Knives that put the hand closest to the blade

Are you looking for a knife which you can choke up in hammer grip? If you want to be close to the blade with a saber grip, the finger choil knives are handy.

The suggestion for an Opinel #8 is a good one if you want high performance/$. The #9 is also good if you want something slightly more hand filling. I modified both to my liking. I had to sharpen both out of the box, though. YMMV

The BM 710, 520, Stryker, and Mini Onslaught let you choke up very naturally on the grip, but all are discontinued (although some local shops might have NOS). The Spyderco Military is comfortable with a choked up grip. The Buck 110 and 112 are also very comfortable choking up on the grip. The BM Grip gets you pretty close if you are more concerned with the web of your hand inline with the blade, rather than your pointer finger.

Personally, two things to consider:

1. If you are cutting through things with a choked up grip, thumb studs can get in the way of the slice... Often a thumbhole eliminates this issue.

2. It's easier to accidently cut yourself with blades that come close to the handle when closing. One of the reasons I like BM's Axis lock, is that I can both get a blade close to the handle and not need to put my fingers in front of the blade during a normal closing procedure.
 
To mod the flipper tab on a Mantra 1 isn't asking a whole lot. Pick one up.

PM inbound.
 
Weiss said:
Ka-Bar makes a $40.00 version of the Jarosz knife, and it looks pretty decent, too.

Böker, meanwhile, makes the Exskelibur, which may fit your bill, and it's offered in a bunch of varieties.
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I love the Ti framelock exskelibur. It is one of my favourite knives even up against knives that cost 4x or 5x as much.

However the handle has a psudo guard created by its shape. It’s not too bad though and you can put your hand forward in the shallow choil to get right up to the blade. Just be sure to get the full Ti framelock version of the Boker Exskelibur ONE. (Not the exskelibur 2 which sucks imho)

Boker Exskelibur 1 framelock. This is an awesome knife to try out a front flipper for not too much. It is super lightweight and great in the pocket. Also it has one of the best slicing blades I have ever seen on any modern folder.
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Look how thin it is next to a large Sebbie 21 perfect for carrying.
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Durham68 Durham68 Or here’s something a bit smaller that also fits the bill. Kizer Feist.
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Durham68 said:
Looks like I have some trading and some exchange hunting to do. I’m going to pick up a GB1 and a Mantra, and see what sticks.

Anyone looking to offload either of these, feel free to PM me.
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Without a choil I'd probably prefer the flipper to be there to protect finger slippage. The GB1 seems to have a 20/80 choil so it's not entirely choil free.
 
Durham68 said:
I am looking for EDC folding knives that are designed in a way that places the grip as close as possible to the sharpened portion of the blade without a choil. The Tenacious and Polestar come to mind as decent examples, but I'm not in love with the steels or blade shape on either. The Spyderco Gayle Bradley is close but the handle is pretty huge compared with the blade and 5.5oz is more than I am willing to pocket daily. The Mantra I saw on the exchange with the flipper removed looked pretty good, but I missed it.

Any ideas?

ETA: Looking for a 3"- 3.75" locking folder
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The Dpx hest f is the best edc with locking capabilities. 3.1" with or without serrations. Comes in niolox or sleipner steel both better than 154cm. I've had mine 4 years and only sharpened once. It is a thick blade at .19 but it is a Tool knife not a dress knife.
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Durham68 said:
Looks like I have some trading and some exchange hunting to do. I’m going to pick up a GB1 and a Mantra, and see what sticks.

Anyone looking to offload either of these, feel free to PM me.
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GB940Rookie said:
Good choice on the GB1. Hell of a working folder. Cutting machine.
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Agreed. Don't know how I lived without my GB1. Been getting an insane amount of pocket time since I purchased it this year. Been considering the mantra as well. Torn on that one though. I like the Mantra 3 interpretation, but wish it was m4 instead of s30v...
 
I had a Mantra 2, and while I liked it, I thought that the spydiehole would make quite a difference, so I sold the 2... As is always the way, other knives catch our eye (one being a GB1) and the Mantra 1 took the back burner.

I have since sold off my GB1, as I feel that any knife that is that heavy and stout might as well be a fixed blade, as they are legal for me to carry. Due to this, I carry a Busse Park Ranger in SR101, and I alternate my secondary knife for "lighter use".

The two knives that I carry as secondary are a custom JH Lloyd Sowbelly in 52100 and a Mantra 1. I acquired the Mantra 1 less than one full week ago, and it has been in my pocket every day since it landed.

I am a Butcher by trade, so I am acclimated to a 40° thermostat. Due to this, I sweat a lot in the summer. Most of my knives are carbon steel. I live with tidal salt water within 5 blocks on three sides of my house and I have no corrosion issues.

Thin, light, M4, easy to use and carry... What is there to not like for a lighter carry?
 
After reading this thread, I was curious. So I popped over to a couple of the cabinets and grabbed one knife after another to handle with the op's spec's in mind.

The one that immediately came to mind, was my ZT0055. With the unconventional flipper tab, the finger protection and related distance to the edge is non-existent. Personally I've come to like the protection from the edge given by the flipper tab. But in the case of this 0055, there is at least a nice tapering frame that nearly serves the same protection with good ergo, and pretty solid grip lockup. Though I have a dozen Full on flippers that are close, but still do have an effective but minimal sharpening choil!


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Good luck in the HUNT!
 
I was able to find three of the knives recommended on this thread that appealed to me. I found a Centofante Memory and a Mantra with the flipper tab removed (thank you NJBillK and Cow51) here on the exchange. I found a GB1 over on the reddit knife swap.

I really like the Memory. The size, the proportions, the thin flat ground blade. The finish on the scales might be a bit too easily marred for someone as careless as me. I am also concerned that the pivot is not as solid as I have become accustomed to in more recent production knives in the same price range. Not sure if I will keep it but I am enjoying it for now.

The GB1 is not for me. The handle is too big for the useable cutting edge. I’m also not sold on the grind. I wish more of the collaborations from this timeframe came in a full flat grind (especially the Southard). I will hang onto it for a while and see what it can do. I really wish spyderco would just make the tenacious in a much better steel. The Case Stockman was an unexpected bonus in the box with the GB1, compliments of the seller. Super nice guy. Said something to the effect of not wanting his hobby to turn into hoarding. I will have to pay it forward sometime.

I am in love with the Mantra. The mods couldn’t be more perfect if I ordered them. I have been pining for a liner-lock Delica in a better steel with more usable blade for years. This is the closest I can imagine anything will ever get. And I never thought I’d say it, but I think I like the action on washers better than if it was on bearings.
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Durham68 said:
I was able to find three of the knives recommended on this thread that appealed to me. I found a Centofante Memory and a Mantra with the flipper tab removed (thank you Cow51) here on the exchange. I found a GB1 over on the reddit knife swap.

I really like the Memory. The size, the proportions, the thin flat ground blade. The finish on the scales might be a bit too easily marred for someone as careless as me. I am also concerned that the pivot is not as solid as I have become accustomed to in more recent production knives in the same price range. Not sure if I will keep it but I am enjoying it for now.

The GB1 is not for me. The handle is too big for the useable cutting edge. I’m also not sold on the grind. I wish more of the collaborations from this timeframe came in a full flat grind (especially the Southard). I will hang onto it for a while and see what it can do. I really wish spyderco would just make the tenacious in a much better steel. The Case Stockman was an unexpected bonus in the box with the GB1, compliments of the seller. Super nice guy. Said something to the effect of not wanting his hobby to turn into hoarding. I will have to pay it forward sometime.

I am in love with the Mantra. The mods couldn’t be more perfect if I ordered them. I have been pining for a liner-lock Delica in a better steel with more usable blade for years. This is the closest I can imagine anything will ever get. And I never thought I’d say it, but I think I like the action on washers better than if it was on bearings.
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Wow.how you get that patina so dark on the m4
 
darth_cholo said:
Wow.how you get that patina so dark on the m4
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The photo makes it look darker than it really is, but it is darker than the other attempts I’ve seen. You’ll have to ask Cow51 how he did it as it was done before it came to me. I intended to ask the same question so I could do the same to the GB1.
 
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