EDC knife

Stanley 10-049

I carried the Stanley 10-049 for a while, since it's recommended by both Paul Sellers and David West, both of whom are extremely experienced people in each of their fields.

However, I have a strong preference for the US model (Stanley 10-049) produced in ~1990-2020 (the one that's powder-coated and has the Stanley logo as part of the cast mold). I find the UK version (Stanley 10-598) to have an action that makes it almost impossible to one-hand-open. Also, the 10-049 from earlier decades (the chrome one)is available all over Ebay, but its action is even worse than the 10-598.

Olfa CK-1 and CK-2

Pros: Very compact, and mechanically very solid and simple. Olfa is a great brand. Cons: These aren't one-hand-open.

The CK-1 and CK-2 compared:

• The CK-2's blade is slightly thicker than the CK-1's — 1.2 mm versus 1.0 mm.
• The CK-2's body is slightly larger than the CK-1's — they are ~11.5 cm long versus ~10.7 mm.