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Looking for a gift folder, ~$400

P

plue

Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
712
Greetings all,

I usually don't post this kind of stuff, but I find myself at a bit of a dead end. I'm not overly familiar with folders, mostly a fixed blade guy, but I'm looking for a gift for a close friend in the form of a folding knife. I've got give or take $400 to spend on this special occasion, but after days, then weeks of Internet searching I find myself going in circles and coming to no conclusion, so I come to you Internet friends for help. My ideal candidate would be a knife that looks classy enough to be a special occasion gift, be an EDC size (~3"), and be functional in terms of both EDC tasks and outdoor tasks (with a warranty to stand behind it). By outdoor tasks, I don't means batton the hell out of it, but more for backpacking tasks, wood carving, etc. and not just be a showpiece. I've narrowed down on Ti framelocks as being the go-to in this category on this forum.

In my search, some knives have stood out so far, then through hours of googling and BladeForuming I went nowhere. These are the ones that were contenders:

-Kingdom Armory Mini Samaritan: I really like the shape, but it seems a bit too small? Some reviews say the F&F is not of a knife in this price range.
-Strider Baby Huey SJ-75s: I like the shape, but the reviews don't seem overwhelmingly positive, and the micarta side looks cheapish.
-CRK Small Sebenza 21: Nice design, but the handle looks to be on the cusp of being too small. Some people complain of warranty issues, which puts me off, as I want the individual to not worry about using it freely. The Sebenza is one that I'm leaning towards the most.

Also, I live and work away from a place where I could handle these, so size information is what I found online. Any suggestions would be extremely appreciated, as I am currently at a loss.

Thank you for any help.
 
Sebenza. Period.

Personally I find the small Sebenza too small for my needs, but then I don't mind a larger folder. I often carry a PM2 or Benchmade 710 so the larger Sebenza feels more natural to me.
 
I am a huge fan of the Sebenza 21. I had one for a while and had not one bad thing to say about it besides for feeling bad about ruffing up something that looked so good. My next choice would probably be the ZT 0560. It is a hinderer design and based on the XM-18. It is my current EDC knife just a little big for my needs at 3.75". It does however have a smaller brother the 0566 with a 3.2" blade. It is only $140 though. Just remember you will hear the bad stories more than the good stories. It is the way it always happens.
 
I have a small Sebenza and it's not at all to small for me (actually its perfect for me but 3" knives are by far my favorite) however for a 3.625" blade the large Sebenza is actually very small in pocket. Your friend, especially if he isn't a knife person who already prefers ~3" knives, probably won't have any issues with the size. I really don't see myself getting another CRK folder in my life time (and I'll never get rid of this one) but if I did it would either be a large or a 25, and again I'm usually strictly a ~3" folder kind of guy, that's how well it carried (I got to try one a few weeks before I bought my small).

I'm not going to go into detail on CRK's warranty (it's very good tho it can get expensive fast) what I will say is that if he ever needs warranty work, even just a "spa treatment" (cleaning/adjustment) expect the knife to be out a minimum of 6 weeks, sometimes a fair amount longer. Just something to consider of he doesn't have back-up's.

For your price have you considered any customs/mid-tech's or are you strictly looking at production knives?

Have you looked at Grayman's any? Very well build and he's not going to hurt one of their knives playing out in the woods with it.
 
The small Sebenza is a great choice for your guidelines. You could even consider a Mnandi, and while it's more dressy and a tad bit smaller, it would be a great "special occasion" gift.
 
Seems the recurring theme is the sebenza! Perfect all-around edc, and great if they're not a knife person because its simple, relatively light, and very sturdy.
 
Sebenza will be the popular choice, but have you considered the Mnandi? Also take a look at William Henry's EDC series.
 
Lionsteel SR-1 Titanium. It comes in a fitted wood box and is a well made strong knife. Would be nice for a special gift. It may be a little large but if you are going to use it for woods duty I would go large.
 
I would of mentioned the WH EDC series (E6's and E10's) but the mention of "outdoor tasks" precluded that, nothing against the WH, they make some beautiful knives, but they're not really designed for any sort of hard use and they're D2 so they're not stainless, something to consider if the person isn't big on maintenance. Very light weight and elegant knives (the 3.25" E10 weighs just over 1.5oz). With a Sebenza you get both- elegant/gentlemanly but also plenty capable of work.
 
Wow, thank you for all the replies!

The Sebenza looks to be a very popular choice, my only concern would be its size. Also, I did take a look at Mr. Henry's knives, but as Cereal said, they don't seem like they would be functional in the woods (I could be wrong of course, I know my ignorance).

Dischcore, I'm afraid that the Mnandi, although very sleek and beautiful, would be too small (I'm already afraid that the Small Sebenza is too small). It's a shame that I live too far from any store that has these in stock to actually try one out.

For your price have you considered any customs/mid-tech's or are you strictly looking at production knives?
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I honestly have not, both in parts due to my unfortunate ignorance of reputable makers of folders and due to the fact I'm always somewhat warry of warranty issues from smaller operations. Is there someone you could recommend for this?

I will take a look at Grayman's knives, I have not come across them before.

Thank you all again.
 
plue said:
Dischcore, I'm afraid that the Mnandi, although very sleek and beautiful, would be too small (I'm already afraid that the Small Sebenza is too small). It's a shame that I live too far from any store that has these in stock to actually try one out..
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I hear you there, sir. How about Lionsteel's TiSpine? It's a solid block of titanium milled out to a frame lock. 3.35" Elmax steel. Lots of finish options.

lionsteel-tispine-folding-tb1-gm-matt-gunmetal-matte.jpg
 
I think your best bet for your money is a small sebenza with wooden inlays. The inlays help the knife feel a little larger in hand, and they look classy as hell. it's a knife that will transcend time.
 
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First knife to come to mind as I read your initial post was the LionSteel SR-1 with the titanium handle. If too big, then the SR-2 is also available. These knives have a one piece handle that is milled from a solid block ot titanium. They gome in gray, blue/violet, and bronze anodizing. A very classy looking, and feeling knife. For the ultimate in classy, imo, you can get the SR-1 with a Chad Nichols damascus blade. Will cost more than $400, but still under $500.
 
You all know that Chris Reeve Knives has won the Blade Show Manufacturing Quality award 10 consecutive years. For 2013 Blade Magazine (May 2014 issue) recently announced the runners up in each category and for Manufacturing Quality it was LionSteel. Additionally, LionSteel SR-2 was runners up in the Overall Knife of the Year category. The SR-2 is a very tough and classy folder.


ffe4aa06-54ff-4e7c-b300-393c7576a663_zpsee34581a.jpg
 
Three Sisters Forge Beast has a 3" blade and a handle that is bigger than the small sebenza. They are offered in different colors as well. TSF may fit what you are looking for.
I've got 4 of them as well as several sebenzas.The small sebenza may be a little small for camping.
Good Luck
 
The knives you have listed are all short in the handle. I cannot hold onto a small Sebenza, so I generally carry a large Sebenza or Umnumzaan; each with approx. 3.6" blade.
I'd would suggest the Spyderco Gayle Bradley, 3.5" blade with M4 blade-steel...sharp and stays that way a long time. $130 or so as-new on the Exchange here.
You don't want bulky, but you need a blade a bit longer than 3" in order for the grip to fit the hand of a larger man. Smaller hands can use a small Sebbie; larger hands cannot.
A Spyderco Techno is a small, heavy-duty knife which you might consider...about $160.
I think you can find a perfect knife for less than $200, unless you go after the CRK Sebbie or Umnumzaan, which are more.
good luck; you're a good guy to do this.
 
Sonnydaze said:
The knives you have listed are all short in the handle. I cannot hold onto a small Sebenza, so I generally carry a large Sebenza or Umnumzaan; each with approx. 3.6" blade.
I'd would suggest the Spyderco Gayle Bradley, 3.5" blade with M4 blade-steel...sharp and stays that way a long time. $130 or so as-new on the Exchange here.
You don't want bulky, but you need a blade a bit longer than 3" in order for the grip to fit the hand of a larger man. Smaller hands can use a small Sebbie; larger hands cannot.
A Spyderco Techno is a small, heavy-duty knife which you might consider...about $160.
I think you can find a perfect knife for less than $200, unless you go after the CRK Sebbie or Umnumzaan, which are more.
good luck; you're a good guy to do this.
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I have pretty large hands, wear a size XL glove, I can really only get a 3 finger grip on my small Sebenza but I'm ok with that and the knife still feels good in hand and doesn't cause any discomfort to really use. But again I much prefer 3" knives cause of the pocket real estate they don't take up.

Back to Grayman knives since I haven't seen another suggestion for them, the Dua is a very popular model and is a stout little blade, there's not much he can do to it it won't gladly take. Designed for use its got a tall handle to fill the hand.

http://www.graymanknives.com/dua.html

Sold out direct from Grayman but what high end production Ti frame lock isn't, they're the fad at the moment, I'm sure if you look around you can find some for sale, maybe even in CA.
 
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