need a new 3.5" blade

B

bigghoss

Joined
Jul 27, 2011
Messages
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so I'm moving to a state where the maximum blade length is 3.5". I'm used to carrying 4" knives so I'd like to stick as close to the 3.5" mark as I can. I'm looking for both folders and fixed blades around $50 or less. my current EDC is a 4" CRKT m16 tanto and I love the flipper opener so I defiantly want one on my next folder. I prefer straight edge blades as opposed to serrated. I'm also not a fan of the assisted opening knives with the safety, it defeats the purpose in my mind. thanks for the help.
 
Tim616 said:
benchmade 940 series :)
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those are about 3 times what I said I'd like to spend


Bishop2Queen's6 said:
What's your price range?
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I'd mentioned above I'd like to stay below about $50. I can go a bit higher than that but I'd prefer not to. I've found kydex sheathes for the gerber profile so total for that package would be about $55 but I can get an ontario rat-3 on amazon for ~$70 including shipping so I'm really thinking about the rat-3. I have a ka-bar BK14 and it's awesome but I'm seeing what's out there. might get a spare BK14 but I've had my eye on a rat-3 for a while. still need a new folder though.
 
Buck Bravo
ZT0700
Spyderco Delica
Spyderco Endura
Spyderco Tenacious
Kershaw JunkYard Dog
Kershaw Skyline

There are many out there, just have to choose. haha.
 
Buck Vantage Select (large). Can be had for about 27 bucks. It uses Buck's renown 420hc stainless on the 3.25 inch blade.
BU345BKS.jpg


Eskabar for fixed. It has a 3.25 inch blade About 39 bucks.
KABK14.jpg


Lots of people will probably recommend an Izula for a fixed. It does fall under 50 bucks, but the blade is only 2.88 inches, which is a bit shy of your 3.5 inch request.
 
harkamus said:
Eskabar for fixed. It has a 3.25 inch blade About 39 bucks.
KABK14.jpg


Lots of people will probably recommend an Izula for a fixed. It does fall under 50 bucks, but the blade is only 2.88 inches, which is a bit shy of your 3.5 inch request.
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yeah I just got one of the EsKaBars the other day and LOVE it. still like to see what other options are out there.
 
Boker Plus Mosier fixed blade can be had for your price range. It's a factory version of a custom that David Mosier makes.
02BO280.jpg
 
CRKT Hammond Desert Cruiser - no flipper
buck bravo - no flipper
zero tolerance 0700 - looks good but about 2x what I would like to spend. I'll still consider it though.
spyderco - haven't seen one yet with a flipper
kershaw JYD - nice but 1/4" too long
kersahw skyline - fits the bill, might get one.
buck vantage - might work. some reveiws say the flipper is too slick but I could jimp it with my dremmel

I'm also checking out the Kershaw clash

for the price I might just jump on the skyline, clash, and buck vantage
 
alright so I went down to the local wal-mart. unfortunately they don't have a knife counter where you can fondle the knives first. I ended up getting a CRKT ripple that is nice but if I had been able to handle it before I probably would have passed on. nothing really wrong with the knife just a bit small for my hands. no big deal I gave away all my "extra" knives so I could use some alternates and it looks nice so it'll be a good "sunday best" kinda knife. then I went down to bi-mart (and I don't mean curious) and there you can fondle the knives. the buck vantage just felt cheap, like they were charging $10 too much for a $27 knife and the flipper was useless, so I'll pass there. I didn't get to handle a skyline but they had the oso sweet and the clash. I like both but they didn't have a plain edge clash so I was set to get the oso sweet when the clerk reminded me of the black friday sales (crap I coulda waited and got the ripple cheaper). so I'll go back and get an oso after thanksgiving and order a plain edge clash from amazon and maybe also a compound which they only had in the plastic packaging with a combo edge.
 
I MUCH prefer the ESEE-3 to the RAT-3 (bought two--gave one away), but the RAT-3 is a pretty solid, little knife that comes with an excellent, plastic sheath (same as the ESEE). I carry such a small fixed blade every day for any heavy-duty cutting. I also carry a Victorinox Ranger (the Huntsman's good too and can be had for $20) for typical SAK uses and a Kershaw Chill for general, light-duty cutting ($13 at Cabelas right now for the serrated version).
 
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The flipper works great once you take it apart and clean the bearings out and put it back together with some good lube. I did that with mine and realized a few balls were missing in the bearing, still waiting on the parts. I did put it backtogether though and it was MUCH smoother than before

bigghoss said:
alright so I went down to the local wal-mart. unfortunately they don't have a knife counter where you can fondle the knives first. I ended up getting a CRKT ripple that is nice but if I had been able to handle it before I probably would have passed on. nothing really wrong with the knife just a bit small for my hands. no big deal I gave away all my "extra" knives so I could use some alternates and it looks nice so it'll be a good "sunday best" kinda knife. then I went down to bi-mart (and I don't mean curious) and there you can fondle the knives. the buck vantage just felt cheap, like they were charging $10 too much for a $27 knife and the flipper was useless, so I'll pass there. I didn't get to handle a skyline but they had the oso sweet and the clash. I like both but they didn't have a plain edge clash so I was set to get the oso sweet when the clerk reminded me of the black friday sales (crap I coulda waited and got the ripple cheaper). so I'll go back and get an oso after thanksgiving and order a plain edge clash from amazon and maybe also a compound which they only had in the plastic packaging with a combo edge.
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bigghoss said:
so I'm moving to a state where the maximum blade length is 3.5". I'm used to carrying 4" knives so I'd like to stick as close to the 3.5" mark as I can. I'm looking for both folders and fixed blades around $50 or less. my current EDC is a 4" CRKT m16 tanto and I love the flipper opener so I defiantly want one on my next folder. I prefer straight edge blades as opposed to serrated. I'm also not a fan of the assisted opening knives with the safety, it defeats the purpose in my mind. thanks for the help.
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Google returns 277,000 pages for "3.5" plain edge blade" - nice way to spend a couple of hours sorting out your options.
 
BRKT Bravo Necker 2 for fixed blade. It falls right around 3.5", and is a great slicer. Eskabar or BK11 otherwise. IZULA probably too short. Spyderco Mule Team is 3.5" as well, I think.

All of my regular EDC's are over your price point, I think. Maybe a Kershaw RAM would fit the bill? Or a Meyerco Maxx-Q. That's the cheap version of the Darrel Ralph Gun Hammer. Might be worth looking into. 3.5" flippers for under $50 are actually not nearly as common as many of these folks seem to think.
 
As long as you don't do something stupid with your CRKT in the state you are moving to......why can't carry the knife you have. Do you really think people are going to be able

to tell it's 1/2 " too long. In pubic just don't use the flipper in public and you shouldn't attract attention.

You could buy a small back knife like a small Spyderco Dragonfly to use in public. I got one here for $37 on the fs forums. I always carry a big folder and a small backup &

to use the small knife in public.
 
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