Good EDC-Work Knife

OP say the word and I'll throw up some pics of a 940 and 275 side by side. The 275 is a thick knife ,but it's comfortable In the hand. Not my first choice as a cardboard cutter but a good knife.

940 is a nice little knife. IMO probably best handle to blade ratio I've ever seen. Again not my first choice as a cardboard cutter . Even though it's a smaller knife the 940 Is thick behind the edge.

Good thing about benchmade is there life sharp. Unless you do something crazy to your knife you've got a knife for life. For about 30 bucks benchmade will replace your blade and tune your knife up to boot.

If it were me I'd get whatever benchmade I like the most and use it for everything except cardboard. A dedicated box cutter or a thin little spyderco in zdp-189 like a stretch is a cardboard eating machine.

To muddy the waters a little bit more , I think the greatest EDC knife for the money is the Spyderco Para 2 . Cuts like crazy and I love the compression lock .
 
Ulf Krogstad said:
Will disagree with that. Think Adamas is more than fine cardboard eviscerator. But is a pouch knife imo. Too big/heavy for pocket if running around. Rift would be a better slicer, but Adamas feels like it's form fitted to my hand in every grip. If get 275 convex edge to be more slicey. Adamas is great, but if had to pick one knife for slicing/cutting thangs (lightweight edc ) it would be a cold steel Talwar. Zips through anything like a lazer, very durable, lightweight, fairly cheap xhp steel. .
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The Adamas CAN cut cardboard it just kinda sucks at it compared to many of the other blades mentioned. There's no getting around physics and the Adamas has a thick blade and short primary grind, that makes for great durability, but poor cutting efficiency and that can definitely be felt when going through something like triple walled cardboard.
 
I'll offer a few..
BM Grip is a great duty knife. Get with G10 if you want a more solid feel.
Had an Adamas and sold it.. huge brick that wasn't good for much other than splitting cinder blocks. I use a screw driver for that now that costs $3. Not a very EDC purposed knife IMO
PM2 is a great knife but I'm not a big fan of the compression lock (though it is strong), but the PM2 has a thin tip
If I was going with a Spyderco, I'd go with a Gayle Bradley 2.. M4 and very good ergos. Super tough.. just not stainless.. Olive oil all good.
Other good Spydercos are the Delica, Endura and Salt series.
Budget end, Cold Steel Recon series or Lawman series.
Lots of great ZT's too now that they have released some lighter weight versions. Some are just too bulky for me.
Maybe a used Sebenza .. while expensive, if you buy off the Exchange and get a good price, you won't loose much on resale if any.
 
I work as a carpenter, and had a delica for two years that I stabbed through drywall a few times, cut plenty of everything with, dropped from ladders a few times, and never had an ounce of trouble with it. Held up great.
That being said, I now carry a Mora Classic that has handled anything and everything from carpet to tile to trees that needed trimming, and it sharpens up in a couple minutes. That and my stockman have proven more than capable. The only knives I carried while tearing down a house completely were those two, and they more than did what was asked.

Also of note is that the thicker the blade the more force you need to cut through things. You can get by cutting all you have described with an Opinel and a pair of nippers for zip cords and straps. Nothing beats an Opi for slicing.

Connor

Connor
 
Oh and let me say that I have found need of a one handed knife again and will be buying a Griptillian, after much thought and research. The Adamas is cool but is so bulky and heavy while I have a fixed blade that can withstand more for less weight.


Connor
 
Rat 1 or 2
Buck 110 or 112
Stockman
Canoe
Sunfish
Camp/Scout knife.

My normal EDC is a Buck 110 or Old Timer 7OT, a Buck 301 stockman, and a 4 blade scout/camp/utility knife (spear point, flat screwdriver/bottle opener, can opener, and awl/punch. It is amazing how useful that awl/punch blade is.)
 
I'm a union electrician and most of my daily task are what you describe. I rotate through 3 benchmade mini grips 556, 556-1 and 558. Great knives and even better locking mechanism. The ones I use are comprised of 154cm, s30v, and 20cv, I've had little time to warm up to the 20cv but all great steels respectively. My favorite is s30v, decent edge holding and not too much time sharpening.
 
BTW... how did you come up with such a nickname? For those not familiar with spanish... it means GuyWithAShotgun...

Mikel (from Spain)[/QUOTE]

I actually lived in Spain for a few years a while back. There was some card game that we were playing as buddies, some sort of survival/screw your friends over type game. One of the cards you could draw and use was called "Tio con Escopeta", and was literally just some guy with a shotgun. Not sure why but I thought it was pretty funny at the time.
 
Hey guys,

I've been thinking and rethinking over and over again about what I like. I went to the local sport warehouse to handle a few of these knives in person... and I've rethought a lot of my initial thoughts. Thanks to those of you that suggested I check it out in person. Here's my thoughts:

The Adamas... I'm not sold on it. Don't get me wrong, its pretty cool, looks and feels nearly indestructible, and fits nicely in my hand. But for my purposes to use it as a work knife, I personally feel like it's the wrong choice. I'll probably end up getting one down the road just to have, if I ever get into the hobby of knife collecting.

The Griptilian... The handle was a lot bulkier in person than the photos online. Not a problem for me though, just a comment. Unfortunately, they didn't have the new 2016 Grip w/ G10 Handle to try out, so I was stuck with the standard fiberglass grip. I didn't find it too uncomfortable as some say.

They didn't have, nor do they even carry, a 940BM or a BM Rift (piss-poor selection IMO). I was a bit sad over this, as I really wanted to try out a Rift. Unfortunately the small town I am restricted to doesn't have many options in the world of high(er)-end pocket knives.

However, the trip to the unnamed sports warehouse did not go without a ray of light. This was when I spotted the HK 14715 Axis. I LOVE how this one feels in my hand, and I'm heavily leaning towards this one. I'm sold on the G10 handle - way amazing. The blade thickness, weight, length... everything seemed right...

So, I've come up with my final three decisions that I will continue to mull over for a day longer. They are as follows:

Benchmade 950 Rift Osborne Design Knife (G10 handle, 154CM Stainless Steel blade)
Benchmade HK Knives Axis Plain Edge Knife (G10 handle, D2 Steel blade)
Benchmade Griptilian with Gray and Blue (G10 handle, CPM-20CV Steel blade)

But I've been thinking a lot now about steels... and what will be best. The HK Axis is a D2 tool steel, which according to my research, is a very strong steel, close to being stainless (but there's not enough chromium content to count). I don't worry about rust. I live in a very dry climate, and I do take care of my few other knives. My worry on D2 is that I hear its extremely hard to sharpen. I'm really not a pro at sharpening knives. Last time I did that I was a boy scout, and that was quite a long time ago. So really, experienced knife users... how hard is D2 to sharpen? Does it retain edge pretty well? This brings me to the other two options: The Rift uses a 154CM blade, which I understand is a Benchmade standard. Its easier to sharpen and can still retain an edge fairly well. Then comes the Grip with CPM-20CV - wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and edge retention. Sounds like an incredible steel. The issue for me? I find the grey and blue grip hideously ugly. Now before you start mashing your keyboards in anger and defense, just remember, that's my opinion that I am subject to. While appearance isn't obviously everything, I'm going to want to carry around something that I find attractive to me. I could be totally wrong however, as I haven't seen this knife in person. Maybe the internet just makes it look ugly to me?

So, to wrap up... I love the HK... a lot. I'll probably end up going with that one. But I just wanted to get some final thoughts from ya'll before I click the "buy-it-now" button and wait eagerly for my two-day shipping to kick in. I could always order two and return one, as the return policy at Amazon is pretty great. But yeah, lemme know what you think regarding steels and sharpening. Thanks for the help!

-Brando
 
TioConEscopeta said:
...My worry on D2 is that I hear its extremely hard to sharpen. I'm really not a pro at sharpening knives. Last time I did that I was a boy scout, and that was quite a long time ago. So really, experienced knife users... how hard is D2 to sharpen? Does it retain edge pretty well?
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I am not an expert by any means, but I fully convexed the edge of a D2 RAT 7 fixed blade knife using only sandpaper backed by some stiff foam. I didn't find it too hard to sharpen at all.

Also, keep in mind that using some diamond stones... almost any steel is fairly easy to sharpen! Ceramics work as well (Sharpmaker with standar stones) but for heavy sharpening diamonds are the way to go.

Mikel
 
OP, many of the knives you mentioned are not good cutters and this is your top chore. For the Griptilian/Mini Griptilian get the Ritter model. That will solve your issues easily and give you a strong knife. Another knife to look at is the Cold Steel Code 4 in clip point (my preference) or spear point. A Spyderco Sage or Native would be good choices, too.

Sorry, Knifeworks is down right now or I would post a picture of the Ritter Griptilian.

Here is the Cold 4 Spear which many people like better than the Sebenza (especially for the money). It is certainly stronger.
CS58TPCS.jpg


Here is the Native, which is good and strong, but smaller.
SP41GP5anw.jpg


All three have super steels.
 
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I'm a newbie to the forum, but would be happy to share what I did. I bought a Kershaw Thermite for cheap & saved my money till I could buy a mid-tech. Every time I pull the hinderer XM-24 out of my pocket I'm thankful for having the patience to wait a little while longer & buy something I could really be happy with. The suggestions here are great, but I think all of us eventually shoot for the semi custom, mid tech eventually anyhoo. The Thermite I bought stood up to 2 years of hard abuse & only has a few scratches to show for it. Hope you enjoy whatever you purchase!
 
You seem to have your mind set on a Benchmade - but I just wanted to show you one that is a touch son of gun and is lower then $100 and can meet your needs.
The Columbia River (CRKT) "No Time Off".

[video=youtube;XQbPbLfB7rM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQbPbLfB7rM[/video]

TioConEscopeta said:
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!
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I have all 3 of the ones you are contemplating. Here's my input.

940 - Super light weight and thin, great EDC. BUT, because of it's shape, the blade has a pretty aggressive bevel angle (aka, it's not a great slicer and kind of thick behind the edge).
HK - It's a good knife, with some heft. The handle is a little short in my opinion, but great knife. I also wish it had a lanyard hole, which it's missing.
Grip - Probably the best all around for weight and blade shape. If you want the one with G10 handles, just order online. Or order the Ritter Grip from Knifeworks (only place that sells) in S30V or M390 (if still have) and then order some custom scales online down the line if you don't like the stock scales.
Maybe try a mini-grip first, they pack big knife usage in a small package. One of my all time favorites. It's what keeps me from getting a small Sebenza.
 
I've got a 950 Rift that I've been loving lately. I've got the 950-1401 exclusive which has s30v steel and the blade shape/belly make it ideal for hard use tasks IMO.

Out of your new updated list, I'd go for the new Griptilian.
 
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