typically containing chrome, molybdenum, vanadium and other metals to engender strength and corrosion resistance. Some eschew stainless steels, saying that though they offer corrosion resistance they can’t be tempered to the strength and hardness of higher carbon steels. While that is true it’s still possible to find great knives for EDC that are corrosion resistant.

While you’re considered steel types and finishes, consider what you want your scales to be made from. Knives were traditionally scaled with wood or had handles of stacked leather rings. They are handsome and strong but absorb liquids and are prone to deterioration through exposure to the elements. You can still find EDC knives with these components but today you’ll also find EDC pocket knives with nearly indestructible alloys and composites like stainless steel, titanium, carbon fiber, micarta, G10, and others. Each of them offers benefits in terms of resistance to wear, structural integrity and the ability to retain tactility even with changes in temperature or when wet.

Finally, consider the profile of the blade. Will you need a lot of belly for working with game, or a very fine point to gut or filet fish? If you need a really strong point for penetration, say with packaging or raw materials in a shop, then a tanto point or a straight back might suit you best for a folding EDC knife. If you expect to be using your EDC knife most frequently for general utility and any random roadblocks that come up, you might want a thicker blade to stand up to the harder use you’ll put it to.

Choose A Kershaw
You might have been wondering what knife maker to pursue an EDC that could fit any or all of these characteristics, and there are many out there. One maker that will offer you all these attributes in their knives for EDC and more is Kershaw. A Kershaw pocket knife will bring you great versatility and choices in blade profile, components, and other features, all while bringing you the extremely reputable quality that Kershaw is known for throughout the knife community.

Using quality steels, sturdy and reliable locking mechanisms and designs, and well-designed features, the quality of a Kershaw pocket knife is of a caliber that will unflinchingly go with you day in and day out while serving you faithfully. They are strong, reliable, offer amazing edge retention and they will stand up remarkably well to the forces of the environment. Kershaw knives have been a favorite go-to knife among hunters, hikers, outdoorsmen and those who rely on their blades for work and for tactical capabilities for almost half a century. Their knives are warrantied for life against defects in workmanship, and Kershaw knives can and do last for a lifetime when properly cared for.

Kershaw is famous not only for the fit and finish of their knives that give them unprecedented strength and durability but for the innovative features they are constantly adding to their knives. For example, Kershaw has implemented composite blade technology into some of their knives, utilizing different steels for the spine and the edge of the blade to maximize the strength and edge retention without having to make a trade-off for either. These are only a few of the features that keep people coming back for Kershaw pocket knives and make lifelong customers out of them. Regardless, when you make a Kershaw pocket knife your designated blade for everyday carry, you’ll be able to find the features that suit you best and allow you to get the most out of your knife.

Some Picks for EDC
So ask yourself, what style of blade do you want to keep on yourself for EDC? Are you looking for a compact little knife with plenty of grip and a simple style that would be very difficult to break? Maybe even one that offers a little additional utility on top of its blade. Consider the Kershaw Payload Knife with a black GFN Handle and an 8Cr13MoV blade for extraordinary strength, corrosion resistance, and edge retention. Its glass-filled nylon handle is nearly indestructible and also incredibly strong and nonabsorbent. This little blade is compact and broad for extra leverage and even features a spring-loaded bit driver in the back and comes with 5 standard bits that store in the handle. It’s the type of knife you’d keep in your pocket for work around the shop.

If you’re looking for a Kershaw pocket knife that carries comfortably and offers a fair amount of versatility in the field you might want to go with an option like the Kershaw Atmos Knife with a black G10 carbon fiber handle. With the same steel and benefits as the former, this is a light little knife that offers a straight edge and a fine point for a good amount of versatility as an EDC knife that you could bring comfortably into the woods or on the water with you.

Something you might be looking for in a Kershaw knife is a blade that offers assisted opening capability. An assisted opening knife will be quicker and easier to draw and can be opened easily and quickly with one hand for ready access no matter what the EDC situation is. A knife like Kershaw’s Al Mar AM-1 G10 Handle Pocket Knife offers an assisted opening feature for such scenarios. It offers a straight edge, a very fine point for penetration or any work requiring a fine degree of detail, and also offers a guard to protect your fingers from slipping up onto the blade when working with the knife. It also features jimping on the spine to give you a secure grip while working with the knife, in addition to the extra tactility you’ll be getting from the G10 handle.

Another excellent little knife that offers a load of features for EDC utility is the Kershaw Antic Framelock Knife with a blue stainless handle. In addition to its little robust blade, it gives the user the utility of a bottle opener, screwdriver and pry tip. Constructed entirely of corrosion-resistant materials, this is one tough little knife that is built to last. Another larger knife that also packs a load of features into one frame is the Kershaw Barricade Emergency Rescue Pocket Knife with a seatbelt cutter. This knife offers Kershaw’s SpeedSafe® assisted opening technology for quick and effortless deployment. It also incorporates a carbide glass breaker and a seatbelt cutter into the handle to max out the utility of the knife. A black oxide coated 8Cr13MoV blade and glass-filled nylon handle round out the durability of this knife.

Find Them All Right Here At White Mountain Knives
As impressive as these options are, they are only a very few of the many excellent options we offer in Kershaw pocket knives for EDC. We offer many more options for EDC from Kershaw as well as Kershaw knives you can take with you into the fields and out on the water with confidence. Take a look at our Kershaw page here on White Mountain Knives to find the Kershaw pocket knife that is perfect for you. If you don’t see the model you’re looking for, reach out to us at WhiteMountainKnives@gmail.com to see if we can locate it for you. We have one of the most expansive stocks in the market for knives and our vendor contacts give us unrivaled access to even more options than we have listed on our pages. Best of all, you won’t just find the Kershaw knife you want for EDC, but you’ll always get free shipping from orders here at WhiteMountainKnives.com. Take a look at what we have here to find the right Kershaw pocket knife for EDC today.

Sources:

N/A. “About Kershaw Knives.” Kershaw. Retrieved December 13th, 2019 from https://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/about