knife for tired old man (pictures appreciated)

484.jpg


Oh man....I like the look of this one....
 
Hey, we’re not so bad. It was worse in the old days.

As darkness covered all the Hall where they sat at their meat
The grey dogs, yowling, left their food and crept to Henry's feet
And louder howled the rising wind, and burst the fastened door
When in there came a grisly ghost, stamping on the floor!

Her head hit the rooftree of the house, her middle you could not span
Each frightened Huntsman fled the hall, and left the King alone
Her teeth were like the tether-stakes, her nose like club or mall
And nothing less she seemed to be than a Fiend that comes from Hell!

More knives, more knives, you King Henry, more knives you give to me!
Oh you must sell your good Glock guns, and bring more knives for me!
And he has sold his good Glock guns, it made his heart full sore
For to buy knives for the loathly hag, demanding "More knives! More!".

Buy your five knives. Declare a moratorium. Live with them for a while. Learn your new knives, and bond with them. Avoid Bladeforums.

Once you’ve sobered up, carefully look at a knife catalogue. If the urge is overwhelming…you’re out of luck.

AA doesn’t cater to knifeaholics.
 
cbking said:
I wouldn't say you have to activate it but you have to over come the force of the omega springs in the axis lock before the spring will take over which is when the thumbstuds have been pressed up about 1/4 of an inch. I've owned two axis lock knives and I believe that they have a big advantage over other lock methods.
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Well put, though in a switchblade you have to overcome the admittedly lighter 'force' of its button... :)
 
Raymond1000 said:
Buy your five knives. Declare a moratorium. Live with them for a while. Learn your new knives, and bond with them. Avoid Bladeforums.

Once you’ve sobered up, carefully look at a knife catalogue. If the urge is overwhelming…you’re out of luck.

AA doesn’t cater to knifeaholics.
Click to expand...

It's not like I have a choice. My wallet is declaring a moratorium.

I already ordered 4 knife catalogs. Should get them in 3-6 weeks.

Hey, I see a lot of picks of paracord at the end of knives here on BF. Anyone have a monkey fist attached that way?
 
You need a good fixed blade before any moratorium.:D
Give Becker knife & tool a look.
 
LG&M said:
You need a good fixed blade before any moratorium.:D
Give Becker knife & tool a look.
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I was checking out the BK series... Schrade... ESEE - don't know much about any of the fixed blade knife brands, but clearly I'm willing to learn... :D
 
Lots of very good one around. Becker & ESEE among them .Scharde was at one time. Now just a name bought to sell knives. However it looks like they are trying to improve.
 
FireCloud9 said:
DMTD3Ea.jpg


Is this the sharpener you guys were referring to?
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Yes, you have your choice of various grits...I have the model D3E, Extra-fine, about 1200 mesh.
It works fine for me; best use is to maintain your fine edge. Not for starting out with a dull knife.

...and...I doubt that you're so old...
 
Cool thread. I am surprised that no one had mentioned this yet, but check out Zero Tolerance. Although slightly over your stated price range, ZT makes great stuff. Given your hand size you might really like these knives, and the flipper models are easy to open. If I am missing a reason that ZT has not been a part of your search, I apologize for cluttering up your thread. Good luck finding your perfect knife!
 
ncrockclimb said:
Cool thread. I am surprised that no one had mentioned this yet, but check out Zero Tolerance. Although slightly over your stated price range, ZT makes great stuff. Given your hand size you might really like these knives, and the flipper models are easy to open. If I am missing a reason that ZT has not been a part of your search, I apologize for cluttering up your thread. Good luck finding your perfect knife!
Click to expand...

I think the main 2 reasons ZT was not recommended was price and weight. OP wanted under $100 and under 4.5oz. Otherwise I would've recommended ZT first. :)
 
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FireCloud9 said:
First, let me say that I truly appreciate all the help and information I've received from everyone who has posted on this thread. I mean that.

I came on here looking for 1 knife and now I have my eye on 5 knives (3 of which I bought in the past 12 hours alone....). Two from KnifeCenter, one from a local shop, still haven't pulled the trigger on Knifeworks
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FireCloud9 said:
Hi there... newbie first post here. I've been lurking for a while and finally decided to join the forum to see if I could get some recommendations from the knife lovers on the forum. I've gone to a few shops that sell knives and thus far I've liked the Benchmade, Syperco and Kershaw knives but I'm open to others.

Objective: Purchase an EDC folder overall length 7.5" to ~8.5" Large hand size | 3.25"+ blade | 4.25"+ handle | < ~5oz | Good full hand grip | Good pocket clip | Good long lasting steel & Good value | $30 to ~ $100 | (no tanto blades please) | US / Japan made is preferable but not a deal breaker.

Background: Early 50s, Infantry Veteran, NYC raised, living in CA. My knife history is a Ka-bar, small Buck, small swiss army all in my mid-late teens, in my 20s my interest was in firearms, but d/t my kids, I find myself looking at knives once again. Currently, I have (3) Swiss Army and (1) 7" Gerber.

Considerations: In my younger years, my hands were thicker, but as I've aged my hands have gotten thinner, less flexible, a bit of arthritis in the right index finger, and less flexible wrist. Right handed, though ambidextrous knives appeal to me as one never knows when a wrist strain will occur. Has to be legal to carry in California. Maintain a good edge since I have limited experience sharpening knives.

Use: It would be a general purpose knife for indoor and outdoor use in a suburban to slightly rural environment. Light usage (indoors & outdoors).

Your thoughts would be sincerely appreciated. Thanks in advance.

-CB
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Can I say, this is by far the best anyone has ever formatted their request as far as I've seen. Bravo, you've asked all the right questions and got a fantastic thread out of it. :thumbup:

FireCloud9 said:
Thanks Redbarchettayyz, RevDevil,

I may just have to buy both the Griptilian and Stretch (and a Blur) and rotate. :) I do like the Ritter blade quite a bit more than the original.

1. Any other knife recommendations that fall within the specs?

2. Tips on good online knife shops to purchase?

3. Blade recommendations (serrated vs. non-serrated)?

4. Type of metal? M390?

Thanks for all your comments!
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1. I can't add anything better than what's already been posted.
2. Those listed on the Paid Dealers all are rated pretty highly. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1089879-Paid-Dealer-Members-List-(Updated-9-3-14)
3. Non serrated for most of us here. The consensus on most threads leads to Full serrations for repeated, tough materials cutting like rope, cord, etc. Otherwise plain edge is almost always preferred for ease of sharpening.
4. The tinkering, maintenece, and embellishment subforum holds a lot of answers about sharpening and steels. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/368828-Steel-FAQ You may want to get something that's not too resistant to abrasion for easier sharpening.
 
Sonnydaze said:
Yes, you have your choice of various grits...I have the model D3E, Extra-fine, about 1200 mesh.
It works fine for me; best use is to maintain your fine edge. Not for starting out with a dull knife.

...and...I doubt that you're so old...
Click to expand...

Thanks Sonnydaze. Old is relative I suppose... early 50s :)
 
Thanks nrockclimb, I did handle some ZTs at the shop. Heavier than I'd like at this point in my life.
 
I own a BM 580 Axis Barrage and love it. I also own 2 Blurs and like the weight and thin carry thickness. My Blurs are the cheaper ones. I think I paid $40 or so bucks for each of them. Very good value for a US made knife, but I prefer the axis. You mentioned ambidextrous and the axis lock can be manipulated easily in either hand. I can easily close them with one hand by folding it on the leg of my jeans. I own and older Spyderco and it's a great knife I prefer assisted openers now, and would think they would be more desirable if I had issues with hand pain or stiffness. My first assisted opener was the Sog II you posted and it's too fat, has an annoying blade closed lock that accidentally engaged way too often just from carry. It was sloppy and pretty sure is China junk.

If you bump up the price and weight, a Zero Tolerance is a very over designed tank of a knife. My good friend that gifted me the BM 580 a few Christmases ago just picked up 2 ZTs as his self gift this year and I'd love to own one and probably will some day. But I am a CAD designer and am at a desk all day so a slimmer carry profile are what I need for my EDC and my BM 580 really is a great knife. At some point I'd love one of the higher end axis BM models. Not sure what is different on the Griptillians, but if it's anything like my Barrage 580, it should fit your needs well.
 
n7titan said:



Can I say, this is by far the best anyone has ever formatted their request as far as I've seen. Bravo, you've asked all the right questions and got a fantastic thread out of it. :thumbup:



1. I can't add anything better than what's already been posted.
2. Those listed on the Paid Dealers all are rated pretty highly. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1089879-Paid-Dealer-Members-List-(Updated-9-3-14)
3. Non serrated for most of us here. The consensus on most threads leads to Full serrations for repeated, tough materials cutting like rope, cord, etc. Otherwise plain edge is almost always preferred for ease of sharpening.
4. The tinkering, maintenece, and embellishment subforum holds a lot of answers about sharpening and steels. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/368828-Steel-FAQ You may want to get something that's not too resistant to abrasion for easier sharpening.
Click to expand...

Great recommendation n7titan, will definitely check out those threads you mentioned. :thumbup:
 
SugarSkulls said:
I own a BM 580 Axis Barrage and love it. I also own 2 Blurs and like the weight and thin carry thickness. My Blurs are the cheaper ones. I think I paid $40 or so bucks for each of them. Very good value for a US made knife, but I prefer the axis. You mentioned ambidextrous and the axis lock can be manipulated easily in either hand. I can easily close them with one hand by folding it on the leg of my jeans. I own and older Spyderco and it's a great knife I prefer assisted openers now, and would think they would be more desirable if I had issues with hand pain or stiffness. My first assisted opener was the Sog II you posted and it's too fat, has an annoying blade closed lock that accidentally engaged way too often just from carry. It was sloppy and pretty sure is China junk.

If you bump up the price and weight, a Zero Tolerance is a very over designed tank of a knife. My good friend that gifted me the BM 580 a few Christmases ago just picked up 2 ZTs as his self gift this year and I'd love to own one and probably will some day. But I am a CAD designer and am at a desk all day so a slimmer carry profile are what I need for my EDC and my BM 580 really is a great knife. At some point I'd love one of the higher end axis BM models. Not sure what is different on the Griptillians, but if it's anything like my Barrage 580, it should fit your needs well.
Click to expand...

Thanks SugarSkulls,

The SOG II specs gave me an idea of the knife and it just wasn't for me. I liked the BM 580, but once I handled several BMs and Spydercos, the manual wasn't bad at all. I had handled other manual folders at the shop which I could not fully deploy comfortably without a lot of wrist action. The BMs and Spydercos manuals hardly require any and without any wrist action I can deploy comfortably one handed using my thumb. On some manuals from other brands that I tried I left part of my thumb at the store....

Yes, that's a good description of a ZT - a tank! Would have been great in my army days, but office work as you pointed out doesn't require it.
 
There are some aspects of these blades which haven't been discussed. Primarily, blade thickness and grind. I daily carry a BM Griptillian, Doug Ritter, non-serated. Prior to that, I daily carried a Kershaw Skyline, which, sadly, I lost on a motorcycle trip. I'm not going to claim that they are equal in any way: the Griptillian blade is much thicker than the Skyline blade. The Griptillian has a flat grind, the Skyline has a hollow grind. The Griptillian grind goes -- roughly speaking -- about halfway up the blade, the Skyline, more like 2/3.

What does any of this mean? These characteristics define how the blade feels when cutting. Knife Knerds often use the words "stabby" and "slicey" to describe how the blades feel. The Griptillian is stabby, the Skyline is slicey.

It boils down to personal preference, really: do you prefer a chunky, hard-use blade, or do you prefer a more refined, sophisticated cutting tool?

Here's my personal opinion: I don't need to stab stuff as often (like, never) as I need to slice stuff, so I'm partial to slicey knives. The Griptillian is a treasured gift, and is built to a very high quality standard. I've grown to appreciate it, but do occasionally consider sending it off to be reground with a full-flat grind so it's more slicey. The interesting thing is that it's really a subtle difference which you can only observe having used the blade over time.

Like you, I also have large hands, and while I really loved my Skyline, I did wish it were a bit bigger. I'm considering replacing it with a Kershaw Piston, a recently-discontinued model with similar design cues to the Skyline. It is a Made-in-USA product, with a high, flat grind and assisted opening.

Another interesting observation is that Benchmade is very forthcoming about blade thicknesses on their website, but Kershaw does not disclose that data on their site.
 
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Thanks Roadracer,

It's a consideration that would have only come with years of experience, so it's one I missed.

Would you consider Mora to be "slicey"?
 
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