Knife for Wife

tradja

tradja

Joined
Feb 10, 2006
Messages
1,176
This isn't really your run-of-the-mill "what knife for wife?" thread (I hope). My wife wasn't really into knives, but over the past two years she has definitely gained an interest.

First was the Buck Rush I got on eBay for $9 shipped. I opened the package, showed it to her, and have not gotten it back since (except when she wants me to sharpen it). Next, she admired the Spyderco Ladybug a friend showed us, so I got her one as a surprise and it replaced the Buck Rush as her primary EDC.

So now we've got all of $29 into her EDC rotation. Now that she has become familiar with using her two EDC knives, (she's carried for more than a year now), she has a better idea of what she would really like. I really want to encourage and reward her interest in knives, so I would like to get her an EDC that reflects her gained knowledge, preferences and experience.

She loves my BRKT Mikro Canadian with ironwood/mosiac.
BRKT_FR_MC_MK.jpg


She has even considered EDC'ing it, but would prefer a folder. So then the first thing she asked was if BRKT made folders. Unfortunately not!

She likes:
  • the "classic/classy" style of the BRKT Mikro
  • the wood scales
  • the overall size
  • the finger grooves (or at least a handle with some contour, but "not too thick"! :rolleyes: ;) )

    In addition:
  • a pocket clip.
  • bigger than the Ladybug, and slightly smaller than the Buck Rush (3-3.5 inches closed).
  • locking blade
  • Although she didn't mention it, I've noticed that she makes use of a sharp precise point a lot at work, so the rounded off Mikro would probably not be a great shape for her uses.

Blade length and steel are less important. This is a light/moderate use EDC that will be maintained regularly. The Ladybug is only AUS-6, and it's fine.

All I've been able to come up with is a MCusta Gentleman's Folder, in either cocobolo or stamina wood. She thinks the pics make the handle look too straight. I suspect that she might like it if she handled one. Well, the Peter Carey Firefly looks pretty darn good too, but I was hoping to spend a bit less than $360 on this purchase.

Are there any good wood-handled, pocket-clip options from Boker? From Buck? A smaller knife like the Benchmade 690 or Kershaw Nakamura? Any others? :confused:

Thanks in advance for any suggestions/links/pics!
 
Wow, that's a tough combination of requirements. I spent a couple of weeks looking for something similar. You tracked down the Mcusta, which is the first one I thought of. Here are a couple more to look at:
Kershaw Nakamura.
Lone Wolf Paul Presto.
Lone Wolf Paul Perfecto.
Spyderco Kopa with the black quince or cocobolo handles.
A Spyderco with stainless handles, a can of spray adhesive, and a sheet of the wood veneer of her choice?

If she can live without the pocket clip, you could have her take a look at the Al Mar folders with the pocket pouch and the Nemesis Imp that True North Knives carries. It comes in a pocket pouch as well.

Good luck!
 
Give a look at this one

William Henry

a little more than you wanted to spend, but a very lovely knife
and it has a clip, also easily removed if need be, without leaving
nasty holes on the side, and, it has a center core of ZDP, very
sharp knife!

Best of luck and I was with Nathan at first, I was going to ask for
photos of the wife, just to see what your side of the trade was all about ;)
Sorry, couldn't resist :)
G2
 
How about a Kiwi? A pretty little knife with finger grooves, classy scales, and a 2 3/8 VG10 blade. The only issue is that it doesn't have a pocket clip.

If you want to drop a little more cash, the Mnandi fits your description perfectly... it's even a bit less than a firefly :D.
 
Great suggestions, thanks!

We will look through these knives, in the meantime, I showed her pics of the Kershaw Sapphire, with blue Ti handles, and she really liked it (sleek and classy). I hadn't realized that it was 4" closed.

So, wood scales aren't an absolute requirement, but sleek and that intangible "classy" are. I wish there were more knives with polished G10 scales. Now that wood isn't necessarily a must, are there any others we should consider?

There are many threads here on gentleman's folders, I bet there are many suitable ideas there. When I get some time, I'll have to dig thru these threads.

Thanks for the trade offers, gentlemen. :D Sorry, she's a keeper! :p
 
tradja said:
So, wood scales aren't an absolute requirement, but sleek and that intangible "classy" are. I wish there were more knives with polished G10 scales. Now that wood isn't necessarily a must, are there any others we should consider?
Click to expand...

If you have any knife shops that she could see the Benchmade mini dejavoo in person, she might like it a lot. New Graham has some drama with BM right now :( , but here is the GP link. The BM/Lum dejavoos are very classy and have excellent action.

If she likes the Al Mar folders, there are folks on the board who can add a clip to it. STR is one of those people if I recall. Another option that some folk do is to add a lanyard with monkey's fist at the end, then slip the monkey's fist into a belt loop, or under the belt, so that it stays in one position in the pocket and can be accessed as quickly.

My wife enjoys her rainbow leek, but I wouldn't put it in the classy realm of a Mnandi, Al Mar or William Henry. Good Luck!
 
The Mnandi is a great idea, but I was hoping to keep it around $120 or less for this one.

The Mini-Dejavoo looks great, but at 4.42" closed it is bigger than we are looking for. You're right about getting to a knife shop. It's been a while for either of us and I think after we handle a few it will really help focus our search.

The Kopa looks like it might be a winner, and she reacted positively to pics of a Spyderco SS Navigator too.

Asking STR tyo add a clip to something otherwise perfect is a great idea, and opens up a lot of possibilities in a smaller folder. Gives me an excuse to talk with him about a left-handed clip mod to my BM690 at the same time!
 
How 'bout a Mcusta or something else from Japan?

VG10 / cocobola wood

Made in Seki, Japan. Nice stuff and a sleek knife for a womans hand. Smooooth opener and very well done liner lock. I've got one of the aluminum handled ones and I like it a bunch.
 
Kopa is nice but expensive. The Calypso 3 is a classy knife but it is G-10. One that you might want to check out is the Al Mar Falcon. I have one and it is nice and light.
 
I would give a BM 707 or 960 a look as well. Those seem to draw my Girl freinds atention the most
 
UPDATE: We researched the excellent suggestions in this thread online, and visited the local knife counters.

Thanks for all the suggestions. G2 - that Wm Henry is beautiful, and a similar Wm Henry that we handled at a local shop was among her favorites. Amazing construction and F&F in real life. :eek:

She ended up adopting my Spyderco Meerkat out of the knife drawer -- little, "cute", good edge geometry & ergos, and she really liked the little "flick" opening that the unique lock allows. Oddly, she's never really taken to my modded 707, otherwise I thought a 707 or Mini Grip would be a good "flickable" choice.

Whew! I got out of that one cheap! :D :thumbup: But with the Meerkat's pocket clip put back to RH, it effectively removes the appealing little thing from *my* EDC rotation. :mad: :rolleyes:
 
Get ready for the next round. :)

Two very different knives: the Kershaw Leek in S30V and polished G-10 is really nice. 3" blade, 4" handle. The Spyderco Spin. Their tiniest knife, but easy to grip, with its batwing handle. VERY sharp blade. Wait for the etched handle if she doesn't like the spider on a web.
 
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