mini skirmish vs. mini commander vs. ares

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shooterpunk

Joined
Mar 22, 2005
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hey everybody, great forum. im in the market for a new edc, and have pretty much narrowed it down to either the bm mini-skirmish, emerson mini-commander, or the bm 732 ares. i really like all these knives, but what are the pros and cons of each? i have heard the commander has a chizel grind, what exactly is that and is it hard to sharpen? well i think thats about it, thanks a lot guys
shooterpunk
 
MINI SKIRMISH ALL THE WAY!!:D :D

My wife has one, and it truly is awesome. tight as a drum, sturdy, smooth, well designed, with great edge geometry.

Emerson Mini Commander would be my last choice. I feel chisel grinds are a pain, and aint a big fan of the liner locks. Granted, it does have the Wave feature, but that's not enough to justify it against the 635 as an EDC.
 
"Chisel ground" means the blade is ground on one side only, like a chisel. In cross-section:

|/ Chisel Ground vs. \/ normally ground

Because it's ground on just the one side, it tends to cut at an angle. When slicing soft materials, this isn't a problem, in fact it can be advantageous, *if* the flat, unground side is towards the left (for right-hand folks); unfortunately, the Emerson is bass-ackwards. If you're not slicing tomatoes or meat, though, it might not be a big deal to you.

I own both the Mini Skirmish and the Ares, and they're both excellent knives. The Mini Skirmish packs a whole lotta blade in a very small package, and the framelock is solid as a rock. The Ares has an excellent blade shape, and is a bit more comfortable in the hand; and it has the best all-around lock yet invented, the Axis. You really can't go wrong with either. Heck, get both!! :D
 
If you have the opportunity to inspect them before buying, definitely get the Mini-Commander. Best production self-defense folder out there IMO (the textured G-10 scales are much grippier than plain metal, even with the dimples), just look for a specimen with a well-adjusted liner.
If you cannot check the folders out before you purchase one, the Mini-Skirmish is preferable IMO.
 
thanks guys, i am going to check them out today, except i dont know if there are any emerson knives in stores around here. i really love the look of the mini-skirmish, it looks so bad-ass i love, but i really like the ares too, decisions decisions, i may end up gettin gboth who knows. thanks guys!
 
I've always been a fan of EKI's commanders, both the regular size version and the small.

I've had absolutely horrid luck with their QC though.
 
I had both Mini-Commander and Mini-Skirmish, now only Mini Skirmish is left. What does it tell you? Seriously, I prefer the skirmish, utility cutting, i.e. bread, tomatoes and so on is much nicer with skirmish. O yeah, if yo do get commander, don't buy one with coating, it comes off too easy.
 
Not having owned a chisel grind knife before, I'm guessing that it would be optimum for a self defence knife. Not too many military/police blades need to slice cardboard, carpet, or paper. It would work just fine for rope or seat belts though. Plus it's easier to sharpen as you only have to sharpen one side. Using a Sharpmaker, you would make 3 swipes on the bevelled side to 1 swipe on the flat side; the 1 swipe on the flat side to remove the bead.
 
Well, I just picked up the Mini Skirmish from here and I am VERY impressed! I typically carry my Mnandi at work and had a small Sebbie to carry on the weekends and around the house. This mini Skirmish is a TANK! It is slightly larger than the sm sebbie - but is not obnoxiously huge. I cannot imagine how big the REGULAR Skirmish would be.

Theoverall F&F of the mini Skirmish is very impressive and the blade seems to be good quality stuff.

Is it a replacement for my Sm Sebbie? - never - but is it a very impressive piece of production steel and titanium? You better believe it!

I have owned other BM blades and had a few other production knives - this Mini Skirmish is one of the few production blades (at this price point) that will stay in my rotation. Don't think you will go wrong with it - and if you do, they stay on the FS forums for about 37 seconds - you can always move it if you do not like it. :o

Good luck in your decision. I know that this can be exciting and also alittle stressful - you want to make the right decision.

Sproles
 
At that pricepoint, you can also consider getting the paramilitary, manix or bradley alias 1.
 
If I could only have one, it'd be the para, but I really think the para and mini skirmish are in different classes. The mini skirmish is much more of a pretty knife, somewhat less "tactical," with exotic materials....the para is more of a worker, in my opinion, but it doesn't look like much, unless you just appreciate that sort of thing (I do). I do love the mini skirmish, so grab one....I love the ergonomics on that handle, it's got fantastic lock up, I really enjoy the huge S30V chunk of steel...can really feel that weight when you flick it out. Despite this, it's a little exotic looking for my tastes. But I do highly recommend the knife.
 
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