Assisted Opener

G

GeckosGoMoo

Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
4
So, I'm extremely new to the knife-world and was wondering if ya'll could help me out in my next knife selection. My first knife was a cheap balisong that my brother fished out of a lake. I played with it until the pins became ridiculously loose, at which point (a month ago) I bought a BM51. Aside from flipping I've also been using it as an EDC knife. I love the knife, but as far as EDC goes, I'd like something less flashy and a little bit more legal (in MT it's illegal to carry a concealed knife whose blade is 4 inches or longer, so technically although the cutting-blade is under 4 inches, the entire blade is just barely over 4 inches).

So, what I really want is for ya'll to suggest knives from multiple companies that fit what I'm looking for. Like I said, I'm pretty new, so I'd really appreciate it if I got a broad array of brands so that I can start to get the feel for all the different knife brands out there. I played with an assisted opening Kershaw at my local sporting good store with a flipper on it and I like the flipper quite a bit.

What I'm looking for specifically:
Assisted opening folder (with and without flippers)
Blade length: 3-4''
Blade shape: Something like a clip point, sabre, or reverse tanto. I'd also like it to have a nice belly on it.
Price range: Primarily under 100$, though for the sake of my research, don't be afraid to recommend knifes that are up to 150$.

So far the knife that I'm stoked on the most through my own research is the Kershaw Rake. I love the shape of it, and while I don't know too much about steel, from what I've read it seems like a pretty killer composite. I know my BM51 is all D2, though for my usage and my experience, I'm not sure I'd ever tell the difference if it wasn't (except for when sharpening, but once I get a new knife I'm not sure I'll ever need to do that)
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Thanks in advance!
 
It's not exactly what you're looking for, but I used to really like the Kershaw Scallion. It's pretty much the perfect modern EDC blade. But I came to like more traditional knives, and I quit carrying it.
 
For being a starter, I'd shy away from the Rake. It has D2 steel, and it is a harder steel to sharpen, even for some more "experienced" sharpeners.
I know you want an assisted opener, but a knife that fits your criteria (other than the A/O) is the Spyderco Para-Military 2. It gets a lot of praise around here, and truly is a great knife. To tell you the truth, with practice, you can flip the blade out pretty fast with the opening hole.
The Kershaw Pack-Rat is also a good one, as well. Has a nice belly, and meets the A/O criteria.


Good luck. Tell us if you end up finding something. :thumbup:
 
I recommend you take a look at the Kershaw Blur. It's a great knife and comes in many different colors and blade steels. I believe there are different blade shapes as well.
 
If you use a BM 51 then the CPM D-2 steel in the Rake will be just fine for you. Takes and holds a killer edge.

Check out the Kershaw Subforum - you can talk to lots of people who own a Rake: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/809-Kershaw-Knives-Zero-Tolerance

Regarding the laws - if you have the knife clipped to your pocket, then you should be fine regarding carrying it in the "open" and not intending to conceal it.

Everybody that I've seen who has a Rake has loved theirs - you can't go wrong! :thumbup:
 
Kershaw Shallot AO SS Frame Lock with good belly 3.5" blade thing is a tank and a slicer with good steel. Buddy of mine has been EDCing one for a while now and has nothing but good things to say about this blade being that he is very hard on his tools (auto tech) that says a lot to me.
 
I have a Kershaw Blackout, which fits your description pretty well.

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3 1/4 inch blade (14C28N steel), Assisted opening, nice comfy handle. Only thing, its belly isn't all that huge.

Just thought I'd throw out another option for you :).

Good luck with whatever you do.
 
Geckos,

There's a killer deal for a G-10 Kershaw Speedbump for 70% off its original price (Think $30) at a major distributor. PM me if you want more details.
 
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Well at the $150 price range the Benchmade 581. I love mine, M390 steel is great and its not that hard to sharpen :)
 
Thanks for everyone who replied, and thanks knivesandguns for the deal info, though as far as the speedbump goes, I watched a few youtube reviews and I don't really like the stud-lock on it. l I have alot to pick from and I like quite a few of them equally. I think I'm going to take a trip to a few stores and see if they have any of these knives in stock (and especially hopefully the speedbump so I can try the lock first hand). If I had to pick one that I'm leaning towards it'd be the Pack Rat, with the Blur close behind.

Thanks again for all the help!
 
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My experience with AO is that I will not own one unless it can be opened via flipper ala most Kershaws. I had one Benchmade AO that opened via thumbstuds and came very close to some bad cuts , maybe it's just something you get used to but for all around safety sake the flipper AO is the way to go , in my opinion.

Tostig
 
GeckosGoMoo said:
Thanks for everyone who replied, and thanks knivesandguns for the deal info, though as far as the speedbump though, I watch a few youtube reviews and I don't really like the stud-lock on it. l I have alot to pick from and I like quite a few of them equally. I think I'm going to take a trip to a few stores and see if they have any of these knives in stock (and especially hopefully the speedbump so I can try the lock first hand). If I had to pick one that I'm leaning towards it'd be the Pack Rat, with the Blur close behind.

Thanks again for all the help!
Click to expand...

Sounds good! Please keep in mind that the Kershaw packrat is being discontinued as of 2012. The blur is one of my favorite EDC knives -- I have three of them. You really can't go wrong with a blur :)
 
I recommend the Taylor cutlery smith & wesson SWATLB model, works great, holds an edge about as good as any of my 50 something dollar mid range folders, the handle might be a little too sharp for serious heavy duty cutting, and the thumbstud is kinda sharp so it kinda hurts to open it when it's folded and locked.
Metal handle makes it rather slippery despite the extremely high friction tape on the left side, but it's not much of a problem tanks to the MOD mark 1 style forward handle flare which i LOVE
Cheap chinese crap at it's best.
 
I like the BM Barrage 581, it comes at just under $100. It has about a 3.6 inch blade, the assist is very good. It has plastic handles, but they feel just fine to me. The only thing is it doesn't have a lot of belly on the blade. My criticisms about the rake you mentioned are, the handle is to small for my hands, the ergonomics make my hand feel cramped and i have medium size hands i'd say, the assist is a little on the weak side, and they blade is a little thick for my use, just by a little.
 
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