Need help with 2.5" - 3" EDC - please read :)

Guys, was it something like this you had in mind when you were mentioning "classical folders" ? :D

 
So the Leak and Chaparral arrived yesterday.

The Leak - interesting and surprisingly heavy (stainless steel handle) knife. Feels nice in hand, super thin blade. What surprises me is theprofile of the cutting edge which is slightly "wave-y" - the is a slight recurve close to the heel, followed by a slight sign of belly and finally last 1cm or so (at the tip= the blade is completely flat. Hmm. Interesting. I guess if I would keep the knife I would let that belly in the middle part continue towards the tip (what would cost 1-2mm in blade length). I am not too fond of the assisted opening - in particular when closing the knife what I would probably do with 2 hands to be on the safe side. If I would be getting one I would certainly go with the light model. Ohterwise F&F is good, the blade lock securely with no movement in any direction. I have to say I am glad to see this sort of knife offered as it must be a very good EDC/office knife.

The Chaparral - I am somehow not compatible with it. I realised that I do not like quite as much the finger choil (something I love on Dragonfly, go figure) and even the Ti scales (not the most recent fancy ones) are somehow not realy interesting to me. On top of that the whole design is not up to my taste. That is not to say it is not well made and well though out knife, just not my cup of tea. But yes - it has a nicely thin blade that is considerably thinner behind the edge than Delica or the Sebenza - so from that point of view the reccommendation was spot on

I have at the moment run out of easily accessible (available in Germany) candidates. I am no using the DMT Magna-Guide to put lowe edge-angle on the Sebenza and will see how that will work for me. If not I may either keep the search running, or even consider to have the Sebenza re-ground as I otherwise really like the knife.
 
Another suggestion you might want to try at some point is a David Boye lockback folder... It's hollow gound like the Sebenza 21, rather then flat like the delica, but extremely thin even at the spine, closer to a delica, (thinner then a sebenza 21)... Reputation of being a very good slicer, with good lightweight (2oz) ergonomics.
 
The Boye lockback folder is indeed an interesting knife, but it is directed to sailors and from the little I found I understand that the steel behaves differently than what we are used to normally. I guess I need to read up more, but it looks like a special-use knife. It does have however an interesting design.
 
get an opinel, screw on a wire clip of your own liking... done.
while this is actually a joke, it fits the criterias of the op than quite a lot of knives people show of in this thread.
 
matus said:
The Boye lockback folder is indeed an interesting knife, but it is directed to sailors and from the little I found I understand that the steel behaves differently than what we are used to normally. I guess I need to read up more, but it looks like a special-use knife. It does have however an interesting design.
Click to expand...

It's geared towards sailors, especially the cobalt alloys because of it's near rust-proof and non magnetic quality is very appealing to life on the sea with salt water and sensitive navigational equipment ever present, but his BDS (cast 440c steel) has also been used by him to make hunting Knives, kitchen Knives, etc. The "special" quality that makes it act different has to do with the casting process changing the dendritic structure if the carbides, giving it a better longer lasting working edge then standard 440c. The down side is many claimed its more brittle, but hardly a to a point that would be an issue through standard use.
 
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Too bad the Chaparral didn't pan out - it's a favorite of mine. If you found the Leek interesting, based on what you said, I've got one recommendation for you: the CRKT Eros, specifically the original titanium version (the SS version has slightly different dimensions, including a slightly thicker blade). It's similar to the Leek, but has a bearing flipper rather than an assist, has a more standard blade shape than the Leek's wharncliffe, and is much lighter - literally less than half the weight of the framelock Leek.
 
Hmm, the Eros is quite particularly looking knife. Frankly I did not really look at CRKT knives as I somehow considered them 'low end' - I might have been wrong. However the prices here in Germany are in 200€ + range, but I will have a closer look.
 
Save yourself some money and go with the Persistence. Nice ffg and it is super easy to get very sharp. Once you get a keen edge it is very easy to maintain with a quick daily stropping. Best deal out there.
 
Perhaps a FFG Enzo Birk? I went the opposite way and kept the scandi D2 but the FFG may be close to what you're looking for.
 
Get a Delica ZDP189 and save yourself some $$$$..! Great Knife all the way around -- 100% ~~ carry one of mine everyday and can't find anything it will not cut.**
 
One that might surprise you in the "cheap knife" realm, and certainly won't break the bank to try out;
A not so fancy or flashy
Kershaw Injection 3.0
0.11" flat ground 3" blade w/ g10 scales, handle us robust and just a bit shorter then a delica, and from my experiences with other Knives, Kershaw has been doing a fine job with their Chinese 8cr steel.

For the price it's worth a shot, as it nails all your criteria for about $30 (American), rather then $400
 
Persistence somehow does not "inspire" me, but Delica is definitely still on the list - I would probably get some cool scales for it :) And one may always get the blade slightly thinned towards the edge if necessary.

The Enzo is an interesting knife, but probably a tad too bulky for a EDC I am looking for. But thanks for the info - I was not aware of the FFG version (aparently S30V only)

The Kershaw Injection 3.0 looks like a no-nonsense knife (though little heavy for my taste) - what should one expect from the steel (sorry for being a snob here)

In general while at the beginning I was leaning towards knives in mid-tech class, I am slowly starting to realze that for EDC something a little cheaper might be a more sensible option - in particular as the knife will be carried in different ways, (knife pockets, shoulder bags, etc) what increases the chance to loose it.

I am half-way done with thinning the edge bevel on the Sebenza (quite some work even with DMT diamond stones) - I am curios how it will perform then. I am still considering the option of having the Sebenya re-ground and be done with the whole topic, I am just not 100% sure how the knife (steel) will perform at more accute angles as it is hardened to relatively low HRC (relative being the operative word here)
 
Injection is listed at 3.3 oz. Small Sebenza 21 is listed at 3 oz. So should not be a huge deal... As it would have it I was actually browsing Knives for myself, and when I came across the Injection again I immediately thought back to this thread. Because of your high budget we all naturally gravitate towards fancier and more expensive options at the upper end of your budget, but i noticed the blade profile and belly is something like a cross between the delica and sebbie21, the flat ground blade is also very thin, also in between the two, as well as the handle length, but it is just a bit more robust thhn the sebbie's, with a 3" blade it pretty much hits every mark you were looking for.

As for what to expect from the steel, I mean, when properly made and heat treated, its a decent average grade knife steel. Think a good 440(a) or aus8, sandvik 14c28n like in the standard usa Kershaw's, all decent but basic stainlesses in the same "range" regarding performance. Nothing "wow" factor about them, but nothing disappointing either, they do the job well. Problem with it (being the Chinese equivelant of that grade of steel) is quality control measures, some companies are (much) worse then others, but I gotta say, so far I have quite a few bargain blades made from 8cr13mov; a few crkt's, a Kilimanjaro, a few schrade's, as well as a few kershaw's; Thermite, Tremor, recently gave away a pair of Shuffles, recently acquired a Scrambler, and hands down the Kershaw's are without a doubt the best if the bunch. They get razor sharp, and they hold an edge respectably well, especially when considering price. Thats why I said it might surprise you... Not to mention alongside your sebbie and delica, and leek and chaparral should you keep them, having a cheap "insurance" option in your collection as an alternative edc at your disposal isn't a bad thing...

The opinel idea isn't a bad one either, being a French manufacturer you may be able to get good deals on them locally around Europe? I never owned one, but many who do swear by them, they're convex ground, lightweight, and I do know sandvik 12c27 they use a really decent basic all around knife steel as well.
 
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That are all good points. You are correct - the tendency to go for higher end knives is there. I will check the knife out - it costs only about half of ZDP Delica and it indeed has rather interesting blade shape.

Concerning the weight - I would not mind to find a knife that is lighter than the small Sebenza, but it is not the main priority.

The opinels are just bit too low concerning the F&F and not quite my cup of coffe shape wise, but as you said - nice convex grind and decent steel.
 
SOG Twitch II in aus8 is another lower end knife you may consider, flat ground 0.10" blade width, and under 3oz. Though the handle seems it would be a bit small...
 
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After reading your post, the first knife that comes to my mind is Chaparral, followed by Dice.
 
I guess I owe you guys a few photos here. These are from my brief interaction with Leek and Chaparral:





 
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