need help finding the right knife for a gift

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redman2006

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Nov 6, 2012
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I need some suggestions. I am running out of time.

A young lady who works for me is graduating high school. She has committed to the Navy and will be leaving soon. We will be hosting a party for her in May, and I would like to find a knife for her.

I carry a Rift, and she likes it, but it is too big. She loves bright neon green/zombie green or whatever you want to call it. I want to be able to engrave the blade. It needs to be capable of standing up to heavier use in saltwater conditions with proper care.

So, while the sky is not the limit, what can you suggest in a bright green, locking, easy open, high quality engraveable knife? If I can buy the scales for it, I will do those aftermarket. Customs in a folder will probably be out of my price range. I think $400 or so for absolutely everything is about my max.

I want this to be usable, but a life long keepsake as well. this is a special kid.
 
How about an XM-18 with green scales? It's right in your price range and if you go with a 3" it should be the right size and weight. There are 3 different shades of green stock (translucent, OD green, dark green) but I bet you could find something aftermarket that's more neon.
 
Stand up to salt water? Spyderco Salt series. Neon yellow, rust proof steel.

You could dye the frn to your choice of color.

In assuming you are looking for a folder, otherwise I'd recommend one of the zombie theme ESEE fixed, like the Izula 2.
 
Needing lime green takes away a lot of great options. Dying them or buying aftermarket scales seems the way to go.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. Where would I look for dyes, and could I dye it a bright green like the zombie green? That is the color we are after.

Any suggestions on sources for after market scales for any of these?
 
Please thank the young lady for her service!

The way I see it you have basically three choices.

The obvious one would be one of the Spyderco Salt series knives. There are lots of versions, so it's easy to find the blade style and length you want and H1 steel is great at saltwater resistance. There are a couple of problems with the Salt knives though. First, I'm not sure how easy it would be to find custom aftermarket scales for a Salt knife. Lots of aftermarket Delica, Endura and PM2 scales around but I can't remember if I've ever seen someone offering them for a Salt. Other than the Manbug or Dragonfly Salt knives, I don't think any of the other Salts handles are interchangeable with current production Spydercos. I've only seen Salts in neon yellow or black. Second, a Salt is such an awesome but utilitarian knife, it doesn't feel very "special" or "gifty" for the type of occasion you're talking about. Third, back locks are effective but not always the easiest to use.

Probably the best knife that's readily available that meets your criteria would be the Benchmade H2O Folding Dive Knife. The stock scales have awesome gimping that really lock a wet handle into your hand and the Axis Lock is hard to beat for simply joy of use. Problem is this knife only comes in neon yellow or black handles and I'm fairly certain you won't find aftermarket scales readily available. You'd have to work with someone and probably not have the scales ready for your May deadline.

With limited time your best bet will probably be a Benchmade Griptilian H2O. It will seem like a little bit of a downsize from your Rift and comes with plastic, orange scales. The good thing is the Grip is such a popular knife to mod, there are lots of sources for aftermarket scales. Bladescales has a G10, neon green textured scale in stock at this moment. Bear in mind, the screws and hardware on the H2O Grip are just regular stainless so will be vulnerable to saltwater corrosion.

I also suggest you look at purchasing at Knife Works. They do a real nice job offering engraving service and the knife will come to you engraved just as you like it for no additional charge.
 
also look for knives with LC200 N Steel. this is better edge retention imho than the H1 steel, but i dont see much saltwater to really say on that subject. its a highly rust resistant steel like H1.

you will still have metal pivots or scales in some knives, so just be caution of that, as the metal bits can rust.

its best to care for the knife by applying mineral oil, fluid film etc to the metal bits and or blade to prolong rust even more.
 
On benchmades website you can build custom knives and one of the steel choices is n680 which is what benchmade uses on ther h2o knives plus you have the option to choose any handle color including neon green and your can have the blade engraved with what ever you want. The only downside is you are limited to the griptilian/mini griptilian or barrage/mini barrage.
 
Unless she's going to be a Navy diver I dont think a nitrogen based steel is necessary. I think high quality stainless steel (like S35VN or M390) will still satisfy OPs requirement of being a lifelong keepsake.
 
She will be in medcorps (unless she decides to take the nuclear program offer), so I have no idea how much corosion resistance will be needed, but I am sure she will be on cruises. What I did not want is a high carbon knife that rusts like crazy like the old case knives or such used to.

This girl takes care of everything meticulously, so I am not worried about abuse or neglect.

I do want this to be special. Nothing wrong with a simple knife, but this one can be a little pricier and nicer. I may dump the green and go for a nice ZT or or other frame lock. I had a 560, I think. There is a scaled down version of that one. What was that number?

Any of the steels that can not be engraved?
 
Hmm. A DPx hest/f in elmax might be a good option, with a custom g-10 scale. Say what you will about RYP, but it's a hell of a knife.
 
Custom built from Benchmade. I designed different mini grips for the guys in my wedding. Perfect way to go as far as color selection and steel choice. And they can all be engraved.
 
I would think a Spyderco Dragonfly Salt serrated edge, or a Spyderco Salt serrated edge would be perfect. The Pacific Salt is too large for day to day carry while in uniform, unless she is on an away team, or some tactical mission.

These knives cannot rust and the serrated edge version of H1 steel will hold an edge very well.

You can get yellow or black. If you get yellow you can Rit dye the scales pretty easily and you do not have to take the knife apart.
 
How about just adding a green lanyard with a nice bead to whatever knife you pick? Seems that would open up a ton of options, while still keeping the green personalisation theme alive...
 
Like some have said before. You can go to bench made custom configuration site and choose exactly what you are looking for. They have that scale color, neon green, you can add text to it. If it were me I would go with their 20CV steel blade, fantastic steel with great corrosion resistance, plus I like how it sharpens!IMO You could choose N680 which has the best corrosion resistance of their choices, but you sacrifice edge holding. Guess that is personal preference. Either way she will have a great knife.

I bought a mini Griptilian from this site and they were very quick to ship out.
 
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