Adding to collection, stepping up in quality

J

johnnycr

Joined
Apr 1, 2018
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New member here, and first post. I'm beginning to get more interested in knives, and I'm looking to add to my collection and get something a little nicer than what I currently have. I have a desk job, but I'm also an outdoorsman who does a lot of fishing, hunting, camping, and gardening. I own a cheap fixed Buck knife for hunting and a Morakniv Companion for various outdoor activities, as well as a Kershaw Oso Sweet that has been my EDC. I recently purchased a Spyderco Sharpmaker and I've had a lot of fun sharpening various knives. I'm interested in adding a new EDC to my collection that would be a little nicer than the Oso Sweet. I've been looking at the Kershaw Skyline, Kershaw Blur (S30V version), Buck Vantage Pro, and Spyderco Delica 4 (VG-10 version). I'd like to stay within the $50-100 range. Right now I'm leaning heavily toward the Delica 4. Probably 80% of my usage is opening boxes, with the other 20% being various outdoor activities such as cutting fishing line, cleaning game, harvesting produce from the garden, etc. Are there other knives I should be considering? Any recommendations? Thanks, and Happy Easter!
 
I don’t think you can go wrong with a Spyderco Delica or the Endura If you want something bigger. The Kershaw Leek is a great inexpensive knife as well.
 
Of the one's you mentioned, I'd be most inclined to go with the Delica4; but I've never handled Buck Vantage Pro.
Depending on the size range desired, the Spyderco Sage 2 and Benchmade Rift can often be found on the secondary market at the upper end of your desired price range. (knowing the crowd here, I'm sure you'll get higher priced suggestions, lol)
 
You might glance at the Spyderco Chaparral. In carbon fiber it is a little above $100 and in the same type of handle as the Delica (FRN) it is bellow $100.
A perfect office knife capable of much more. I like the design because it is thin in the blade so a superior cutter.
The Delica is very nice as well.
 
I'd suggest you take a look at Spyderco's Native. Sounds like a perfect step up for you. It's a smaller, capable knife. You can find one that's towards the top of your budget, but with that extra money the quality will jump as well(in both craftsmanship and steel). S35VN is a little more user friendly compared to S30V.

The other cool thing with the Native is the handle scale choices, FRN or G10. I'm partial to the G10 with liners, just as my own preference.
 
I've only been REALLY learning about knives for the last couple months, so I'm not the most experienced person here by any means... But your usage scenario is VERY similar to me.

Since you open a lot of boxes... Have you tried anything with a Wharncliffe blade? I open a ton of boxes at work and it's become A LOT more enjoyable since I started to bring my Kershaw Leek to work. The blade just feels like it's made for opening boxes.

The Leek comes in all kinds of higher end options like; the Composite, which has a D2 blade, the Carbon Fiber, which has a CPM 154 blade. If you wanted to try one before dropping $75+ you can find the original Leek for around $40 with Sandvick steel.

The Delica also comes in a Wharncliffe blade and will be one of my next purchases.

I also just picked up a Spyderco FRN Chaparral, so I'll try to come back with my thoughts after I use it at work.
 
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You beat me to it! I was going to suggest the Delica 4 Wharncliffe. Not the best thing for fishing but, it is an amazing knife for cardboard and the like.
 
You cannot go wrong with either a Delica or Endura. I'd suggest you start with the Delica but whatever grabs your fancy really.
 
If you are cutting into cardboard, as opposed to just cutting tape, you will benefit from a full flat grind on the blade
 
Similar situation for me, OP. My first 5 modern folders were 2 Blurs, Griptilian, Crooked River, and Endura. I’m currently carrying the Endura. I like big knives, and it’s light.
 
Thanks for the recommendations so far. I did look at the Spyderco Native, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the blade shape, and particularly not a fan of the handle design. It looks like my index finger would actually be on the steel rather than on the grip, and I’m not sure I would like that. The Chaparral is one that I hadn’t considered, but it looks to have the same handle design as the Native. I’m not loving the design of the wharncliffe blade, but if that’s better for boxes I might get a Kershaw Leek to leave at work for that purpose. I saw them going on Amazon for $24 the other day. I haven’t looked at Benchmade too much, since they are above what I’m willing to pay right now, but I might look at some second hand options to see what’s out there. The only reason I’m looking at the Buck Vantage Pro is that I’ve read good things about Buck’s hardening process and it seems to be a good price for something with S30V steel. Right now I’m still leaning toward the Delica 4, and maybe picking up a Leek when I see one on sale just for work. I will keep looking at options before I buy anything. Does anyone have some information on the Kershaw Blur S30V? Is Kershaw’s S30V any better/worse than Spyderco’s VG-10? Thanks again for the help!
 
johnnycr said:
Thanks for the recommendations so far. I did look at the Spyderco Native, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the blade shape, and particularly not a fan of the handle design. It looks like my index finger would actually be on the steel rather than on the grip, and I’m not sure I would like that. The Chaparral is one that I hadn’t considered, but it looks to have the same handle design as the Native. I’m not loving the design of the wharncliffe blade, but if that’s better for boxes I might get a Kershaw Leek to leave at work for that purpose. I saw them going on Amazon for $24 the other day. I haven’t looked at Benchmade too much, since they are above what I’m willing to pay right now, but I might look at some second hand options to see what’s out there. The only reason I’m looking at the Buck Vantage Pro is that I’ve read good things about Buck’s hardening process and it seems to be a good price for something with S30V steel. Right now I’m still leaning toward the Delica 4, and maybe picking up a Leek when I see one on sale just for work. I will keep looking at options before I buy anything. Does anyone have some information on the Kershaw Blur S30V? Is Kershaw’s S30V any better/worse than Spyderco’s VG-10? Thanks again for the help!
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I thought the same about the Wharncliffe blade when I first saw them... My tune quickly changed when I used it to open a couple hundred boxes at work, lol. They're dead useful. For $25 - $40 for a standard Leek, you don't really have much to lose. And who knows, if you love it, you can upgrade to one with CPM 154 or D2.

I use the Kershaw s30v Blur as my EDC right now and I really like it. From what I've read, Spyderco's VG-10 is very comparable to CPM 154. The way I understand it... s30v is a little better at holding a "workable" edge, while the VG-10 is a little better at holding a "razor" edge. I've also read that s30v is a little bit harder to sharpen than the VG-10 and that s30v is slightly more corrosion resistant than VG-10. All in all, they should be pretty similar, good steels. The only negative I can say about my s30v Blur is that I'm not a huge fan of the angled thumb stud. I would prefer to be a flipper, or to just have a standard thumb stud.

The Leek is on sale over at Knifeworks for $30 right now by the way.
 
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Hi everyone. I just wanted to report that I ended up getting a Spyderco Delica 4 in gray FRN with VG-10 steel. I love it so far. The ergonomics are amazing and exceed my expectations. I did not anticipate that it would feel as great in the hand as it does based on the pictures. I just have to get used to the back lock. I've always had liner locks. Yesterday I was closing the knife with one hand and the tip snapped closed on the tip of my little finger. Ouch! I have pretty long fingers and the knife is very thin, so I just need to get used to it. Thanks, everyone for the advice.

In other news, a friend of mine gave me an old Schrade Currier & Ives knife today because he knows I'm getting into knives and he had it sitting on his shelf for 30 years. It's very cool looking. I haven't had a chance to examine it or look up any information on it yet.
 
Welcome to the forums Johnny and great choice with the Delica 4.

Another great budget knife that is well beloved by many (including me, I own 2) is the Ontario Rat 1 (3.6" blade) or Rat 2 (3" blade). I highly suggest getting the D2 steel versions for a few dollars more. < $50 shipped (assuming you are in the US).

EDIT: Mn man beat me to it while I was typing. :D
 
Thanks for the recommendations. I started a wish list a while back and I do have the Ontario Rat 2 on there as well as the Buck 110. I also added the Spyderco Native 5 to my list recently. I have not considered the Cold Steel Recon 1. I'll have to take a look at that one.
 
I'll throw a few other names out there..

Cold Steel : American Lawman and Code 4. $80-90ish
Case Tribal locks or Copperlocks : It you like the Buck 110, you might like the traditional look of these with the bonus of a locking blade. $50-70ish
ESEE: Zancudo or Avispa
Benchmade: Mini Griptilian
Spyderco: Manix 2
LionSteel: Opera
Kizer: many to choose from
 
johnnycr said:
New member here, and first post. I'm beginning to get more interested in knives, and I'm looking to add to my collection and get something a little nicer than what I currently have. I have a desk job, but I'm also an outdoorsman who does a lot of fishing, hunting, camping, and gardening. I own a cheap fixed Buck knife for hunting and a Morakniv Companion for various outdoor activities, as well as a Kershaw Oso Sweet that has been my EDC. I recently purchased a Spyderco Sharpmaker and I've had a lot of fun sharpening various knives. I'm interested in adding a new EDC to my collection that would be a little nicer than the Oso Sweet. I've been looking at the Kershaw Skyline, Kershaw Blur (S30V version), Buck Vantage Pro, and Spyderco Delica 4 (VG-10 version). I'd like to stay within the $50-100 range. Right now I'm leaning heavily toward the Delica 4. Probably 80% of my usage is opening boxes, with the other 20% being various outdoor activities such as cutting fishing line, cleaning game, harvesting produce from the garden, etc. Are there other knives I should be considering? Any recommendations? Thanks, and Happy Easter!
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You don't need us. You've already come to the correct conclusion. Get the Delica. It starts life as a wonderful knife already and then you can always dress it up later if you want to.

20180414_102747.jpg
 
If I were you, I would buy a lightly used Spyderco Paramilitary 2 with s30v steel. They show up once in a while in the Exchange, for around $100.
 
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