Help me Spend my Money

Leo Greer

Leo Greer

Joined
Dec 30, 2021
Messages
877
Y’all, I have $280 to spend, and for a while now I’ve been wanting the Kansept Accipiter with the blacked out Ti and the Timascus everything, which costs about $280.

Is there anything else I should look at for that price range? $200-$300

For what I’m interested in, I tend to like blade lengths over 3”, but that’s not a hard line. Right now I’m wanting a classy knife, hence the Accipiter. Timascus and Damasteel are yeses. Ti, micarta, and CF are also yeses. I’m a fan of buttery smooth “drop shut” action.

I’m probably not looking at the big three (Spyderco, BM, ZT) at the moment, unless y’all know about something interesting.

What do y’all think?

(also, opinions from people who’ve owned the Accipiter would be great)
 
WE had a string of great knives recently. The Beacon has been the surprise favorite for me. It seems a simple knife and I almost passed it up. Now I'm very glad I didn't. It hits the "just right" button in a lot of ways for basic EDC and the action is fantastic. For something a little classier, you can still find different versions of the limited Seer if you look around. It is remarkably comfortable in hand.

My wife got me the Snick for Christmas. My initial impressions are excellent but I really haven't spent much time with it. I sold a bunch of stuff towards the end of last year. As usual, it led to an influx of new knives and I'm still playing catch-up.

Here is my Beacon between a BHQ-Exclusive Elementum and a Kizer Clutch. While the Clutch isn't quite on the same level, it is still a nice knife, costs a bit less, and definitely has "drop shut" action.

IAzoxww.jpg


... and my Seer:

nQnfuYt.jpg
 
Chronovore said:
WE had a string of great knives recently. The Beacon has been the surprise favorite for me. It seems a simple knife and I almost passed it up. Now I'm very glad I didn't. It hits the "just right" button in a lot of ways for basic EDC and the action is fantastic. For something a little classier, you can still find different versions of the limited Seer if you look around. It is remarkably comfortable in hand.

My wife got me the Snick for Christmas. My initial impressions are excellent but I really haven't spent much time with it. I sold a bunch of stuff towards the end of last year. As usual, it led to an influx of new knives and I'm still playing catch-up.

Here is my Beacon between a BHQ-Exclusive Elementum and a Kizer Clutch. While the Clutch isn't quite on the same level, it is still a nice knife, costs a bit less, and definitely has "drop shut" action.

IAzoxww.jpg


... and my Seer:

nQnfuYt.jpg
Click to expand...
I have the Seer already, and I’ve been looking at the Snick…
 
In the $200 Bracket: there are literally thousands of knives that'll fit your needs.
Take a look at the Benchmade Osborne models.
They carry easily in the pocket, are comfortable in the hand, and come in a variety of really good steels.
And the blade shape is more useful than a pocket in a T-Shirt!
Personally: I like the 940-1
02-15-2022 02.jpg
 
Bob Denman said:
In the $200 Bracket: there are literally thousands of knives that'll fit your needs.
Take a look at the Benchmade Osborne models.
They carry easily in the pocket, are comfortable in the hand, and come in a variety of really good steels.
And the blade shape is more useful than a pocket in a T-Shirt!
Personally: I like the 940-1
View attachment 1771067
Click to expand...
I’ll check that one out. In recent times, BM hasn’t impressed me, but I like that carbon fiber.
 
Leo Greer said:
I have the Seer already, and I’ve been looking at the Snick…
Click to expand...

So you already know how good it feels. I don't know that I've ever handled a titanium frame lock that felt better in my hand. Just as a gauge, how do you like the action on the Seer? Mine snaps open beautifully but the light blade doesn't fall shut. I upgraded mine to Skiff bearings. The action might be slightly improved and it did seem to widen the range of "best tension" for the pivot. The Seer's action still doesn't compete with the Beacon, Snick, that Kizer Clutch, or my Gemini.

I also upgraded the Beacon to Skiff bearings. The action went from "excellent" to "amazing". Now it might have the nicest action of any knife I own.

The Snick is somewhere in between but I haven't messed with it yet. It is still due for its "New Knife Orientation", which includes disassembly, cleaning, quality lubrication, and proper pivot adjustment. That alone tends to improve the action from NIB condition. I recently picked up a whole bunch of Skiff bearings and fit check has been added to Orientation. I'm curious to see how the Snick ends up when I get to it. If you are curious, that'll be a good excuse to bump it up on the list.
 
Chronovore said:
So you already know how good it feels. I don't know that I've ever handled a titanium frame lock that felt better in my hand. Just as a gauge, how do you like the action on the Seer? Mine snaps open beautifully but the light blade doesn't fall shut. I upgraded mine to Skiff bearings. The action might be slightly improved and it did seem to widen the range of "best tension" for the pivot. The Seer's action still doesn't compete with the Beacon, Snick, that Kizer Clutch, or my Gemini.

I also upgraded the Beacon to Skiff bearings. The action went from "excellent" to "amazing". Now it might have the nicest action of any knife I own.

The Snick is somewhere in between but I haven't messed with it yet. It is still due for its "New Knife Orientation", which includes disassembly, cleaning, quality lubrication, and proper pivot adjustment. That alone tends to improve the action from NIB condition. I recently picked up a whole bunch of Skiff bearings and fit check has been added to Orientation. I'm curious to see how the Snick ends up when I get to it. If you are curious, that'll be a good excuse to bump it up on the list.
Click to expand...
My Seer is likely the same as yours. It’s snappy on the opening, smooth pivot on closing, but definitely not drop shut. A light shake usually does it, but not quite what I’ve come to expect from other knives. I personally attributed it to the Seer’s light blade and decided it didn’t matter too much to me, but I also haven’t owned any WE knives yet that were better. The Upshot get very much the same when I owned it.

I didn’t mess with the pivot, but I did lube it, and i’m in the process of breaking the knife in now, so that may improve it a bit…

How close does the beacon come to that buttery fall shut perfect? That may make me reconsider my decision not to pick one up.
 
Sounds like the technical requirements are less important than something you just feel a connection with as anything will cut boxes open. Nothing wrong with that but as others have mentioned your price level includes thousands.
I'd just go look at a large vendors website and put in the price and technical requirements you listed and browse away for days.
This is an emotional decision so only you will be able to determine what fits best.
 
Leo Greer said:
My Seer is likely the same as yours. It’s snappy on the opening, smooth pivot on closing, but definitely not drop shut. A light shake usually does it, but not quite what I’ve come to expect from other knives. I personally attributed it to the Seer’s light blade and decided it didn’t matter too much to me, but I also haven’t owned any WE knives yet that were better. The Upshot get very much the same when I owned it.

I didn’t mess with the pivot, but I did lube it, and i’m in the process of breaking the knife in now, so that may improve it a bit…

How close does the beacon come to that buttery fall shut perfect? That may make me reconsider my decision not to pick one up.
Click to expand...

The Seer has a more substantial handle with a lighter blade. The Beacon has a more substantial blade with a thinner, lighter handle. However, it is still a relatively light blade. The tension from the lock bar is still a factor. So it takes a small amount of kinetic energy, either in a light shake or change of angle.

The reason I say it might be my favorite is because of how it feels. Another member described the action of the Beacon as "intriguing". Whatever that quality is only improved with the move to Skiff bearings. It just feels good to manipulate.

My only complaint with some of the WE knives is that the top corners of the lock bar can be a little sharp. They seem to do a nice job rounding corners and not having crisp edges elsewhere on the handles. It's just that top edge ahead of the interface. This is something I've seen with a lot of frame locks over the years and whether it matters depends entirely on how and how often your finger presses up into that space.
 
Chronovore said:
I also upgraded the Beacon to Skiff bearings. The action went from "excellent" to "amazing". Now it might have the nicest action of any knife I own.
Click to expand...
I second that. It literally takes an already great knife to an exceptional one. I was doubting the result and I changed the bearing out of curiosity. It’s so amazing how noticeable the upgrade is!
 
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