Looking for a new EDC....

G

GSRswapandslow

Joined
Jul 3, 2010
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38
so i have a few cheap knives (read...walmart ken onion, gerber gator, paraframe, etc..), a rat1 folder, spyderco atlantic salt, mini-grip, and fullsize grip....I'm NOT a collector, i carry knives to use, not brag about. Now..the cheap knives, well they're cheap and they just suck. The spydie just isn't slice friendly so it just goes to the range/hiking with me.....the rat1 just doesn't wanna hold an edge, and both grips have been beat to heck. Both have places on the blades with small chips....so they both have to go back to get sharpened at BM.

so...i need another EDC, and am at a loss as to what to get. I was originally looking into a rittergrip, and then i saw the m390 mini-grip....so wasn't sure which to go with. But, i also like the look of some of the emerson's, the sebbie (but i won't pay that much...kinda crazy to pay THAT much for an edc and i know i'd be scared to use such a gorgeous knife), some of the zt's....etc..etc..

i just want something new. as dumb as it sounds, i love the tactical look....and i can not stand knives liek case's or old-timers...my grandfather carries those and i have a few from him that i save...but it's not what i'd ever want to carry.

so...give me some ideas...budget is just $150...NO more. has to be a folder. I do NOT want a delica/stretch style spydie...i can't stand the grips. i do NOT want a tanto or anything even remotely close to it. not really looking for any tool steels (d2, 1095, etc) wanna stay stainless as it's an edc that'll be with me at work/hunting/fishing/shooting/skiing/wheelin/etc..

if possible...pics and links would be awesome!
 
If you like the tactical look and it is a heavy duty using knife you are after, you can't do much better than the ZT0200. If you don't like the black blade for some reason, there is a knifeworks exclusive in a beadblast finish that looks very nice. All for under the $150 budget you have set. heck you will have enough left over to go to Mickey D's for lunch, ......and supper!:thumbup::)
 
Easy..... You need a ZT 0350. It's a bargain.
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the 0350 was one i actually looked at a few times...$112 otd at the last gun show i went to....i might pick one up again tomorrow, since theres another gunshow. i just worry it might be TOO big to comfortably pocket. i've been carrying the mini-grip for so long, even my rat1 feels big lol

only issue i have with them....is they're liner lock, and i feel a LOT safer with my axis lock than i do the liner locks....not sure if that's a substantiated fear or not...but it'd deff be somethign i'd have to work past
 
The 530 is the newer, axis lock version of the discontinued 350. 530 is a nice knife, but not the most heavy duty.

Take a look at the 710, 806, and 73X variants - they're heavier duty than the others you have, highly functional, tactical, etc.
 
cutter17 said:
If you like the tactical look and it is a heavy duty using knife you are after, you can't do much better than the ZT0200. If you don't like the black blade for some reason, there is a knifeworks exclusive in a beadblast finish that looks very nice. All for under the $150 budget you have set. heck you will have enough left over to go to Mickey D's for lunch, ......and supper!:thumbup::)
Click to expand...

+1 - great knife for the price.
 
This will come in about 5 bucks over your budget, but I have one (and I bought my gf one) and we both LOVE em... Benchmade 790 Subrosa... S30V, Ti handle, framelock, assisted opener (you mentioned ZT and Kershaw so I imagine that isn't a turn off for you??). All around great knife, carries very slim in the pocket, and personally I'd have no issues defending myself with it if it came to that point, although it may not look as tactical as you are looking for... Links Pm'ed

- Jack
 
Fear not the liner locks of ZT Knives! The ZT0200 has liners that are .080" thick, and for a folding knife that is thick. Those liners are stainless steel and are hardened, so very little wear will occur over time. The same is true for the ZT0350 as far as the liners go, they are thicker than what you normally see on a knife that size. Not as thick as the 0200, but thick anyway. Btw, the 154CM blade of the 0200 is .157" thick, while the ZT0350 has a blade .125" thick, if that makes a difference to you.
 
I was also gonna suggest a ZT 350 and Blur, just be aware that they're A/Os and liner locks.

Spyderco's Sage 2 is a great choice in Ti and S30V.

If you like an AXIS lock, look at the 950. It's a very stout knife with a long cutting edge and a solid G-10 grip. It also carries very well. Other AXIS locks would be the H&K 14210 and 14205, although both are recently disco'd. Should be some still available if you look around. Personally, I'd consider either the 950 or the small Bone Collector even though it's D2. I've had no steel corrosion issues with the D2 BMs that I've had.

A G Russell also has some EDC type folders in your price range that are not liner locks. You can check his web site and see if any of them interest you.
 
Zero Tolerance 0200

Its a great buy, I love mine! I dont think its too big either, yes, it looks big, but it rides very well in the pocket.

For me, its the perfect edc. Not too expensive, great edge retention, very good pocketclip, best ergonomics out there, whacks open like an assisted opener even though its not.

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Spyderco Paramilitary s30v
Spyderco manix s30v
Hogue EX01 154 steel but very good knife and you van get them for less then $150.
plus lots of Benchmade's 710, 551, 950 .......
 
The Spyderco Military and the Benchmade Ritter Grip are two of my favorite EDCs, fit the profile you're looking for, and are just fantastic knives. They've handled everything I've asked them to with great aplomb and are the knives I would bet on both as tools and as a lifesaving mechanism.

I highly recommend that you add BOTH to your collection along your knife collecting journey. :thumbup:

Take care.

KATN,

Wade
 
I fell for the aesthetics of the ZT 350, but didn't take into account its size and weight, IMO inappropriate for EDCing in any of my pants or dress slacks. You also have to like the A/O, which I don't.

The S30V Ritters are simply wonderful and come with the excellent Axis lock. They are $112 for the mini and $118 for the full-size, when last I checked.

If you like the Ritter's tall blade, check out the S30V Blur, which is even larger and taller. I had the torsion bar removed so it is completely manual.

I highly recommend the blem version of this blade at $45 from a dealer in this forum. Except for the "xxxs" denoting blem, mine is identical to the standard version he sells at a likewise attractive price of $75, including shipping.
 
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how about a benchmade 710 ? axis lock, great looks, can be had in many different tough steels...
here is mine with the military , which is another one you should consider, great slicer, low weight, great knife overall
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man...you guys are gonna be hard on my wallet lol

let's see

the zt's are sick, and i've wanted an 0350 for a while, but i'm diggin the 0200 as well.
the bm 790 looks sick, with one offered to me for under my budget....
the HK ones i'm not too huge a fan, not sure why...but somethign just turns me off.
the Rift...well i've tried to find one in my price range for a while, i LOVE that knife...if i could find one in my price range with the black/charcoal grip...that'd be it.

but i think i'm going to get the ritter...with some custom scales...

but i'm also ordering the s30v blur and either the 0200 or the 0350 here in a few min, just gotta research both of them (would go with the 0200 no questions asked, but the 154cm instead of s30v is making me read now)
 
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