By Chris Dougherty
Certified RV technician
I’m a knife guy. Before you get all scared that I’m some sort of sociopathic deviant, let me explain by saying I am a firm believer that knives are among the most important tools we have. I’ve had Swiss Army knives since I was 8 years old, and have had many different types of knives since then. I’m always carrying at least one, especially when I’m RVing. Here are a few recommendations:
Utility or sheetrock knife — With replaceable and reversible razor-sharp blades that are cheap, this kind of knife, first sold by Stanley way-back-when (I had one of the first … and still do), has amazing versatility. Some are foldable, almost all are retractable, and many hold spare blades in the handle. There are many models available and you can find them at your local hardware store, home center, Harbor Freight Tools, Sears or at Amazon.
Swiss Army knife — OK, I am a purist, and to me the only Swiss Army knife is the original by Victorinox. I have three of them, and all of them I’ve had since I was young. One was a birthday present when I was 10 and has my name and birthday engraved on the blades! (Thank you, Charlie.) There are many models with many features, including screwdrivers, scissors, toothpicks and tweezers! They’re available at Amazon.
The Leatherman multitool — The ultimate of multitools is the Leatherman, and I carried one on my belt as a firefighter for years. With many of the same tools as the Swiss Army knife, these also have pliers, wire cutters, saws and more. Again, they can be found at Amazon.
There are many other types of knives and multitools out there, but I have always been amazed at the number of times I have pulled one out to fix something … or even save a life!
