7 good knives; tough choices - your picks?

ZDHart

ZDHart

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Messages
471
I'm thinking I will probably wind up with three or so of the following knives, sooner or later, anyway. Application would just be EDC rotation, general purpose. No wood carving or really hard use.

I know they're all fairly popular choices which makes choosing a bit harder. I do need to handle them in person if I can find them, but may have difficulty finding them all locally and wouldn't hesitate to buy on the web if the recommendations are strong enough.

To help me get started, I'm hoping to hear which three of these would be your top 3 choices?

Are there any here you would steer clear of?

I'm already a bit partial to the Benchmades (either the Presidio or the Griptilian, but not both) and not real excited about the "looks" of the Spyderco, but that would not keep me from buying the knife, if it's that good of a choice.

As a rank novice in the knife world and not likely to subject the knife to really hard use, I'm not sure I would notice much of a quality difference in the steel choices, but if advised to lean strongly toward one steel vs another I would certainly heed the recommendation as I haven't a clue what differences in durability, sharpness, or edge holding one would notice between these steel choices.

The cost difference from one of these knives to another is much less important to me than the quality and reliability of the product, so don't give cost much if any importance in the consideration.

Benchmade 522 Presidio Ultra $65
3.47" x .125" drop point 440C blade PE
4.8 oz. wt.

Benchmade 551 Griptilian $68
3.45 x .115" drop point 154CM blade PE
3.25 oz. wt.

Kershaw Junkyard Dog II $51
3.75" Sandvik 13C26 stainless blade
5.2 oz. wt.

Boker Plus Exskelibur I $54
3.58" 440C stainless blade
3.3 oz. wt.

Spyderco Manix 2 $81
3.38" 154CM stainless blade
5.1 oz. wt.

Kershaw Blur S30V $84
3.37" S30V stainless blade
4.0 oz. wt.

First Responder Spear Point 5.11 $104
3.6" S30V blade
 
I would recommend the Spyderco. I say this mainly because you say they look funny. Well, they look funny because they are designed for your hands, not your eyes :D Humor aside, the Manix 2 is the most comfortable knife you listed, and I've held all of those models except the 5.11 and used more than half of them extensively.

Overall, it's a very stout, reliable knife. Have you tried any knives with the round hole opener yet?
 
(In order if preference)

Manix 2
Griptilian
Junkyard Dog II

Of the knives on your list, I own only the 3 I listed. Of the other 4, I've handled a Blur (not a big fan of assisted openers, though) and I'm not too familiar with the others.

I will say that my Manix 2 has gotten more pocket time than any knife I own except for my original Manix.
 
Vivi said:
I would recommend the Spyderco. I say this mainly because you say they look funny. Well, they look funny because they are designed for your hands, not your eyes :D Humor aside, the Manix 2 is the most comfortable knife you listed, and I've held all of those models except the 5.11 and used more than half of them extensively.

Overall, it's a very stout, reliable knife. Have you tried any knives with the round hole opener yet?
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Vivi... I've never even held a knife with a round opener! That is something I really must check out, especially with the numerous strong recommendations for the Manix 2.

CubistHamster said:
(In order if preference)

Manix 2
Griptilian
Junkyard Dog II

Of the knives on your list, I own only the 3 I listed. Of the other 4, I've handled a Blur (not a big fan of assisted openers, though) and I'm not too familiar with the others.

I will say that my Manix 2 has gotten more pocket time than any knife I own except for my original Manix.
Click to expand...

I kind of like the assisted openers, at least enough to own one or two. So the Blur might really strike my fancy. But I have read of problems with the Kershaw assisted openers. I may just stick with my Benchmade Barrage for now.

And another strong vote for the Manix 2. Very interesting!
 
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All are great knives in there own rights. All but 2 knives I've had personal experience with, the 5.11, Boker, and the JYD. I wouldn't hesitate to buy most Bokers or any Kershaw. It all really depends on what you'll be using the knife for and whats comfortable.

Benchmade 522: Great knife at a awesome price. I have its smaller brother the 527 and love it. I chose it over the Mini grip and Mini ritter grip. It has true full liners and I like the 440C blade.

Benchmade 551: Another Great knife at a great price. Some say it feels cheap to due the hollow Valox handle, I personally don't. The one advantage the Griptilians hold over the Presidio Ultras is the 154CM steel, I love 154CM. One downside to the full size grips is they don't have full liners.

Spyderco Manix: A great beefy folder. This is my hard use folder, I picked it over quite a few other models. Its a big beefy folder and to large for me to edc. The fit and finish is excellent like all Spydercos. I love the blade shape and the steel. I've never been a fan or finger choils till this knife, its great for choking up on the blade for detailed work.

Kershaw Blur: One of my favorite alternate edcs. I have the CPM-154CM version though. Great fit and finish that kershaw is known for. Fast deployment and great lock up. nice and thin profile also. The one thing I didn't care for is the clip, I'll be ordering a low rider clip for it in the future. Once I have the new clip it may become my new favorite edc.
 
Manix 2 is a workhorse, but as you'll EDC without the heaviest cutting, I would rathe rrecommend the Exskelibur 1, because it looks more classy, non-aggressive and socially acceptable (all depending on where you live). Despite its low price, it's also a good performer that's carefully made. And you won't look like a clown if you'd eat a meal with it.
 
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