Best EDC of these 7?

TripleB67

TripleB67

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Jan 28, 2016
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I'm looking to move on from a small Case pocket knife that I've been carrying off and on for 35 years now. After reading all your recommendations on my last topic and reading numerous reviews from all over the web, I've narrowed down my choice for my first 'larger' quality EDC knife to the following 7 possibilities (of course some of them have several color/blade options):


Kershaw Cryo

Kershaw Link 1776

Kershaw RJ Tactical 1987

Kershaw Skyline

Ontario 8860/8861 Rat II

Spyderco Persistence G10

Spyderco Tenacious


Which two of those seven do you feel are the best EDC knives?

Also, any advice on a simple to use and inexpensive sharpener would be greatly appreciated as well.

Thanks for all your help and advice on this post as well as my last one.

TripleB67
 
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Yeah rat 2... Tenacious if you are a fan of the spider hole. But I would go with the rat just about everytime.
 
Kershaw Skyline! Clips in the corner of my back pocket. Hardly know it's there. Kershaw Leek is my second choice, even though you didn't mention it.
 
I own two of the seven and have handled most of them (excluding the rat 2 and the 1987). Of those I like the skyline best for it's weight and thickness(or lack there of). I don't like when carrying tip up there is a little to much handle sticking out, because of that I carry tip down on that one. The other downer on the skyline is the increased price. When I bought mine they were closer to $35 which I thought was a good deal.
 
I've owned all of those except the 1987, and its an easy choice for me:

If I can only have one, the SKYLINE every time. Best steel, lightest and slimmest carry, and still a strong 3" blade and great ergos. For a second knife I would get the Tenacious hands down to be my worker. Its a grand slam knife for pennies, but a big heavy and bulky to be my only knife. Persistence really isn't that much smaller or lighter in pocket.

Spyderco Sharpmaker.
 
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I like the Rat II and Skyline out of those. I love Spyderco but the Tenacious line doesn't do much for me.

And I kinda hate the Cryo, having owned one for a time. It's just so heavy for the size...
 
Judging by all of the votes for it, looks like the Rat II is an incredible knife for the price ($25).

I love the looks of the black blade, but can anyone tell me how the black on this blade holds up? Would I be better off going with the silver blade?

It looks like I'm going to have to take a closer look at the Kershaw Skyline...I didn't pay much attention to it because it's a bit over my budget and I figured of the Kershaws, the Cryo would probably get the most votes. Since I really like the idea of a 'flipper', I'll definitely have to check this one out a little more.

For those of you who offered sharpener suggestions, thank you. Obviously it doesn't look like there are any worth purchasing under $20?

Again, I appreciate all the help and look forward to some more responses.

TripleB67

 
Here's a Skyline that's in your budget-----> http://kershawguy.com/products-page/kershaw/kershaw-1760-skyline-folder/

The black on the RAT's is really not much more than paint. It shows wear very easily and scuffs easily. I've also seen them get kind of ashy looking. It's not a big deal, just don't expect it to stay new looking if you use it. Of course a worn, Fallout kind of look can be cool.

If you really feel like you're leaning toward the RAT 2, at least take a look at the RealSteel H6-S1 http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/RST7774/realsteel-knives-h6-s1-frame-lock-folder-sandvik-14c28n-plain-blade-g10-carbon-fiber-handles. It really is a better RAT, and I own both. Honestly, I'm a little underwhelmed by the RAT 2. The liners on it are much thinner than a RAT 1 or an H6, so it truly is a light use EDC knife. Also, the handle slabs on all RAT's are cheap plastic whereas the H6 comes in decent quality G10 or peel-ply carbon fiber (the same stuff Spyderco uses). After some heavy duty cutting up cardboard, I had the liner lock on a RAT 2 advance to almost 80% from 25%...not good.

Don't get me wrong, the RAT 2 is a great knife but has remained unchanged for some years now and the competition has caught up and passed it in many cases. I'll probably get flamed for this :rolleyes:

Yeah, cheap draw through sharpeners are more likely to damage a knife than sharpen it. The Sharpmaker is a little more expensive than similar models from other companies, but the Sharpmaker comes with a DVD that does a really nice job showing you how to use it.
 
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