$75 Amazon gift card - what would you buy?

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slevin011

Joined
May 19, 2014
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Hi all,

As the thread title states, I have $75 to spend at Amazon and want to pick up a new folding knife. I am willing to add on an extra $25 in addition to the gift card for a total of $100. I am just getting into knives, but have become very interested after recently picking up a Kershaw Zing at a local gun show. I know next to nothing about the different steels and have never sharpened a knife before, so perhaps that is something to consider (I have read that some steels, such as S30V, can be very difficult to sharpen).

I work in an office and I'm not what one would consider an "outdoorsy" type, so the knife would just be for casual use around the house and to have for fun. The two options I am considering are 1. using the full amount to purchase a semi high-quality knife, or 2. purchasing something less expensive, such as a Spyderco Tenacious, and using the rest of the money to buy a sharpening kit/supplies.

Any and all opinions are welcome. Help a noobie out!

Thanks.
 
A knife is only as useful as the edge you put on it, and every knife will dull eventually. I suggest you pick up a sharpmaker and a cheap(er) knife to get started. That should leave you with around $40 for a decent little knife. I can't comment on knives in this price range but I'm sure many other members can. The more expensive knives can come later when you're better prepared to maintain and appreciate them :)
 
Welcome, Slevin. Without knowing any more about your preferences or what floats your boat, something like a Spyderco Delica comes to mind. It is (in my view), Spyderco's flagship model, and a great knife for everyday carry, office usage, etc. But there are zillions of good options.
 
Ever thought about Traditionals?

I am the urban/office working type as well and one of the most (positively) surprising knife moments I had was when I found out about the wonders of the Peanut.
It is small, light, you can take it almost anywhere, non-knife people tend to love it (I even heard them called "cute" by the ladies in my office).

So if that might at all be an option for you I would invest in a "Case Cutlery 030 Case Peanut Pocket Knife with Chrome Vanadium Blades, Yellow Synthetic" (or stainless blades if you do not like a nice patina) plus something to keep your knives sharp like the "Tri-Angle Sharpmaker by Spyderco".

With current prices on amazon.com those are about $ 80.- combined.

If you want to add something small and modern to the mix I suggest the "Kershaw 1770 OD-2". Very inexpensive, small and a very good/fun/innovative flipping mechanism. Also discontinued so if you like the looks get one soonish ;)
 
A sharpmaker will make your life much easier, use the money left to either purchase a nice Alox Swiss Army knife (like the Cadet) or add a bit and get a Kershaw Skyline.
 
903lew said:
A sharpmaker will make your life much easier, use the money left to either purchase a nice Alox Swiss Army knife (like the Cadet) or add a bit and get a Kershaw Skyline.
Click to expand...

Plus one on this. Get the Sharpmaker and a Skyline and have enough for a Starbucks left over. The DVD included with the Sharpmaker will get you going.
 
I wish I had gotten a sharpmaker much sooner than I did. These guys are doing you a favor by tellin ya to GET A SPYDERCO SHARPMAKER it makes sharpening simple
 
I'd go with a Sharpmaker and something along the lines of a Kershaw Turbulence. I recently got one and I absolutely love it. Sandvik 14C28N steel(mid tier steel but certainly better than something like 440 stainless) comes scary sharp right out of the box and hasn't dulled at all for me in the last three weeks or so. Kershaw's got plenty in the $40-50 range with a whole lot of value for your buck. I can't speak to the quality of the chinese models they offer as I don't yet have one, but I have noticed alot of the chinese models are made with 8CR13MOV steel which is something similar to Aus8 I believe(I could be wrong here).
 
Do you have any idea what you like in a knife? Do you want a modern or a traditional? How long of a blade?
 
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. A sharpmaker has found its way into my Amazon cart. It's $51, so that leaves me about $50 for a knife. It seems like the possibilities are endless in that price range. As for what I like...well, I'm not really sure haha. I've been browsing the various picture threads on this forum and I think I like more of a "modern" style. I am in love with the Chris Reeve Sebenza 21, but that is obviously far, far out of my price range. I like my Zing, but don't know if I would go much smaller, so maybe 3"+ on blade size? I also like the little flipper on top, but that's not a must-have. I appreciate all the help so far!
 
Yeah, get a Sharpmaker and a Kershaw with some 14C28N steel. Maybe throw in fifteen extra bucks and get a Sharpmaker and one of the Kershaw Leek variants. You will thank us later.
 
Take a look at the Kershaw Skyline if you like the more modern one handed folders. Than there is the Sanrenmu 710 which we can go on forever about the ethics of Sanrenmu but supposedly it's a decent knife though personally I rather go with what Kershaw/Spyderco for the price range and what it sounds like your looking for. Don't forget to take a look at the Kershaw Leek as well.
 
In total agreement about the Sharpmaker. In your price range, look at used Delica/Endura's or a boatload of different Kershaw's. A Cryo is hard to beat for a less expensive knife...
 
Well, I jumped over your price limit, but not much. First, the Spyderco Sage 1 in carbon fiber and S30V steel. A great favorite for about $107. And then, the $12 DMT diamond fine grade billfold-sized 3" card that will nicely re-sharpen that knife whenever you need, which will be fun, efficient, instructive and seldom used. I've carried one of these in my billfold for several years and have given them as gifts to my best friends...
I would recommend this combination to anyone without hesitation.

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Carb..._sim_sg_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TEMRWVDWTC5Y7XCZ7Q5
http://www.amazon.com/DMT-D3F-3-Inc...qid=1400547866&sr=8-19&keywords=dmt+diasharp1
 
Sonnydaze said:
Well, I jumped over your price limit, but not much. First, the Spyderco Sage 1 in carbon fiber and S30V steel. A great favorite for about $107. And then, the $12 DMT diamond fine grade billfold-sized 3" card that will nicely re-sharpen that knife whenever you need, which will be fun, efficient, instructive and seldom used. I've carried one of these in my billfold for several years and have given them as gifts to my best friends...
I would recommend this combination to anyone without hesitation.

http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Carb..._sim_sg_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TEMRWVDWTC5Y7XCZ7Q5
http://www.amazon.com/DMT-D3F-3-Inc...qid=1400547866&sr=8-19&keywords=dmt+diasharp1
Click to expand...

I personally wouldn't reccommend a small 3in DMT to learn how to sharpen a knife on. The OP stated they never sharpened a knife before so I think baby steps are best and the sharpmaker does that pretty well. Doesn't sound like a huge knife enthusiast either (could be wrong) so trying to convince them to spend countless hours digging through the forums on information on how to sharpen to get a good sharp blade by freehand and than the practicing probably be out of the question too.

I tried learning how to properly sharpen a knife by freehand using the small 4in DMT stones from my DMT Aligner before buying 2 cheap norton economy stones (india and silicon carbide). I don't recommend learning on such a small stone. Nor do I reccommend learning how to sharpen on a high end knife or letting someone who is still learning sharpen a high end knife as it's just too painful to watch or think about as there is too much potential to ruin a good blade.

Sharpmaker on the other hand while not anywhere close to what I would get is quite a bit simpler and allows you to get good results for touching up a blade. I would highly recommend that over a stone any day of the week for someone just getting into knives who have never sharpened a knife before unless they want to take the time to learn how to sharpen a knife properly they probably get better results from the sharpmaker.
 
If you can save some of the Amazon balance and spend some cash instead I would go with the sharpmaker and pick up a used Spyderco on the classifieds. Delica, Dragonfly, whatever is cheap and has a VG10 (or something else decent) blade.

Though the Tenacious/Persistence/Ambitious isn't a bad way to go on Amazon. The 8CR steel is easy to sharpen and will work just fine.
 
Bob6794 said:
I personally wouldn't reccommend a small 3in DMT to learn how to sharpen a knife on. The OP stated they never sharpened a knife before so I think baby steps are best and the sharpmaker does that pretty well. Doesn't sound like a huge knife enthusiast either (could be wrong) so trying to convince them to spend countless hours digging through the forums on information on how to sharpen to get a good sharp blade by freehand and than the practicing probably be out of the question too.

Sharpmaker on the other hand while not anywhere close to what I would get is quite a bit simpler and allows you to get good results for touching up a blade. I would highly recommend that over a stone any day of the week for someone just getting into knives who have never sharpened a knife before unless they want to take the time to learn how to sharpen a knife properly they probably get better results from the sharpmaker.
Click to expand...

I cannot disagree with you, but a good Sharpie on the blade will show the OP when he has a proper angle...about 20 degrees. And, there are tons of YT videos which will give him the basics very rapidly. The OP does not seem to be one who will buy lots of knives in the future, and so I hate to see him spend most of his "allowance" on the SharpMaker. Yes, I have a SM and an EdgePro Apex, but I don't think that it takes a great amt of experience to touch up the edge on a 3" Sage 1. He will not use the blade often or hard, and it could easily be months before he has to worry about it. I carried a Caly 3 in VG-10 at my office job for several yrs and sharpened it, as rarely needed, on a $5 Smith "diamond stick" (probably purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot) pretty successfully.
IF the OP becomes obsessive like many of us, and gets into the knife-buying business...then the Sharpmaker may prove to be a fine investment.
I'm just trying to balance need with finances.
 
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