I need help picking a knife.

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knifefanatic01

Joined
Jun 19, 2015
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2
Hello everybody,

I am really wanting to buy a new pocket knife. I can't really choose though. So I came on here hoping to get some help. I want a pocket knife that's really durable, can hold a sharp edge, and just a nice, strong knife overall. I want to be able to keep this knife for a long time. This knife will also get used a lot so I need it to be a knife that will hold together. I really hope all you guys can just put your opinions and help me out. I would like specific knife models but if you just give me the company name, that's okay. I mean, I'm not dumb or anything. I'm not new to the knife world. I know all sorts of brands like SOG, Spyderco, Winchester, Browning, Gerber, Victorinox, Buck, Kershaw, Bechmade, Cold Steel. It's I just need some help deciding.

Thanks!
 
What's your budget and what size knife do you like? There are a ton of great knives out there, so any criteria you can give us to help narrow it down would help a lot.
 
You asked for opinions, so here's mine.

Of the brands you mentioned I would outright stay away from (based on personal experience regarding quality) SOG, Winchester, Gerber, and Browning. I would also add Smith And Wesson to this list. I would not exclude, but would be selective of models by Buck, and Kershaw, as some are very good, and some are just meh.

Also, as Insipid Monicker stated, it would be helpful to know your budget, and size preference.
 
With nothing else to go on, I'll just say this.

Grab an Ontario RAT 1 or 2 (same design, just slightly different sizes) for about $25-30.

Its an incredibly good value, made well, and has decent blade steel. Its my go to recommendation for people that want a good solid basic working knife.
 
You didn't mention budget. So, from good to best in reading your description of what you want:

Up to $50 -- RAT 1 or 2.
$50-100 - Kershaw of your choice.
$100-150 - Spyderco of your choice
$150-200 - Emerson Micro-Commander.
 
It would also help to know what you mean by a pocket knife. Do you want a good slip joint? Do you want a larger knife? What do you foresee doing with the knife? Will you be carving pumpkins, skinning animals, cutting up boxes? Or, will you be taking out and installing carpet or flooring? There are different knives for different jobs.

Just a good all around knife choice would be a Spyderco Delica and you get your choice of colors and blade steels, as well as handle materials. http://www.knifeworks.com/search.aspx?find=spyderco+delica
 
Coming here to help you decide may make things more difficult, as everyone will give you theur opinions which will cover just about every knife you are already considering, abd even more you nwver did.
especially without any specific criteria... Lol

What's a price range, what size blade are looking for (are there any legal restrictions where you live), are you in the market for a well built basic knife, ($30-50) or a higher end production knife ($150+) or something somewhere in between?
Flipper or no flipper?
Assisted opening or manual?

Narrowing down to what it is you're looking for more specifically, as well as some personal preferences, will really help the cause...
 
I'll throw my first suggestion into the hat though for a tough and sturdy knife that should handle anything you throw at it.

Cold Steel Code4. around $75-80
-comes in your choice of drop point, clip point, or tanto, plain edge or partially serrated.

Hefty build and a lot of knife, made with a solid edge holding steel (cts-xhp), and undoubtedly one of the strongest locking systems in the industry (tri-ad).

I just got mine in clip point last week, and so far I'm very pleased. It is no dainty knife though, with a 3.5" blade that's also deep and reasonably thick at the spine, and a 5" handle my first impression of it was, "this thing is built to be a work horse".

My only complaint is it wasn't "quite" as sharp as I would have liked put of the box, but that is an easy fix, and, it was still pretty sharp.

It should definitely last forever though, it was certainly built to, and with the plain no frills handle design, you can always take it in and have it engraved with some design or whatever to have it personalized (something I'll probably have done some time down the road).

 
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I'm looking for a knife with a flipper, around medium size (4 inches), prefer assisted opening but not a big deal if not, and my budgets around $0-$100. This knife will be used for a lot of things (outdoor, construction, etc.) I use knives for so many uses its too long to list. I'd either like a clip point, plain edge, or tanto. I hope this helps.
 
knifefanatic01 said:
I'm looking for a knife with a flipper, around medium size (4 inches), prefer assisted opening but not a big deal if not, and my budgets around $0-$100. This knife will be used for a lot of things (outdoor, construction, etc.) I use knives for so many uses its too long to list. I'd either like a clip point, plain edge, or tanto. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

I stand by my recommendation then,
<$100, 3.5" of good steal, (and feels bigger because of the shear size in other dimensions), Clip Point (or tanto), plain edge, and sturdy design built like a tank...

And "not a big deal" that it's not assisted...
(Only thing missing is the flipper).

Also the fact that it is a no frills metal design is great IMO for a construction hard use knife, because it's not a "show" piece, but a work piece. Don't have to worry about a fancy (softer) handle material getting boogered up on the job.

Vantage force pro is a great little knife too, I love mine too, but it is a lot less knife...
 
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For something a bit more off-the-wall but still extremely well made try a Buck 830 Marksman. Probably the best production flipper I've handled and it has a very interesting lock as well.
 
knifefanatic01 said:
I'm looking for a knife with a flipper, around medium size (4 inches), prefer assisted opening but not a big deal if not, and my budgets around $0-$100. This knife will be used for a lot of things (outdoor, construction, etc.) I use knives for so many uses its too long to list. I'd either like a clip point, plain edge, or tanto. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

How about a Kizer..?
[video=youtube;NDoUirMmANQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDoUirMmANQ[/video]
 
knifefanatic01 said:
Hello everybody,

I am really wanting to buy a new pocket knife. I can't really choose though. So I came on here hoping to get some help. I want a pocket knife that's really durable, can hold a sharp edge, and just a nice, strong knife overall. I want to be able to keep this knife for a long time. This knife will also get used a lot so I need it to be a knife that will hold together. I really hope all you guys can just put your opinions and help me out. I would like specific knife models but if you just give me the company name, that's okay. I mean, I'm not dumb or anything. I'm not new to the knife world. I know all sorts of brands like SOG, Spyderco, Winchester, Browning, Gerber, Victorinox, Buck, Kershaw, Bechmade, Cold Steel. It's I just need some help deciding.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Well, with modern technology, most new knives are plenty strong, hold a decent edge, and are quite nice for the advertised prices.

How about you tell us what kind of blade shape you like?
Perhaps a steel you are interested in?

For under $100, I'd recommend Spyderco, but a Kershaw Camber sounds like what you want.
 
knifefanatic01 said:
I'm looking for a knife with a flipper, around medium size (4 inches), prefer assisted opening but not a big deal if not, and my budgets around $0-$100. This knife will be used for a lot of things (outdoor, construction, etc.) I use knives for so many uses its too long to list. I'd either like a clip point, plain edge, or tanto. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Okay, get a Cold Steel Recon 1 Clip or Spear Point (Tantos are not much use in the real world). http://www.knifeworks.com/coldsteelrecon127tlcs4incarpentersctsxhpplainedge.aspx#.VYj2Ylyqqko
A Cold Steel Code 4 would be a good choice, but the metal handle is slippery.
Also, the Spyderco Endura is a good knife. http://www.knifeworks.com/search.aspx?find=Spyderco+Endura
A knife I really like, made by Benchmade in the USA, and is salt water rated (won't rust) is the Landslide http://www.knifeworks.com/benchmadelonewolflandslide805overalllengthplainedge.aspx#.VYj141yqqko

A good lock back is much stronger (as has been repeatedly shown) than a liner lock. Just a word of wisdom from a guy who used to use both on a farm, hard.
 
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