Recommendation? Any newcomer EDCs I should check out? (Last 5 years or so)

S

Shawn7656

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Feb 15, 2012
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So last time I logged in Blade Forums was YEARS ago. I still love knives but have found myself only wanting to buy nice ones, which means I've found myself buying less - both due to cost and due to not really feeling like I'm missing anything with my current selection. I haven't bought a nice knife since my ZT 0450 like 5+ years ago and haven't really been paying attention to the knife world during that time either.
I used to swap between my ol 154cm Griptillian, my Spyderco Gayle Bradley (for being fancy), and my 0450, but I'd say now the 0450 is my go to about 95% of the time because:
- it's light
- low profile
- easy to use one handed
- Lefty friendly
- looks like a tool and not a weapon.
The Gayle Bradley was always too chunky and heavy to carry frequently, and I've had the Grip for like 12 years so I'm just kind of bored of it, but I still love the ease of use and the Axis lock.

So, any new models or companies to check out? Looking for sub $200 and hopefully one that checks most of the boxes mentioned above (lefty friendly high on the list). Feel free to also suggest some older but less popular options as well!!
 
I have really enjoyed my Demko 20.5s. In the K110 (*D2?) offerings, they'll set you back about a buck-and-a-quarter.

The action is silky smooth when opening, and super easy to close with the "Shark Lock". And yes, everything about them is ambidextrous. They come in a standard clip point and a "Shark Foot" (*sheepsfoot) that definitely looks more like a utility knife than something scarier.


Happy hunting.
 
I have all of those. I love the 0450 ergos and action, but I am not a fan at all of the blade geometry. It seems really thick BTE and just doesn't cut well. I love the rest of the knife enough that I would actually consider a regrind on that one to make it a gem.

I got a Hogue RSK to replace the Griptilian - don't like the thumb-studs (replaceable, but not that easy), and the scales are really sharp. I replaced the thumb-stud and scales and I like it now, but that's over budget.

Spyderco Gayle Bradley - well, that's my perfect knife (version 2, but version 1 works for me), but that's not fully ambi with the right-hand liner lock.

Light, low profile, one-handed, ambi, and under $200, I think you might like a Bugout. I haven't been on forums that long, so I'm just figuring out Benchmade is not very well liked, maybe for good reasons I guess. I have a Bugout, Mini-Bugout, Griptilian, and Mini Crooked River, and I'm really happy with all of them.
 
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The Benchmade Mini Bugout is insanely light, ridiculously low profile, effortless to use one handed (either hand), and looks like its only use is tool-like in nature.

I've been here since Y2K-ish, and I gotta say it's one of the finest carries I've ever had the pleasure of carrying.

Welcome back!
 
Velitrius said:
The Benchmade Mini Bugout is insanely light, ridiculously low profile, effortless to use one handed (either hand), and looks like its only use is tool-like in nature.

I've been here since Y2K-ish, and I gotta say it's one of the finest carries I've ever had the pleasure of carrying.

Welcome back!
Click to expand...

Agreed. As small as it is, I can somehow wrap it with a full grip, and it can be deployed with thumb-stud or just pulling back the lock with a flip and gravity drops. I can clip it anywhere, whether I'm wearing formal business attire or jeans and it disappears. For the $100 I paid for it, it is one hell of a USA-made knife.

I do like the regular Bugout better...it's marginally bigger / heavier and a lot more comfortable to me.
 
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I use a civivi elementum wharncliffe for work. Which I leaned pretty heavily towards easy in and out of my pocket so I could stash it in between cutting jobs.

It isn't a lefty. But it has a flipper and a liner lock so it is fine on the left side.

I went the nitro v for the rust resistance. But there is also a Damascus.
 
Get a Wharncliffe Hogue Deka in MagnaCut and throw on some OG Goat Aluminum or Flytanium Ti scales. It's similar to your 0450, only with an AXIS-like lock, a thumb stud, and much better steel. The action and edge out of the box on mine are better than any Benchmade I've owned.

The OG Goat scales put the total at just under your max. The Flytanium scales are $40 over budget and don't (yet) come in lefty variants, but are the design I prefer. Plus, the Wharncliffe blade makes it look like an overgrown box cutter, which is a shoe-in for the most tool-looking knife ever made. Don't get a Deka without aftermarket scales, though. They're real bad.
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Lightweight, easy to carry, comfortable in the pocket (thin profile and great clip) and lefty friendly- Benchmade Bugout/Bailout. I personally have the m4 Bailout and love the aluminium handle though I’d prefer if it wasn’t a tanto. Still in my top favourite knives to carry. Some people find the handle of the Bugout clumsy, others like it. If you get one and find yourself loving the knife but not too much the handle - there are a ton of aftermarket handles available at pretty reasonable cost - g10, micarta, titanium, copper, brass, ect.
 
The bugout and the native 5 le are great

Cheaper option from civivi : the vison fg.
It is a great knife and very fun to play with.
 
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