Bridges Loc: Memphis, Charleston SC, now Nazareth PA

I keep the Swiss Army knife with two blades and two flat-bladed screw drivers with me at all times. I feel as naked without it as when I forget to put my watch on. And yes, they are sharp enough to shave with when new. After the blade dulls some it is hard to get it back to that original sharpness but I use a Smith sharpening tool and it gets me very close.

tinwhistle

#1-yes
#2-yes
#3-my grandfather's whetstone

jonfrei

The Smith's sharpeners are awesome little pocket tools -- I keep one in the kitchen, one in the truck, one in the toolbox, one in the jump kit -- probably several more here and there. The carbide is awesome for quickly bringing a dull edge up to useable sharpness. I also use various Lansky & Spyderco jigs, "classic" stones, and a canvass/leather strop as well.

genejn Loc: Arvada, CO

[quote=GENorkus]Once came by the tail end of a photo shoot and noticed they had tied up a bed sheet from a couple trees. (I still don't know if that was for an outdoor backdrop, shading, or to reflect light a bit.) Anyway I guess all turned out well until they started to disassemble things. They couldn't untie the rope to the sheet/tree.

No one had anything to cut with so I handed them my Swiss Army Knife. One guy yelled out those things are not sharp at all and it wouldn't work on nylon rope. I just smiled and told them to try it. Like cutting warm butter, my knife went through the rope. The guy's jaw dropped!

That leads me to wonder:

1 How many carry a knife with them? (short of an airport, etc.)
2 How many keep it sharp?
3 For those who do, what do you sharpen with?

I carry both a small Spyderco and a Cold Steel.
I have tried various types of sharpeners over the years with unsatisfactory results. I took a wood working course several years ago and learned how to (really) sharpen chisels and plane blades with a jig. So for knives, I took the plunge and bought a KME sharpening system. It is a system to hold the blade at a constant angle that can be appropriately set. If you are serious you can go all the way to a strop with 0.1 CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) i.e. 160,000 grit. I use it for both pocket and kitchen knives several times a year whenever I feel "dull".

jonfrei

The KME looks very similar to the Lansky system -- I'll have to look at it more closely when I have more than just my phone available.

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

I always have a 'kit' in my camera bag with various things, including a knife!!