Need help with fixed-blade edc/utility knife

Thanks, SaintlyBrees, I was just curious to whether they were similar, and the Varan isn't much different, so I think I'll avoid Condor for now.

I got that Mora from my friend today, and used it at work. The only task I even performed with it today was some minor prying. There are two small (maybe .25" in diameter AT MOST) hydrolic pins that I needed to pry on to get them to move after releasing all of the pressure on them. They take a little bit of convincing to get them to move, due to being worn out from moving up and down 10 times a day for the past 15+ years. The Mora took the prying very well, which I was pleased with. However, after later inspection, sliding the blade (carbon steel version) under that pin caused a dent! Something I've done with my 440A folder many times with no issue caused damage to the Mora. Granted, it's fairly small and easily fixable, but that's pretty disappointing.

So far, I keep gravitating back to the Seal Pup Elite, though. I didn't like it at first, and I wanted to try a different brand, but the more I read about it and hear about it, the more I gravitate toward getting it. It just seems like no matter who I talk to or what reviews I read, everyone has a respect of the SPE, they love the SPE, or they had a small personal taste issue with it (although still have a respect for it). The only "bad" reviews I've seen are made by people that seem very uninformed and inexperienced in terms of knives, and they're usually complaining about something completely off-the-wall or trivial. It just seem s like a tough, work-horse, all-around solid knife in terms of both construction and performance, which is exactly what I'm looking for.

If anyone can chime in about that, i would certainly appreciate it
 
Just one thing to consider about the Seal Pup Elite: with an almost 5 mm spine, I wouldn't expect it to be a good cardboard cutter.
 
That's a fair point. If it can handle every other task, though, I can sacrifice some cardboard cutting. No knife can do everything. I'm still hoping that Mora impresses me, but so far it failed at cardboard cutting AND blade strength. I also attempted to clean the handle up (it has a grey one with black ends) and it isn't cleaning well so far. I'll have to give it a spray with some cleaner at work. I do like the sheath more after spending some time with it, although it's definitely noisy. I'll give it about 5 days, though.
 
I'll throw in for the Seal Pup Elite - I have one and like it quite a lot. However, I don't EDC it, and I don't use it for anything particularly hard beyond typical camping stuff. I would expect, since you said you may need to pry with it, the AUS8 is a bit better since a high-carbon Kabar blade would be more prone to breakage. I bought a short Kabar for my nephew a couple years back - the handle is a bit short if you have large hands.
 
Blktiger0 said:
I've looked through the recommendations, and I like the Tweeners anf the Steet Bowie, although I don't really get the giany cut out on it. The Streat Beat is extremely overpriced, imo, and the Razel isn't my thing. I gave the rest of CRKT's stuff a look, though, and I like the Free Range Hunter. I really like the Ultima, except for the serrations.

I also added SYKCO back in the running. Previously, it had been because of reading that their availability was sub-par and getting a generic page when tryingnto load their store, but after talking to a co-worker about them, he said it's best to just call amyway, although he said it takes like 6 - 8 weeks to receive after ordering, which is wildly unacceptable.

Does anyone on here have some experience with SYKCO that can chime in? If the steel and knife are worth the cost and wait, plus buying a separate sheath, then I'll gladly do it, but if not, I'm gonna stick to something else.
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while i have had no SYKCO knives yet i do have a few knives in SR101(swamp rat)- its is very good carbon steel. easy to sharpen, and keeps an edge for a good long while. (think of a slightly upgraded 1095 high carbon)
and yes the wait is worth it or you can lurk around the for sale forum and see what you can score there. and you can get a spec ops sheaths for $25 or go kydex or leather all on this forum
 
I have a few Scrapyard knives and I have never regretted the wait or price ,it can be a pain that they don`t come with a sheath but many other brands come with crap sheaths so you could end up it the same boat. The steel and handles on all the Busse group knives I own are great but others may disagree .I have spotted a street beat on the exchange recently for under $80 and they are a cool knife as well. I would look around the exchange for any of the knives you are interested in .
 
Thanks, I'll head over and take a look! For my EDC fixed blade, I'm gonna get the Seal Pup Elite. I just need to test the feel in-hand, and, luckily, a friend of a friend has one that I'm gonna check out. However, I think I'm gonna start looking into investing in some other knives after that, likely a SYKCO or Swamp Rat, full-size KA-BAR, Leatherman, and maybe a custom knife, too, after I get some experience with various steels and lengths and such.

I also plan to make a knife of my own out of an old file I have, but I've got other more important projects to tackle before that, and I want to give it the time and attention it deserves, not just rush through and make a piece of crap.

I ended up trading an old Smith and Wesson Karambit (sp?) folder that I found out in my yard for that Mora. I like it enough, i suppose, but i have yet to play with it much.
 
Another vote for the BK16 here. Put some micarta on it and strip the coating and it's about the perfect knife in that size.
 
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