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4 inch folder recommendations?

I'm surprised no one has recommended Protech TR 4 series. Beautiful, very well built knives. Tight tolerances, great customer service, great lockups, insane automatic actions (they have manual and hidden auto button knives too). Next on my list.
 
Awesome responses. I'm heading to my local knife shop tomorrow to see if I can get my hands on some of these. He won't have most of what has been suggested here but he should have a Spyderco Military I can look at. I really should have posted this a couple weeks ago because I was out in Utah and stopped by the BladeHQ showroom in front of their warehouse to drool over knives. I could have seen almost everything mentioned here... Oh well, it was the guy there that said I should look at the Contego in the first place. I'd love to have anything in S90V though. My new quest might be to track down an S90V Military. Keep any suggestions coming, they are definitely appreciated.
 
I carry the manix 2 at work, and I have pushed it through some really hard use.

I have cut through the front bumper and wheel well of a honda civic.

Awesome knife.
 
Comeuppance said:
OH!

Hogue EX-01, EX-02, and EX-04.

The EX-02 is one of the best-executed linerlocks and flippers I have seen on a production knife. The EX-04 has a grind suited specifically for improved cutting performance, and the EX-01 is probably the least stabby of the designs.
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I tend to agree with Comeuppance on the Hogue EX-02. I had the flipper and the thumbstud EX-02 models and gave them both away. One in a pay it forward thread here, and the other to a good friend who could not afford to spend that much money. I liked both versions, and both were dead on with fit/finish and all the other things OCD collectors insist on having.

The BM275 Adamas is a great piece, as is the ZT0200. The Spyderco Vallotton is a beautiful knife that begins to rival some custom knives!
The Fox Deimos, already mentioned, is one of my favorite edc's. It does have a 4.5" blade that is made of N690Co, a great steel that I think behaves like 154CM, or even VG-10. The BM Contego you mentioned, in M390 and the blue/black G-10, is on my short list to purchase after I sample three Kizer brand knives on my radar.

You have a lot of knives out there to research. Have fun with it, buy it, tell us about it, show pics, and go to bed happy!
 
Oh that's an easy question! Spyderco Military no doubt. My GOAT EDC since 2008. (I have the plain black G10, the Orange, the Fluted and my favorite the C/F M390.) 4" FFG S30V slicer, gigantic 5.5" G10 handles and a lousy 4.2 oz!?
 
The Emerson Roadhouse looks awesome. The tanto blade isn't what I'm looking for right now but I like the super commander, though it is a tad higher that I want to spend at this point.
 
A chiseled 154CM Emerson fighting folder? Really no match for your "two main candidates the M390 version of the Contego or the Manix 2 XL" in my humble opinion.
 
The military is definitely getting a lot of love on this question. I went to my local knife store today and he had the spyderco military, Manix 2 XL and Vallotton as well as the Zero Tolerance 0200 and a Benchmade 710 and Auto-axis Adamas. My thoughts on them are as follows:

Both the military and the manix 2 were remarkably refined knives, they both have a timeless appeal, as in they definitely don't look faddish or gimmicky (though the manix 2 is jimped beyond reason, the look and feel is still clean and utilitarian). I did favor the Manix XL in terms of the grip design and I love how leaf-like the blade is. My main edc since christmas 2012 has been a ZDP Dragonfly 2, and the blade design blows my mind. I honestly can't come up with one single thing I would change on it. The ergonomics on the manix match those of Dragonfly 2 more closely and it seems like the knife "melts" into my hand as it does on the dragonfly, more so than with the military. Both the military and the manix are confidence-inducing without looking the least bit "menacing", both have a design that says "This is a tool" rather than one that says "This is a weapon".

The Vallotton was gorgeous with an impeccable fit and finish but I might shy away from using it because it's so nice.

The Zero tolerance knives were tanks as someone mentioned, definitely interesting, though I wasn't as drawn to them, maybe the overall thickness was the issue.

The 710 was very nice, on par with the spyderco knives for sure. It wasn't a big as I think I'm looking for though. What "She said": the length is there but it was lacking in girth.

The adamas doesn't do it for me at all for some reason, like the zero tolerance knives it has the build of a tank, found it boxy and un-ergonomic.

At this point I'm leaning towards the S90V Manix 2 XL from Knifeworks (plus it has the carbon fiber scales...) But I'm not done yet. If I don't end up getting a military now it will be high on my wish list. Still have some research to do though, thanks for the help thus far.
 
I'm pretty sure you'll love the Military man I bought one a little over a week ago at a local gun show and I've had no desire to carry any other knife in my collection since.
 
bakergh said:
At this point I'm leaning towards the S90V Manix 2 XL from Knifeworks (plus it has the carbon fiber scales...) But I'm not done yet. If I don't end up getting a military now it will be high on my wish list. Still have some research to do though, thanks for the help thus far.
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I'll be honest: I am one of the very few knife nuts (if not the only one) who really can NOT carry tip-up. So of course it would be the Millie for me. Also I prefer a liner-lock over the Ball Bearing Lock, any day of the week. But objectively I have to say: go with the C/F S90V Manix!! It is one of the most utilitarian pocket knives on the market in my opinion; the carbon fiber is gorgeous and S90V is awesome (as long as you don't have to sharpen a dull blade yourself) and it is special and limited. I have the KnifeWorks Exclusive C/F M390 Military and it is my favorite production folder of all time.
 






I have a Manix XL and two Contego's. I carry one of my Contego's basically every day. I love my Manix XL, but I need a deep carry clip. The placement of the pocket clip really leaves a lot of that knife exposed. Plus, since the handle is really wide it takes up a lot of real estate in the pocket. I only have 2 pairs of jeans that have huge pockets which I'll carry that knife. My Contego is slimmer and has a deep carry clip so it's completely buried in my pocket. I like a heavy knife, and the Contego is exactly that. My M390 is my favorite knife. I owned a Military, but got rid of it a few days after buying my first Contego. It was just too light for me.
 
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