Looking for a new knife...

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jp101

Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
112
hey all, my name is Jon, and i am a 15 year old knife enthusiast. i spend just about any money i could find on a good quality pocket knife.

currently i own: a cold steel kukri machete, kershaw scallion, leatherman kick, and several other crappy big 5 pieces of junk :)

i have been saving up $100 for a new, high quality pocket knife. This baby needs to be a workhorse that will last me quite a while. i also want a knife that is aestheticaly pleasing, i dont wanna spend 100 big ones on a knife i don't like looking at!

i come to you guys, the real experts, to find out any suggestions as to what would be a good EDC self defense/general use knife.

i have a few knives in mind, are these good/bad/P.O.S?

CRKT Hissatsu Folder

Cold Steel Ti-Lite

Kershaw Cyclone

Benchmade Griptilian

I also plan on purchasing a self defense "neck knife", The CRKT Bear Claw.I dont see much about this knife online, anybody know if its any good

Thanks in advance guys! i really appreciate the advice.

-Jon

PS none of my links are working, so plug those names into knifecenter.com 's search engine and you'll see what im talking about.
 
Last edited:
Of the ones you've mentioned, the BM Griptilian and the Kershaw Cyclone are good choices.
Also consider a Spyderco Delica or Tenacious.

IIRC, the Bear Claw is made out of fair low-grade steel, handle is somewhat thick, and as is unfortunately typical with production knives, the sheath sucks.
Consider a La Griffe (not just the Emerson, there are custom and midtech as well) by Fred Perrin.
 
I'd buy a spyderco Endura 4. It looks good, functions great and will last you a long time. Plus with different options you could always switch it up. You could also save a bit more and pick up a Chinook III or hunt around and find a manix. That should be all you need and wouldn't even need to buy a neck knife.
 
I'd recommend Spyderco because out of all the knives I've tried they function the best for me.

You seem to be looking at larger folders so I'd point you in the direction of the Spyderco Military, Manix, Paramilitary, Tenacious or if you don't mind a smaller knife the Caly 3 is the best knife for 100$ on the market IMO. They're extremely well made folders, from materials to the engineering behind them.

Also, be careful if you carry for Self Defense. Most cops would frown on a 15 year old carrying a knife intended for this use. It might be better to search for a knife that works well for utility but can also function for SD if needed, rather than being designed exclusively for the latter.
 
Kershaw, Spyderco, Benchmade and most SOG stuff is good to go. I just ran into Sig Sauer's knives and the one I got is pretty good too and cost about half of what you have saved so you might want to give it a look (review linked below).
The Kabar Mule has been good for me, anything ZT is over $100 but well worth it, and a Spyderco Manix will probably run you over $100 but I haven't heard a bad thing about them.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=565713
 
hmm, thanks for all the advice so far guys... most sources seem to be leaning toward a spyderco of some sort... but i've always been skeptical about them.. the design seems outlandish and the lockback seems like a nuisance... why is this knife so popular?

as for the neck knife, i've pretty much decided to add it as a collectible... much like my machete it won't get much use.
 
CRKT Hissatsu Folder: I own one of these. It's a fun knife, but it is not practical for edc or general use. It has too steep of a primary bevel for utility work. It's heavy, it'll get you some odd glances, and I don't even think it's that great for self defense since it doesn't actually cut very well.

I don't know enough about the Cold Steel Ti-Lite to recommend it or not. One thing to consider is that the overall length of the bigger one is over a foot. Not exactly sheeple-friendly, but imo pretty cool.

Kershaw Cyclone
Benchmade Griptilian
Click to expand...
Those two are well respected here at bladeforums. They're both high quality knives. Stop by the Kershaw subforum here sometime if you want more information or suggestions.

I also plan on purchasing a self defense "neck knife", The CRKT Bear Claw.I dont see much about this knife online, anybody know if its any good
Click to expand...
It doesn't look that great. I'm pessimistic about its potential sharpness (Aus-4 steel and only rc55-57 hardness). Whatever edc knife you decide on will probably be a better cutter. I don't like the idea of cheap neck knives. If you do decide to get a neck knife you're not going to want to compromise on quality. Something like a hideaway knife or a La Griffe would be my first choice.



jp101 said:
hmm, thanks for all the advice so far guys... most sources seem to be leaning toward a spyderco of some sort... but i've always been skeptical about them.. the design seems outlandish and the lockback seems like a nuisance... why is this knife so popular?
Click to expand...

Why are spyderco knives popular? It's simple: quality. Spyderco designs good knives that are made with good materials. If you want a lightweight and sturdy edc that takes and keeps a great edge Spyderco is the first place to look. Spyderco has done so much for the knife industry it's hard to keep track of just how awesome they are. You might enjoy getting your hands on a delica or endura.

If you don't like the aesthetics or the lock that's fine; within your price range the number of great edc knives available from other companies is simply staggering.
 
Last edited:
Hi jp, Welcome to bladeforums! Just for future reference, we'd prefer you did not post identical threads in multiple forums. This thread probably fits best in the general forum. I'm going to try to merge it there (wish me luck, I haven't done this before!)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top