Buying my first real folder

M

My Young Apprentice

Joined
Dec 8, 2012
Messages
132
Hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster here. This forum has taught me tons as far as sharpening and general knife information goes. I still have a lot to learn (especially with sharpening...jesus it's hard to keep the bevel)

Regardless, back on topic, I'm getting my first high quality folder sometime soon, and looking at these three knives.
A Kershaw Skyline http://www.bladehq.com/item--Kershaw-Skyline-Knife-1760-3-Bead--8520,
A Kershaw Oso Sweet Spring Assisted http://www.bladehq.com/item--Kershaw-Oso-Sweet-Spring--3654, or a
Spyderco Tenacious http://www.bladehq.com/item--Kershaw-Oso-Sweet-Spring--3654

My main considerations/questions are this;
Kershaw Skyline-Obviously a very popular model, and for good reasons. What about the steel though? Sandvik 14C28N. I couldn't find it on the steel FAQ, and upon some research could only find that it seems to be a very good steel. What do you guys think? What common steel can it be compared to?

Kershaw Oso Sweet-Spring assisted goodness...I can see myself playing with the knife for a long time. But how long do those mechanisms hold up?

Spyderco Tenacious-This is obviously a good knife all around, I guess my only question with this one is how does it compare to the Skyline.

I am horrible at making decisions, any help from pros that own these knives or have played with them would be greatly appreciated!
Also, I want to support the forum as much as possible. Does bladehq fall under this category? If not I'd love to be re-directed to a dealer that supports the site.
 
deployment preference can be a factor. you've got thumbstuds, flippers, thumbholes, automatics...what do you think you'd prefer? thumbstuds can get in the way of sharpening systems sometimes, flippers can stick out of the frame too much, thumbholes (many spydieholes) can have a hump on the spine of the blade, some people dont like this.

locking mechanisms also can influence a decision tremendously. you've got backlocks, linerlocks, framelocks, compression, axis, tri-ad...

handle material? size? beefy or slim? pocket clips? assisted?

the first folder i spent more than a hundred bucks on was a ZT0400, and i still love that thing.

Among your choices, since you are new to this, i think you might really get a kick out of the assisted Kershaws. I've never had a problem with them failing on me ever.
 
the syline has a few things that might benefit you over your other two choices 1 the sandvic steel is easy to sharpen and holds a decent edge 2 I have been told by a good friend and forum member(fastriot14)that the thumb studs act as a sharpening guide so that should help you keep the angle constant.You can ask fastriot14 more about that if you want.
 
The tenacious was my first 'real folder." It IS made in China though, so if you want to support local you should buy a knife made in the US or Canada. You can find it for a great price on amazon. You might also consider the Buck Vantage Pro, that is a VERY high value for money knife. I love the lines on that knife, and it comes with good steel too.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, and Timbit, I'll definitely keep that Buck in mind for later. S30V and G10 for that price? Sounds awesome. But I think for now I'll take gooey's advice and get the Kershaw Oso Sweet with assisted opening. Decent steel and a really great price (25 bucks) make it a good first one, and one that if I don't like I won't worry about the fact that I wasted too much money.
 
I'm partial to the Kershaws myself, but see if you can find someplace to handle them before you buy. How a knife feels in your hand is real important, and can be hard to predict from pictures.
 
I was recently in your position. Have you considered the Kershaw Blur? It is kind of similar to what you're looking at. On Amazon you can get it for about the same price as the Skyline. It also comes in the 14C28N steel or S30V (but the S30V is more expensive).
 
In order your choices should be:
1.) Kershaw Skyline - Has G-10 handles, nice liners that aren't too thin or thick, lightweight, feels good in the hand, great EDC size, Sandvik steel is easy to sharpen, gets shaving sharp, and holds its edge well. It really packs a lot of blade in the handle considering the size and the blade shape works wonderful for a little bit of everything.

2.) Spyderco Tenacious - Slightly cheaper steel than the Kershaw and is made in China versus the USA. The knife is sharp when you get it, easy to get sharp again, and will hold its edge for a decent amount of time. 8cr13mov isn't a bad steel, but it's definitely not the best. I've never had any issue with rush on this steel, especially in the satin finish. Feels great in the hand with G-10 handles, a nice blade to handle ratio, liners aren't too thin or thick, and open pillar construction. Spyderco just makes great knives and honestly the fit and finish is on par with the Skyline.

3.) OSO Sweet - Another knife with a great blade to handle ratio, the handles on this one are thick and plastic-y which make it feel cheap. The action is nice, the blade shape is good, the steel(same as Tenacious) isn't bad, and Kershaw has an awesome warranty. However, I'd look at the other options around.

For a little more money you could always move up to the Spyderco Dragonfly, UKPK, Squeak - All around $50 or less with better steel options and such if you want.

But I've owned all the knives you mentioned and the Spyderco was probably carried and used the most. The Skyline is a great knife and I really like manual flippers over speed assist. I also carried a Skyline for quite a while.

Spyderco is my favorite company for several reasons, but Kershaw/ZT Are up there too.

In my opinion, for an introduction to two great companies, you can't go wrong with the Spyderco Tenacious or Kershaw Skyline.

Good luck in your hunt.
 
I keep on meaning to grab a kershaw. I've never owned one, and the skyline looks like a decent choice. I'm trying to choose between the skyline and the Spyderco Millie with Ti scales.
 
I know that you have decided, but here's my $.02........

I have all three of the knives that you mentioned. The Skyline is a solid midsize EDC knife. It fits well in the hand, and isn't too bulky in the pocket. The Tenacious is also a great knife. It's considerably larger and heavier than the Skyline, so keep that in mind. It uses 8cr13mov steel, which is actually a pretty decent chinese steel, but doesn't get alot of love around here from the steel snobs. It won't hold an edge as well as any of the 'Super' steels, but it's really easy to sharpen. And it's pretty comparable to the sandvic steel in the Skyline. Between these two knives you just need to choose a size preference, and weather you want a flipper or thumb deployment.

The Oso Sweet in my opinion doesn't really compare to the other two knives. The handle has a hard plastic feel to it compared to the other knives' G10, and just feels more like a lower end knife.
 
If you haven't pulled the trigger yet, I'd strongly suggest going with the Tenacious or Skyline over the Oso Sweet. I read through other opinions and have to say that you got some real solid thoughts from members who are familiar with the blades in question :thumbup:


gooeytek said:
Among your choices, since you are new to this, i think you might really get a kick out of the assisted Kershaws.
Click to expand...


Though my vote is against the assisted opener, I think gooeytek's reasoning is absolutely true. Everybody should enjoy at least one AO-- they are pretty darn cool.

But this is where my $.02 dwells. AO's are fun, but I've found that I don't really dig closing them. It just doesn't feel as organic in motion... does that sound weird? I prefer a more constant closing motion as opposed to no resistance, and then lots, loading a blade that might eject the knife out of your hand or the blade itself into you. I've done this more than once... barely broke skin, no big deal. But putting holes in clothes you like kinda sucks... sure I could be more careful haha.

Assisted openers are good at what they do, but if the reason you're choosing this option is to get your blade ready quickly from your pocket, a waved folder's got that beat. That is unless the folder is already out of pocket and in your hand... or somewhere within reach. With diminished motor skills or numb hands for example, AO's would probably be the way to go south of a fixed blade. Otherwise, some folders are smooth enough to thwack! open naturally, or some might use a combination of a flipper + something like the KVT bearing pivot system resulting in an incredibly fast/fluid opening-- but with the addition of smooth, non resisted closure ;)

Sometimes it's good to lean towards simpler parts under the hood-- possibly easier and less to clean, less to deal with. And other times, it's good to just have some fun! Haha... so I'd say if you're set on getting an assisted opener, save up a little more and grab something you might dig ever more. There are many great offerings from Kershaw and others. Good luck!
 
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Oh, and you might want to check out Kershawguy's page. A sweet looking brown G10 black DLC Skyline should be hitting my doorstep on Monday.
He ships quickly too! :)

I've had great experiences with BladeHQ as well :thumbup:
 
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I haven't pulled the trigger yet, that was just me being indecisive again...xP
I may have to wait until Friday anyway, payday. I have plenty of money right now...buuut seeing as I just bought a sharpening system, the wife may not be too happy with me buying a knife two days afterwards. Practicality and popularity has won over spring-assist though. I'll be getting one of those brown and black skylines that kershawguy is selling, looks pretty sick. And Skylines are legendary status around here, I can't resist owning one :)

OH, before I forget, I read somewhere that Purple webbed blurs were extremely hard to find, and I saw that Kershawguy is out of stock on them. If anyone is looking for one BladeHQ has them. http://www.bladehq.com/item--Kershaw-Knives-Purple-Blur-Spring--12704
 
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