Help Me Choose an EDC Folder

jaredrg

jaredrg

Joined
May 20, 2015
Messages
162
I need help choosing a folder for EDC. My budget is <$75. I am an armed security guard and right handed, so ambidextrous thumb stud and pocket clip would be a plus but not necessary. I really have no preference on assisted opening, but if I could acquire a better made knife with better materials by not going with assisted opening I would definitely go with better made. At one time I was big into pocket knives and have owned many, however I can't recall the last time I bought one. I have made a short list of knives I am considering (a couple of them I have not been able to find under my budget, but close). Maybe this list will give you n idea of what I'm looking for.

Buck Vantage Pro S30V
Kershaw Blackout
Kershaw Blur
Kershaw Skyline
Sog Flash II
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Endura
Spyderco Manix II
Spyderco Military
Spyderco Resilience
Spyderco Tenacious

I would appreciate any comments or other recommendations. Thank you.
 
Out of these knives I would say the Manix 2 although I think you might be stretching your budget about $15 or $20 minimum unless you're getting it on the secondary market.
 
I like your list and think any of those could work well for you. A couple more suggestions to consider:

Kershaw Link
Kershaw Knockout

Let us know what you decide!
 
Maybe you could tell us what you plan to use the knife for? Your list has a good bit of variance in blade length, blade steel, & handle size. A better idea of your cutting needs could bring better recommendations.
 
If you don't mind buying used or through eBay, I think it'd be worth looking for a discontinued Kershaw Lahar. It has a liner lock, opens manually (very smoothly) with either a flipper or ambidextrous thumb studs, with a VG10 steel blade and G10 handle. The Kershaw Piston is another one to check out, and it's still in production and readily available.

Also take a look at the Cold Steel Recon 1, Code 4 and American Lawman folders, either the older versions in AUS8 or the recently upgraded XHP versions for a bit more money.
 
I thought Manix2 before even reading through your list. But if you can describe your preferences and expected uses it'll help narrow it down.
 
I bought a standard olive drab blur to try it out, mainly intrigued by the svandik steel I wanted in a knife bigger then a leek...

I have since bought a second (combo blade) for work
A tiger striped tanto since they can be found so cheap
One on s30v
One in ELMAX
One in CTS-BDZ-1
And I'm still looking to acquire more (colors and any new steels)... Its just a great all around knife, great (super sharp) steel, solid size but not bulky, the assist is real snappy, and it fits perfect and feels great in my hand...

It's easily my favorite knife i own right now.
I Also bought a nifty little Linos neck sheath which is great too when I don't want it or can't have it in my pocket.
 
A couple (3)questions. Is S30V the gold standard for edc blade metal? Are there any metals/blades I should steer clear of even at this price range? Is the Manix II Lightweight a considerable downgrade from the original? I believe out of all of these the Manix II I've seen with G-10 handles and S30V blade would be my favorite, but doubt I could find one for the price I'm looking at. As far as uses, I really don't know. I could go days without needing a knife, but when I do the materials to cut would differ. I believe the Resilience I listed would be a little larger than I would like.
 
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I just looked at the Kershaw Lahar. The Lahar is the exact look I want. Like the Manix II with the plain black, lightly textured G-10 handles. The blade shape, for some reason, is a little of a turn off for me. Would it be as easy to sharpen? Thanks for the suggestion, exactly in that window of what I'm looking for.
 
I would certainly not say s30v is "the standard" for an EDC, but rather instead it is at the beginning of what you call your "super steel" spectrum. Done right it holds a nice edge for quite a nice amount of time, but is tougher to sharpen when dull, and can be tricky in that
Aspect for someone with novice sharpening ability.

The "standard" is your top quality "lower end" of the spectrum, "normal" (stainless) steels; 420hc(buck), 440(a), 7cr17-8cr13-9cr18mov, aus8... Those to me are your "standard" steels that when done right all make a nice and respectable quality knife blade.

440c, svandik 14c27n, vg10, (even 154cm/ats34 or d2 "not quite stainless" tool steel) these I would say are your "tweener" steels; when done right they are better then your standard grades, but not quite super steels...

Then you have your various "superior" steels that excel, most moreso in one area over the others...
Cpm s30-35-60-90-110v
Bohler n680-690-690co, ELMAX, m390
CTS xhp, bdz1
H1 (rust proof)

There's obviously a lot of science and technical stuff included, steels i failed to incl., heat treatments being crucial to all being that a properly heat treated crap steel can out perform a poorly heat treater super steel, but in a very lamens terms nutshell approach of explaining it in a very simple, grossly understated way without a thesis included on alloying properties and such, that is a pretty basic run down of it that I think most people could for the most part agree with without arguing which one is best or better then that one.
 
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And then you have your non-"stainless" simpler carbon variety +tool) steels; o1, 10xx's, 4116, 5160, 52100, d2 which was mentioned above as "almost" a stainless, m2, w2 (w4), a2, 3v: which is a whole different animal in itself, that comes with its own crazy fan base that's just as crazy as the stainless crowd, but in a totally different manner... But be won't open that can of worms though ;)
 
The Manix 2 is an extremely durable folder (almost overbuilt) and can be had new for under $90 if you shop around...as for the Lightweight version, I don't personally own one but know that many people really enjoy them. It is a lot of knife for the weight/price and is more than adequate for everyday cutting tasks.
You might also want to browse around on the forums and different auction sites to see if you can find a used G10 version in your price range if that's the one you prefer.
 
LEO 21 years

From your list I'd go Manix 2 ( I own one also)

I'd also recommend checking out the Emerson CQC-7.

:thumbup:
 
Wayyyyy too many good knives at low prices to choose just one. I mean really, why not buy 3 of those? If I were you, I'd buy a Delica4, a Kershaw Blur, and a Manix II. Or a Delica4 and a Military. Or a ManixII and a Blur and a Skyline. Or an Enudra and a vantage and a tenacious. Or a tenacious and a delica4 and a blur. Or.....

:)
 
Manix 2 on the pricey end, Kershaw CQC -6K on the inexpensive end, or Cold Steel Code 4 in XHP to drop right in around $75.
 
- Cold steel recon 1 (beast of a lock, it's not gonna fail on you)
- manix 2
- endura or delica depending on your size preference.
 
either the delica or skyline would get my vote ,i have both and wouldnt be a big deal if lost or misplaced ,,
 
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