Knife recommendations for EDC

My first proper EDC knife was a Buck Spitfire. Good little piece and cheap. Without knowing any of your needs, it is a bit hard to know what to recommend, as others have said.
 
I would suggest looking at the Spyderco Gayle Bradley, my EDC. The original was 3.3", the second generation is 3.6". Here is how Gayle Bradley describes his first Spyderco creation.

 
Do you want something that cuts stuff or some tactical pocket jewelry?

Spyderco Delica, Dragonfly, Urban Benchmade Griptilian and so on. Consider how much room it going to take up in your pocket clipped or unclipped. Opinel is another line you might look at.

Consider you sharpening skills. You might want to stay away from the super steels for a while until your sharpening skills catch up.
 
I vote for the Spyderco Delica as well. Or if you want something cheaper, then go with the Kershaw Cryo.
 
If you are just starting to get into knives, I would go with a few budget blades in the under $50 range and get some use in before moving up to the plus $100 range. That way you could try multiple knives and figure out your preferences for scale material, blade shape, action, lock design, etc. I'd look at Kershaw, Buck, Esee rat 1 and 2, and CRKT. It would also be a good idea so you could get in some sharpening skills without ruining a knife you have a lot in. I would also set aside $60 and get yourself a lansky sharpening system and a couple of decent strops and start getting used to sharpening your blades. If this isn't the case, I would look at WE, Kizer and Reate. They all have some impressive stuff in the $100 to $200 range.

Guys, take it easy...we were all where he is once.
 
Hey man,

Welcome to Bladeforums.

So, you left out a few details -

Locking mechanism, size range in inches, more specific price range, blade grind, blade shape, materials, intended application, and a few more even I probably didn't think of.

Believe it or not, the knives that would currently fit the requirements you've laid out as of now are innumerable.

Not knowing anything about you or your needs and having no real point of reference, I'll offer you some tried and true models-

Spyderco Endura
Spyderco Parsmilitary 2
Spyderco Manix
Spyderco Manix 2 XL
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Tenacious

Ontario Rat 1 or 2

Benchmade Griptillian
Benchmade Mini Griptillian
Benchmade 940

Kershaw Leek
Kershaw Blur

Coldsteel AK47
Coldsteel Recon 1

And here are a few brands to check out - Wicked Edge and Kizer, I'm not familiar enough with the models but I hear nothing but good things.

Hope you find what you're looking for.
 
Buy two knives...

1.
A Spyderco Delica 4 or a Benchmade Mini Griptilian.
Why?
Because they are affordable, have good blade steel, have great locking mechanisms, easily pocketable, great for one hand operation, and can be used for self defense should the need arise.

2.
A Victorinox Swiss Army Knife.
Because they are so damn handy and practical!
And nobody freaks out when they see one. Even the most knife adverse sheeple accept the humble Swiss Army knife.

A few models that I recommend:
Super Tinker
Fieldmaster
Compact
Hiker
Climber

And always keep a Victorinox Classic on your key-ring.
 
Benchmade Mini Griptilian 556 Modified Drop Point
Buck Vantage Select Small
Kershaw Skyline
Ontario Rat 2 with AUS-8 or D2 steel
Spyderco Delica 4 Full Flat Grind with plain edge
Spyderco Manix 2 in 154CM
 
Mikel_24 said:
Get whichever Victorinox SAK appeals to you. You cannot go wrong with a SAK and even if you later on buy more expensive, dedicated tasks knives... the SAK will never be out of place. I think that SAK's (in general) have been the very first knives of many of us here in the forum.

They pack a bunch of nice to have tools into a single non scary package. And they are cheap!
Click to expand...
I have a leatherman wave and it basically gets the job done if I need it, would you still recommend getting a SAK?
 
allenC said:
Buy two knives...

1.
A Spyderco Delica 4 or a Benchmade Mini Griptilian.
Why?
Because they are affordable, have good blade steel, have great locking mechanisms, easily pocketable, great for one hand operation, and can be used for self defense should the need arise.

2.
A Victorinox Swiss Army Knife.
Because they are so damn handy and practical!
And nobody freaks out when they see one. Even the most knife adverse sheeple accept the humble Swiss Army knife.

A few models that I recommend:
Super Tinker
Fieldmaster
Compact
Hiker
Climber

And always keep a Victorinox Classic on your key-ring.
Click to expand...
I like when you said always keep a Victorinox on your keychain, I do lean toward the sypderco ss bug, or the firecracker mini oft to put on a key chain. Is that a dumb idea or should I stick to just getting the victorinox classic
 
JupiterPaladin said:
Ok the profile says you're 16 so I'm guessing the cost will be an issue. I'll suggest a few under $40 that will be solid choices if you just want 1 good knife to do most EDC stuff.

Steel Will Modus or Cutjack in D2
Ruike P801 in 14c28n
Rat 1 or 2 in D2
Esse Zancudo in D2

If you go up about $12 or so, you can get entry level Kizers in VG-10. Lots of good budget stuff to choose from.
Click to expand...
thank you, I looked up every knife you recommended and I want all alot of them, with so many knife recommendations this is becoming a list:)
 
If you're fine with "made in china", check out Bestech, Kizer, Stedemon, and while I haven't handled any, WE is earning themselves a nice reputation... At $200 and less, you'll get the "most knife for your $" from these brands.

Otherwise, pick a knife you like from any reputable brand. Rinse and repeat...
 
I think you answered your own question. Get the Benchmade Bugout. If you want a Benchmade that is a bit higher caliber but of modest size for EDC, I would get the Mini Presidio II.

There are many very good quality Spyderco knives that would fit your needs. You just have to decide what you want. The Delica, Endura, or Native 5 are great starting points.

I would say a Vic SAK, but you said you don't like slip joints. I carry a Vic SAK just about every day, along with another knife commonly.

The Steel Will Mini Cutjack is a very good knife. The M390 steel version is more expensive, but my favorite.
 
These are my among my current EDC knives I rotate around that hit most of your parameters. All fit your price range, some you could get 15 or twenty of one of them for $200.

Kershaw Hotwire - Flipper with liner lock Wally World exclusive. Under $10. Does anything I have asked it to do, and if it caves in, or gets grabbed by the TSA because you forgot to put it in your checked bag, (guilty) you're out $10 and can get a new one at any Wally World.
Kershaw Atmos - Flipper with liner lock. Great smooth action, non-assisted, under $40.
Opinel #8 - A brilliant, simple, elegant design. Collar lock. Under $15
CRKT Ruger LCK - Light, slim, flipper with good action, liner lock, even better price. Very sharp right out of the box for mine. Under $35
Steel Will Mini Intrigue - Flipper with a liner lock. D2 steel, good action. Under $45
Ontario Rat 1 or 2 - Ridiculous how good either of these knives are, particularly at the price. Thumb stud and a liner lock. Cost around $30. D2 steel versions available for under $45.
ANY SAK - Pick the model and # of blades and tools you want. Main blade may not be as long as you want but your get a bunch of others with it. All of the really usable ones are under $80. My tiny Army classic was under $15
Kershaw Leek - Assisted opening flipper with a frame lock Available in lots of blades and handles versions at this point. Base model will run under $50.
 
Hobbes118 said:
I like when you said always keep a Victorinox on your keychain, I do lean toward the sypderco ss bug, or the firecracker mini oft to put on a key chain. Is that a dumb idea or should I stick to just getting the victorinox classic
Click to expand...
No, it's not dumb.
Just having ANY blade on you puts you light years ahead of the average citizen.

But I do like the fact that the Vic Classic also gives you tweezers, a tooth-pick, and tiny scissors.
 
I recommend either a Benchmade Griptilian or a Kershaw Blur. Both knives are perfect size imo and fit your requirement of under 200 and both have good quality steels that are easy to sharpen. The Kershaw Blur is assisted so it you're not a fan of AO go with the Grip. One thing I love about my grip is how easy it is to close one handed.
 
You've already got at least one Cold Steel product . Just get a bunch more , that's what I did ! :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I see a lot of proven designs here, knives almost everyone has. Maybe you can go with something new, like the freshly released Lionsteel SR-22, and stick out of the crowd. I have not seen a lot of folks having one of these. The Aluminium version sits right in your price range. And they come in various colors.
Lionsteel won a number of manufacturer awards at Bladeshow in the past, their blades are solid.
 
Start out with a Buck Vantage Select.Won't break the bank and has a good heat treated steel.
Or an Ontario RAT in AUS 8 or
Kershaw Skyline

If you get into knives,you may want to move up in price and style but if you just want an EDC,you've saved bunch of money for other things.
 
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