Best folder for $200 for "all around" use?

The paramilitary 2 would be my choice of course. Great all around blade size, shape. Great ergos, lock, 4 way clip choice. They are a bargain for $100.
 
Is her husband a knife nut or not? He might have already what has been suggested, if the 200$ mentioned is his usual buying price range. If not, being a gift, Military or Paramilitary is good suggestion, being a balanced option between slicer and hard use.

If he is not a knife nut, why go for 200$? An Endura 4 FFG purple handle will be enough for every day use as general purpose knife. Purple is to make it more sheepie friendly.
 
I think that if a guy says: "General use", what he really means is anything he may run into. That would cue me to go with a "worst case", scenario type of blade.

Having said that, I like the Para 2 (as has been suggested), but have some concerns about its tip strength if used for such things as drilling a starter hole for a bow drill fire starter rig (this would be a "worst case"), for sure!

A ZT 0350 would be a good choice for the "possible bushcrafter", yet the Para 2 would be well suited for just about everything else. At approximately $100 each, I say buy both the Para 2 and the ZT. The Para 2 for 90% of EDC carry and the ZT for those times when a more robust blade might be required. Or, buy both, let him decide, return the other one and save $100.

 
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Jakeboy said:
I think that if a guy says: "General use", what he really means is anything he may run into. That would cue me to go with a "worst case", scenario type of blade.

Having said that, I like the Para 2 (as has been suggested), but have some concerns about its tip strength if used for such things as drilling a starter hole for a bow drill fire starter rig (this would be a "worst case"), for sure!
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I tend to disagree. Digging a hole in a wood, if done correctly, need not to have a thick tip. I'm pretty sure my thin 8Cr13Mov Navy K631 tip can do that. Of course no prying off the wood. Shave away from the center, make a inverted cone into the wood only takes a bit more time than prying off chunks of wood.

And Para 2 has a much better steel than Navy .. ;)
 
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Chris "Anagarika";10228183 said:
I tend to disagree. Digging a hole in a wood, if done correctly, need not to have a thick tip. I'm pretty sure my thin 8Cr13Mov Navy K631 tip can do that. Of course no prying off the wood. Shave away from the center, make a inverted cone into the wood only takes a bit more time than prying off chunks of wood.

And Para 2 has a much better steel than Navy .. ;)[/QUOTE

Shhhh! I'm trying to get the guy a couple of knives. Hehe!
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I would really hesitate to recommend a Spyderco as a gift for non-knife people. However fine they may be, their aesthetics are unique, not classical, and the knee-jerk reaction of a lot of non-knife people is that they're ugly. If this is a gift from a non-knife-person to a non-knife-person that doubles the chance of it failing on aesthetic grounds and never having a chance to prove itself. In this case I'd pay a lot of attention to cosmetics, that's literally all they will be able to judge it by at the time it's given. You want a good knife, but also something that they'd be proud to give/receive at a glance, without any specialized knowledge.

I'd sure prefer to know more about the guy, but lacking that, I might go with the ZT-0350CB (the later version, probably) as others have mentioned. Not too big or intimidating, visibly sturdy and confidence-inspiring, generally useful design, non-delicate tip, easy open, four-way clip, sweeping lines, non-coated blade, liner lock is quieter than frame lock, and the bit about it visibly being two different steels in the blade tends to impress the heck out of non-knife people (once you explain to them what they're looking at, anyway). That's something still relatively new and unique in the field, and just the sort of thing a non-knife person might really appreciate as a recommendation from a knife person, and well within the price limit.

Hell, I'm selling myself on the silly thing... on the other hand, an AO flipper might be a bit too dramatic for newbies. Tough call.
 
All of the knives mentioned above are great. The only ones I'm still missing are the Bradley Alias (just around $200) and perhaps a couple of other Benchmades. Make sure you pick the ones with good steel and an Axis lock.
 
Para2, Gayle Bradley, ZT 200, Buck 110 ... you don't need to spend $200 to get a good blade.
 
I keep thinking how neat my first Buck 110 was - but a basic one can be had for $30 or less at even Wally World. US made, you get also order a custom model from Buck's Custom Shop (Check their website.). A basic blue Dymondwood, nickel silver bolstered, S30V bladed variant can be had shipped with a nylon sheath for ~$86 (see below) - or several times your price, for really exotic handle materials. You can get them engraved, too. A local basic 110 to whet his appetite while the 4-8 week wait goes by and a nice custom should add to less than $200. Just another thought!

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Stainz
 
I say benchmade 581. Solid knife. M390 steel. Aluminum bolsters. Smooth G10. Axis assist.

I use that knife to peel my orange, cut straps off of freight, whittle and split firewood for small campfires, and then still cut stray threads off my clothes. This has been my edc for four months. Still cutting and a solid lockup.
 
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