Finished 1L; need celebratory knife recommendation!

T

Trout Tamer

Joined
Jan 20, 2004
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Hello, all my blade-loving 'net friends!

I just finished my first year of law school - 1L, or, as some call it, 1Hell - and am getting back to that which keeps me sane - the wilderness, working out, and keeping current with the latest in the wide world o' cutlery. What have I missed? What's the knife knut's good word?

More on point (yuk yuk!) I'm thinking of celebrating my successful completion of 1L with a knife purchase. I dig larger folding knives with trustworthy locks and decent blade steel; think 3.75"+ and AUS8 (if done right) through S30V.

I like G-10, but am not opposed to wood or Zytel for handle material. I'm not picky about lock type, as long as the lock-up is solid. I have lockbacks, liner locks, frame locks and Axis locks that have all stood me in good stead. For price, I'd like to keep things around $100, if at all possible.

What do y'all recommend?
 
The Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is really popular right now and about 105. There is a gray G10 carpenter steel version that just came out and is about 140 if you can find one which if you call around you might be able to find. It is basically the a tweaked S90V and should meet the definition of super steel if that is your thing.

There is the Benchmade Bone Collector with D2 steel and G10 and around 90. The handles are somewhat wide which makes for a good grip but takes up a little more pocket space. There is also a version with walnut handles if you like a more traditional look.

There are tons of great knives in your price range so I'm sure you will get some more good suggestions. And congrats on your achievement.
 
Congratulations! One of my favorites at that price is the Boker cronidur lockback. It's nothing against the newer G10 handled knives and more modern styles, but if you are wilderness camping they can be a real pain to keep clean if you're using them around food or dirt and only have a limited water supply. The Boker you can easily wipe down, its really strongly built and well machined, and the state of the art blade steel is an added cool factor.
 
spyderco para 2 is an excellent choice around $100, but the blade is about 3.5". if you only want a blade that's 3.75"+, bump your price up to about $120 and get a spyderco military.

another good choice under $100 would be a kershaw junkyard dog 2 composite edge. 3.75" blade, D2 cutting edge and around $75.
 
Y'know, I've tried to like the Spyderco Military, but the doggone handle doesn't fit my hand; something about a 5" handle with a choil added to that unbalances teh whole thing for me. 'tis most unfortunate, because I like everything about it - except the knife itself!

I've looked at the ZT 0200; the scales are wider than I want to carry daily. Which reminds me, I'm not fond of recurves.

So much negativity from me in this reply! Sorry 'bout that. On the happy side, the BM Bone Collector and the Boker Cronidur sound interesting, so I'm gonna check 'em out next.

FlaMtnBkr - thanks for the congrats!
 
Alas, the blades on the Benchmade and the Boker are too short - add 3/4" to 'em and they'd be great!
 
The bigger bone collector is a good knife for the price if you shop around for the best price, and I think we can all agree on the spyderco but neither is over 3 3/4 in...cold steel recon 1 is a 4in knife but the steel is kind of lacking AUS 8A
 
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