First EDC

[JDX]

What knife should I buy for my first EDC? I don't want a huge knife under 7inches total. I need something strong and durable

Considering your lack of experience with knives, I would highly suggest getting a spyderco knife. I have a spyderco resilience which has a rather large blade, but I use it for food prep. For EDC I suggest: endura, delica, tenacious or whichever you like the best. They are super easy to sharpen, a good steel to practice sharpening on (8cr13mov), and the ergonomics are incredible, fits the hand really nice. Opens up very smooth, and the spidey holes are great.

Or you can get an ontario rat 1, which has a SLIGHTLY better steel (aus8), has decent ergos-not as good as spyderco, but it's more people friendly-like you won't get weird looks for taking it out in public. It has thumb studs, finger choil and frn or g-10 handles.

Or you can look Into cold steel, I recommend the cold steel recon 1, or the cold steel american lawman. And all of these can be found on amazon

 

[SpydrMan]

Delica 4 FFG

 

[kniggt]

Spyderco

 

[flarp]

These are all good and fairly rugged knives that can be had for $35 or less. Of this lot, my current favorite is probably the CQC-5K. It is a really cool knife. The Cryo isn't far behind.

Cryo G10 - 2.75" blade, 6.5" overall, assisted-opening, flipper & thumb studs, frame lock, 4-position deep-carry clip
CQC-5K - 3" blade, 7.1" overall, manual opening, thumb disc, wave opener, liner lock, 2-position clip (tip-up only)
Injection 3.0 - 3" blade, 7" overall, manual opening, thumb studs, liner lock, 2-position clip (tip-up only)
RAT-2 - 3" blade, 7" overall, manual opening, thumb studs, liner lock, 4-position clip
Zancudo - 3" blade, 7" overall, manual opening, thumb studs, frame lock, 2-position clip (right-hand only)


For around $60 (your stated upper limit), you can get some higher end steels. I really like all 3 of these and have had them in my EDC rotation a lot.

Composite Blade Leek - CPM-D2 steel, 3" blade, 7" overall, assisted-opening, flipper, frame lock, 2-position clip (right-hand only)
Delica4 FFG - VG-10 steel, 2.5" blade, 7.1" overall, manual opening, thumb hole, back lock, 4-position clip
Mini-Griptilian - 154CM steel, 2.9" blade, 6.8" overall, manual opening, thumb studs or hole, Axis lock, 2-position clip (tip-up only)

(The Mini-Griptilian can sometimes be found for under $60 on the secondary market. New, you're looking at $80-100.)

 

[Bulldog13]

I have always been a fan of Kershaw. I just can't praise the Blur enough. Under $40 (not counting tax) at WalMart (at least here). I have had mine for 5 or 6 years maybe slightly longer (whenever they first came out). Been using it as an EDC knife for 4 years now.

 

[NeilB]

I don't want a huge knife under 7inches total. I need something strong and durable

There's a whole lot of knives that fit into that description. Without knowing what sorts of things you want to use it for or what your budget is, we are sort of using this as a Rorshach of sorts.

I like the Leek as an EDC knife. It was my gateway knife and it is really nice. Sadly, not everyone can carry a Leek without bending it or breaking off the tip. If you're a noob, you might want to consider something a bit more robust. A Delica is a fine knife. And I mean that totally. It's a truly fine knife. Lots of highly experienced people carrying Delicas. Great steel. Great ergonomics. Highly reliable. Completely affordable. Easily replaced. Seriously great knife. As some people say, "Everything you need in a knife and nothing you don't."

I have close to a hundred knives scattered around, some quite pricy, but the Delica is a terrific choice. It has been in production lo these many years for a reason. It gets the job done.

 

[GlockandBalls]

Ontario Rat 1 = $30 Ontario Rat 2 = $30

Both proven winners and you will have both sizes for $60 total.

Youtube it.

 

[link2derek]

Does spyderco make a knife just like the delica 4 ffg but with a liner or frame lock?

Yes - several. In your price range, check out the Tenacious, Ambitious, and Persistence models. And you don't have to go to Crapazon or FleaBay for good deals on new Spyderco's. Check out Roger at Knifeworks - he is a member here and has great selection and some of the lowest prices around (btw, I'm not affiliated - I just do a lot of business with Roger). Oh, and he's a dealer so you get the full warranty - not that you'll likely need it.

Cheers!