EDC Recomondation after a broken CS Recon 1

Judging from the wear on your Recon1 it seems like you don't tend to lose knives often. If that's the case go for the higher end steel. That said I would go for a Spyderco Manix2 LW in s110v. You will not get a better steel at a better price (if you can find one). I would also say that the Hk 14715 Axis is one helluva bargain too. If you can get the ZT 0350 for around $100 that is right with them.
Best of luck!!
 
Why not just get another Recon 1? Prying at the edge would likely break most folders so there's no reason to spend more if it's worked well otherwise.
 
Im checkin out the Hk 14715 Axis and the ZT 0350


haha the wrench wasn't used on the knife..i used it to hold something in place, abother big issue i had witht he Recon 1 was my pockets are destroyed
 
Look at the Benchmade 915 Triage. Yes, it's outside your intended price range but it was designed for first responders like yourself.

Never mind...Just remembered no seatbelt cutter or glass breaker.
 
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I work for a Boat Shop working on peoples expensive toys, i was working on a Catalinia 250(sailboat) and i stuck the blade in(mind you the whole blade fit) in a turnbuckle on one of the shrouds to loosen it up so we could take the mast down for the winter, i applied a little pressure with a crescent wrench on the shroud, and the chuck just fell out of the blade....it was freken weird.


haha the wrench wasn't used on the knife..i used it to hold something in place, abother big issue i had witht he Recon 1 was my pockets are destroyed

I usually don't jump into these sorts of threads and try to tell people what they should and shouldn't use their knives for.

If I understand your story correctly, you put the blade into the shroud turnbuckle (like the one pictured below left) to prevent it from twisting while you used a crescent wrench to loosen the nut. This puts a tremendous amount of lateral stress on the blade, and while the thickness at the spine of the blade can probably handle it, the thin hollow grind can not. There may be some folding knives that could have survived that with 'acceptable' damage, but they would have to be folding tanks, and I seriously doubt there are any folding knives that could come away truly unscathed. Perhaps if you are super careful and somehow keep all the contact force on the spine of the blade, you could get away with it, but truly that's more trouble than just going to get a large flathead screwdriver.

turnbuckles.jpg


Again, I'm not trying to tell you not to use your knife however you like, but I just think it's unfair to have an expectation of that type of utility from a Recon 1, stout blade that it is. And I think that if you go into buying any of the suggested replacements with the expectation that they will fare much better in a similar use, then you are going to be disappointed.
 
It's smaller than what you want, but I have been very pleased with the Kershaw Cryo g10. I wrote a review of it on my blog (Link here: http://centergnome.blogspot.com/2014/12/kershaw-cryo-g10-review.html ). And for the price you could buy two or three and stay within your budget. It's a little small, but I have been impressed. And Kershaw has a pretty good reputation on the service end.

Another option I would suggest for the under 100 is the Gerber Applegate Fairbairn Covert for the size you were looking for. Mine does well for heaver tasks. I know Gerber does not get much love on this forum, but I have been happy with them over the years. I also wrote a little about that knife, but it's not really a review so I won't link to that here.
 
Go flat grind with the Voyager. Tougher knife than the Recon. I've owned both but kept the voyager. I've seen the same fracture in other CS hollow grind blades. FYI, if you are hard on knives like this I wouldn't buy anything over 100 bucks, you'll just be hurting that much more when you snap your s110v blade. That and you'll get roasted for telling people here you used a "better" knife in the manner you used the Recon.
 
Get a Benchmade. They have the best customer service. The Griptilian line should work perfectly for you.
 
Alright i purchased the HK 14715 Axis, made in the USA by Benchmade, sold by Benchmade, D2 steel. Shipped for 99$

i also got an ontario Rat 1....well just because :D
 
The BM you picked will be a good knife, be careful with the D2 blade, doesn't handle the abuse like the softer AUS8a on the Recon.
 
Since you work in a job where you can actually hard use your knives I'm assuming that there aren't a ton of knife types that would be frowned upon. If that's the case I would agree with what amg137 said and would suggest a fixed blade. You could scout carry an izula pretty easily. I guess you could scout carry an esee 3 or rat 3 pretty easily for that matter too. It seems like you probably wouldn't get a lot of weird looks for doing that.

That's a bummer though Recon's are pretty tough knives and to have one fail like that is unfortunate. Had you broken a different knife and posted the same thread, I would've suggested a recon, ak47, or American Lawman. Hopefully with a break that big they will warranty it for you.
 
Get an 810 (Benchmade Contego) clip for your new purchase. It really completes the package. Contact BM and they'll send you one for free.
IMAG0032_zps2tagiwh_edit_1417878427277_zpsp0qodbv3.jpg
 
Hk 14715 Axis.
3.7" .150 thick(give or take a few thousandths) D2 blade
Full steel liners with G-10 grips
Axis lock
Made in USA by Benchmade
Can be had for just under $100
It's a tough beast that screams value.
Highly recommended!

This would be my recommendation. It's kind of a budget Adamas and should hold up to abuse pretty well.
 
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