You can always tell the newbie around the campfire or on the hunting trip — and it’s not usually pretty. Just when you’re about to settle down to a task that’s fit for a WESN Pocket Knife — cutting down some kindling to get the coffee on, stripping back a branch, or trimming down a sapling to a sharp point - you spot the new guy.
“Here, use mine,” he says, drawing a blade from the sheath strapped to his combat pants, probably offering it to you with the blade first. And this knife? It’s the stuff of nightmares. The plastic handle with the Special Ops tiger stripes, the fluorescent yellow lanyard, the spoon (yes, the spoon!) that slides out from the pommel.
At times like this, you’re even more glad to have a WESN in your hands. The pocket knife you slid out of your pocket or unclipped from your belt. The one that fits neatly in your palm and can’t be seen from feet away, let alone outer space.
Because the fact is that your choice of pocket knife says a lot about you. As it happens, we offer several choices.
So if you ever find yourself in the above scenario, or anything similar, take the time to explain these four reasons to carry a classic pocketknife, based on what your WESN says about you…
It reveals your style and taste
There’s a beautiful simplicity in building a collection of items that are each designed for a single purpose only. And it takes years to develop. In the days before you knew better, a multi-tool was something to be proud of. Or pants that came with a belt sewn in, or a lighter that was also a flashlight, radio, and bottle opener.
But when you go full multi, you’re saying that you’ll compromise. You’re not here to compromise. Over the years, you’ll switch that lighter for a Zippo, break down that multitool into your own toolkit like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, throw away those pants, and come to appreciate the feeling of quality and craftsmanship between your fingers.
Our pocket knives cut beautifully, with a satisfying action as you lock the blade back into the handle. There isn’t a component on them that hasn’t been refined and crafted, whether its Sandvik steel or ceramic roller bearings.
Everyday Carry shows your discretion
You can be proud of a WESN, but you don’t need to show it off. You know it’s in your pocket, the weight just heavy enough in your hand when you hold it. You know that when you fold out the blade you’ve got a couple of inches or more to cut with.
This isn’t about packing power. It’s about packing light and keeping your profile low. What is it they say about being the smartest guy in the room? It means you’re in the wrong room. If you want a knife that gets attention, buy a lightsaber. If you want a knife that earns admiration, stick with a WESN.
Your knife represents you
Show me the shoes, and I’ll show you the man. That’s not such a bad maxim, but when everyone is wearing mud-caked boots, it’s hard to make a call. But a pocketknife? That says plenty.
It’s not just the choice of knife you made, although as we’ve already suggested, that speaks volumes. It’s the care you give it, the attention you pay it, and the condition you keep it. The next time you see another WESN out there, look for the rust spots, the burrs, or the scratches.
You’d have more chance of finding a bumper sticker on a Ferrari.
Your knife is for passing down
At some point in the last few years, we stopped making things to last centuries. And what did we end up with? A garage full of tools and machines that barely cleared their warranty.
Not your WESN. This blade is for honing over decades. This handle is for taking on the prints of the father and the son. There’s a memory in a WESN that doesn’t get old. So take care of yours, because you’re only holding it for a lifetime.
Your WESN might set you back anything from $60 to $125 today, but in years to come it will be priceless. It’s why the grandchild who gets your condo in Florida will never understand why the one who got your WESN is smiling.
