I am brand new to knives and I need advice.

B

beretta40ss

Joined
Dec 22, 2004
Messages
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I am looking for a pocket knife in the price range of $250-$300. I hunt a lot and I need a knife for the woods and for every day use. I have read some stuff about Spyderco, Benchmade, and Boker and they all seem good. There are hundreds to choose from :confused: I guess I am looking for durability, corrosion resistance, strength, and how well a knife keeps an edge and blade sharpness. I appreciate all the help anyone can give me.

Thanks.
 
250-300 will buy a lot of knife. A Sebenza can be had for 300 used and it's considered the benchmark for production folders. The BM 710/705 for ~ $100 is a forum favorite. If you want a better slicer and is willing to trade off a little blade durability, a Spyderco Military/paramilitary will fit the bill. What size are you looking for?
 
I have been looking on ebay and found knives that retail on the Spyderco, Benchmark etc.. sites for a lot more than they are being sold for on ebay. I was wrong in the price range. I can afford $150. I am confused on the steel grades along with most everything else. Like I said, I'm a newbie.
 
With that, and being new to knives...I reccomend that you get a decent folder and a decent fixed blade. I won't make any reccomendations as of now, but Benchmade is a great place to start...and welcome!
 
Well, I own a ton of knives, and have dressed out my share of deer. If I was starting from scratch looking for a knife, if I wanted the knife to be a folder, and if I intended to use only one knife for both field dressing and skinning, I would seriously consider the Blade-Tech Weigner, or the older Spyderco Weigner.
 
You can spare your actual hunting knife from some of the blade-dulling camp routine with a Swiss Army Knife with a saw. Thjey are really inexpensive. We have a forum for SAKs where you can get better advice on exactly which model might be best, but you don't need one with everything :)
 
You don't have to be an expert to make a good decision. But before you decide on a specific knife, take a look at BladeForums.com Knife FAQs which will give you an idea of some of the technical details about knives.
 
If looking for a folder, I'd recommend considering a Frame Lock that can be disassembled. There are a lot of cool knives of great quality, but you'll need a knife that can be cleaned easily. Otherwise, I would consider a fixed blade for hunting/dressing/skinning, etc.

The FAQ section can answer a lot about steels, brands, and other "common knowledge" stuff that us old timers take for granted.

Welcome to the world of the sharp and shiny. Your wallet is going to hate you. Stay around awhile, and you will definitely learn something, and probably make some great friends as well. Check out the "For Sale" forums here, as there is always a great deal to be had.

DD
 
Beretta-

First off - welcome to our humble little band of merry knife-knuts!

You came to the BEST place in the world for a few things - good advice on knives, lights, gadgets, etc and also the best place I know of to spend a whole heck of a lot of money you never knew you needed or wanted.

When I started off in the forum years ago, I carried a small Cold Steel pocket knife and had a Bucklite camping knife.

Today I am not a snob, but I only own 3 knives: Chris Reeve's Sebenza, Chris Reeve's Green Beret and a Graham Brothers Wharncliffe EDC fixed blade.

The cheapest of these is around $175 - YIKES!

Give preferences, likes and dislikes, look at a few good sites for pics and ask good questions and you should get good answers.

Benchmade and Spyderco are GREAT production models. Columbia River KNife and Tool are great values and Chris Reeve's is the epitomy of excellence.

Good luck and feel free to ask more "stupid" questions - I certainly have asked my fair share!

David
 
For $300 I'd buy two $100 knives and two $50 knives. Not sure which ones though, just whatever caught my eye first.

Happy shopping,
Bob
 
Thats a pretty good price range to be in for a production knife. I recomend checking out Cutter Knife and Tool. They make very nice folders and offer outstanding customer service as well.
 
Here's another vote for the large Sebenza. Just keep an eye on the "Production Knives For Sale" sub-forum in the Exchange here on BFC. Used Sebbies turn up fairly regularly and for excellent prices. BTW, welcome to BFC. I hope you enjoy your time here. ;)
 
Don't rule out a small Sebenza. It's more than enough knife for deer, and it's size is better suited to EDC.
A SAK with a saw blade is a very handy item in the woods. ;)

Paul
 
Sebenza, if you can afford it...
PS, you call youreslf Beretta, what kind of stuff you got?
I just bought an Xtrema and love it...
 
I went looking at some knives at a hunting store today and saw some nice Benchmades. I really liked the opening mechanism on the spring loaded automatic ones. I didn't like the AXIS as much. Is there a reason everyone talks about the AXIS? I am thinking seriously about getting a Benchmade. Are these worth the money? I don't have the money for a Sabenza, so what company makes the best knives after them: Spyderco, Benchmade, Boker etc..? I call myself Beretta because I carried a Beretta pistol in the Air Force as a cop and I own a stainless steel 40 cal. now.
 
keeping in mind that a folder alone is not the best choice to depend on in the woods.........;having said that i'd say that $150 buys you a real nice Spyderco, or 2 if you can't decide. other good brands are aplenty, just surf the web for some online-stores and check out all that's available today.

the nice thing about Spyderco's is the thumb-hole instead of the stud. this particular feature has gotten me hooked on Spydies forever.

a SAK or a Multitool would also be a good choice. not only are they very versatile in function, but the best ones also have locking knife-blades that can even be opened one-handed, just like a folding knife. Leatherman Wave or Charge come to mind as excellent multi's.

make sure to absorb lots of info before you make an impulsive purchase. get what you really want/need.

good luck,
denn
 
Beretta40ss, you are opening a can of worms with your last question. There are those in this Forum who LOVE Spydercos, those who LOVE BenchMades, and those who WORSHIP Chris Reeves' knives. For the record, Chris Reeves keeps the prices on his products pegged as high as they are by refusing to sell to anyone who discounts them. To me, that is a form of price fixing and it is not something that I find acceptable, so I tend to discount them. Of the others, I tend to prefer the Spydercos. For a general purpose hunting/camping sort of knife, the old Wenger or the Impala would seem to be good choices. Another might be the Spyderco/Terzuola StarMate, if you can find one. I love mine and would put it up against a Sebenza any day for functionality. Yes, the Sebenza is much better in the fine detail finishing, but the StarMate is every bit as good as any Sebenza that I have ever handled when it comes to function. Another possibility is the James Keating Chinook, either I or II. The Chinook I is a real tank of a knife with plenty of belly fro slicing and skinning at the expense of weight, while the Chinook II is lighter and, perhaps, not quite so good at skinning. Note that both of these were intended for Spyderco's Martial Blade Craft series or, in other words, as defensive weapons.

I am unsure what it is that you find disconcerting about the BenchMade Axis Lock knives, but I have several and I like them very much. I especially like my 921 Osbourne Switchback. It may not serve your purposes, however. For a heavier duty hunting and camping version, I'd look at the 710 or the Pardue 720, if you're right-handed. That latter is one heavy duty hunk of knife.

Both Spyderco and BenchMade make very good fixed blade knives and I suspect that the real choice is in which one fits you and your needs the best. You might also take a look at the SOG knives.

And may I second Esav's great recommendation? The Swiss Army Knives are not my favorites, but as a camper's tool, they are great. The saw in them is, in my experience, the best one out there and will cut through all sorts of things with dispatch. What other tools you include in the version that you pick is a matter of taste and your esatimation of your needs. The tweezers that come in every one of them are absolute gems when you need to pick out a thorn or splinter.
 
The Benchmade 705 and 710 , and 921 are great EDC knives . The small Sebenza is great . For my money the Paramilitary is currently the pick of the Spyderco litter . I have more faith in Benchmade Qc than Spyderco QC . I'll buy a Benchmade site unseen . I insist on handling a Spyderco first . If it
were me , I'd go Benchmade .

I concurr with the SAK advice . I use the master screwdriver a lot for crap like scraping , and prying out staples .

The choice between 705 and 710 is mostly about hand size , and legal carry requirements .
 
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