looking for a good "Tactical Folder" in the $40-$80.00 range

I think I'd have to say Spyderco Resilience - it's the poor man's Spyderco Military. Undoubtedly the steel is 'only' 8Cr13Mov, so it's no Manix but don't forget how similar 8Cr is to AUS8. I find it to hold high marks in edge retention. You sure as hell won't break your bank which I would think would be a concern if your base is $40. MSRP at $65 and you can find it on eBay for $45 and Amazon for $47, both with free shipping. Did I mention its got a 4.25" blade?

I got one as a Christmas present and it certainly doesn't find itself in my pocket everyday but when I like the idea of an additional half an inch on my ZT or when I prefer a leaf blade instead of a recurved I'm happy to go for it. Hope this helps.
 
You also might consider hopping on a knife store website and just browsing around the various knives they have. ManVenture Outpost and BladeHQ are my favorites to date. The former has fantastic service, prices, and ships very quickly, while the latter has great prices and selection, and a few perks if you spend a bit.

I like to shop by brand--Benchmade, Kershaw, and Spyderco seem to be the most popular in terms of quality.

CRKT M16 isn't bad either.

I can personally vouch for the Manix 2. I have one, and it's great. I'll be picking up a few more Spyderco knives here, although there aren't that many designs that call to me, but there's no denying the quality.

I love Benchmade; the Griptilian has never been my favorite design, but I love the ones I do have. The Monochrome is a fantastic value (less than $40), and I love my Pardue 530 (really light, 154CM, but thin blade, so perhaps not as sturdy as you might like).

Kershaw has a number of good options, Blur and RAM tend to be very popular.

There are many good knives out there. Get one that calls to YOU though. For me, Spyderco is great, but very few of their designs make me have to buy them. Himalayan Imports, on the other hand, I can't see one of their products without wanting to buy it.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
You also might consider hopping on a knife store website and just browsing around the various knives they have. ManVenture Outpost and BladeHQ are my favorites to date. The former has fantastic service, prices, and ships very quickly, while the latter has great prices and selection, and a few perks if you spend a bit.

I like to shop by brand--Benchmade, Kershaw, and Spyderco seem to be the most popular in terms of quality.

CRKT M16 isn't bad either.

I can personally vouch for the Manix 2. I have one, and it's great. I'll be picking up a few more Spyderco knives here, although there aren't that many designs that call to me, but there's no denying the quality.

I love Benchmade; the Griptilian has never been my favorite design, but I love the ones I do have. The Monochrome is a fantastic value (less than $40), and I love my Pardue 530 (really light, 154CM, but thin blade, so perhaps not as sturdy as you might like).

Kershaw has a number of good options, Blur and RAM tend to be very popular.

There are many good knives out there. Get one that calls to YOU though. For me, Spyderco is great, but very few of their designs make me have to buy them. Himalayan Imports, on the other hand, I can't see one of their products without wanting to buy it.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of getting my zt 0400 and crkt hissatsu folder from bladehq what perks are you speaking of?
 
see allot of edc knives being recommended. think he was looking for something tactical. so im guessing a sd role is what the op is wanting. got to ask yourself whats important in a tactical blade. imo,long reach and ease of use. you want it to be usable with the left and right hands. should carry well because it will be carried all the time. so light weight. strong lockup within reason. doesnt have to be a wood chopper. a good stabbing point. adding all that up and i thing the Spyderco Endura fills the bill. VG10 steel, easier to sharpen for many folks vs s30v or zdp. still holds an edge much better than aus8 imo. i dont think tactical means all black unless your under cover. in a defensive role i think a longer flashy shiny blade will give the desired deterent effect more than a blackend hard to see and possibly not even noticed until used. the endura has a blunt practice trainer version which is another plus to learn sd with the same basic knife safely. could go with the salt version if need for black on black is a concern.
 
Nternal said:
I was thinking of getting my zt 0400 and crkt hissatsu folder from bladehq what perks are you speaking of?
Click to expand...

Oh just the usual sorts of things--free or discounted shipping depending on how much you buy, price matching, etc. I prefer shopping at ManVenture where I can, but they only do 5% off the order, and you can't get free or flat-rate shipping. Between those two and 1sks, I can usually get a pretty solid deal.

bada61265 said:
see allot of edc knives being recommended. think he was looking for something tactical...
Click to expand...

Good point, although what is meant by tactical can vary a lot. Tactical these days seems to mean more on the line of mall ninja tactical than practical fighter tactical, at least on the interwebs. Black = good, and serration = good. If it comes to defending oneself with a folding knife, there's virtually no difference between a 3.5" blade and 4" or even slightly longer blade, and you won't find many that are longer than 4".

Either way, in my experience, in a knife fight, you're going to get cut, and the blades are short enough that reach is pretty much never an issue. A 3" or 3.5" blade is plenty long to reach most vital organs on a stab, and knife fights are down and dirty. It's not like a sword fight, where reach actually matters sometimes. Knife fights are up close and personal, at the same range you'd be fighting with elbows, generally. And "fair" knife fights are not a good idea. I would ideally never want my opponent to know that my knife was coming. The more they DON'T know about where your knife is, the less you end up getting cut.

And lets be honest here; unless you've got something pretty huge (aka, not a folder), nobody who is really looking to pick a fight with you is going to be deterred by a knife. If they see a knife, they're going to pull one of their own, or a gun, and then you're in a world of trouble. Been in enough fights (grew up in a rough neighborhood) to know that I'm not going to pick a FOLDING knife for self defense reasons, and I'm going to run away, martial arts training not withstanding, if I get the chance.
 
Last edited:
kershaw OD1, kershaw shallot. Yeah, get a shallot. it's big, its strong, and it opens nice. a damascus one is just above your budget.
 
Rocca said:
Ive looked around and havent found a post on this yet. I fits already been discussed a link would be very helpful.

I'm looking to get a good tactical folder but at the moment I dont have a ton to spend. I like the feel of the Spyderco Native. Fit well in my hand and nice grip. But I'd like something with just a bit longer blade I think.

Any reccomendations would be appreciated.
Thanks guys,
Click to expand...

in the $40-$80 dollar range you can't go wrong with a spyderco manix 2 or a kershaw junkyard dog 2.
 
GlockLobster said:
I think I'd have to say Spyderco Resilience - it's the poor man's Spyderco Military. Undoubtedly the steel is 'only' 8Cr13Mov, so it's no Manix but don't forget how similar 8Cr is to AUS8.
Click to expand...

One thing to remember is that an emergency defensive knife doesn't need super edge retention. It just needs to take a sharp edge and have moderate edge retention. One really shouldn't be using their emergency defensive knife for serious EDC, so it'll always be sharp when needed.

With that in mind, AUS8, 8Cr13MoV, or 440c are perfectly adequate for "tactical" blades.
 
gomipile said:
One thing to remember is that an emergency defensive knife doesn't need super edge retention. It just needs to take a sharp edge and have moderate edge retention. One really shouldn't be using their emergency defensive knife for serious EDC, so it'll always be sharp when needed.

With that in mind, AUS8, 8Cr13MoV, or 440c are perfectly adequate for "tactical" blades.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
Absolutely agree, that's why when I know that I'm only carrying for emergency defensive I find myself carrying the Resilience. 8Cr13 is a much better steel than 440c and I'll even carry a 440 blade for defense every once in a while. And at that budget I wouldn't expect you'd be looking for any super steels. Go for the bottom of your budget instead of the top and get a Sharpmaker with the additional funds.
 
gomipile said:
One thing to remember is that an emergency defensive knife doesn't need super edge retention. It just needs to take a sharp edge and have moderate edge retention. One really shouldn't be using their emergency defensive knife for serious EDC, so it'll always be sharp when needed.

With that in mind, AUS8, 8Cr13MoV, or 440c are perfectly adequate for "tactical" blades.
Click to expand...

^ +1, i agree. for defense purposes, ease of opening, grippy handle and solid construction should are the most important qualities IMO.
 
gomipile said:
One thing to remember is that an emergency defensive knife doesn't need super edge retention. It just needs to take a sharp edge and have moderate edge retention. One really shouldn't be using their emergency defensive knife for serious EDC, so it'll always be sharp when needed.

With that in mind, AUS8, 8Cr13MoV, or 440c are perfectly adequate for "tactical" blades.
Click to expand...

440C is way more than adequate, i remember before S30V 440C was THE high end steel and now its treated as second class. Now its ZDP and s90v and S3V ETC

BTW i agree with the poster that says runningis usually the best idea. Running shoes = ultimate SD :)

For 80 bucks you cna get a blackhawk hornet which i cant believe that no one has mentioned yet, there are other blackhawk knives in your price range. Also 5.11 makes some great knives in your price range. There is also the emerson hardwear knives.


But i think tat at the price point a hornet would do you right. If you were to save up for awhile tho, i think that emerson knives are kinda the best there is when it comes to a folding fighter.


I don see why yo want a folder the blackhawk kallista is about perfect, a simple wicked little tool, cant mess it up
 
Thanks guys. That narrows it down to 22 different folders. :)

Top 5 votes are for the:
1- CS Recon 1
2- Spyd ManixII
3- CS Amaerican Lawman
4- Spyd Endura & BM Griptilian

Thanks a ton for the suggestions. I will take a look at all 22 of these and check back for any more suggestions. I have a month to buy.

Thanks again,
 
razorsdescent I don see why yo want a folder the blackhawk kallista is about perfect said:
1-I want something I can clip in a pocket.
2- the tactical knife class I'm taking in a month requires a folder.

I DO like the look of the hornet. Thanks
Click to expand...
 
razorsdescent said:
BTW i agree with the poster that says runningis usually the best idea. Running shoes = ultimate SD :)
Click to expand...
zombieland-rule-1.jpg
 
Last edited:
The Manix2, Endura, and Cold Steel knives are nice but for 48 bucks you should take a look at the Meyerco Kirby Lambert Shockwave. Carbon Fiber, g10 scales, big beefy steel liners and great lockup.

009-19.jpg
 
Hmmm. The Cold Steel web site has the Recon 1 listed as DISCONTINUED.

RECON 1
DISCONTINUED

Specifications:
Weight: 5.6 oz.
Blade Thick: 9/64" (3.5mm)
Blade Length: 4"
Handle: 5 1/3" long. G-10
Steel: AUS 8A Stainless
Overall Length: 9 1/3" Black Teflon¨ Finish
Sheath: Ultra Lock™ with Ambidextrous Stainless Pocket Clip

$119.99
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top