Recommendation? Folder for Deployments??

ArabianKnight

ArabianKnight

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Apr 6, 2014
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I am looking for a good EDC folder while deployed overseas.

Criteria:
Must be a folder.
I dont want to have to sharpen it for a whole year
Must be tough enough for moderate to heavy EDC tasks
Must not be slick when handled wet or with sweaty hands
Under $400

Overall I am looking for a tough knife that will hold a sharp edge for at least a year that can fit in my pants pocket. What are your recommendations?
 
There are many blades that will fit your criteria except for not needing to sharpen it for a year, that is unrealistic unless you don't plan on cutting with it. An edge is a "consumable" if you will. Some knives will hold an edge longer than others but all will dull to some point or another. I am partial to ZT folders and I am sure there would be one in the range that fits the majority of your requirements.
 
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For $400, you can get a few knives. But the not sharpening for a year... Youd have to only cut the softest materials and be so particular about that edge for that to even be a hope with a great steel. And from what I understand from folks Ive met who used knives while deployed, they used the heck outta those knives!

If you are gunna be cutting rope, boxes and doing anything like that regularly, its gunna need to be sharpened a few times. Maybe take 60ish of that 400 and get a sharpmaker to bring. Youd still be able to get a pretty baller knife (which might upset you to lose or damage while deployed). Id just get a great worker blade like a cold steel or spyderco you like in the best steel possible and a sharpmaker.
 
I beat up on an old fully serrated Spyderco (AUS 8) for more than a year and it can still cut rope and probably seat belt. I think a full serrated Spyderco Caribbean makes sense. Might not be as neat of a cutter, but I think it would stay 'sharper' longer than a plain edge.

Alternatively, you could buy 4 Benchmade Bugouts.
 
Outdoor Edge utility knife with replaceable blades should do the trick. It comes with 5 extra blades, but you can buy more. It has rubberized handles for wet conditions. It’s a folder that will fit in your pocket. You can use it for a year and never have to sharpen it, just replace the blade.
And, it’s not expensive at all. You could actually buy two and have one for a backup.
It won’t drive you crazy if you lose it and it’ll save you some money. Win win all the way around
 
For EDC tasks, I would recommend a Spyderco with a full flat grind. Endura or paramilitary 2 would be my picks.

If you don’t want to sharpen, I would either A) buy multiple copies of the above Spyderco or B) buy a sharpening stone or system. You might surprise yourself and enjoy sharpening.

Strop! Even if you don’t want to sharpen, getting a good leather strop will help keep your edge lasting much longer than without. Just a few swipes on each side after each use and you’ll double the blade’s life.
 
What do you mean by "moderate to heavy" EDC tasks? If a slicer is what you want, get a Maxamet PM2/3.

The Cold Steel Recon is phenomenal.
 
Second vote for Cold Steel AD10.

Whatever your choice, perhaps it should be a knife that's easy to sharpen, because the "no sharpening for a year" knife doesn't exist.

Best of luck in your search and thanx for your service!
 
Get 3 Benchmade Bugouts. Get the green one with the black blade.

When one gets dull, send it back to Benchmade for the LifeSharp sharpening service.

Use the hell out of it... send it in, lather, rinse repeat.

As long as you are okay with postage, you'll never have to sharpen.

Oh, and even if you carry the two "sharp ones", the weight to your load out is next to nothing.
 
Just learn to sharpen "free hand" . It's not that hard . It will set you free ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Cold Steel , any model with the Tri-ad lock and either XHP or S35VN steel .
 
I’m going to recommend an Emerson CQC 7 without the wave. Very grippy G10. The chisel grind and 154CM will be easy to sharpen when the time comes. And it will come. Going a whole year without sharpening just isn’t going to happen.
 
While I have never been deployed, everytime I read about military-anything I think OVERBUILT. And as suggested above, Cold Steel makes great overbuilt knives. I would skip anything full flat and go straight to saber grinds. I guess that toughness of the blade is favoured over slicy-ness.

Regarding sharpening... well, I own a Sharpmaker and while it does a fair job on plain and serrated blades, unless you buy the diamon coated stones (which I don't own) removing any significant nick from a blade is a nighmare. It is ok for touch ups, but not suited for heavy removal.

Whatever you pick (serrated, plain or 50/50) I would get a suitable diamon coated sharpening tool. If you go plain, you can get a DMT diafold coarse/fine or even a chinese clone (don't last as long but work just fine while they last). If you go serrated, there are diamon coated rods (cone shaped) that should allow you to sharpen each half moon one by one (at least spyderco pattern).

Also something I have read here in BF several times is that flashy things are often stolen in the military... so I wouldn't drop as much as $400 into something that will not give you significant performance improvement over, say, a 80-150 knife.

Everyone is suggesting Cold Steel but I would suggest to get a Spyderco Endura saber ground either plain or serrated (but don't get the 50/50) in good old VG10. It is ligther and carries smaller than the Cold Steels.

Mikel
 
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I would contact Greg at Medford knife and tool. Talk with him. He will surely have something for you but you are not going to get away with not sharpening for a year. If you want over built and no maintenance for a full year you can't beat a MKT. Like him or not his knives are built for the sandy environments.
 
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