I'd recommend the Cold Steel Spartan. I know, everyone says it's too big to EDC, but that's BS. I have been carrying mine pretty much every day for the last year. It's a big honkin' folder, no doubt about it, but with the clip in tip up position there's really very little of the knife sticking out of your pocket, and since it's just the very tip of the tapered handle, it looks like a much smaller knife when carried in your pocket. When I first got it I didn't care for the large thumb tab, but I became used to it in a week or two, and by snagging the tab on the hem of your pocket when you draw the knife, blade presentation is instant and effortless. In addition to being a real eye catcher, the blade geometry is very useful, it's an excellent slicer, it's pretty good for food preparation despite the thickness of the blade and it handles heavy chores with ease. AUS8 Stainless isn't my favorite steel but it's adequate, edge holding again, is only adequate but it's easy to sharpen, and it does get SHARP, I have no problem at all getting a hair popping edge with a 50 degree combined bevel. Because of the heavy recurve of the blade it's difficult to sharpen this knife on a flat stone or a Lansky clamp type sharpener. I have one of the Lansky Turn Box Sharpeners, similar to a sharpmaker but much cheaper. It's got two course and two fine, round ceramic rods it does a great job of keeping the big recurved blade razor sharp.
Overall I love the Spartan, I just popped for a ZT 0303, and while it's a better knife by every quantifiable measure, I cant seem to relegate the Spartan to the drawer, no now I carry them both
. Hey, two great big knives is better than one, right?
