Looking for an EDC to last a lifetime

You can find many traditional pocket knives that our grandfathers used for a near lifetime. They are still functioning knives except many have blades worn down to a fraction of their original size. These men also used these knives everyday as an 'EDC' and for work. I'm sure most were used a lot more than a lot of us use ours in our disposable society. Plus they most likely had one knife that saw all the use and not a dozen like many of us rotate through.

Obviously knives get sharpened, that is part of knife use. But most of the old stones I have seen are hardware store stones that were quite coarse. The blades usually have scratches and tips rounded off because good sharpening technique wasn't used. Just because they were sharpened doesn't mean it was done correctly. A correct sharpening doesn't scratch up the blade and round the tip. It doesn't even need to be done often if the blade is honed and kept up. Not real sure what you are trying to prove with your comment. I said I feel many knives are used up because of sharpening and with good technique can extend the life of a knife to last someone a lifetime. Not sure what you are disagreeing with?
 
You can buy a Lion Steel Opera with wood handle and 440c steel for under $100.
An Italian company that makes high quality knives and 440c is a good steel.
 
A knife is not purchased to last a lifetime, it is purchased and maintained for a lifetime.


I wouldn't use a wood handled knife around food either.
 
Luis G. said:
This is perhaps the most confusing advice ever.
You can find many knives under $40 that should last you many many years, however a lifetime of actual use? Probably not.

OP: I will say this as an ex collector/user of swords which can be applied to knives.
If you find a antique in good condition, the simply truth is: It was not used. Usually for good reasons: Flaws, not functional, etc. It's a rare occasion when an antique is in good condition, and functional.
If you find a battered antique in terrible condition: chances are it was a great tool for someone and may have some great history but unfortunately is probably no longer safe to use.

So asking for a knife to last you a lifetime means you will need to baby the knife. Actually using it for a lifetime means you will likely retire it WELL before your lifetime.
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A Chris Reeve knife or a sebenza would last somebody a lifetime because although all knives wear down over time, Chris Reeve has the best lifetime warranty of pretty much any knife maker so a chris reeve knife will last you a life time and you do not have to baby it.
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
If you want a knife that you will use frequently (as you describe) to last a lifetime, you need to spend more than 100.00 in my opinion.

I can see that you are new to knives and new to this forum. Read about some of the higher quality folders like Chris Reeve Sebenzas, which you can get used for around $300, and WILL last a lifetime. But don't buy from craigslist or ebay unless you can spot fakes. Best of luck.
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I agree with this. If you truly want a knife that is going to last you a lifetime, you will probably have to spend over $100. Now, that is not to say that there are not good knives around that price range, there are excellent knifes under $100 and around that. But, coming from someone who has recently switched over from $100 - $200 knives to buying a few Chris Reeve sebenz'a, there is a HUGE difference in quality, comfort, and the lifetime warranty you receive with a Chris Reeve knife. Not only is crk one of the only companies that does not void a warranty if you take apart your crk, they will sharpen, tune, and get you knife up to spec for FREE, all you have to pay is shipping.

To me it's worth the extra money but you may not have that option. I'd save up for something that will truly last you a lifetime but if you need something now there are plenty of good knives to pick from. The people on this forum are great people and will be glad to answer any questions you have. Good luck!!!
 
SHAKEandBAKE said:
I agree with this. If you truly want a knife that is going to last you a lifetime, you will probably have to spend over $100. Now, that is not to say that there are not good knives around that price range, there are excellent knifes under $100 and around that. But, coming from someone who has recently switched over from $100 - $200 knives to buying a few Chris Reeve sebenz'a, there is a HUGE difference in quality, comfort, and the lifetime warranty you receive with a Chris Reeve knife. Not only is crk one of the only companies that does not void a warranty if you take apart your crk, they will sharpen, tune, and get you knife up to spec for FREE, all you have to pay is shipping.

To me it's worth the extra money but you may not have that option. I'd save up for something that will truly last you a lifetime but if you need something now there are plenty of good knives to pick from. The people on this forum are great people and will be glad to answer any questions you have. Good luck!!!
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Apologies but other manufacturers also tune up, spec up, and sharpen your knife for free that's buck, benchmade, ZT, and a few others. I've sent a few knives for repairs and had more than one thing replaced. Often pocket clips, screws, spacers at times specially from Benchmade I noticed. Anything o make it work better.

Best warranty in the business would be something like Esee's you break it we replace it, albeit that's more like insurance.

CRK's warranty is void if flicked, or if modified internally and they are NOT afraid to charge you for it and call you on it.
For example I think I've spent $35~ in screws from CRK. Other makers: $0 for pocket clips, and screws. Not complaining, I understand they're not a screw factory but that has been my experience.

Sorry if I appear so negative but calling it how I see it. CRK's customer service is great, but their warranty is standard imho.

PS: If I am not mistaken Zero Tolerance only requires you to pay for shipping to them, they pay shipping back to you. Pretty darn cool of them, and to be honest a fair practice.

Edit: I would recommend calling or trying CRK's warranty after you've used your knife extensively. Do it with a BG42 blade ($600+ knife), ask them to replace the thumb studs then watch it break and CRK say "oops" too bad, want a cheaper S35VN for a discounted price? (now worth $300-$400 minus the blade cost).
 
Locutus D'Borg said:
If you want a knife that you will use frequently (as you describe) to last a lifetime, you need to spend more than 100.00 in my opinion.

I can see that you are new to knives and new to this forum. Read about some of the higher quality folders like Chris Reeve Sebenzas, which you can get used for around $300, and WILL last a lifetime. But don't buy from craigslist or ebay unless you can spot fakes. Best of luck.
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there's no reason a sebenza would outlast a sub hundred dollar bm, spyderco, Kershaw, buck, etc.... a well made folder from any of these manufacturers is more than capable of seeing constant use for a very long time.
 
From a purely practical standpoint get a spyderco delica. That will be plenty for your tasks and will last for a very long time. Have someone make you some wooden scales if you really want them.

You do not need a sebenza to cut produce and boxes. :grumpy:
 
A folding knife can last a lifetime, but if you use it a lot, eventually it'll need to be repaired or replaced. On eBay you can see traditional knives that are decades upon decades old, but have very little blade left because use and resharpening - yet still function mechanically as well as the day they were bought. Proper maintenance can extend the life of a blade greatly. Namely, don't use a stone to grind a new edge every time it gets dull. Ceramic sticks (like a Spyderco Sharpmaker) for periodic touch-ups takes off very little metal. Stropping wears away even less. And of course, oiling the joint, and not abusing it by (overly) forcefully flicking it open will proling the life and security of the lock.

Of course, the best way to prolong the life of a knife is to buy many, and rotate your EDCs.

AG Russell, Benchmade (Bone Collectors, and others), Lone Wolf (by Benchmade now), Mcusta, Buck, and Maserin all make modern, one-handed knives with wood handles.

Luis G. said:
Edit: I would recommend calling or trying CRK's warranty after you've used your knife extensively. Do it with a BG42 blade ($600+ knife), ask them to replace the thumb studs then watch it break and CRK say "oops" too bad, want a cheaper S35VN for a discounted price? (now worth $300-$400 minus the blade cost).
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whut?:confused:
 
benchmade 275. built like a tank and comes with a lifetime warranty

i love mine so much i had keyman customize it
adamas6.jpg
 
It would be interesting to see how people would react if the Chris Reeve factory shut down permanently, the lifetime Warranty would be as moot as the Camillus knife warranty, totally do NOT wish that to happen, but think of the reaction people would have now that their knife is not a "lifetime knife" would they still have the same opinion of it's durability? Or would they still refere to it as the perfect knife? I would not doubt it, but I wonder how many would drop off the band wagon.

Not starting an argument, and so I don't take this thread off topic I would say a lifetime knife should have enough blade to perform as it originally did after many long decades of sharpening, big enough to tackle any job, tough enough to endure it, well made materials with superb fit-n-finish.

I do see the Opinel knife filling this role, and with the self adjusting lock ring, the more you use it, it can simply slide farther over to compensate, and the FFG blade is perfect to be resharpened many times and keep the same edge geometry, or close to the same.

Other recommendations look at the:

-Castor Aitor
-EKA Swede 88
-Brusletto knives

For more modern knives in your criteria I would recommend the Spyderco Manix 2 LW, or the M4 version for the FFG (more techy lock but also self adjusting)

My main two criteria for a lifetime knife I guess would be a FFG blade and a self adjusting lock for wear over time :D
 
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Not much to add to this discussion except for this. I have dropped...... my benchmade knife on concrete 30 + times. I have broken the tip off over and over. All my fault, no warranty. Benchmade will replace the blade and "tune up" the knife for 25 bucks. I have no problem with that. I will send it back next time I have dropped it and grinded off the tip too many times for a 25 dollar replacement blade.
 
Too late... you're hooked. I've been looking for the best EDC to last a lifetime for two or three decades and now have about 50... Enjoy the journey! Welcome to the club!
 
If you buy a knife that has the quality to last a lifetime then I can tell you now that it is not the only knife your gonna buy for this role. You want to spend a $100 and you will probably be able to use any of the above knives and be fine. However you need to start looking into sharpening systems as none of the above knives will last if you cannot keep then sharp the proper way. If your just wanting a answer to your original question then personally ill reccomend the Benchmade bone collector as others have stated. I also handle produce and basically the same retail tasks that you noted and this knife has done fine for me. I cannot speak to a "lifetime" as I use a different knife everyday and I believe any of my knives can last at least 60 years with the right maintenance, whether they be a $100 BM bone collector or a $410 Sebenza.
 
I strop my knife and its fine . while my knife isn't shaving sharp and I would like a sharpening system I seem to be doing fine with a $20 strop strap
 
I think One Knife is a little far-fetched, for the Rest Of Your Life, but it may be the FIRST good knife you end up with.;)

For about 30 cents a day, a $100 knife is a good investment even if it lasts you only a year, where you're more likely to easily get 10 years of hard use with the knives mentioned so far. So, 3 cents a day for 10 years seems pretty reasonable. Pick up that Bone Collector and come back here in 10 years, and ask us again.

Although, as said before, no one can have just one. :D You'll find that with all your research, you may be bitten by the knife accumulation bug, and will be spending more than you ever dreamed possible on knives.
 
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