help on a new edc? its a toughy

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FrankieSchwartz

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Well I'm looking for a new EDC knife. I use my knife a lot during the work day, Work in a warehouse receiving and checking items. Its a art warehouse. I open boxes frequently, Like not cut the cardboard but i cut the tape and alot of zip ties. I have a few box cutters and utility knives but they don't float my fancy too well. I prefer me a good old knife that i can have for a lifetime.

The Knives iv experimented with and tired while i was there are as follows. Buck 110 - Too bulky and can only be sheath carried
Spyderco Manix 2 Translucent blue - constantly got grit in the Caged ball lock, very dusty environment.
Spyderco Paramilitary 1 - got it as a gift, it isn't a bad knife, but it just doesn't cut it for me personally (no pun intended). I cant put my finger on it exactly but i just don't care for that blade shape.
Byrd Hawkbill 2 - currently the blade in my pocket but that 8cr13mov steel dulls a bit too fast, the knife ergos are also a bit obscure.
Spyderco tenacious - Same deal with the steel. Also i dont care for the blade shape.
Ontario utilitac 2 tanto - Decent knife but very bulky and awkward in the pocket.
Sog twitch 2 - Just flat out too small and uncomfortable.

I know you guys are going to ask like a price range, I'm going to say 80. Subject to change because if there just isn't nothing that great for that price range then i can work with it, but please stay around 120ish max. Money isn't tight but im not rich either, also have things in real life that are of importance to where spending any more then that on a knife isn't justafyable.

in terms of what im looking for is a nice ergonomic blade with a in between of edge holding capability and sharpen-ability. Id like to be able to sharpen it on my sharpmaker and not have it take hours to get sharp that's all. Also a decent size i got big hands but id like the blade to be under 4 inches, 3.5 is a pretty good size in my opinion.

Thanks in advanced for the help. Frankie
 
Well I have been in love with my Spyderco Military. It does have a four inch blade length exactly. If you kind of did, but kind of didn't like the Paramilitary, perhaps try the paramilitary 2. Kershaw makes some great blades as well. But 14C28N doesn't hold the longest edge, it is easy to get sharp though. Perhaps look at their Junkyard Dog in composite CPM-D2. Spyderco Endura 4 is a great blade as well, and VG-10 holds a nice edge. I can add more on. I am actually quite impressed with Cold Steels American Lawman, AUS8A blade steel, again not a super edge holder, but easy to sharpen. And I am sure others will come along to add some suggestions.
 
Steel130 said:
Well I have been in love with my Spyderco Military. It does have a four inch blade length exactly. If you kind of did, but kind of didn't like the Paramilitary, perhaps try the paramilitary 2. Kershaw makes some great blades as well. But 14C28N doesn't hold the longest edge, it is easy to get sharp though. Perhaps look at their Junkyard Dog in composite CPM-D2. Spyderco Endura 4 is a great blade as well, and VG-10 holds a nice edge. I can add more on. I am actually quite impressed with Cold Steels American Lawman, AUS8A blade steel, again not a super edge holder, but easy to sharpen. And I am sure others will come along to add some suggestions.
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Super steels aren't needed honestly. I don't expect it to be able to stay razor sharp for months. Just you know the sharpen no more then 2x a week kind of thing. The s30v i had on my knives lasted like 2 weeks before i felt like i needed to sharpen, 420hc from buck on the other hand was like every 3 days. I'm not sure if i'm ready to go for anther spyderco or not. I'm defiantly not counting them out, just not sure because most of my blades have been spydercos and i haven't really had any that id really recommend.
 
The Para2 is a great refinement of the original Para - they fixed what most didn't like about the original. I love mine, and carry it every day, and suggest you try it out - sounds perfect for your use.
If you really can't dig it, and prefer a leaf-shape blade, the ergos on the Sage series are very nice. You can get a Sage1 in your price range. Can't go wrong with S30V.
Or nearly any Spyderco, when you find one with a blade shape you like, and the lock you prefer. Check out the Persistence, Caly, Centofante, Endura, Stretch, or Yojimbo.

Other than the Para2, if I was cutting boxes and straps all day, I think I'd seriously consider the Yojimbo, myself.

For something else entirely, with a more elegant blade shape, at about 3.5", and great to carry - I'd look at the Al Mar Ultralight Falcon. The AUS8 doesn't look like much on paper, but reviews have noted that it holds an edge very well. Should be a cinch to touch up.
Good luck!
 
tjswarbrick said:
The Para2 is a great refinement of the original Para - they fixed what most didn't like about the original. I love mine, and carry it every day, and suggest you try it out - sounds perfect for your use.
If you really can't dig it, and prefer a leaf-shape blade, the ergos on the Sage series are very nice. You can get a Sage1 in your price range. Can't go wrong with S30V.
Or nearly any Spyderco, when you find one with a blade shape you like, and the lock you prefer. Check out the Persistence, Caly, Centofante, Endura, Stretch, or Yojimbo.

Other than the Para2, if I was cutting boxes and straps all day, I think I'd seriously consider the Yojimbo, myself.

For something else entirely, with a more elegant blade shape, at about 3.5", and great to carry - I'd look at the Al Mar Ultralight Falcon. The AUS8 doesn't look like much on paper, but reviews have noted that it holds an edge very well. Should be a cinch to touch up.
Good luck!
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You're given me a lot to look in to. Thanks for the feedback. And i actually said i disliked the blade shape on the spydercos i had.
 
My view is that you want a fine blade knife with a narrrow blade, (laguiole style) or possibly a hooked tip for fine control cutting tape and plastic straps etc. It should be a fairly high grade of steel to take the use when its fine, and the straps can have glass fibre reinforcement which is hard on edges. Same with cardboard and dust/grit....

Maybe a civilian or matriarch if you like spydercos... A kershaw leek would give a nice fine tip and blade steel choices in a Kershaw package.... The Benchmade 710 is a nice knife but might be "more" than you want since its damn near 4" of blade and 5" of handle...
 
Rapt_up said:
My view is that you want a fine blade knife with a narrrow blade, (laguiole style) or possibly a hooked tip for fine control cutting tape and plastic straps etc. It should be a fairly high grade of steel to take the use when its fine, and the straps can have glass fibre reinforcement which is hard on edges. Same with cardboard and dust/grit....

Maybe a civilian or matriarch if you like spydercos... A kershaw leek would give a nice fine tip and blade steel choices in a Kershaw package.... The Benchmade 710 is a nice knife but might be "more" than you want since its damn near 4" of blade and 5" of handle...
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The main reason i dont want the knife to be huge is because of the 4 inch knife law here, 4 inch blade 10 inch overall
 
Perhaps a Spyderco Tasman or a Matriarch 2. Both have curved blades which seem to be suitable to what you need it for and what you are currently using [I think]. Serrations can also help the knife retain its sharpness.
 
viper89 said:
Perhaps a Spyderco Tasman or a Matriarch 2. Both have curved blades which seem to be suitable to what you need it for and what you are currently using [I think]. Serrations can also help the knife retain its sharpness.
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Serrations do and don't help. They do help by keeping their sharpness, but when they start to dull they don't (from my experience) cut, they start to shred and tear. Im honestly looking to go down the non spyderco road, i feel like its time to give a new brand a shot.
 
Are any of the knives you have now serrated? It might be an option - they kill straps, cardboard, tape, etc. for a long time and easy to touch up on your sharpmaker. Most negativity towards serrations is not based on field experience with a decent, properly sharp serrated knife but bad vibe from cheap, no name junk and people parroting others.

Edit - took too long to submit and saw serrations mentioned already...

Would look at a CS Tuff Lite, good blade geometry for cutting and cheap. Know its a bit smaller than you want though
 
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If Spyderco just isn't floating your boat then maybe try out a Benchmade or Kershaw.

The problem is that Spyderco has really good prices for the steel quality. Bumping up to an S30V Benchmade will likely push it out of your desired spending limit. The Benchmade 940 sounds like something you might like but it's pricey. A Griptilian is a possible option although they are fairly thick handled but that's partly what makes them so comfortable in hand. You will likely enjoy the Axis lock.

Otherwise, if you want to look at some different Spydies then maybe the Sage 1 or Gayle Bradley, or Caly 3.5. Although you stated that you don't really like the leaf blade shape that the Sage has, and the Gayle Bradley although it has a different shape might be more than you want to pay and beefier than you want. The Caly 3.5 is very nice but if you had problems with a ball bearing lock getting bunged up with dust then a lockback might not be the greatest idea, I would stick to something open pillar and easy to keep clean in your case.

Good luck!
 
I am a big fan of the Spyderco PM2 but I agree the blade shape isn't the prettiest.

I would look into a Zero Tolerance 0350. After my ZT0560, the 0350 and the PM2 are my two favorite larger folder.
 
Scurvy092 said:
I am a big fan of the Spyderco PM2 but I agree the blade shape isn't the prettiest.

I would look into a Zero Tolerance 0350. After my ZT0560, the 0350 and the PM2 are my two favorite larger folder.
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ill look into the zt, i keep hearing about the pm2, i keep considering it also, im going to be honest, im being biased based on looks more then performance when it comes to spyderco, i got to try to get around that because i hear great things about the milli and para 2. Im going to go look at some reviews on them and see if i can sway myself out of my old opinion.

Thanks for the suggestions so far everyone.
 
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