Tried & true companions

When I was a kid back in 1975 I had a Swiss Army pocket knife with about 6 or 7 tools on it. It was given to me by a relative who had a collection of pocket knives of all sizes. I carried that knife with me every day, for many years. Years later (1998) the knife and I parted ways after the shell broke off and it became too uncomfortable to carry and hold. A co-worker gifted me one of his un-used Swiss Army knifes which had 10 or 12 tools and was twice the size of my old knife. I carried it for about a year before I put it on the shelf never to be carried again….it was just too big.

In 2017 I returned to the world of pocket knives by purchasing my first EDC style knife the CRKT Squid. An assisted folding knife with frame lock, stainless steel plain edge drop-point blade, and a (not so deep carry) pocket clip. The Squid fits my hand perfectly, the blade is a great size for all my cutting needs, and the knife fits into the coin pocket of my jeans nicely. I love the Squid so much I bought a 2nd Squid only a few months later – the Black Stonewashed version.

So here we are in 2026 and I’m still swapping between these two knives daily, they really are tried & true companions. So I updated the look of my CRKT Squid EDC knives by finally adding beaded lanyards and a bit of laser engraving just like I did for my metal Kaweco fountain pens several weeks ago.

Note: I know that many pocket knife enthusiasts will scoff at the CRKT Squid and recommend many other brands. I’ll acknowledge their points in advance, I’m sure their suggestions are valid. But this is what I have and it works for me.

CRKT Squid Satin Stonewashed

CRKT Squid Black Stonewashed

Titanium Lanyard Beads “Burnt”