Favorite/best 3" (or less) fixed blade for EDC

[Deinos]

Just curious what everyone's choice is for a small, fixed blade EDC. I currently cycle between a Guardian 3 (3v / 3d scales) and the BRKT Essential (m4 / no bolster).

Overall utility, I prefer the Guardian. Easier for me to sharpen and touch up (not a ton of convex experience), and the overall ergos lends itself better to harder tasks. Love the look and feel of the Essential though, and it carries great in a pocket sheath with SAK or traditional riding beside it.

Also have a Candiru that I picked up to try out for neck carry. Like the idea of a tough, sharp, prybar of a knife just in case, but find I just don't use it nearly enough (probably going to get rid of it soon). Other folders fill its shoes well (minus the prybar-ness), such as the DF2.

So, what do you guys like?

 

[lieferung]

Spyderco Swick. Any model. Swick 1 is pointer than Swick 3. Swick 2/4 has a belly and slices well. All are easily carried/concealed and quite utilitarian. The G clip is great if you don't wear belts.

 

[Ryanol]

Candiru with micarta slabs in a homemade horizontal kydex belt sheath with a pull the dot style soft loop. probably 75% of the time in my pocket, 25% of the time on the belt.

2017-09-08_02-38-16 by Walter Klopek, on Flickr

It's been my experience the sheath/carry system is the most important aspect. The knife is somewhat secondary.

 

[KAEDC]

Here are my current favorite small fixed EDC carries.
1. Tactical Pterodactyl(TPK) Modified Midsize Raptor in 3V
2. TPK Modified Midsize Bowie in CPM154
3. TPK Modified Midsize Cleaver in 3V
4. Wilmont Grinders K25 in CPM Cru-wear
5. Wilmont Grinders Mini-Persian in CPM Cru-wear
6. Josh Mason Wharncliff in O1
7. Bradford Guardian 3 in 3V

Love them all, some are more practical than others, but all suit my needs just fine!

 

[tueller]

Esee 3, esee izula 2 (larger handle), ka-bar bk14.

 

[lieferung]

Here are my current favorite small fixed EDC carries.
1. Tactical Pterodactyl(TPK) Modified Midsize Raptor in 3V
2. TPK Modified Midsize Bowie in CPM154
3. TPK Modified Midsize Cleaver in 3V
4. Wilmont Grinders K25 in CPM Cru-wear
5. Wilmont Grinders Mini-Persian in CPM Cru-wear
6. Josh Mason Wharncliff in O1
7. Bradford Guardian 3 in 3V

Love them all, some are more practical than others, but all suit my needs just fine!

View attachment 762317

Love the look of the top two, the faded blue and orange handled ones.

 

[josh yu]

for under 3" benchmade 210tk snody activator. i freaking love this knive, and i can't explain why...

currently looking hard at a bark river mini-fox river. if anyone owns one, would like to hear about it. thanks!

 

[KAEDC]

Love the look of the top two, the faded blue and orange handled ones.

They are actually grey and coyote, light is just odd I guess. They are great tho, I hight recomend you check out TPK, made in South Carolina, the guy who does them is great.

 

[McFeeli]

Here are my current favorite small fixed EDC carries.
1. Tactical Pterodactyl(TPK) Modified Midsize Raptor in 3V
2. TPK Modified Midsize Bowie in CPM154
3. TPK Modified Midsize Cleaver in 3V
4. Wilmont Grinders K25 in CPM Cru-wear
5. Wilmont Grinders Mini-Persian in CPM Cru-wear
6. Josh Mason Wharncliff in O1
7. Bradford Guardian 3 in 3V

Love them all, some are more practical than others, but all suit my needs just fine!

View attachment 762317

That K25 is a beaut. .18 inch thick piece of CruWear would make it damn near indestructible. Thanks for putting a new blade on my wish list, that's just what I need, haha.

 

[Hickory n steel]

This.

 

[KAEDC]

That K25 is a beaut. .18 inch thick piece of CruWear would make it damn near indestructible. Thanks for putting a new blade on my wish list, that's just what I need, haha.

The K25 is super reasonably priced. $175 at Blade HQ when they have them. I think I saw on his Instagram feed that he is working on knives for a shipment to them now.

 

[josh yu]

This.

what the heck is that and where do i get one? does it have a sheath?

 

[McFeeli]

The K25 is super reasonably priced. $175 at Blade HQ when they have them. I think I saw on his Instagram feed that he is working on knives for a shipment to them now.

That's the first thing I did after seeing it! I saw a link to Blade HQ and then the price and it took me by surprise. I was expecting to see it towards $250. Not bad at all. I'll be keeping an eye out for that one now, haha.

 

[Hickory n steel]

what the heck is that and where do i get one? does it have a sheath?

I made it a couple years ago out of an old worn out hobby file, and it does have a very simple friction fit leather neck sheath. I made it to be a knife that could always be on me that's easy to forget about but quick access and very handy for cutting tape, string...ect where drawing a regular knife takes longer than the cutting tasks itself might.
It's 3/8 wide, 3/32 thick, and 2½ long with a 1" blade.

I'm sure many of the knife makers here could easily make you something
similar for under 50$.
This only took me about an hour to make with basic tools, so a knife maker with more fancy equipment could easily make something just like it in 15 minutes if you don't want it polished up or anything.

 

[Dair]

Can't go wrong with ESEE's little ones

 

[hhmoore]

What about this?

or, one of these

( josh yu I love my BRKT Mini Fox River)

 

[dalefuller]

The smallest FB I'll carry is a G3. Don't have any use for a FB smaller than that. I have 2 and they get 90% of my FB carry. My W A Surls Huntsman get the "dressy" carry.

 

[NJBillK]

I carry a CPK EDC just about every day. I find the 4V to hold up to my tasks incredibly well. Normally paper, double walled cardboard, plastics, light wood, scraping aluminum, and other warehouse and machine maintenance tasks.

Not very reactive and it is slow to patina, but that just means I don't have to oil it. I live in NJ with tidal salt water on three sides of my neighborhood within 5 blocks at most. No corrosion issues.

 

[DirtyPhill]

The Busse Game Warden is a favorite of mine

 

[Puleio]

Bradford Guardian 3 in m390 w/3D scales.

It works well, has handled everything I have thrown at it so far, and is easy to keep sharp. I like the leather sheath, but sometimes grab the kydex one when I know I'll do something messy and won't have a chance to properly clean the blade before sheathing it.

Of course, the other fixed blades I own are Moras, machetes, and a big prybar with an edge (aka. a chopper)....

Enjoy