best small folder?

J

jackG

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
Messages
107
I own 2 folders. A Wegner jr. and Buck lockback. The Buck, a larger hunter type, was an award and is not carried daily. I would need a shoulder rig to carry it with a sport coat. I own the Wegner by choice and it's a great little utility knive. Here's the deal. We all need new stuff now and then, and that's particularly true of knives. I'm thinking about buying another a small folder under say, $200, something a little more tactical. I've been reading through the posts and trying to narrow down the field. I'm kind of leaning toward a Mini SOCOM. However I've never handled one - only seen pictures and read the comments. My questions are, how good is MT's stuff and that knife in particular, and what other knives could be compared to it in quality, edge holding, etal? Thanks, Jack
 
IMHO, the BEST small folder is the small wood inlay Sebenza; period.

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RICK - Left Handers Unite
 
The MT Mini SOCOM is a great little knife, and built as bulletproof as the regular SOCOMs. You'll be hard pressed to find a bad one - the MicroTech QC is about as good as it gets. I've got several fullsize Microtechs and love them all but I'm thinking of getting a mini clip point SOCOM for when i need a smaller knife.

Anyway, if you're shopping for something else, these are two alternatives:

- CRKT Point Guard, Mirage, M16 (for less than $50, you can't hardly get a better knife than CRKT's line)

- BM940 Osbourne @ $120 (Axis lock is super solid and the handles are hand-filling and comfortable)

Red

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"Praise not the day until evening has come;a sword until it is tried; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk" - Viking proverb

[This message has been edited by redvenom (edited 11-10-2000).]
 
CRKT Mirage is is one of the best little knives that I have ever owned.
Surprisingly, very very sharp out of the box.

And as stated before, for the money, it can hardly be beat.

--The Raptor--
 
Not sure that you can call this a small knife because of the size of the handle, but the Spyderco Gunting has a 2 7/8 inch blade and is a beautifully made folder.
 
Mini-Socoms are great, Small Sebenza's are great, although that would bust the $200 price range.....the little BM705 Axis lock is not bad either and pretty much anything by CRKT is great!

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Knives & Things
Mike Payne
 
Originally posted by jackG:
Here's the deal. We all need new stuff now and then, and that's particularly true of knives. I'm thinking about buying another a small folder under say, $200, something a little more tactical. I'm kind of leaning toward a Mini SOCOM.
Click to expand...

So you are looking for a small folder with some tactical characteristics. Well, I have never heard anything significantly bad about the Mini SOCOM, but at a 3.2" blade, does it qualify as small? If it does, as far as I know, that is a decent blade to get. Microtech tends to set its prices a little high, but they are high quality from what I hear. (Never handled one, but a lot of respected forumites love and respect these blades like their own children.) I would also recommend checking out the Benchmade AXIS Series -- good steel, durable construction and one of the best locks in the business. I HAVE handled these, and can attest to their overall good quality. Also, on a little of the longer side but with a little more tacticility (is that a word?) I would recommend the Al Mar SERE 2000 (3.6" blade). I can't find anything wrong with this knife either, aside from its weight. (Which I like.) At $120 it wont break the bank, especially if you have a $200 budget.

Happy knifin'

--defiant
 
Jack,
This depends on what you are considering as "small, a little more tactical folder"
smile.gif

If MT Mini SOCOM with 82 mm long blade is enoug little and enough tactical for you I could advise better or at least not worse appliement for your $200. Buy both BENCHMADE Model 940 Osborne and Mini AFCK. I think you could find them both within this price limit.
In this case you will have pretty, not scary looking but still tactical knife for suit carry and normaly looking true tactical knife for daily cutting tasks.



[This message has been edited by Sergiusz Mitin (edited 11-14-2000).]
 
The mini SOCOM is OK, but mine just sits in the drawer (didn't even make the safe)! I got mine for $100 from Spark and Mike at 1st. Stop Knife Shop. It's a great knife if you are not careful and you plan to loose it.

But if you want a keeper....

I would bust the $200 limit and buy the small Sebenza: Either new, or a not-too-used one off of BFC.

If you're already willing to spend $200 for your every day carry, it won't be long before you talk yourself into a Sebenza. So... why not save some money and buy it NOW!!!

Michael
(Owner of 8 CR knives ...no, it's not enough...yet!)

PS: If you buy right, you can always unload it here for almost what you paid...

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He who has smelt the smoke is never free again...
 
JackG,

I don't know how small a blade you want, but I would take a look at the Benchmade Mini-Stryker (Model 905). Only 2.9" blade, but a GREAT handle (better than the Mini-SOCOM, imho). Also, the Kershaw Black Out is fun, and even though it's a 440A blade, the bevel is excellent and it a heckuva lot of fun for around 50 bucks! And finally, the Benchmade 940 Warren Osbourne is a real keeper (though less "tactical" looking). Good luck!!
 
I have just handled the Benchmade 705 recently, and was very impressed. Slim and tight, with the slick axis lock. Great using blade for any task, and nice and light with the G10 handle scales. And with the black BT2 coating available, it can look as tactical as you want. And, yes, if you have the money, a Sebenza would be ideal.

Daniel D.

Forgot to mention, but since you already have a Spyderco, you owe it to yourself to become familiar with all the knives they have available. There are quite a few of the Custom designs that might please you.

[This message has been edited by Daniel Dorn (edited 11-14-2000).]
 
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