Need help choosing and edc.

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Dragunbayne

Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Messages
12
I have been a lurker on these forums for quite some time. I currently carry a CRKT Ikoma Sampa that I got for a good deal, it is a really nice knife, but I would honestly like something better. I have 4 knives in mind, but feel free to make suggestions. I am looking for reasons why I should choose one over the other, I have seen great things about all of them and like the styling on all of them.

Zero Tolerance 0560BW

William Henry E6-3

Chris Reeve Large Sebenza 21

Benchmade McHenry & Williams Design Axis Folder 710-1401, M390, Sculpture Black and Blue G-10
 
I can really speak only to the ZT (own a few), Chris Reeve (own a couple), and Spyderco (own a few). All are greta blades that will outperform the CRKT. They make some decent offerings, but any of these is upgrading from there.
 
Dragun: check your visitor messages.
 
OP, what does your typical day entail, and what does your CRKT not do that one of others on your list would? I ask this because, as much as I like my ZTs and Benchmades, the only quantifiable way in which they'd be superior to my much cheaper EDC knives in daily use is edge retention . . . which hasn't really been much of a problem, to be honest. I am EDCing a Kershaw One Ton today, and every time I carry it, I'm reminded how much I like it and how well it has performed. However, there are other days when I'm doing other things and am impressed by a Vapor III or a Coast FX350. Each is different from the one before, and yet each is a favorite. It's a very rare thing for me to reach for a $50+ knife on a typical day, just because nothing I do demands better. If I'm going to be away from home, be it on some outdoor adventure or visiting family out of state, I bring a better knife because I'm only taking one along.

I don't say that to talk you out of buying one or more of the knives on your list, but rather to separate the "cool factor" of each and determine what you need. If I was going by my own personal preference, it'd be ZT, Benchmade, CRK and William Henry in that order.
 
Out of those, I'd go with the ZT. It's a nice blade. And welcome to bladeforums.
 
I just got my first spyderco and I am not impressed. Zero tolerance blows spyderco out of the water in every aspect, imo.
 
Sonnydaze said:
Ah, there you go. Perfect... IMO, cannot beat it for the money. I would stop right here.
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Didn't see that! Well, hmmmm..... Now it's complicated! Either the ZT or the Spyderco would be a great choice. Really can't go wrong with either, and either one would be a nice step up from the CRKT.
 
Inazone said:
I don't say that to talk you out of buying one or more of the knives on your list, but rather to separate the "cool factor" of each and determine what you need.
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A+ on this. Also, I'm with Sonnydaze on the PM2. It flips open like magic, feels great in the hand, and is small enough for EDC but big enough maybe to alter someone's behavior. But once you start going up from there in price, its more for the fun factor or the bling factor than performance.
 
rxavage said:
I just got my first spyderco and I am not impressed. Zero tolerance blows spyderco out of the water in every aspect, imo.
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What model is the single Spyderco that you own, if you don't mind me asking?
 
AntDog said:
What model is the single Spyderco that you own, if you don't mind me asking?
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The military, which I bought from the exchange. I do plan on picking up a pm2 though, in the hopes that my first impression was a fluke.
 
Being that you're coming from a CRKT, I would hold off on the Sebenza for a little while. You'll gain more appreciation Chris Reeves over time. It's hard to beat ZT and Spyderco. You won't be disappointed with either of those.
 
rxavage said:
The military, which I bought from the exchange. I do plan on picking up a pm2 though, in the hopes that my first impression was a fluke.
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Wow! Can't believe the Military turned you off so much man. What did you not like about it? I had one and thought it was pretty great. Very lightweight, excellent slicer, tough, and great fit and finish. The only thing I didn't like about it was that I personally thought the tip was too thin... But, I never had a problem with it. And I did some pretty heavy duty stuff with that thing.

I think you should definitely give the PM2 a shot. And if you don't dig the military, dump it. I'm sure you can get your money back out of it.
 
It could be that I'm being too nit-picky or critical but the full flat grind is uneven, the edge was done by an amateur, and the knife is off center and doesn't open with ease but when I loosen the pivot slightly to align the blade and make it easier to open the knife gets blade play. Now these are minor issues that could've been easily solved by better qc but now I am going to have a more critical eye on the next spyderco. I have received better from gerber for less than half the price.

Zero tolerance has set the bar pretty dang high for production knives for me. I only just recently acquired my 2 zt's but both have been exceptional. Previously the only "good" knives I've owned were Benchmade and even those aren't the same as they were 15 years ago.
 
rxavage said:
It could be that I'm being too nit-picky or critical but the full flat grind is uneven, the edge was done by an amateur, and the knife is off center and doesn't open with ease but when I loosen the pivot slightly to align the blade and make it easier to open the knife gets blade play. Now these are minor issues that could've been easily solved by better qc but now I am going to have a more critical eye on the next spyderco. I have received better from gerber for less than half the price.

Zero tolerance has set the bar pretty dang high for production knives for me. I only just recently acquired my 2 zt's but both have been exceptional. Previously the only "good" knives I've owned were Benchmade and even those aren't the same as they were 15 years ago.
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I wholeheartedly agree about ZT. I have never seen a bad one ever.

The problems you had with the Millie sound very atypical. If you want to keep it, maybe shoot an email to Spyderco about making it right? That sounds pretty messed up. I only owned the one military, but I have owned tons and tons of Spydies and dang near all of them were absolutely first rate.

I would definitely recommend the PM to give the company another shot. Sounds like you just got a dog.
 
is price a factor? if so a pm2 is great, also what materials do you like best? carbon fiber? g10? titanium?..
 
Price is not really a factor. It is enough to where I can't buy all of them at one and cycle them lol. I use my knife daily for a great deal of things. I am an IT technician and as such use it to cut open packaging of all sorts including some very strong plastics and cardboard, very frequently I am cutting zip ties. I want a nice looking knife that can stand up to nearly anything and edge retention is important to me, it seems I have to sharpen the CRKT too often. I hate struggling to cut a zip tie or something because my knife is suddenly dull after a few days. Another reason I am wanting to replace my current knife is it is partially serrated which I can't stand. On a side note I like my tools to be able to far out perform my needs because you never know what sort of situation you may find yourself in.

Thanks everyone for being so welcoming.
 
powernoodle said:
A+ on this. Also, I'm with Sonnydaze on the PM2. It flips open like magic, feels great in the hand, and is small enough for EDC but big enough maybe to alter someone's behavior. But once you start going up from there in price, its more for the fun factor or the bling factor than performance.
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" ... but big enough maybe to alter someone's behavior." LOL. Well said, sir. I need to keep this in mind with regard to my new Manix 2 XL.
 
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