About to make a major purchase, please review and suggest

B

blade_guy

Joined
Jan 7, 2006
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I've been immersed here the last few days doing a lot of research on many knives.

After a few days of reading, I think I am ready to make the next major purchase.

I currently have (and just acquired):

-Benchmade 720S ($125 - love the AXIS lock, had to have a BM)
-Spyderco Native S30V ($40 - daily EDC use, awesome utility)
-Kershaw Storm II ($30 - spare folder for my BOB)
-Gerber EZ-Out ($30 - daily EDC / beater)
-Gerber para-frame ($20 - back-up EDC/beater)
-Kershaw chive ($30 - letter opener)
-Kershaw Leek ($46 - neat assisted opener, play knife)

[holy cow, that's $321 in knives already! :eek: ]

Anyway, I need a knife sharpener and a good fixed blade (or two) in my collection, plus another high-end folder, so this is what's in my shopping cart in newgrahm.com right now (thanks to all the great suggestions already!!):

1) SOG-S5 SOG Tigershark $129.96 This is a really nice looking fixed knife, and will fulfil the long, fixed blade portion of my collection.
SOG-S5_SMTH.jpg


2) SC-204MF Spyderco Sharpmaker Kit $46.81

3) SC-204D Spyderco Diamond Rods, Pair $62.43

4) SWT-SB Swisstech Screwball $12.75

5) BU-650-OD-0 Buck Nighthawk OD $43.12 This will be a beater camping, all around fixed blade utility knife.
BU_NIGHTHAWK1.jpg


6) AM-S2K Al Mar SERE 2000, PE $130.62 This is going to be like my BM 720S - a sturdy folder, for when SHTF, but a toy / safe queen for the rest of the time. When I saw the photos and the recommendations, I had to have one!!
amsere20000604small2.jpg


The total comes to $425.69, more than I wanted to spend but I believe are pretty good buys for the money.

I have the shopping cart all set, but haven't pressed the final button to buy it yet. I wanted to run this by you all just to get final feedback before I pull the trigger.

Thanks in advance for all the advice!
 
I don't have any experience with the SOG or the Sharpmaker, but they get a lot of love here on the forum.

I have a Buck Short Nighthawk and really like it. It feels great in the hand, and is a great knife to beat up on because it looks better when it's been "worn in". Not the best fixed blade in the world, but it will be a good beater and is good for the money.

I also have a SERE 2000, and it's a great knife for the money. Hell, it's a great knife period and just happens to be a bargain. Most on this forum will agree. The SERE 2000 is one of the better production folders in the world.
 
Looks great! If it were me, and I was getting a beater camp knife, I would go with a Becker BK-7 over that Buck though. Almost the same preice, and the Becker is a heck of a lot better camp knife than that Buck could ever hope to be.

Just my 2 cents.
 
IMO, get the sharpmaker and skip or not buy any of the knives. Or maybe just get the Al MAR. I'm not a fixed blade guy, but impression is you can do much better then then the SOG or the Buck for about the same money.
 
Yeah definitely get the sharpmaker. I would get different fixed blades then the ones you have listed. Such as the Ranger RD9 instead of the Tigershark and a BK7 or RD6 instead of the nighthawk. Neither the TS or the NH have very good steel. The Al mar sere 2k is very highly reccomended on these forums so that is a good choice but like I said I would seriously reconsider the FBs.

TBG
 
with the fixed blade? If it's chopping might I suggest a khukuri from Himalayan Imports. If it's going to be food prep (in camp or at home) I'd go with something thinner than the 1/4" thick Buck. Maybe a puukko from Ragweed Forge. With a khuk and a puukko there's very little you couldn't do.

Frank

Oh, yeah, the Sharpmaker is really easy to use.
 
ya, now that I look closer, $130 is a heck of a lot of money to pay for a knife with an AUS-6 blade like the SOG has.
 
ok here,s my two cents werth the spyderco is a keeper as well the sere-2000 id forget the rest. and replace t with a doug ritter gripper by bm.and eather some type of swamp rat or the BK-7 . is a good all around knife not to step on any toes im . new around here and not rich or i would have picked a left handed sebbe. and some outher toy,s
 
:thumbup:
ginshun said:
ya, now that I look closer, $130 is a heck of a lot of money to pay for a knife with an AUS-6 blade like the SOG has.
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That's what I was thinking. That's just a blatant rip off.
 
“AM-S2K Al Mar SERE 2000, PE $130.62
This is going to be like my BM 720S - a sturdy folder, for when SHTF, but a toy / safe queen for the rest of the time. When I saw the photos and the recommendations,
I had to have one!!”

As soon as I saw the SERE 2K, I also had to have one!
 
bh49 said:
You can save a few bucks if you buy at savson http://www.savsonswordsandknives.com/spsh.html
Sharpmaker for $45.95 and Al MAr SERE 2000 for $116.95
http://www.savsonswordsandknives.com/almarknives.html.
diamond Rods you can get latter.
Goog luck
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Thanks for the tips.

I really appreciate the advice from everyone, and especially from bh49.

I'm glad I solicited all your advice, very very helpful.

As a result of your collective advice, I've modified my purchase as follows:

Order from savsonswordsandknives.com -

1 AL MAR SERE 2000-S2K 116.95

1 SPYDERCO TRI-ANGLE SHARPENER SER-204MF 45.95

1 BENCHMADE MCHENRY/WILLIAMS M2 BLADE-710HS-DISCONTINUED
MODELS: 710HS-PLAIN EDGE 124.00

Total: 286.90

I really debated buying the Al Mar SERE 2000-S2K and the BM 710HS in M2, wondering if I really needed to buy both knives.

After doing some research, reading threads like this one, I decided to bite the bullet and buy both knives. I'm sure I won't regret it.

Thanks again for all your help. Now I can't wait for the knives and the sharpener to arrive, so I can play with them!!!

:D :D
 
Nice choises.

I don't have the SERE, but that's on my wish list. Every time I've held one I wanted it, but never had the cash on hand to buy.

I just got my 710 earlier this week (the 154cm version, I don't like coated blades) and it's a wonderful knife. Big but not too hard to carry, and not at all scary looking for the sheeple. It's become my EDC.

Once you get the Sharpmaker, you'll have no reason to have a dull knife in the house. If you want the diamond rods later, get them, but you don't really need them. The Sharpmaker won't reprofile an edge in any reasonable amount of time, but it'll keep relatively sharp edges scary sharp. You can save a lot of money later down the road by just getting a diamond benchstone if you need to reprofile and then finish on the Sharpmaker.

I just got the very inexpensive Gatco diamond Tri-ceps sharpener ($16). Everyone has said that it's too coarse to be of much use, but I've found that it works very well for reprofiling smaller edges and then finishing on the Sharpmaker/strop for a more polished edge. I've got a Boker stockman with a very happily reground spey thanks to it.

Have fun with your new toys.
 
blade_guy said:
Thanks Psychopomp for that informative post!! Really helpful stuff.
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I just got a 710 M2HS ( plain blade) right after Xmas, you will love it....Fantastic quality ..

I'm completely hooked on BM products.
 
JPD1998 said:
I just got a 710 M2HS ( plain blade) right after Xmas, you will love it....Fantastic quality ..

I'm completely hooked on BM products.
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Thanks! Now the hardest thing is waiting for the order to come in. Guess I'll just have to look at other people's pictures and posts. :)
 
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