If you had $500

You didn't say in your OP what kind of usage, so I'm going to assume kind of a general-all-purpose kind of kit....

GB Small Forest Axe $110
Spyderco Kopa (Carbon Fiber) $134
Bark River Gunny $140ish (depends on handles)
Leatherman Charge TTi $120

SFA: Good for camping, either in car or on foot. Good for around the house.
Kopa: Good small pocket knife for work, or when you don't want to scare non-knife people, yet still a very nice steel and a great feel in-hand. Can also be used as your small knife outdoors.
Gunny: This is your medium knife for outdoors use, or storage in a bug-out bag. Not as heavy or thick as the full-size Bravo-1, but still a great knife.
Charge : Great multitool, with (obviously) multiple uses.

If you are ONLY talking knives, then take out the SFA and Charge. Get instead:

BRKT Canadian Camp $150 or so? (Not available right now)
Spyerderco Salt

The Canadian Camp is recognized as a great all-around "Camp knife" size knife... not the best at any one task, but a great compromise.
The Salt will NOT RUST, so is great for any use around water whatsoever, even to the point of being tucked into your swim trunks for swimming in the ocean.

The last two are the two I don't (yet) have. :)
 
For self defense: Spyderco Endura Wave $62.08 or a Emerson CQC-8 Wave $149.80
Fixed blade hunting/Camping: Fallkniven A1 $153.34 and a Fallkniven F1 $91.80
User folding knife: Byrd Cara Cara $17.14 or a Buck Vantage $19.73
You can even buy them all with the $500.00......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(prices taken from yourcornerstore.com)
 
Spyderco Manix 2- sport utility/tactical folder $80

Fallkniven F1 or S1- outdoors and camping fixed blade $100

Case, Bear or Queen peanut or tiny trapper- cut stuff at the office knife $30

Beretta Zytel Loveless dropped point hunter- deer knife $50

Waved Spyderco Rescue or Delica (serrated)- off side weapon retention knife $60

Byrd Catbyrd- beat it up working folder $30 (or Benchmade 550 Grip at $70)

Spyderco FRN Endura 4- spare folder $70

Assortment of carbon and SS Mora Craftsman and Clipper models, and one fillet knife- user knives $$=rest of the cash
 
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rpn said:
Waki!
Click to expand...

Good luck trying to EDC it. He wants something he can carry. Don't get me wrong, I love my Waki.

Original Poster: look at my motivational poster. The framelock Emerson Super CQC7(6) cost me the price of the original knife (approx $150) and then $300 to Reese Weiland for the framelock conversion. There you go.

l_4a5b8f3def8249849328684619439921.jpg
 
Well, to cover your basic knife needs (noticed I said basic and needs, in other words, just the beginning LOL), I'd go with this lineup.
  • Small Sebenza: +/- $300
  • Becker BK7: $80
  • SAK: $30-$40
  • Booze: $80
Those would cover all your basic knife needs, plus other important needs (i.e., drunken stupor while you play with your new knives). You could replace the SAK suggestion with a Leatherman tool, but the SAK does the same functions very well for fewer bucks. Another possible switch would be a Fallkniven A1 for the Becker. More bucks, but worth it in my opinion.

Alternatively, you could just send me the $500, and I'll send you some used Frosts knives and maybe an Opinel or two I have laying around the bottom of one of my drawers somewhere. I'll even resharpen them and pay the postage to ship them to you! :p Have fun, whatever you decide...

- Mark
 
Folding:
(2) Vic Classic ($15)
CB/CPM-D2 Leek ($60)
Benchmade 530 ($70)
CB/CPM-D2 JYDII ($75)
S60V "XXXX" Blur ($70)

Fixed:
Mora ($15)
Ranger RD7 ($100)
Kershaw Outcast ($70)
 
Spyderco Caly 3 ZDP - $150

Becker BK2 - $60

Leatherman Charge ALX - $85

Spyderco Sharpmaker + Diamond Rods - $95

Shun Chef's Knife - $110

= $500 Even.

With this you get:

Premium EDC, ZDP and carbon fiber

1/4" thick outdoor knife

Premium Multitool

Ability to SHARPEN (something I've yet to see on anyone else's) and REPROFILE (just as important).

A nice VG10 Chef's knife for the kitchen. You really only need one.

DC
 
After much much thought, here is the short list I’ve come up with:



Chris Reeve's Nmandi $350 (at new graham)
Bark River knife and Tool's Gunny $150 (reduced at dlttrading)



With this I have a hollow ground and a convex; stainless and carbon steel; an elegant pocket dress folder and a bombproof workhorse fixed blade. Pretty much everything I want in two knives.


Other knives I’ve seriously considered but didn’t make the cut:

Bark River Bravo 1--Great knife in the woods but the Gunny was cheaper and lighter.

Rat Izula--great knife around the neck, just couldn’t squeeze it into the budget.

Waki--great knife around the pants but squeezes everything out of the budget.

Chris Reeve’s Sebenza—see above.

Bradley Cutlery Alias 1--Outstanding knife but not a sebenza

Spyderco Sage 2—See above

Buck/Tom Mayo’s “holy” TNT—See above

Strider SNG GG--Just like a sebenza except it has a different deployment
system, blade shape, edge geometry, weight, handle design, design history, price and color.

Zero Tolerance 300--See above.


Applegate Fairbairn Smatchet--Great Short short sword, but what I really want a double-edged leaf-blade tactical large knife. Couldn’t find it so I opted for the short list above.



I'd still like to see more lists if anyone else has them.

Remember: You are starting from scratch and you have no knives. $500 to spend and you cant get anymore for the rest of your life. What would you get?
 
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Take $250 and go to a strip club. Take the other $250, talk to one of the many reasonably priced custom makers here, and get whatever you want.
 
While the Mnandi is very nice, it is perhaps too gentle for all EDC uses. The same price or a bit less gives you the small Sebenza (without wooden inlays) which is a bit bigger but more a workhorse. And for the difference in price you can still get yourself an Opinel 7 to peel fruit etc.
 
Small pocket - Queen #06L teardrop linerlock in D2 @ $55
Large pocket - GEC #23 jumbo trapper in 1095 @ $90
Tactical pocket clip - Kershaw Lahar in VG-10 @ $55
Hunter/skinner - Buck Kalinga Pro in S30V @ $115
Camp/utility - Blackjack 1-7 in A2 @ $160
Machete - Cold Steel in 1055 @ $25 equals total $500

Absolutely, positively, never consider a custom, or you'll never be able to stick to your "never, ever buy another knife" scenario!
 
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