My perfect EDC?

K

kurticepictures

Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
4
Hi.
I've been cruising this forum for two weeks, trying to find the perfect EDC, but after all these days and hours, I'm not quite finding my match. So I decided to ask for a little help and see what you guys suggest.

USE
I'm a traveling camera man. I pop off a lot of zip ties, cut a lot of rope, open plastic packaging, etc.
I'm also a camper/hiker/hunter, so I have some survival applications as well.

REQUIREMENTS
- Made in the USA, by an American-owned company.
- High quality blade steel that will hold an edge and not rust. I work in the rain often and I don't have sharpening abilities. S30V seems to be respected. Any other great options?
- Thin body, so it feels/looks minimal in my pocket. I like the G10 handles I've seen/held, but I'm open to other suggestions.
- Blade length: 3"-3.8" (4" is a bit too much for me to carry daily).
- Built to last a lifetime!

PRICE
I'm willing to spend anywhere from $5-$250 for the right match.

I've been looking at Spyderco, Buck, Benchmade, and Kershaw mostly (How about Emerson?), but I know Kershaw is owned by a Japanese company and Benchmade doesn't have the strongest CS/QC reports on this forum. So Buck and the Made-in-the-USA Spyderco models have been my front-runners.

Buck Vantage Pro - Looks great, but I'm worried it will be a little thick in my pocket. Need to hold one.

Spyderco Manix 83mm - Looks great, but it's discontinued.

What do you think???

Thanks so much for your help.
 
Benchmade 940 series

For an extra few bucks "discreet, super high quality, for a lifetime" Small or Large Sebenza plain w/o inlays etc.
 
Spyderco D4 in VG10 with FFG and G10 scales. Not too pricey, easier to sharpen than s30v, not so fancy that you are scared to use it.
 
The Manix in 154CM seems a good choice. For a little more, I use the Para-mil 2 w/ S30V in this role.
 
The Spyderco Gayle Bradley is a champ. A decent sharpening system, or decent sharpening skills, will make the CPM M4 blade really show what it can do.

Spend a few extra bucks for a Chris Reeve knife and you'll not regret it.

My worthless opinions on the other brands you've mentioned.
Emerson needs to work on refinement... they should be better for the price.
Benchmade... stick with the blue class, maybe a 710 or 940 (both are freakin' outstanding knives)
Kershaw delivers very good products, regardless of where they're made.
Buck doesn't make crap, at least from what I've seen.
The Spyderco GB is not made in the USA, but it would be a mistake to ignore it.
 
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A Manix2 in 154CM would be excellent for your application. Tough as nails, strong yet fine tip, strong lock-up and reasonably thin profile. In addition, you won't wear it out in two lifetimes. :thumbup:
 
I would recommend the Spyderco Paramilitary 2. It is lighter and thinner than either the Vantage Pro or the Manix 2 (top knife in the picture). The Manix 2 is also a great knife, if you can find one of the Sprints in the Manix 2 it will be lighter and have a FFG blade (the CTS-XHP) is a good one with skeletonized liners that you can still find pretty reasonably priced.

The Manix 2 and the Vantage Pro take up more real-estate in the pocket though, in my opinion. Out of all of the knives I own, I find that the Paramilitary 2 ends up in my pocket 95% of the time. Great ergos, extremely useful blade shape, sharp as hell, and light in my pocket. I put some pics below to give you an idea.
 

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Doug Ritter RSK MK1, Stone Washed S30V Blade, it is made by Benchmade but the qc on these are top notch, I have this one and the mini, they both have served me well.
 
Welcome to BF. Focusing on your statements about working in the rain and wanting something light and thin, the Spyderco Salt series comes to mind. FRN scales and H-1 blade steel make them pretty hard to beat for corrosion-free knives. Another excellent Spyderco for general EDC chores, even rugged ones, is the Caly 3.5 in G10 and VG10.

BM has a Grip/mini-Grip pair in X15, which is also a very corrosion-resistant steel. You might want to look at them. BTW, I wouldn't be concerned about BM's W&R or CS. I've used it several times over the years and they've always been top notch.
 
It is hard to beat an MCusta, fit and finish in very good for a sub 200 folder. I love mine and use it often.
 
Try to find a Spyderco Delica G-10 Green/Grey handles w/. Flat grind...The perfect EDC , for me
 
Thanks everyone.

I think the Para Military 2 looks like a solid match for me.
(i didn't realize there was a Military model under 4"!)

Maybe I'll try to get my hands on a large Sebenza for comparison, but I like the seemingly grippier G10 handle.

Also, the Doug Ritter RSK MK1 and BM 940BK would be nice to take a look at, though maybe they are bulkier. And something about the AXIS system seems less desirable. I think it's the fact that I'm relying on a little spring mechanism.

Any other suggestions?
Thanks again.
 
Spyderco Gayle Bradley is a champ. A decent sharpening system, or decent sharpening skills, will make the CPM M4
Click to expand...

M4 steel is a high carbon steel and is prone to rust if not properly maintained.

I think the Para Military 2 looks like a solid match for me.
Click to expand...

You will not be disappointed with military/paramilitary. They are great knives.

Would you be interested in a ESee fixed blade? Check out esee. I use my $40 izula as an edc all the time. It's slim and small, you won't even feel it in you pocket
 
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termiteslayer said:
The Spyderco Gayle Bradley is a champ. A decent sharpening system, or decent sharpening skills, will make the CPM M4 blade really show what it can do.

Spend a few extra bucks for a Chris Reeve knife and you'll not regret it.

My worthless opinions on the other brands you've mentioned.
Emerson needs to work on refinement... they should be better for the price.
Benchmade... stick with the blue class, maybe a 710 or 940 (both are freakin' outstanding knives)
Kershaw delivers very good products, regardless of where they're made.
Buck doesn't make crap, at least from what I've seen.
The Spyderco GB is not made in the USA, but it would be a mistake to ignore it.
Click to expand...

Isn't the Gayle Bradley made in Tiawan?
 
Spyderco Delica G-10 Flat Grind..
delicaivg10open2rr0.jpg
 
cziv said:
Benchmade 940 series

For an extra few bucks "discreet, super high quality, for a lifetime" Small or Large Sebenza plain w/o inlays etc.
Click to expand...

CRK Sebenza will fill your needs nicely and likely be the last pocket knife you need. Large or small is personal preferance but for the extra coin I'd go with a Sebbie.
 
As I´ve said before... Benchmade 707 Sequel is the best of the best! 154CM blade steel (2,95"), aircraft aluminum handles with G10 inlays. Axis lock and an outstanding blade-to-handle ratio. Superstrong but small enough to disapear in your pocket. Not to tachtical looking as well. Perfect fit and finish. It´s my own poor mans Sebenza.

707_Winter.jpg
 
How about a Bradley Alias and a Spyderco Sharpmaker? I think I remember Aliases going for around $190ish and Sharpmakers can be found for $40-50.

All blade steels will eventually dull with use, so I think it makes sense to get an easy to use sharpening system with your knife as well. Plus, it will improve your non-existent sharpening abilities.
 
Personally, my favorite folder is my lg. reg. Sebenza (I put a fluted CF scale on it, but also have an OD corrugated G-10 scale for it, if more grip is an issue). Having said that, the Para Military 2 would probably fit the bill & it's considerably less expensive.

However, all that aside, if you could get past where it's made, I highly recommend a Spyderco Salt series folder. They're thin, very light for their size, ambidextrous (Back-lock), & come in many configurations (Sizes, blade length & shape), & H1 steel won't rust. However, they're not U.S. made although it's a U.S. company.

BMs with X15 steel wouldn't be a bad choice, although I believe the models that have that steel aren't very thin. I would not discount the axis-lock because it has a spring.

The Hogue/Elishewitz EX-01 folders in G-10 (They call it G-Mascus) aren't bad either. The Elishewitz designed button lock is excellent, ambidextrous, & appears to be very strong. The stonewash finished 154CM blade's pretty good, too.
 
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