There's something familiar about this debate. Can't put my finger on it...

Deja Vu!

LOL just use your scissors and pray that nothing fatal happens to your shelter or sleeping bag. (cause that never happens to any one.)

cutting mole skin, Second-Skin, bandaids, gauze.
opening plastic food packaging.
trimming fabric or thread during field repairs.
trimming finger / toenails.

All that can be handled with teeth or cut ahead of time. So in your narrow veiw of your very specific scenario in your perfect world I would bring neither.

GICH!

"There's something familiar about this debate. Can't put my finger on it..."

Max, when I started backpacking there was no Internet, no backpacking books, and no backpacking magazines. We bought gear, went out and hiked, and figured things our for ourselves. Heck, I backpacked for years and didn't know there was such a thing as a backpacking stove. Our gear source was Army/Navy surplus stores, swap meets, and department stores for the most part. And most of us figured out how to go light on our own and what gear/equipment worked best.

^^^oldest backpacker ever

I found myself in a situation where I had forgotten to install the plastic tips on tent poles I had cut to a custom length. I carved new wooden tips from the inner wood of a pine branch. First attempt with the Swiss classic failed , very flimsy. I also carried a small folder (BUCK .65 oz), worked very well. Can't always plan for the unexpected.

Just wanted to check that scissors and knives aren't in someway a euphemism in this thread for ending world hunger or finding a cure for AIDS.

Of course I'm a trolling hypocrite who spent half of yesterday taking about the finer aspects of pooping.

Carry on.

James that will NEVER happen to him. he already stated his gear will never fail.

"If you know of a task (NOT woodcraft) that a knife would have performed better than scissors, I want to hear about it. That's what I created this thread for. Thanks!"

Cutting a piece of cheese, a piece of bread. Taking out a splinter. Scissors work better ( a little) for opening wrapped food and maybe cutting off that damn hair that one other guy thinks women should not have ;)
Flaming and kidding aside, it does seem that you already have the answer for yourself. A minimal blade, a minimal set of scissors, whatever works for you does not mean it is better for everyone else.
I am all about tools and efficiency. Daily I carry a small knife, a small ViseGrip and a pen. Yes, I can survive without, but they all come in handy very regularly.

One thing I don't hear a lot about is the fact that as nice as razor blades are, they cannot be resharpened. You throw them out and buy more. If they go dull or break on the trail your sh!t outa luck.
That's where a knife is better IMHO if you take care of it , it will last a lifetime and can be resharpened anywhere with some improv or sandpaper.

"That's where a knife is better IMHO if you take care of it , it will last a lifetime and can be resharpened anywhere with some improv or sandpaper"

True. My Classic SAK is about 30 years old and I have never sharpened the blade. Hopefully I won't die because the blade isn't sharp enough :)

I like to take a file and sharpen my thumb nail before I leave. It's 0 grams so it completely follows the rules of UL backpacking. Then i dont have to bring my luxury knife or scissors.

Josh: I glue epoxy garnet powder to the surface of my other thumbnail so I can touch up the edge on my knife/thumbnail.

If you sharpen your fingernail it's actually negative weight since you're removing some of the weight of your fingernail

Wait, why can't a razor blade be resharpened? I must have missed something.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fixed blade guy all the way, but if it is made of metal, it can be resharpened.

Personally, I don't mind seeing these threads come up more than once. It's good to see what works for other people, and why. Not everyone sees every thread, and there are constantly new people joining the forum. Personally, I've learned a lot on here and have changed my mind/opinion on a lot of things by reading why someone chooses one approach over another.

Just because I don't want to rely on a single exacto blade, doesn't mean I think less of those that do, or think they are wrong. I would assume it works the other way around, but it seems some people get really defensive about there choices? Same with the poop thread, some people kinda get hostel when people do things a different way than them...
What happened to HYOH?

>"One thing I don't hear a lot about is the fact that as nice as razor blades are, they cannot be resharpened."

oh, but they can be resharpened.

Try this on a shaving razor in a handle. It could be a $0.19 Bic or a Sensor 3-bladed model.

When it's gotten noticeably dull through use, hone the blade (stropping, really) on leather. Not full-grain leather, but on the back side or on suede. The back side of a leather belt works really well. Push the razor backwards - at exactly shaving angle, but in the reverse direction (you're honing the blade, not shaving the leather). Use moderate pressure. Repeat about 20 times. It takes about 10 seconds with practice.

Back in my Boy Scout days, I'd always finish any knife sharpening job by stropping the edge until I could shave with it (by wetting arm hairs with spit and checking). Nowadays, I'll do it in a pinch, like when I'm on a business trip and my shaving razor is a bit dull, I can get back close to new.

Edited because Nick and I cross-posted: Yeah, and if the razor blade had a perceptible nick in it, you could use a fine whetstone or the UL version: a patch of fine emery cloth on a flat surface. For coarser work: 2-3 inches of 1-inch wide plumbers sandpaper on a flat surface. Cloth-backed, water-proof, designed to sand metal.

Yes, HYOH, CYOBlade (or not). I'm cool with you carrying a fixed blade, I doubt I ever will. I have some admiration for those who go all the way to a single-edge razor blade. I'm happy in the middle with my SAK Classic.

Edited by DavidinKenai on 03/22/2013 13:31:39 MDT.

"What happened to HYOH?"

Okay, I suck at those acronyms. What's HYOH?

Hike your own hike.

> As far as the OT, I find that I use the knife blade way
> more often than the scissors, even when they will both
> do the job. For me the knife blade is faster and easier.

Yes, but WHAT/WHY are you using it? The whole point of the thread is so that I can understand WHAT people are using their UL knives for (outside of woodcraft), and why they prefer them.

I don't care WHAT your preferences are, what I DO care about, is WHY...

I've sharpened a razor before but it's very hard to get it "razor" sharp again. The metal is paper thin and wears down quickly. And dulls quickly with use.
Most people do not resharpen razor blades it's to easy to just buy a pack of them and dispose of them. Even if you resharpened it I doubt it will last long especially since they are prone to snapping and breaking if you are not very careful. An UL knife will easily outlast it and be far easier to hand sharpen.

Brian: I'm with you on that. I don't resharpen razor blades to save weight or money. But in a pinch, if it has gotten dull, you can touch it up. Not to factory-new, but noticeably better.