If you could only keep 5 folding knives...

Blues Bender said:
What’s up with these ridiculous scenarios with insanely narrow criteria?

“If you could choose a survival knife, what would it be? And it has to be a folding knife with a 2.5” blade and made of 52100 and have a petrified wood handle.”

Seems like these ridiculous scenarios come up every other week here...
Click to expand...

Pretty sure they're just (very) thinly veiled criteria searches that noobs use to mine the broader membership for knife ideas. LOL

I like fixed blades between three and four inches, but it's gotta have a bowie clip-point, micarta scales and a kydex sheath I can wear scout style, so...."OK, the situation is this: you've just been pushed out of a plane and are parachuting into a Panamanian jungle, what's the BEST KNIFE that has...."

:D
 
My fav 5 pocket knives are:

- Spyderco Salt 2 serrated
- Tasman Salt 2 serrated
- Victorinox Alox Electrician
- Manly Wasp slipjoint in S90v
- Becker BK-14 (I carry this daily in my pocket in a leather KSF sheath and while it's not a folder, it's a pocket knife and there's no such thing as a folding survival knife, IMO)


And a 6th on the list, because I don't carry it in my pocket:

- Ladybug Salt Serrated (neck kydex carry)

I also carry a Leatherman Squirt PS4 on my keychain, but I consider that mostly plyers and a multi-tool, rather than the knife / blade (which I never use).
 
Yeah, I can appreciate why this would be a ridiculous scenario to some, but for me it's my reality. I've been collecting since I was 16, and I'm 55. My first great knife ( I used to save my money and go to K-Mart and by their store brand lock backs) was a Buck 110 which my Scoutmaster gave me when I attained the rank of Eagle Scout. I still have that one, and it's the most prized. 39 years. Both of my sons are Eagle Scouts as well so I don't know who will get that one when the time comes. When I became a Scout Master I carried on the tradition. After years of collecting and using dozens of knives I came to the realization that in the end, it's just a tool. A beautiful, useful tool, but a tool none the less. And yes, there are better tools than others for each job, I get that. Look at my garage and my collection of hand and power tools and you'll see that I understand tools.

I dress in my closet each day and look at my loaded Spyderpac and, like many of you, I choose a knife. The other day I had this weird experience where I didn't see the Spyderpac as I normally do, I saw it...objectively. Like, you ever walk into your bedroom and see your PJ's and socks on the floor from the night before (if you forgot to pick them up) and walk right by them...no biggie. But then one day you walk in and think, "Dude, you're a slob, why didn't you just put them away last night?" Anyway, I saw that Spyderpac and thought, "Dude, you have so many knives that you hardly ever carry", and I came to the realization that I don't need dozens of knives. I'm a huge outdoor guy and I use knives all the time but I have so many knives that have only opened one box, or been carried twice and cut nothing. I went through my storage bin, found empty knife boxes, matched them up and put them on eBay. Nothing against collectors or those who have tons of knives you use all the time, or even don't and have safe queens...God bless. But for me, I'd just like to minimize and be able to put my collection in a few pockets rather than a large Tupperware and a Spyderpac.

Anyway, that's the backstory, and thanks for your input. I'm having a blast checking out each recommendation. Keep them coming! I'm learning alot!

Thanks for listening.
 
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Blues Bender said:
What’s up with these ridiculous scenarios with insanely narrow criteria?

“If you could choose a survival knife, what would it be? And it has to be a folding knife with a 2.5” blade and made of 52100 and have a petrified wood handle.”

Seems like these ridiculous scenarios come up every other week here...
Click to expand...
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...5-knives-unleashed-no-limits-version.1696822/

Here you go Blues, I was actually intrigued to mentally pare down my collection down to 5 before I read the op. Made a thread where there's no criteria other than just that.

Pick ur 5.
 
There are tons of options in this category so I had to really think about which ones I carry most in this <100 category.

Byrd Crow 2
Buck Vantage pro large
Cold Steel AK47
Maxpedition small excelsa
Crkt Pilar, id take aus8 so one of them is quick to sharpen
 
Tough one with the $100 limit...

Kershaw Bareknuckle
Spyderco Endura
Chaparral
Manix2 LW
Bugout
 
Victorinox Small Tinker
Victorinox Alox Electrician
Spyderco Kiwi
GEC Missouri Trapper #42
GEC Lyle Creek two blade Boys Knife #14
 
Ask me again tomorrow and things may that change, but for today it's these.


Buck 110 - survival
Camillus 29 - utility
Case Texas jack - general daily edc
Vic recruit - precision cutting
Camillus pen - self defense
 
I had a slightly different list until I saw the $100 purchase price limit. But I like all of the knives I listed above quite a bit. I seldom use the Vic Electrician, but it's there should I want to use it. I have a spare Small Tinker now. I think the Small Tinker will stay with me for a good long while, and I started carrying a small fixed blade. That changes a lot in terms of needed size. The fixed blade may change as I have a couple likely candidates including the Condor Compact Kephart, a Dozier Personal, and BRKT Mini Kephart to name a couple that I can easily carry day to day.

Last year's Buck 301 forum knife in CPM-154 would be a very good choice too for me. I like two bladed slip joints.
 
I find these list more interesting and a bigger challenge if you work with what you own.

So, based upon what I have:

1. Victorinox Cadet
2. Kershaw Zing (US version)
3. CRKT Prowler
4. Spyderco Clip-it Rescue
5. Benchmade Griptilian.

All of these retail for less than 100 clams except for the Griptilian but, it is not much above it.
 
Being practical, and within the given guidelines.

1 - Vic Super Tinker - small utility, generally usable anywhere
2 Lionsteel- Daghetta G10/D2 - pretty small EDC with great cutting edge length
3 - Spyderco Endura 4 FFG - large EDC that can handle most things
4 - 4-6" fixed blade in AEB-L or S35VN handmade from BF's local makers talents D.W. Childress or Austin Goldman - I have a 6" S35VN from Austin it's a very capable and versatile knife, both have offerings in the $100 limit
5 - Marbles 18" Scout Machete - honestly I've handled more expensive machetes that didn't function half as well definitely a huge return on investment, definitely get the sheath for it
 
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Under $100 makes it harder but, I've thinned the herd several times and the sub $100 ones that make it are:

Buck 830 Marksman, (amazing flipper, flips like spring assist, interesting unique lock)
Manix 2 XL (got mine for $75 when it first came out)
Spyderco Pacific Salt SE
Cold Steel Recon 1 (Spear Point CTS-XHP)
Victorinox Pioneer X or Super Tinker
 
I’m pretty much down to 5 EDC types now.
4m1MS8j.jpg
 
Under $100 each?
Vic Tinker or (Allox Cadet second choice)
Buck 110 pro
Buck 112 Slim pro
Native 5 LW (Endela second choice)
Pac Salt SE
 
well why not...i'll chime in. i will just list the ones that i use, since...well, i guess that's my list. :rolleyes: what i mean by that is that i've tried all sorts of folders from cheap to pretty expensive (which is $200-ish+ for me).

...and here is what i have kept and actually use....

1) victorinox pioneer X - EDC - rides in my pocket everyday. the X is important here, as i want the scissors for about town. if i was woodsin' it, i might replace with a farmer (not usually though, as i typically carry a saw for planned woods time)

2) Spyderco endura - for when i actually need a one-handed opener. i have tried hard to replace this one but keep coming back to it. i actually just today received the endela which brought me to this thread. trying the slightly smaller size. first impressions positive.

3) Buck 110 - i have a "fancy" version - i'll have to get pics (it's the one with the OD micarta slabs). so this and a 112 are my hunting/game knife. actually, the endura works well for this too. but, i prefer the more "traditional" knife to do the job. shrug.

like the endura, i have tried for years to replace the vic with many different GEC's etc. i love them, but there is something about having the convenient tools and the blade that have always prevented me from getting it out of my pocket.

i guess that's it. i don't have a hard-use, sturdy folder. the endura is definitely a slicer...thin grind. i would not use it for hard use. but that's what i consider my fixed blades for, i guess.

cheers guys.
 
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