EDC folder for all around use

Continued form previous post:

Ontario XM-1 & Utilitac II. The XM-1 has the distinction of carrying a U.S. Government part number, and is available to the military. Aluminum scales, titanium liners, N690Co blade steel, 0.200" thick blade. Excels at heavy duty work, would probably totally suck as a field dressing knife though. The Utilitac II is very economical, and can be had in something like sixteen or more variations between blade styles & handle configurations. (Mine has custom brass scales, stock Utilitac II's are nylon or FRN.



Spyderco Endura 4 & Delica 4. You should get both of these and see for yourself. Amazing values for the money. Mine are "Franken-knives", built from parts of other knives. ("FrankEndura" & "frankenDelica".)



Spyderco stainless Endura 4 & stainless Delica 4. Same as above, but heavier and more robust, great for outdoor work. A friend of mine does a lot of fishing out on the delta here, and swears by his stainless Delica. What little (if any) rust develops just wipes off at the end of the day.



Spyderco's Manix family.The first here is the large Manix I, the original lockback version. Thick, flat-ground blade, solid lock, huge grip with lots of ways to hold it for various types of cutting work. The next three are Manix II's: standard first run Manix II, saber-ground PE 154CM blade, G10 scales. The second is a later-production Manix II with a saber-ground S30V DLC-coated PE blade; custom Grimsmo scales. The third one I just acquired, flat-ground S30V PE DLC-coated blade, black G10 scales.

You can have the Manix II in almost any blade steel & handle scale combination you can imagine. If the handle option you want isn't available on a stock or sprint run knife, there's several custom makers who can make handle scales for you. The Manix is probably my all-time favorite Spyderco model.



~Chris
 
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And here's a thread where a member modified his Spyderco Delica 4. At the fifth photo in post #1, he talks about the number of game animals he's field dressed with it. Compared to the old U.S. Schrade "Sharpfinger, the blades are similar enough in shape to perform about the same, I'd think. (The sharpfinger was the go-to game knife for almost every outdoorsman I knew in Montana in the early 1980's.)

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1206697-spyderco-Delica4-makeover?highlight=delica

~Chris
 
Spyderco Stretch!
[video=youtube;8iULHkHOV3s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iULHkHOV3s[/video]

mccoppinb said:
What edc folder do yall see fit to do all around things from field dressing deer, cutting zip ties, cutting hose and rope to getting out splinters and doing more detailed work?

Must be 150 or less

Pics always make it better lol
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Wavester said:
Spyderco Stretch!
[video=youtube;8iULHkHOV3s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iULHkHOV3s[/video]
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Absolutely correct. If you dress a lot of game you will learn quickly that the Stretch blade shape is awesome. Also any ball bearing, piston, axis lock (like on a manix or benchmade) will get all gunked up with blood. And a liner lock isn't much better. It is without question, the best hunter folder is a lock back. That is why Dozier and Wegner and all the other greats don't make a true hunter with any other kind of lock. People can post all the pictures they want. Get a lock back with an adjustable pivot screw so you can take it apart if need be. Nothing pinned. I'm not saying others won't work in a pinch but you don't want issues in the field. And you don't want to puncture any organs with the wrong type of tip, spoiling the meat with bile.. as I said before if you never mentioned field dressing this would be a totally different conversation.
 
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Go check out victorinox.com, their larger knives have a 3" blade. Some models even have a Spyderhole for one hand opening, and among the assortment you can get whatever tools you want. They could probably dress out a deer, but there's EDC and there's hunting. For myself I have an Explorer Plus, and at some point all of the tools have been used. For hunting I like the Buck 110. Both of these knives can take a razor edge long enough to get the job done and are easy to resharpen. If you must have something that can dress out a buck, say your walking down the street and a dead deer falls out of the sky, I'd say get a 110 buck.
 
8UUrAry.jpg

these are my edc type folders.
get a cheap guthook and a butt-out for the buck with the money you save
 
Framelock works well too, as unlike a liner lock, there is no "in between" area to get gunked up, and since everything is exposed, it is very easy to clean aside from the pivot, which will be the same for any folding knife...
 
strategy9 said:
Framelock works well too, as unlike a liner lock, there is no "in between" area to get gunked up, and since everything is exposed, it is very easy to clean aside from the pivot, which will be the same for any folding knife...
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I disagree and so the knife makers that make true hunter folders. Frame locks have an all metal side which gets cold and slick when bloody while processing game on a cold day. Frame locks are fashionable and there are some awesome knives out there but fingers are prone to slippage on the lock side at times. Traction is key when dressing game. Also I find many of them to be overpriced unless you want 8cr steel
 
For field dressing, I much prefer a fixed blade for many reasons, not the least of which being a lack of areas to get gunked up and, with rare exception, better grip.

That said, I could not could not count how many deer i have fie;d dressed with a Buck 110. The point about a frame lock being "open" while a liner lock has a blood, fat, gristle collection area is a valid one. As for grip - again my comment on preferring fixed blades stands.

As for threats to an EDC, loss seems to be number one. Best way to mitigate against that very real threat is cost - which is why my EDC knives tend to be the lesser expensive ones. My favorites in the knife drawer are my Emersons and CRKs but I generally reach for something less expensive in an EDC. Ontario RAT 1 knives are very affordable for what you get, as are the Cold Steel Voyagers.
 
Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter:

30ulh.jpg


Just over 3" of blade, bead-blasted G-10 scales, and the hard-to-beat Triad Lock. If it's anything like my Code4, it will shave hair out of the box, and a little attention from the fine hones and a strop will keep it that way.
 
Shorttime said:
Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter:

30ulh.jpg


Just over 3" of blade, bead-blasted G-10 scales, and the hard-to-beat Triad Lock. If it's anything like my Code4, it will shave hair out of the box, and a little attention from the fine hones and a strop will keep it that way.
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Another awesome choice. So much like a dozier design but with demko's personal touch. It's the next cold steel on my list. Regardless of their hype based advertising, they have the strongest production lock out there. Also I like that basically all of them don't have (or need) steel liners.
 
GlockandBalls said:
I disagree and so the knife makers that make true hunter folders. Frame locks have an all metal side which gets cold and slick when bloody while processing game on a cold day. Frame locks are fashionable and there are some awesome knives out there but fingers are prone to slippage on the lock side at times. Traction is key when dressing game. Also I find many of them to be overpriced unless you want 8cr steel
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You'll note, I never said they work "better then" anything...
Just that they work well too, especially when compared to liner locks, and other locks with many moving parts that can get gunked up...
Also, while i havent had any trouble manipulating frame locks with gloves on (unlike liner locks), another point worth keeping in mind is that not all hunting and thus field dressing, takes place in cold climates, so "cold" metal surface may or may not affect someone differently depending on where and what they're hunting...

I prefer and recommend a fixed blade for field dressing,
The op asked about a folder, I recommended a cold steel;
My comment was just to imply that framelocks do (and can) work well enough for dressing game, in a "do-it-all" knife all year round...

Shoot, you could in theory dress a game with a slip joint, or even a really sharp rock for that matter... But given the option I would definitely choose a framelock over an axis lock or plunge lock, when considering the gunk that will accumulate.
 
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strategy9 said:
You'll note, I never said they work "better then" anything...
Just that they work well too, especially when compared to liner locks, and other locks with many moving parts that can get gunked up...
Also, while i havent had any trouble manipulating frame locks with gloves on (unlike liner locks), another point worth keeping in mind is that not all hunting and thus field dressing, takes place in cold climates, so "cold" metal surface may or may not affect someone differently depending on where and what they're hunting...

I prefer and recommend a fixed blade for field dressing,
The op asked about a folder, I recommended a cold steel;
My comment was just to imply that framelocks do +and can) work well enough for dressing game, in a "do-it-all" knife all year round...
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I just try to give the OP the best possible recommendation for his needs taking all factors into consideration. Not gonna waste time with suggestions that dont fit the bill in every facet. So at the end of the day your just trying to weigh in to have your voice heard but your recommendations aren't the best for what he needs. Also most Fram locks in his price range are assisted flippers (due to finger press on the frame lock inhibiting actuation when opening) Not what I want for a hunter. I'll stick with the best ideas: Stretch G10/zdp189, CS ultimate hunter, buck 110, blade tech wegner magnum hunter (in s30v, some on the bay auction site right now), and for budget kabar dozier hunter.
 
GlockandBalls said:
So at the end of the day your just trying to weigh in to have your voice heard but your recommendations aren't the best for what he needs.
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Well considering "my recommendation" was a cold steel code4, not much different from the cold Steel Master Hunter; which was one of your suggestions........... Hmmm?

I guess we're all here just "trying to have our voice heard", or we wouldn't respond, but while i suggested a cold steel code4, for edc purposes, I'm simply saying that he shouldn't completely rule out frame locks if he sees one he likes... They can make great edc knives, and can adequately field dress an animal during hunting season... And since the op didn't fill out his entire profile, I don't know if he's hunting elk or moose in the great north, or white Tail in Texas (where cold would not be much of an issue). You said most framelocks in his price range are assisted, but, not all are; kizer ki401 or 404 or v4455 with g10 are all manual flippers; or a Böker Plus Vox F3 II with g10 or carbon fiber or even a cheaper Böker M-type (g10) or the Kershaw Emerson cqc 4kxl for example, all framelocks, none of which are assisted, could all Serve as an appropriate edc, and can handle edc tasks with ease, and also can adequately field dress an animal if needed...

He can even pick up a (manual) zero tolerance 0550 2nd gen from kershawguy for $150 shipped...

Are they "the best options" for field dressing game? Certainly not, I think the best option is a quality fixed blade... Are they the "worst options" though considering the edc requirement??? Absolutely not... I can think of a few dozen worse options with ease (and the 0550 might be one of the best options available for edc if he worked construction, and wanted an overbuilt tank)... Just saying they are "viable" options, as they certainly can handle the job(s) of edc + field dressing game, as the op requested...

And I reiterate, my actual suggestion was none of the above, but a code 4... However if one of the above mentioned catches the op's eye, he shouldn't rule them out based on a frame lock, like I would suggest he do with all liner locks, axis locks, plunge locks, and the likes thereof...

The only "right" answer here is the one the op ultimately chooses... An edc he can hunt with, or an hunting knife he can edc, or one of many that falls somewhere in between.
 
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I f you need a blade with a strong tip, I'd recommend the Benchmade 940. But if tip strength isn't the most important thing, id recommend the Spyderco Paramilitary 2. Bothe a great knives for the money. If you decide on the 940 it is best to purchase in a store so you can look at the knife. The 940's can vary in blade quality and centering quite a bit.

The best part to knife shopping is the hunt for the perfect one.

If u ou don't have a store to purchase from I'd recommend gpknives.com
Great service!
 
strategy9 said:
Well considering "my recommendation" was a cold steel code4, not much different from the cold Steel Master Hunter; which was one of your suggestions........... Hmmm?

I guess we're all here just "trying to have our voice heard", or we wouldn't respond, but while i suggested a cold steel code4, for edc purposes, I'm simply saying that he shouldn't completely rule out frame locks if he sees one he likes... They can make great edc knives, and can adequately field dress an animal during hunting season... And since the op didn't fill out his entire profile, I don't know if he's hunting elk or moose in the great north, or white Tail in Texas (where cold would not be much of an issue). You said most framelocks in his price range are assisted, but, not all are; kizer ki401 or 404 or v4455 with g10 are all manual flippers; or a Böker Plus Vox F3 II with g10 or carbon fiber or even a cheaper Böker M-type (g10) or the Kershaw Emerson cqc 4kxl for example, all framelocks, none of which are assisted, could all Serve as an appropriate edc, and can handle edc tasks with ease, and also can adequately field dress an animal if needed...

He can even pick up a (manual) zero tolerance 0550 2nd gen from kershawguy for $150 shipped...

Are they "the best options" for field dressing game? Certainly not, I think the best option is a quality fixed blade... Are they the "worst options" though considering the edc requirement??? Absolutely not... I can think of a few dozen worse options with ease (and the 0550 might be one of the best options available for edc if he worked construction, and wanted an overbuilt tank)... Just saying they are "viable" options, as they certainly can handle the job(s) of edc + field dressing game, as the op requested...

And I reiterate, my actual suggestion was none of the above, but a code 4... However if one of the above mentioned catches the op's eye, he shouldn't rule them out based on a frame lock, like I would suggest he do with all liner locks, axis locks, plunge locks, and the likes thereof...

The only "right" answer here is the one the op ultimately chooses... An edc he can hunt with, or an hunting knife he can edc, or one of many that falls somewhere in between.
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So you're recommending a code 4 with aluminum handles for dressing deer? Cold or not it would be way too slippery. We'll just have to agree to disagree. I believe all of my suggestions are way superior to a Chinese Kizer or any other knife you mentioned. In the field that is.. And yes because he didn't fill out his whole profile I took every factor into consideration which you obviously did not. Nonetheless enjoy your Google searches.
 
So many options, but I like to recommend what I have and/or had personal experience with. Though I'd guess that's what most do.

Earlier the OP mentioned being drawn to the griptillian, but wanted g10. There is an option in the similar size range, cheaper, with g10 slabs. The HK Axis (by Benchmade) in D2/g10. So many like the Benchmade Grip size range, but don't like the plastic. They now have a g10 option with a premium price. But they had a great option all along with the HK, just a little under the radar. Sooooo.....

My choices (in the under $150 range) would be, in manual blades, the HK and Spydie PM2. For assisted actions the Kershaw Blur, or ZT 350.
 
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