Knife for EDC

[bugeyed]

snip I'm still not too sure what I'm supposed to be looking for in a knife, though. I could try out all of the knives mentioned in this thread, but how can I tell which ones are better? Beyond their aesthetical appeal, how can I measure their worth?

You are asking this question on a forum populated by people who, for the most part, own many more than one knife. And probably several that are in rotation as their EDC. That should tell you that, either there is no one perfect knife for EDC or, there are way to many cool knives out there to settle on just one. I would recommend that you buy several lower priced ($15 - $50) blades that are distinctively different from each other & put them in rotation as your EDC. I think that you will find that you will favor one for a while & another at another time. Most well designed knives have their own character & you will start to appreciate the design differences in them as you go. Have fun with it & don't obsess about finding the one perfect knife.

 

[C_Kyle]

Delica 4, plain edge. Blade is plenty big enough for all sorts of tasks, cutting boxes, rope, tape, whittling, pruning, cutting food, even prying if needed; and if necessary, defense. In fact, The only thing I can't really see a Delica doing is chopping wood, etc.

You can pick up a Delica 4 on eBay for $30-60 in all sorts of configurations. I do suggest a plain edge because while serrations are good for cutting some things, they are terrible for others and difficult to sharpen.

 

[edgreywolf]

i think you are over complicating things
make a list
1 how long is legal carry in your area
2 what is the usage it will be put through
3 folded or fixed (legal also)
4 do you know how to sharpen very hard steels?
5 no care stainless or little more care easier sharpen high carbon
6 serrations or not goes back to usage (serrations are good for rope)

when you go off of a list then it will eliminate lots of non choice knives
what is left can be narrowed down by feel and looks

just trying to help simplify a very broad choice
E

 

[Steven Penner]

If price is an issue, i would look at CRKT kniives.

Lots of different knives with good quality at reasonable use prices.

http://www.crkt.com/

 

[Steven Penner]

damn double

 

[Cliff Nieporte]

Hey Cliff.....that's a nice city you live in!

Cincinnati is a nice city:thumbup:
Especially the WEST SIDE.

The Spyderco Native & Tenacious are 2 good choices too if you like that size & style:

Cliff

 

[pinetree]

Most of my knives have run $20 - $80. I have a dozen or so slip-joints that have served me very well. I live in suburban Atlanta though I lived in downtown Atlanta for 8 years and downtown Chicago for 2. I've scanned your posts in this thread and am uncertain if you have to have a locking knife. Most of the responses have been along the tactical genre. I get along just fine with a Case, Boker or Queen on a daily basis (I keep a Leatherman Squirt on my key chain). I work in an office and wear business casual. On the weekends tend to move towards a SAK. From a pocket knife perspective, I have never been in a situation where a SAK wouldn't have met the task at hand. Heck I even cleaned a deer with a SAK Spartan.

One thing that guides me in an EDC knife are the aesthetics and how the knife rides in my pocket. Yes I have locking knives and usually carry them when wearing jeans. I love my AG Russell Featherlite (utility blade), and my SOG Twitch II has really grown on me.

My next knife is going to be Queen Copperhead. It is slim with 2.75" D2 blade. It runs $80.

 

[TheFighter88]

Well, based upon your question, I'd wouldn't recommend any knife.

Lurk the forum for a few weeks and then ask yourself.

If you have to get one, just don't get a liner-lock. I don't recommend them to anyone anymore - too unreliable no matter the cost.

Big +1

After awhile you'll get a feel for what you want - takes a bit of time, but definitely worth it.

I'm also not a fan of liner locks anymore... I carry lockbacks or all out slipjoints right now.

 

[Scott.123]

I have had carried lots of knives but as far as no frills function and reliablity i love my full size griptillians. I have them in 154 cm and a ritter grip in S30V. I like the 154cm more because of ease of sharpening. I have carried it in the woods and on the streets of boston and it does every task from mundane to heavy duty. I would also recomend a spyderco sharpmaker. it is easy to use and keeps 154cm super sharp.

Also you can use this link to search the forums.
http://tiny.cc/GnYCB

Good luck

 

[dutch_0311]

Get a Benchmade Griptilian. For the price, it cant be beat. Flawless design and superb quality for the price. ($60-$80) There are very few knives within that price range that even come close.

Heres my BM 551 Grip.

 

[Dagon]

Back to the original question: try to play with different knives in shows and shops to see what FEELS best in your hand. Most knives in your price range will offer premium steel blades and decent construction. But how does it handle, how does it open, etc. And map this to the duty the knife will need to perform: is it more gentlemen-like, or more utility like? Do you prefer one hand openers? What kind of lock feels most comfortable for you? Etc.
As a comparison, while I originally looked mainly at impressive one handed utility style knives with G10 or FRN handles such as an Endura, a Griptilian etc; I found out that a classic elegant Laguiole is perfect in my hand for most of my tasks, and it sees a lot of pocket time. There are a few others, such as the sturdy but stylish Eka Masur, or a smooooth Mcusta with damascus blade. For utility knives I prefer my compact Caly 3, even if I don't care much for the handle material. This kind of knives all feel RIGHT to me, and that's what's important when choosing. I do have an awesome ZT 200, but I use it far less often than the above mentioned ones...

 

[Aelius]

Awesome, thanks for all the replies everyone. I'll see if I can find a store around where I can try out some different knives. One other issue I wanted to bring up is the steel type.

I currently have a Spyderco Stretch and a Spyderco Endura, both ZDP-189 steel. I'm not too fond of them, though, because it's a pain to sharpen. They're just so dull now after trying for hours to sharpen it with my SharpMaker. So I'd like a steel isn't too susceptible to wear, and can hold an edge at 15 degrees per side. I don't mind honing it on a regular basis. Also, there won't be many tasks I'll be putting this knife through that involve anything tougher than common materials like cardboard and plastic.

With that said, any recommendations for steel?

 

[Kaizen1]

Awesome, thanks for all the replies everyone. I'll see if I can find a store around where I can try out some different knives. One other issue I wanted to bring up is the steel type.

I currently have a Spyderco Stretch and a Spyderco Endura, both ZDP-189 steel. I'm not too fond of them, though, because it's a pain to sharpen. They're just so dull now after trying for hours to sharpen it with my SharpMaker. So I'd like a steel isn't too susceptible to wear, and can hold an edge at 15 degrees per side. I don't mind honing it on a regular basis. Also, there won't be many tasks I'll be putting this knife through that involve anything tougher than common materials like cardboard and plastic.

With that said, any recommendations for steel?

ZDP is one of the more difficult steels to sharpen that you'll find on the market these days. If you don't like it, you'll want to stay away from S90V, S125V and probably M4.

That being said, most of the other steels you'll find are relatively easier to sharpen:
VG-10
S30V
154cm
CPM154
ATS-34
D2
CPM D2
AUS8
440C

 

[Aelius]

ZDP is one of the more difficult steels to sharpen that you'll find on the market these days. If you don't like it, you'll want to stay away from S90V, S125V and probably M4.

That being said, most of the other steels you'll find are relatively easier to sharpen:
VG-10
S30V
154cm
CPM154
ATS-34
D2
CPM D2
AUS8
440C

So should I just take any pick out of those? Considering my priorities, is there really much difference between those ones to merit some consideration before purchasing?

 

[Kaizen1]

So should I just take any pick out of those? Considering my priorities, is there really much difference between those ones to merit some consideration before purchasing?

Personally, I don't there's so much of a difference that someone new to knives should really care about it. Only if you're really into testing steel characteristics or sharpening would I think you should give more consideration to it. I would pick a knife on other features before steel (ergos, how it feels in the pocket, lock type, etc).

If it helps, most people on these forums would/might consider the following of the steels listed, less desirable:

AUS8
440C
ATS-34

But to answer your question, no, I don't think it matters which one you get.

 

[A.P.F.]

My suggestion would be to stay with a high end stainless and buy a Lansky with diamond hones, or a Sharpmaker with diamond triangles.

 

[14Tango]

Aelius, if you're willing to touch up you blade when necessary any of the steels mentioned will work fine. I've had 440C and AUS8 blades that worked great for me. May not have held their edge as long as VG10 or S30V but they both were easy to touch up using my sharpmaker. Looking at reputable companies is also important IMO. Both the 440C and AUS8 knives I mentioned were made by benchmade which does a good job with their heat treatment. Kershaw does a good job with their 13C26 Sandvik blades, I've been real happy with the quality of their knives. If you browse the forum you'll see many of the same brands recommended over and over again. If you've got 150$ limit I'd recommend looking at as many knives as you can from reputable brands like Spyderco, Benchmade, and Kershaw (my top 3 for EDC folders I can afford) and maybe pick up two or three knives. That way you can start off with a set of knives to rotate instead of just one EDC. Most members on the forum have a bunch of knives that they rotate as their EDC. By choosing a couple of knives you may find one you prefer but you'll probably end up deciding that although both work great you just need one, or two, or maybe three more knives to make you happy.

 

[Hawkings]

Any knife will cut, its when said knife turns into a toy and/or jewelery things gets confusing.
Most people here (Me incl.) is in the "toy and/or jewelery" category (Being a member of bladeforums is just one way of joining this category). This does not mean that I/you do not need/use a knife every day or at work.It means that we like to compare knifes when we cut stuff or what its like to look at, and doing this gives us a good feeling inside.

If you just need a knife to cut stuff and the knife you are looking at say "Spyderco" on it, well there you go. You have a good knife, no need to look any further.

Buuttt you did join bladeforums, which means that your knife is no longer "just a tool". It is fast and in no uncertain way turning into a hobby.
prepare to spend a lot of money in the years ahead.

Welcome, we all wish that you have a understanding wife/girlfriend, that will not give you to much grief in the time to come.

 

[starboard]

Awesome, thanks for all the replies everyone. I'll see if I can find a store around where I can try out some different knives. One other issue I wanted to bring up is the steel type.

I currently have a Spyderco Stretch and a Spyderco Endura, both ZDP-189 steel. I'm not too fond of them, though, because it's a pain to sharpen. They're just so dull now after trying for hours to sharpen it with my SharpMaker. So I'd like a steel isn't too susceptible to wear, and can hold an edge at 15 degrees per side. I don't mind honing it on a regular basis. Also, there won't be many tasks I'll be putting this knife through that involve anything tougher than common materials like cardboard and plastic.

With that said, any recommendations for steel?

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I would recommend conquering the sharpening game before going on a knife buying spree, leaving a trail of dull knives as you go. It is very liberating to finally realize that, yeah, no matter what the profile or how dull/abused it is, you can shape it to your own needs and turn it into a razor.

I too used to struggle and waste a lot of time with a Sharpmaker, and I readily believe that using the stock Sharpmaker on ZDP is like trying to dig through rock with a plastic spork. The thing that gave my sharpening a quantum leap forward was abandoning the Sharpmaker in favor of DMT diamond hones, sandpaper, and strop, and sharpening freehand. I had an epiphany when the first DMT landed on my porch, and haven't touched the Sharpmaker since.

Having said that, I think you'll have a much, much easier time with VG-10, so I'd second any motion to pick up VG-10 Delica/Endura or indeed something more refined like the Caly3. Oh, and stay away from recurves until you can produce a razor at will.

 

[Ozy]

I went through this original question in my head...i'm still buying knives in pursuit of EDC, but each one I buy is almost perfect....for that week anyway.