Mid-size EDC folder .

+1 on the Gayle Bradley. It's a great knife, sturdy, but slices really well because of the thin hollow grind. It seems like the ergos wouldn't lock your hand in well, but in practice the grip is pretty good. The aforementioned Paramilitary 2 is also a good option, and you could take a look at the Manix 2 or pick up a Kershaw RAM before they sell out.

What do you mean by mid-size? You mention the Spyderco Military; that's considered a large folder.
 
If you want to buy a Paramilitary2, I'd suggest doing a Google search for M390 Paramilitary2. There is a sprint run coming up in 2012 that you can sign up for. In the mean time you could pick up a Caly 3.5 in the superblue steel if they are still available or the Gayle Bradley. All are worth having. You wouldn't have any problem selling any of those knives if you really didn't like them.
 
I consider the Spyderco Sage Series to be a mid-sized folder and the Sage 2 can be had for +/- $150. It's a nice folder and functions quite well.
 
Wow, lots of great knives. I really like the look of the Zero Tolerance 0350, but I wonder about quality, are ZT knives any good? I almost bought a Para-Military, and it is still strongly in the running. I also like the Kershaw Rake, but is that joint between the two steels a major weakspot? The Benchmade Bone Collector is also a very fascinating knife. To be more concice, every knife that has been mentioned is interesting, how is one to decide?
 
ZT knives are great. i really have never heard of any problems developing either. blade comes hair popping sharp and stays sharp for a lot of use. the DLC coating on the blade is great its unreal how tough it is. it is no "paint" job. its great i have split tinder with it for the fire.

but the most impressive use for me was a normal day at work. I'm a chef at a large wedding venue, the bathroom door got locked near the wedding garden and we had misplaced 3 sets of keys. i used a credit car to open the one bathroom door but the second needed to be preyed open to get the card in the door jam. the jam was too tight against the door. so i head the knife close and bashed the door with my shoulder and it opened enough to jam the 0300 blade in. the blade kept the door open enough to access the lock and the bathroom was open lol. and i was impressed because that was a lot of force on the blade and the frame from me pushing on it to get the gap larger. all in all i was impressed
 
Out of the trio Benchmade, Spyderco, and Zero Tolerance, whose warranty is conisdered best?
 
i have never dealt with spyderco or zero tol warranty services because i have never broken one lol :)

benchmade well i don't own a knife from them but the benchmade grip a guy on these boards has edc'd for 8 years straight and it still is in good condition
 
Thanks! I have it narrowed down to the Zero Tolerance 0350, Benchmade 551 Griptilian, and Spyderco Paramilitary 2.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned a large Buck Pro Vantage. I can get all fingers on it (just right), and I wear L to XL gloves. It has s30v steel (you can see if you like it) - one of the nicest steels available. Buck has one of the greatest warranties in the business - lifetime warranty. They actually replaced a broken tip Buck 110 for me this past summer free of charge. The Pro Vantage's drop point blade hollow grind is a great blade shape, and the flipper works well for fast opening while the thumbhole works great for slow opening.

The earlier Vantages had trouble with blade centering issues, but that was when they came out two years ago. Nowadays, the centering is great (mine is), and if you do happen to get an old stock (unlikely), you can send it to Buck and get it back in 4 weeks all fixed up.

I love my Buck Vantage Pro. Fantastic size in my open, great pocket clip, fancy G10 handles, the new best steel s30v, all for $60 - nearly half the price of a Spyderco Paramilitary 2. I have also heard that Spyderco does NOT have free blade replacements - maybe you care about looking into that? The Benchmade looks good, too. The ZT is assisted-opening, I think, so it's a whole different kind of beast than the other three - if that's what you're looking for. I would say for a manual folder go for the Buck Vantage Pro or Benchmade Grip FIRST because of the lower price tag, you can get a feel of what you like. If you want an AO go for the ZT or an s30v Blur.
 
The reason I am looking at the ZT is that it's ~$10 more that the Grip. Thanks for the suggestions, though. I think that the Grip must be of better quality than the ZT, because it is so close in price, and is not AO.
 
Para 2 :thumbup:

para201.jpg
 
I dropped the SOG knives that I was looking at because people talked about blade play. Would this be true of the Vulcan? I've almost discarded the Para-Military, because other knives, (ZT 0350, BM Grip), seem to be a better value.
 
What about a Spyderco Junior? I personally don't own one, but the handle ergo looks great. It's light as hell too, at 2.9oz.
 
NOREAT said:
The reason I am looking at the ZT is that it's ~$10 more that the Grip. Thanks for the suggestions, though. I think that the Grip must be of better quality than the ZT, because it is so close in price, and is not AO.
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Don't be fooled by price. The grip/benchmade in general has good quality (I have a few) - but - ZT is at least as good. You get a whole lotta knife for just $10 more.
 
Does the Para-military have any real advantages for the edc role over the Benchmade Griptilian and Zero Tolerance 0350?
 
I may have been the one that was referenced with the Grip for 8 years. I am a mechanic in the military and me and my trusty Grip have been all over the world. It has held up this long and I don't see it slowing down on me anytime soon. It is not too bulk or too heavy and can easily ride in your pants pocket. I may be impartial, but I will recommend it over my larger knives for everyday use.
 
ewashere: Thanks for your suggestion, and your service to this country. I am humbled by all of the members of the military's heart to serve. I like the Grip a lot, especially because I can go down to the local REI, and hold it before I buy.
 
Honestly its more personally preference, i dont think you could go wrong with either - both the paramilitary or the 0350 will serve you very well. I dont have any experience with benchmade, as i hear they have some bladeplay and thats something i cant stand. My 0350 is probably my most edc'd knife. Oh, and the quality of Zt knives are amazing. Shaving sharp out of the box, linear lock as big as some frame locks, and solid construstion with no blade play at all. But i think the para 2 is a better slicer. Depends on what you favor or what you like. The zt can be a little bit scary for other people if you have to pull it out in public, though ;)
 
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