Another knife recommendation thread

m.christy said:
I got a Spyderco Gayle Bradly not to long ago and was really disappointed. The lock was way to difficult to disengage and the knife was difficult to get clipped into a pocket. I had watched reviews and read forum posts about the knife and heard people mention the lock and say it was no big deal. However, two or three times in under a week I had to clean chunks of skin and fingernail out of the knife. In my book, that's either poor design or a defective knife. I returned it saying it was defective and got my money back.
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Jastab said:
Mr bradley commented on the lock, he said if his wife can close it, its no big deal. Get yourself some man hands and carry on with life. My girlfriend can close it without any complaints...
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I'm wondering if you didn't get the first gen version with non skeletonized liners. It was actually much harder to unlock, they fixed that on the current production ones.


To the OP, the GB is an amazing knife, get it and be happy.

Mine:
 
Cereal_killer said:
I'm wondering if you didn't get the first gen version with non skeletonized liners. It was actually much harder to unlock, they fixed that on the current production ones.


To the OP, the GB is an amazing knife, get it and be happy.

Mine:
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I'm not sure which gen mine was from. I thought it was a great knife other then the problems with the lock. Like I said, I suspect the one I got was defective. There's no way so many people would be saying it was a great knife if all of them were functioning like the one I had.
 
I've been carrying a spyderco manix 2 since Christmas and it is probably the best competition to the griptilian. Has a large spydie hole and cpm-s30v stainless. It's also a little cheaper than the paramilitary and is more comparable to the grip. They both have almost the same locking mechanism.
 
Because I carry strictly tip-down I totally forgot about the Manix. Awesome lefty recommendation as well indeed.

But there is a dedicated left-handed Military for your budget as well, so still no reason to not go with that.
 
Looking into the left handed Military it seems they've been discontinued and are not too easy to find. As of late I have also preferred tip up carry. So maybe the Manix is a better choice. I have to look into it more.

I looked at the ZT knives. I've heard so many good things but for some reason I just feel like they look (from pictures) like something you'd find at a flea market for $6. I assume f&f in person makes it obvious this isn't the case. I feel like these and the Benchmade suggestions are things I'd really want to feel before grabbing. I've got to try to find a good local place to test the feel of some knives. I know a mall not too far from here carries a decent amount of Spyderco and Benchmade knives, not sure on ZT though.

I wish I knew why knives triggered this unrelenting urge to get rid of my money...
 
I forgot to ask. Is the reason your CRKT is a PITA because of the Auto Lawks on the spine? If so It's pretty simple to remove.
 
I never gave ZT a chance just because I don't like recurve blades and most of there older model that Ken Onion designed just did not appeal to me . But the 550 and 801 are really good knives and they are very well built . Nothing cheap about them .
 
If you're leaning toward Spyderco, the Sage 2 or Gayle Bradley are great knives.
 
The Auto Lawks is an irritant but its not the issue. when I pull the knife from my pocket and use the flipper to open it it only fully deploys about 80% of the time for me. I'd probably get used to it if I gave it more time but I never have. Also, not a huge fan of recurve blades either. I got over it because I had some crkt credit and wanted a lefty knife. The M60 was the only one in my price range at the time (also grabbed a Pazoda 2. Nice knife, not a nice clip. RIP. here's to hoping it's in a better place now)
 
I'll through in another vote for the ZT 801. And I'll second the offer made by another poster, if you buy one from Kershaw guy, and don't like it, I'll buy it off of you. It's a really classy looking knife, and is highly 'pimpable'-- just search the threads for 'Anodizing' and you'll see what I'm talking about. Quality, fit and finish won't disappoint!
 
I'm gonna recommend that Spyderco Chaparral. It carries well, is not too tactical looking and has great CTS-XHP steel. It has, without a doubt, the best fit and finish of any folding knife I own.
 
The ZT 801 has a pretty great look to it. I think that's the most attractive one I've seen from them. A bit over budget from a quick look but I'm sure I could find one cheaper. Chapparal looks nice too. Both very plain, which I'm okay with.

I am still leaning mostly towards the GB I think. Something about it seems right. However, the weight like I said before might bother me. Plus reading more in depth some people say the steel rusts too easily for edc. Anyone care to chime in on that with their experience of M4?
 
I'm ambidextrous and have a lot of spydies. I don't care for tip down carry though, which is why I don't have a millie. I can say that the compression lock is very easy to use left handed. Actually, it is easier for me to use left handed than right handed. My favorite ambi/lefty friendly spidie is the manix 2. Mine has broken in enough for easy(ish) one hand closing. It will never be an axis lock, but is a better lock IMHO. Gayle Bradley is a great knife as well, loved mine until it went MIA.
 
I went out to a Bass Pro Shop (closest place to me that stocks decent knives) and hung around the knife section for about 20 minutes and not a single employee approached. I looked around for awhile and didn't see anyone except cashiers. Either way though, they didn't have the GB, nor did they have a Delica, or a Barrage...
I was going to take a look at the Emissary they had (it had a purple spacer), but didn't get the chance. Looks like I may just end up having to grab a knife from somewhere with a good return policy... haha
 
The para and millie are great, as is the gayle bradley, but I would also check out the sage series. I have a sage 2 and it is very low profile, perfect fit and finish, and not quite as aggressive imo as a para2. Also I love the clip. Any of the spyderco's in that range are great. I also love the chokwe, a bit different. and the calys are always nice. They have great stuff in your price range, try to hold some if possible and see what feels right to you. good luck!
 
Well I decided since I can't stop thinking about the Gayle Bradley I'd just go ahead and grab one. Still not sure how I'll feel about it, but I know I can return it with ease.

I'm really hoping this knife will change my perception on Spyderco. I went to play with my Tenacious to get used to a Spyderhole again, and I can honestly say that is has some of the worst action I've ever experienced on a knife that cost over $10. I have some cheaper Gerber and Winchester knives that sell for a max of $15 and they feel way smoother. I even loosened the Tenacious' pivot to the point where the screw head was coming away from the scale and I could still barely get the knife to open properly. I can't imagine this is normal for the knife, but mine came in like this (and I took it apart to oil it up before thinking I should return it).
 
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