Al mar nomad or sere?

ryan9977

ryan9977

Joined
Feb 16, 2006
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anybody have one or both of these knives....i have never had an al mar and these both cam highly recommended to me...they said the nomad was a nice thin slicer type and the sere was pretty heavy duty?.....any input....anybody know of any deals on these...both seemed a little pricy.....ryan
 
Al mar knives are somewhat overpriced, however its going to come down to would you rather have your vg-10 thin or thick? It seems to me you could get two spyderco natives in cpm s-30v for the price of one al mar. Dont go by looks either, im much happier now with my fat, ugly girlfriend.
 
donny....i'd much rather prefer vg-10 to s30v.....i don't have problems with spyderco's....i have a calypso jr in zdp i like...the delica i had was waaaay too thick for me though.....ryan
 
Try a centofaunte III by spyderco, very thin vg-10 and even less exspensive than the native.
 
I just received a Sere Operator and will be posting a small review in the review section in a day or so.
Robo
 
thanks robo....i appreciate the heads up....i am surprised more people didn't respond....guess there are not alot of al mar owners out there with these blades.....ryan
 
I've owned (and still own) some Al Mar knives.
While very well made, there are often other folders out there by other manufacturers that offer comparable levels of quality and utility for a slightly lower price.
So, folks who are more price sensitive tend to go for other folders over Al Mar.

I would recommend going to a local cutlery shop (even a mall shop where you can handle the knives), maybe a gun show where they might have them, or someplace where you can pick them up and see how they feel in your hand.
It's amazing how a knife can look very ergonomic in a pic and then once you handle it, doesn't feel good at all.

If you don't have that opportunity, just look at your budget, weight the pros and cons of each and make your decision.
Or, just get both. :)

Regards,
Mike
 
I used to have a SERE 2K and now own a Mini SERE. Both are well made but I think very overpriced. My SERE had really solid lock up (never got to really use it though) but my mini has a little bit of vertical blade play. I sent it back to al mar to get it adjusted (which took over a month) and it was fine for about a week and now the blade play is back. I've given up on any solid lock up so I use it for my edc and work knife and have no qualms about beating it up. In the future I'll be sticking to Benchmades and Spydercos for sure.
 
I have a SERE 2K with black coating and Shrike. I haven't used them much, but they feel rock solid, no blade play and very ergonomic. Could be that they were overpriced, but I see that many online stores are offering them for heavily reduced prices, so..
 
I have a Nomad that I occasionally rotate with my Swamp Rat Rat Trap when I am not in jeans. I like it a lot. Great size for casual carry, and I like the blade design. I admire the Native also, and if you only want a mid-sized user for continuous carry, a Native would certainly be less costly. But if you are an afficianado and admirer of nice design I recommend getting one.

Good people, too. This one came via my daughter with TBI
(Traumatic Brain Injury) from a hit and run. After she admired it at the Al Mar booth at Blade '07, one of the guys handed it to her and said, "happy birthday." My birthday was on the Saturday of the Blade show, so at the motel she handed it to me and said "happy birthday." Don't cry for her, however, as she also had a freeby Camilus Heat that she kept. (I have to pay for my knives at Blade, they just hand them to her.)
 
Posted my review of the Sere Operator (fixed blade) in the Knife Review/Testing forum.... Robo7de
 
I've had both knives. I traded them away, but that was no fault of the knives. Al Mar has excellent F&F based on the ones I've owned. Their materials and construction are top notch, too. Both were light, very strong, and very solid. The Nomad was probably my favorite because of the blade shape and the better feel to me when carrying and using the knife.

They didn't cut or carry better than my Spydercos or Benchmades or Sebenzas, they were just examples of a different company's high end work.
 
I have a SERE 2000, I bought it mostly because I always wanted one of the originals when they first came out. It's an outstanding knife and you won't be disappointed. That being said, it won't do anything my Buck won't do. Well, except look way cooler.
 
if you can get past the tip-down-only carry of the nomad, it's blade shape is more useful, depending on what you're looking for. I own a mini SERE too, it's outstanding, but due to the different handle and blade shapes, these are two pretty different knives. Your pinky feels a little left out on the Nomad, kind of runs over the fat part at the end of the handle. it's not uncomfortable, but definately different. the mini SERE handle feels like heaven, but it's blade doesn't have much belly or even a very thin blade at any point. Not much stabs into a box easier, but if you're going for a slicer, i'd go nomad. I got each, having a specific purpose in mind, and they've both served me well. Just recognize those differences

my experiences with Al Mar are very good. I've owned a number of their products. they really stand by them and use quality parts. perhaps compare them to the BMW of the knife world. overpriced, rarely flashy, fairly clean and simple, but they really do what they do well
 
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