Good EDC-Work Knife

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TioConEscopeta

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Apr 6, 2016
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Hey guys, this is my first post to this forum, so bear with me. I work as a delivery driver for a wholesale plumbing company, and I'm in need of a good semi-heavy duty knife that'll last me awhile. My knife usage for this particular job includes cutting of various materials such as rope, paracord, zip ties, plastic straps, and a heckuva lot of cardboard. I'm sick of messing around with cheap knives and want to get something that will last. I've been perusing the internet in search of something that would suit my needs, and I've come across a few knives that might fit the bill, but I want the opinions of the experienced. I would like to keep this below 200 bucks, closer to the $100 range would be even better. I'm really impressed with Benchmade knives, though i've never handled one, they seem to be the company I would prefer to go with. Here's a few of their that I thought might be what I'm looking for:

BM275 Adamas (looks cool, sounds like its durable as heck - i also have big hands so that wouldn't be an issue for me - is it too much knife??)
BM940 Osbourne (overwhelming amount of reviews and posts regarding the incredible build quality on this thing)
BM 950 Rift
BM 551 Griptilian (seemingly one of the more popular of the benchmade brand)

Im also willing to try out other brands per your suggestions. I hear lots of rant and rave about Spyderco and SOG, so maybe there's better alternatives there? What I love most about Benchmade is the AXIS lock. It seems to scream "safety", and thats a huge plus at our company. Let the forum begin!
 
Welcome :)

I'm a contractor and my current hard use work knife is a Zero Tolerance 350. Nice steel, handy to open, good size, tough as all get out:)

About $140
 
I would suggest a Spyderco Paramilitary 2
 
I had an Adamas and sold it. And I regret it every day. It is big. It is heavy. But that's what I wanted. However, if you aren't sure what size of knife you'd really like, I wouldn't opt to go with the Adamas simply because it is kind of "outside the norm" for most edc because of its size. I had the Griptilian, and it is extremely tough, but can out slice many and most. I think it would work fantastically for your needs and also be a great entry into "nicer" knives. The Spydercos that I've had, the delica, endura, and an H1 salt, were and are very well made and are well known as being incredibly slicey knives. To me, however, they've always felt more fragile than the griptilian be ause they aren't as heavy or thick. That is just my opinion however, you may value their light weight and slicey blades more. SOG has a few okay looking blades, but I haven't owned one in years and I personally find them to be a little gaudy because of their tendency to plaster the logo all over the knives.
 
Endura 4 FFG
Paramilitary 2
Recon 1 XHP

One of those would suit you well, but there are many options. Check out a few in hand and see what handles feel best.
 
Welcome! You'd be suited with any of those. Benchmade is a great company!
My "hard use" work folder is an Emerson of some sort, but I rotate through spydercos and cold steel as well as a benchmade griptillian.
Of the ones you picked I would get the adamas.
 
I have owned an Adamas and a Rift, and used both for most of the same things. I also have had the chance to handle the Osborne and Griptilian, not to use them but to at least fondle them a bit.

I owned and carried the Adamas for a few months, it is a great large knife with good steel and a great lock, the slicing isn't the best but good luck breaking the blade, it's a beast of a knife that surprisingly fits quite well in large pockets. Downsides are that it's heavy and has a thick blade, upsides is that it's near-indistructable and feels good in the hand. I only sold it because the Rift kept beating it in my daily rotation.

The Rift is the best of the bunch, in my opinion. The steel is standard Benchmade steel, not great but certainly good. It has a thinner handle and thinner blade than the Adamas while keeping the same overall length on both. The sheepsfoot blade is great for general knife stuff, and the balance is exquisite between the blade and handle length so that the blade just flies out with a small flick. The Adamas comes close, but the Rift just feels nicer. Downside is the G10, it can feel a little rough in the hand so for long-term usage it might not be ideal; for short in-and-out jobs it's perfect though.

The osborne and Griptilian are both smaller than the other 2, the Osborne has the best steel of the bunch but is also the thinnest and has the slickest handles, i'd rate it closer to a gentleman's knife than the other 3. It won't let you down, but it might feel less tough than the rest. The Griptilian has a good handle and good blade shape, really can't go wrong there. It was the hardest to deploy on the blade on, with the handle getting a bit close to the thumb studs, and the handles felt the flimsiest of the bunch, but neither one is really a problem with normal work carry.



All the knives you have in sight are knives that will serve you well, while my personal preference is the Rift (I'd consider it like an Audi, usable and pretty, sporty and practical) the other 3 are also very good, with the Adamas being the tank, the Osborne being the Porsche, and the Griptilian being the Honda. None of them are bad, they each have pros and cons, and you probably can't go wrong with any of them.
 
Thanks for the advice so far. I'm liking what I see. Like Adam suggested, Spydercos come across to me as being delicate in the sense that they do well in being slicey and precision instruments. I'm looking more for durability and strength, something that can take a bit of a beating. I love Steely's suggestion on the ZT350, and it looks way solid and enduring. Griptilian still sounds great though, so I might be comparing a few here. Thanks for the input so far.
 
You had it right in your OP, go with a 940, but the -1 (S90V) version.

Edge holding seems like it will be an important thing for you with the type/amount of cutting you are doing.

Something else to consider would be a G10 Grip with 20CV steel.....
 
the 940-1 is a looker, but its a bit out of my price range. Something else of equal build quality (or at least s90v blade) for a little less?
 
G10 Grip with 20CV.....

I prefer it over the 940-1.

Better steel, and I find the G10 very comfortable and secure.
The Grips are just a great design front to back....

I think they sell for about $170?
 
If you're looking for a tough knife, with great edge retention steel at a pretty awesome price point you may want to consider the Manix 2 in S110. If you can handle the blurple scales, I believe they're around $140 brand new to your door.
 
BM 710 or kershaw blur in s30v would fit the bill well. My blur is tough and eats cardboard. The 710 is a beauty
 
JR88FAN said:
G10 Grip with 20CV.....

I prefer it over the 940-1.

Better steel, and I find the G10 very comfortable and secure.
The Grips are just a great design front to back....

I think they sell for about $170?
Click to expand...

I think this as well^. Either that or the Adamas you were first drawn to. Both are going to need tough sharpening. BM offers free sharpening. That or get some diamond stones. They will take a lot longer to dull but the will be harder to sharpen without the proper equipment. Diamond sharpeners aren't expensive though. And you can always just send it back to benchmade for the price of shipping one way. Also, if you manage to bust the blade, I think a blade replacement is only $30 (maybe a tad more). Please BM warranty service is legendary.
 
A lot of great suggestions!
I'm guessing this will be a different twist and may not be your style but a Schrade Sharp Finger is great for everything you have mentioned. I find them extremely useful for all kinds of applications, just like you described. It is also nice to have a little fixed blade on your belt while working. I keep one for jobs and one for hunting. They are very under rated as a utility knife in my opinion.
And a good price, you can still find the old ones for a good deal.

If you are looking for more of a high end folder any one of the knives you listed will do great(I imagine, haven't used them all).
And don't write off spyderco, they are far from flimsy or delicate. "overbuilt" may not be one of their selling points but if you check them out you will find they are considered one of the best as far as performance and comfort go.
Good luck! Most of it is personal preference...hopefully you live somewhere where you can handle a few options before purchasing.
Let us know what you get!
 
Have you considered a small fixed blade in addition to some "normal" Spydie such as a Native 5? As a delivery person, you aren't exactly working in an office. Something like a Kabar BK-14 with handles would work pretty well and they are pretty easy to sharpen since it is carbon steel versus some high end super steel.
 
H&k Axis 14715

Often overlooked, but would work well for you in this role. And right at $100.
 
If you can get away with a small fixed blade I'd highly recommend an ESEE Izula II.
Or maybe even a Candiru with micarta scales and the newer style molded plastic sheath.
Either will fit discretely in a front pocket.
 
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