Knife reccomendation

woofington · Sep 30, 2012

Hey guys, I'm kinda of newbie when it comes to knives. Could you reccomend me a folding knife? I'll be using it as a edc, the highest I can pay for it will be about 170. Preferable overall length would be 8 inches or so, I don't want it to be over 9 1/2 inches.
Thanks for your time,
Brandon.

matt1987 · Sep 30, 2012

I'll go with the lazy answer...paramilitary 2 lol. But really, if you stick with the well known brands/models, no matter what you pick will be a solid knife. Check out Spyderco, Kershaw, Zero Tolerance, Benchmade and buy whatever catches your eye.

sigsoup · Sep 30, 2012

My goto is the bm 710 in m390 you won't find a better knife for edc. Imo.

rpdknife · Oct 1, 2012

I'd second the Paramilitary 2 recommendation. My favorite knife under $200.

T.L. · Oct 1, 2012

Spyderco...
Paramilitary 2
Sage Titanium
Sage Carbon Fiber
Native 5

Phydeaux · Oct 1, 2012

Brandon,
Welcome to the forum!

Here are a couple of questions that may help other forum members make a recommendation:

What types of tasks or use do you think you will be using your EDC for?

Are there any local laws/restrictions in your area?

Is there a style you like (tactical, gentleman's, one hand, color, traditional)?

There are a lot of great knives out there and a lot of people here who love to share their knowledge, experience, and preferences.

Al Mar makes some nice folders, the Ultralight Series.

You might consider ordering from AG Russell. AG has a good guarantee.

Do you have sharpening equipment? You may want to budget in some sharpening equipment along with your knife.

Ric

My current EDCs are a Spyderco Dragonfly or a SAK Mechanic.

humblerodent · Oct 1, 2012

Take a look at the Spyderco's coming out of Taiwan. I believe those to be the best production knives available in that price range. My favorites are the Chokwe and the Sage.

Saymon · Oct 1, 2012

For the EDC I Like SAK by having various functions or Ontario RAt 1 if you want simple blade.

RatDrall · Oct 1, 2012

humblerodent said:
Take a look at the Spyderco's coming out of Taiwan. I believe those to be the best production knives available in that price range. My favorites are the Chokwe and the Sage.

You can get a better made knife from better materials made in the US from Spyderco.

Like has been mentioned, a Para Military 2, Military, Manix, or any of the other US made Spydercos are as good as it gets until you're ready to spend many hundreds of dollars.

Goosey · Oct 1, 2012

RatDrall said:
You can get a better made knife from better materials made in the US from Spyderco.

... the Gayle Bradley is made in Taiwan for one. A lot of their top-of-the-line models are made there.

humblerodent · Oct 1, 2012

RatDrall said:
You can get a better made knife from better materials made in the US from Spyderco.

Build quality is debatable, but I believe, as do many others, that the build quality out of Taichung is at least equal to Golden, CO. As far as materials, I would say the opposite of what you said. Take a look at the knives in the link below. Every single knife out of Taiwan has either G10, Ti, carbon fiber, glass fiber twill, or wood. And I think the G10 and CF is better than those same materials out of Golden. The steels on these knives are S30V, M4, and 3V, some of the best steels available. Many of the knives out of Golden use FRN handles.

It's easy to say that those knives are inferior just because they are from Taiwan, and I used to believe the same, but it's just not the case. Made in the US does not automatically mean it's better.

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/list.php?origin=Taiwan

gooeytek · Oct 1, 2012

there have been ZT550's in the exchange going for around $140.

timberweasel · Oct 1, 2012

Hello and welcome, Brandon! For plain ol' EDC, it's tough to beat a Swiss Army Knife... :thumbup:

There's a SAK out there for everyone!

woofington · Oct 1, 2012

Phydeaux said:
Brandon,
Welcome to the forum!

Here are a couple of questions that may help other forum members make a recommendation:

What types of tasks or use do you think you will be using your EDC for?

Are there any local laws/restrictions in your area?

Is there a style you like (tactical, gentleman's, one hand, color, traditional)?

There are a lot of great knives out there and a lot of people here who love to share their knowledge, experience, and preferences.

Al Mar makes some nice folders, the Ultralight Series.

You might consider ordering from AG Russell. AG has a good guarantee.

Do you have sharpening equipment? You may want to budget in some sharpening equipment along with your knife.

Ric

My current EDCs are a Spyderco Dragonfly or a SAK Mechanic.

Thanks man, what the knife would be used for is just cardboard, zip ties, and every once in a while some thicker rubber. Also there are no laws or restrictions for knives where I live. The main style I like is "tactical" or easy one hand open and closing.