Need help picking another EDC for Afghanistan

W

wut85

Joined
Jul 10, 2011
Messages
13
Well, here goes my first post...thanks to this website, among others, I want (don't need) another EDC to have for my tour in Afghanistan.

Being an engineer, most of my time is spent at construction sites around local nationals or in the office. If we clear the wire its just to travel, so I'm not doing too much tactical stuff. In country I have with me a Spyderco Endura, Benchmade 9052, KBAR TDI, and a standard KBAR fixed blade. I'm looking for another EDC just because I have too much time to surf the net after work. Right now my top picks are the Benchmade 710D2 (like the axis lock. $119) and the Emerson CQC-7B (~$150, though I'm not crazy about liner locks). I'm trying to keep the price around $150. I also looked at the al mar sere 2000 and zero tolerance, but they seem to be on the heavy side. I thought about the Spyderco H1 and Endura ZDP-189, but they're so similiar to the endura I already have. Also looked at the military, but I prefer tip up carry (Endura is my most carried knife). I want something that's not too heavy and is easy to carry around when I return home. To give you an idea of my interests, at home I have a Kershaw Leek, SOG Trident, and Gerber Applegate Fairborn.

So, what would you guys recommend between the Benchmade 710 or the Emerson CQC-7, or is there something else that I should look at, thanks.
 
i dont like liner locks for anything other than light duty. for some reason my hand disengages the lock when i least want it to when held in blade facing up. id say benchmade 710, i like d2 it gets sharp and ive never hada problem with rust. i think its considered semistainless. queen makes some d2 slippies.

but my real recommendation is the endura wave. you get the emerson wave for almost half the price and i too use my endura alot but my wave version is my favorite. easily opened with gloves which cant be said about the 710. in fact you can even carry it on your weak hand and use it as a handgun retention tool. the endura wave is my favorite edc knife. and with the cash you save you can pick up a endura wave and a queen country cousin in d2.

edit: i carry a leek too sometimes but nothing is faster than the wave for sure.
 
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I'm not the biggest fans of liner locks either, but for me, it's the action. Liner locks, in most cases, don't have as smooth an action as those of, say, the Axis lock you mentioned. IKBS and other type things can help, for sure on that front, though. HOWEVER, Emerson's dual detent is very well made and works brilliantly. If you like the CQC-7 design, you can always grab one of the HD versions as it is a framelock. I love the CQC-12 as well. The handle and blade design are awesome, and it's a framelock. You can occasionally find them lightly used in your price range. I absolutely love the wave as well. I'm in the process of re-arranging my EDC strong side, and I'm missing my wave. With a little practice, nothing is faster out of the pocket. If you get the chance, i would also suggest looking at the Karambit. Most people consider it to be more of a weapon than tool, but I found the more I carried one, the better I liked it for most cutting tasks, and the freedom of action the ring allows is great. You don't always need to put the blade down, just let it hang while manipulating other object. Don't get me wrong, the karambit style blades are wicked for self-defense, but it is certainly capable as a primary EDC. The Al Mar SERE 2K is also a fantastic choice. It is an excellent performer, and well worth the money. The low profile pocket clip is a great feature. Good luck in your search!
 
The para 2 seems very nice mate but i never owned one:)
from the ones i own i would recommend the dpx hest folder!
have you ever tried it?
the blade's shorter than the paramilitary but it's very tough and rugged.
it has some nice features that might come in handy in your line of work.
check it out:
[video=youtube;agYHVhLT1tY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agYHVhLT1tY[/video]
 
The 710 All the way, you can get a M390 version at one online site right now if you search for it

P6200003-1.jpg
 
Thanks for all the replies so far. I've looked at the endura with the emerson wave, but I feel like it is too similiar to the endura I already have (want to try something else). The emerson's are still up there for me, but I'm still on the fence with them. The benchmade 710 is probably in the lead right now, but I haven't made up my mind yet. I know the paramilitary 2 is a good knife, but was thinking of something a little bigger (same goes for the manix, it felt great in the hand though). I saw the spyderco lum tanto online and liked it right away, but availability and pricing is an issue. Took a look at the DPX Hest folder too and it looks interesting, but don't think that I can fondle one here before committing.
 
Slider, how do you like the grip texture on the 710? My only concern with it is that it looks slippery.
 
The grip on the 710 isn't slippery at all. It's not as "grippy" as say, the textured G-10 scales on a ZT 0200. But for a slim, very pocketable, large folding knife, it does a good job of finding that balance between grippy and not pocket destroying sandpaper texture.

In my opinion, everyone should own a 710. It's just one of those types of knives.

I am with you on the liner lock/frame lock thing. They just don't do it for me. The AXIS lock is really amazing.
 
my spyder gayle bradley is a liner lock and is the smoothest knife ive ever seen. but since your not interested in the endura wave i say +1 on the karambit i want one myself and you get the wave feature.

i always subscribed to the school of thought that if it cuts everything else well then it can cut flesh just as good. watch this natgeo clip about the karambit. dont play around with those silat kats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGYIsO7tonk
 
I also vote for the Benchmade 940! You may also want to look at the Hogue folders! They are very smooth and lock up tight! Good Luck! Kevin :D:thumbup:
 
Take a look at the Benchmade 520 Presidio and the 950 Rift. Both are excellent knives that i wouldnt hesitate to bring with me to Afghanistan.
 
If you like the 710 you should take a look at the HK 14205. IMO the 14205 is a ways beyond the 710 in terms of fit and finish. The blade is 3.4" instead of 3.9" but it's not as big of a difference in person as you'd think since the blade is thicker and taller. It does use 154CM instead of D2, though I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing. The 950 is also very nice. I didn't like the Presidio when I handled it but maybe that's just me. Another Benchmade you might be interested in is the new Warn 583. It's Axis-assist and would be easy to use with gloves. It also has a thick D2 blade, though tanto may not be your thing.
 
So I decided that since I'm not spending much over here and want both, that I'll just get both. I contacted emerson to get on the waiting list for the cqc-7v (prestige line), and in the meantime I will probably order a bm 710 next month. Thanks for all the help, I looked at all your suggestions but in the end the first two that I had my eyes on are the ones I really want.
 
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