Help me pick my first s30v folder

i dont like lockbacks so i wouldnt pick the native. im also not a big fan of assisted opening knives so i wouldnt pick the leek. i've heard nothing but good things about the vantage pro so i'd try that one. i did have an s30v g10 leek and it was a pretty nice knife, but again i didnt like the assisted opening, but some people love it.

basically- you cant go wrong with any of them, so pick the one that has the most features you like.
 
Agreed, leek if you don't want to treat it too hard. It's not made for it. If you want a light, slim blade...well, I love mine. It's the only non-traditional knife I carry now. (In addition to a slipjoint or two)
 
Man, I love Buck knives and own a lot of them but I have to admit there is nothing better to me than my Spyderco Native. Its tough as nails, light as a feather, and gets and stays sharp. Its my all time favorite Spyderco Knife. I carry one every day and I have alot of knives but it always comes to my pocket. Its a great knife hands down. I have owned that Native for 4 years now and it hasn't let me down yet. Its just as tight as the day I bought it.
 
Love Kershaws - just not the Leek. Love Bucks - have an early - and perfect - Vantage Pro in S30V - nice. But, I only have two different Spyderco products - a Sharpmaker and the Native in S30V - a steal from WallyWorld some years back. In fact, I have a NIB spare! Yeah, the lockback Native is a great EDC.

Stainz
 
Another vote for the Buck. I have the large Vantage Pro. Great knife. Good mix of size, weight and heft. Not too much or too little of any. Just right. Very solid feel. And for under $60 it's a steal.

I can't speak to the others, but they must be fine knives too. All highly recommended here. The Leek blade is a just little to thin and pointy for me and Spydercos are just an esthetics thing with me (those big thumb holes) But again - HIGHLY recommended here. (Will have to admit though, the big Military is growing on me) LOL

Good luck.
 
i know it wasnt one of your 3 but i will also chime in on the orange manix 2, i received one for xmas and it is AWESOME, great ergos, love the g10 scales, razor sharp right out of the box, and love the ball bearing lock
 
I own all 3 of these blades. My favorites in order of preference:

1) Spyderco
2) Kershaw
3) Buck

All 3 are great edc blades....cant go wrong with any pick.

Good Luck
 
I would go with the buck. I edc the large vantage pro and love it. Came scary sharp out of the box. Blade was a little off center but I was able to fix that. Overall a superb knife for the price.
 
I must say to the O.P., you've picked three great knives. Buck, Kershaw, & Spyderco all know thier craft and have produced excellent knives. The heat treat on all three is outstanding so know worries there. I'm a fan of all three knives (own them) and big fan of all three companies.

So here we are with three knives and they are all different but at around the same price (You should substitute the large Vantage, its the better knife). So, you have to look at the features of each and decide what works for you best.

Blade pattern/grind:
a. Vantage Pro - a high hollow ground drop point (straight off the Mayo TNT pattern). This blade is as good as it gets for slicing and cutting. 100% recommendation.
b. Leek - modified sheepfoot or Wharncliff. Great light duty cutter which is what this knife is designed to be. 95% recommendation
c. Native - spear point. A bit on the tactical side. Still a good cutter. 90% recommendation.

Handle Material:
a. Vantage Pro - contoured G10. This is an awsome handle. I love it. Great texture and grip. Beautiful looks and reeks of high quality!! 150% recommendation.
b. Native - FRN. Light, grippy, and tough stuff. If your a hard user, these are handles. 100% recommendation
c. Leek - stamped G10. Grippy, light, high quality. 100% recommendation

Locks:
a. Native - Lockback 100%
b. Leek - Linerlock 100% with speed safe. A kershaw almost got me arrested in Washington DC. Another story.
c. Vantage Pro - Linerlock 100%

Clip design: The Vantage has a low ride tip up. The leek is a reversible tip up/down. The native is tip up only with standard clip placement.

So how does one pick one of these three knives?
a. Start with blade pattern and what you need. All three of these are general use cutters. In my opinion the Buck Vantage Mayo designed blade clearly and easily beats the other two. b. Handles/knife weight is a personal preference...but again Vantage Pro is better. c. Finially the lock...all good so its what you prefer.
d. Clip placement is also personal preference.

For me the Buck Vantage beats the other two.
 
Hey Utah! You in my neck of the woods?
Anyway, you might give the Lone Wolf Cheyenne a look before you make your decision. It's similarly sized to some of those you mentioned. I've been carrying one, off and on, for a little over a month and it's proven to be a surprisingly tough, well made, little knife.
 
I can't imagine you'd go wrong with any of them. I have the Native and it's a good knife. It's an old friend that I don't use very often any more, but I'm sure not sorry I bought it.

SP
 
I would pick the Vantage pro, simpily because i don't have a S30V leek and I don't like the grind on the native. I ended up trading my native. I strongly suggest u look into spyderco sage for around $100. Textured carbon fiber handle and ffg S30V blade for only around $100. This knife is smooth as butta and slices like a laser. This knife is made in Taiwan but the quality is just as good as an US made knife.
 
The Native was my first s30v knife. Actually it was my first quality knife, period. I can't say enough good things about it. I actually went about a year without sharpening it because I didn't want to ruin my "expensive" $50 knife at the time :D then it was a real bear for a sharpening noob to try and tackle after that neglect.

The things that really stand out to me are how small it is in pocket. Pretty much just disappears with how slim, light, and short the handle is. Then you open it up and have the finger choil which gives you a positive grip like a larger knife would. Though this choil does give you a sub 3 inch edge to work with. Which is fine for most people's every day tasks.

I have since moved onto longer blades, since I end up doing some food prep on the go from time to time. So I would also recommend the Military highly.

Just got a Leek recently, the framelock, not s30v. Really love the overall look and feel. Great fit and finish. The modified wharnie blade is superb. And the AO is pretty neat. But I just don't like it as a user. I guess the Spyderhole has me spoiled. Yeah, the AO opens faster but I just don't quite like it as a user. I work with gloves on usually and find the stud hard to get to with them on, and don't generally like flippers.

But those are just personal preference, if you like flippers and spring assist, then you probably can't go wrong with a leek. Sweet little knives.
 
Manix 2 Orange G10 sprint run, or Sage 1, the Zt 350 would also be a good choice, the 350 is tough blade. i've put mine through some difficult situations and it has pulled through like a charm!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top