New 3" EDC: Enzo Birk 75, Kizer 3404 or...?

[Bigbluefish]

I'm thinking of picking up a new EDC, something a little smaller than my current ZT 566, which is fine for jeans and real casual wear, but a bit much for business casual/khakis. I live in suburbia, work in an office, so my EDC tasks are pretty light, cutting the occasional box, pizza, sandwich at lunch, maybe some of those plastic packing straps, and trimming the occasional thread. That being said, I've always carried a pocket knife and I figure it might as well be a nice one.

At work I carry Sage 1. It doesn't seem to be too offensive to most, and it has the 3" blade which seems pretty much perfect for my needs. It also has enough heft to it to feel solid, and the quality of construction is good. I like the S30V steel, and have managed to keep it shaving sharp with just about 15 minutes on the Sharpmaker.

So, the Enzo Birk 75 with the D2 and either carbon fiber or birch scales looks nice. Slim, simple, very conservative, but stout enough to not worry about. I don't know as the scandi grand would be any problem (unless that means it has a convex edge like my little Fallkniven which I don't seem to know how to sharpen properly). I'm thinking maybe go with the birch, though I usually like darker wood, since I've already got CF on the Sage. But honestly, either scale material is fine with me. My only thought is maybe the clip sticks out to much, and will catch on stuff. I've killed a few clips in my day on door frames, car doors, etc.

On the other hand, I've found I really like the 566's flipper and frame lock, and thought maybe a smaller, non-assisted similarly styled knife might fit the bill. Hence, the Kizer 3404. (I've read the discussisons regarding the company, and since I'm considering the knife, let's leave the intellectual property and business ethics aside for the time being.) I could go with either the plain titanium or the blue anodized version, though the latter might be bit too garish. Seems like a nice knife.

I'm kind of leaning towards the Enzo for the more traditional styling, but am concerned by the clip.

Any thoughts, particularly from those who own or have handled either, are appreciated.

And, any other suggestions for a 2.75" - 3.00" "semi-dressy"/"gentlemanly" EDC for around $100 - $120 max are appreciated.

 

[cairndude]

I'm kind of leaning towards the Enzo for the more traditional styling, but am concerned by the clip.

I recently acquired a Birk 75 in S30V and with carbon fiber scales. The outer edge of the clip extends approx. 7/32” from the surface of the CF scale. As a point of reference, this is only 1/32” greater than the factory clips extend from the scale surfaces on my Delica and Stretch, and I’m not expecting any carry problems with the Birk 75.

My only gripe with the clip is that I would have preferred a black—or at least stonewashed—finish for more discreet carry…something that can be remedied, however.

A couple of other spec items for the Birk 75: it has a handle thickness of approx. 0.51” and weighs around 3.75 oz. Again, not a problem for me, but something you may need to consider relative to your current office blade, the Sage 1.

 

[1066vik]

I recently picked up a D2 Birk with Birch scales -- love it.
clip is plenty snug and not obtrusive -- I'm less worried about snagging it than I was with my Spyderco UKPK.
action is smooth, lockup is tight, no blade play, open frame so no worry about lint buildup, but because of that, I'm not going to remove the clip for bottom of pocket carry where change could ding up the edge.

 

[evilgreg]

I have both the Birk and the 3404, and I'd say go with the 3404. It's as thin as your Sage but smaller closed and with more blade. Plus flippers are fun. Also, the blue isn't that wild on the blue version, it's only really colorful at a particular angle.

The 3404 does stick you with tip-down carry only, though, unless you're willing to make the ghetto tip-up switch like I did. Here is my 3404 next to a Sage 2--I'm not sure where my 1 is at the moment, it's kicking around somewhere:

 

[RamZar]

I have both the EnZo Birk 75 with CF scales and the Kizer 3404. Both are a tad over $100 at ExtremAddiction. Of course, if you want to get a flipper the Kizer 3404 is your choice, weighs a little less, is thinner and my preference is the plain sand-blasted titanium finish (3404A3). For EDC I prefer the EnZo Birk 75 because of its narrower profile (you can see it on top of the 3404), nice & grippy CF and looks classier.

Edited to Add: The Kizer 3404 is a tip down only clip with the blade facing inward in the pocket whereas EnZo Birk 75 is a tip up only clip with the blade facing outward in the pocket.

Here are some comparison pictures to help you:

 

[Sonnydaze]

I looked at evilgreg's post and saw his Sage 2. This is probably one of my favorite folders, and the blade-length is a hair less than 3", thus making it very acceptable, legally, in most localities. The blue factory anodizing is really very pretty, and the knife looks classy, but is also very capable for EDC. It should not intimidate the ladies, and they might even ask to hold it, as it is darned near like jewelry.
The handle is long enough, at 4.22" to fit nicely into my large hand, and really it just seems custom built for my index finger to naturally slide into the choil, which gives me immense blade contol and a lot of extra handle. The blade is S30V, mine is 0.118" thick at the spine, and the grip-width is only 0.394"...quite a bit thinner than the PM2 at 0.450". (Of course, I love PM2's also, but its blade is a bit longer...) Very nice wire pocket clip, unobtrusive but sturdy, and it a winner in my eyes.
Obviously, in my opinion, a great folder.
Of course, you already have a Sage 1, but I do love the feel of my titanium slabs....

 

[Bigbluefish]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

Cairndude and 1066vik, you have dispelled my fear of the Birk's clip. Thanks.

Sonnydaze, the only thing keeping me from buying the Sage II is that I already have the Sage 1 and 3, the first for office wear and the 3 "Sage Smurf" without the clip for pocketing when going out among the knife-phobic. The 2 is also just a bit more pricey than I'd like. Though, after seeing the pics and reading your post, I'm thinking about it again ...
I've found it quite easy to keep the Sages' blades shaving sharp on my Sharpmaker, which is no small feat for me as I generally suck at sharpening, so that's actually a consideration. With the Sage 2, I know I'd be getting a knife I can keep in good working order.

Question: are the slabs on the Sage 2 anodized gray or blue? In different pics it looks different. What is the actual color? Or is it "blue-gray"? Being blue would of course make the Sage 2 harder to resist....

RamZar and evilgreg with your pics you have only deepened my conundrum over these two knives, since they are both the perfect size and so good looking. (And I noticed that each of you have each taken the CPF default approach to such problems: Buy Both!) I'm still leaning towards the Birk, though, since I'm now not so sure about the clip on the Kizer, which looks a bit flimsy. And for a knife to wear with a suit, the clip has to grip, or that knife is going escape from my pocket at an inopportune moment. On the other hand, reading up on the scandi grind on the Birk, it appears I'd need to sharpen this on a stone. I suppose I could lay out my Sharpmaker rods and get buy, but again, I'm no wiz at sharpening and wouldn't want to mess up the blade. Of course, I could always just get a fine and extra fine stone (doubt I'd dull the edge enough to need to go a medium) and learn how to do it right. But that's more money and time... Perhaps the blade on the Kizer would be more amenable to being touched up on the Sharpmaker?

(My fear now is that I'm not only eventually going to end up with both the Enzo and Kizer, but with a Sage 2 as well...)

 

[steff27]

I recently emailed Brisa whether there'll be new flat ground Birks with the deep carry pocket clip.
They answered that they will be available by the end of April or in May.

 

[Bigbluefish]

Thanks steff. I had thought about that, as I looked at the various versions of the Birk 75 on a few different sites. I think the scandi grind has more visual appeal than the FFG blade, and for the very light use to which I'll put this knife, primarily in an office environment, I don't think grind profile is going to matter much. And I don't have any scandi grind knives yet, so a new type of grind is appealing. If I can figure out how to sharpen it and do it, then I'm OK with it. Just a little unsure about the sharpening.

 

[steff27]

Sharpening should be easy, since with the wide bevel it is easy to keep the correct angle.

I don't like the scandi grind for general purpose knives because it's very poor for food prep.

 

[UXOguy]

Never had any problem with Scandi for food prep myself. (I have more Moras in my knife drawer than kitchen knives!) What don't you like about it?

 

[steff27]

Cutting through harder stuff like pineapples and carrots is where I've found a big difference between flat and scandi grinds.

I've cut up pineapples with a Benchmade 710, that has a flat sabre grind with 2.9 mm stock. No problem. Works almost like a kitchen knife.
Tried to do it with a Mora with a 2 mm thin blade, and I was astonished at how uncomfortable it was in comparison.

 

[UXOguy]

Cutting through harder stuff like pineapples and carrots is where I've found a big difference between flat and scandi grinds.

I've cut up pineapples with a Benchmade 710, that has a flat sabre grind with 2.9 mm stock. No problem. Works almost like a kitchen knife.
Tried to do it with a Mora with a 2 mm thin blade, and I was astonished at how uncomfortable it was in comparison.

I could see that. Most of my moras are just used for meat and veggies. Nothing so dramatic as pineapple.

 

[Bigbluefish]

Well, having pondered it for some time, and having a couple recent acquisitions which will likely be moving on, I should have funds for both the Enzo Birk 75 and the Kizer 3404, so I may just get both as the 3" blade size is pretty useful, and not everywhere I find myself these days permits 3.5" or 4" blades.

(BTW, trying to figure out what length knives you can carry where is a real PITA...I've got a two week road trip this summer through something like 9 States and a few major cities which each seem to think they are their own little kingdoms or something...) And didn't I just read that Ocean City Maryland outlawed assisted opening folders? Yeah, that'll make everyone safer. Thumb studs, manual flippers, and I guess fixed blades are still OK though, huh? I should just carry a SAK or a nice trapper or stockman and be done with it, but....

I've also pondered the Benchmade 470-1 which while way-cool, IMHO, is a bit pricey (not helped by BM's recent pricing policy...thanks a lot, Benchmade...not really feelin' the love here), and there seems to be some incidence of blade play (which drives me nuts) as well as the ZT 0770 (and now the -CF), but they both have 3.25" blades (I'm under the impression that 3" is a common legal max blade length outside of Connecticut, where it's 4") and while lighter, aren't appreciably smaller than my ZT 0566.

So, I'll update you when the first of them shows up.

Next I'll just have to find a nice one-hand knife with a < 2.5" blade for Chicago and Boston...

 

[Bigbluefish]

Well, replenishing my fun-fund has taken a bit longer than anticipated, which has though allowed me to do a little more research, and complicate matters further.

Another couple contenders:

1. A. G. Russell Gentleman's Framelock. 3" VG-10 full flat ground drop-point blade, titanium handled framelock with deep carry pocket clip. Looks to be slightly larger through the handle than either the Kizer or the Enzo, but still slim. A little more conservatively styled than the Kizer. Blade shape seems very similar to that of my Sage 1, which is not a problem. Bead blasted handles and deep carry clip should be very low-key. What little I've read seems to speak well of the quality of this particular knife.

2. Al Mar Nomad. Ok, a little bit more expensive, and a bit different, but I do have a thing for Al Mars. 3" I guess it's a drop point blade, again FFG VG-10. Really interesting look to this one. G10 handles will afford good grip, and look great, but probably not too suit friendly, if the G10 on my Eagle HD is any indication. Same with the clip...it works, maybe too well. Probably a good choice for khakis, but no deep carry clip and the clip is black, not exactly low profile in light colored slacks. But I like it, well as much as one can without ever handling it.

And I also like 3. The ZT 0770 with the aluminum handles, while they're still available. Seems like a nice compliment to my 566; just a smidge smaller, lighter, and more pocket friendly. And I don't mind the AO, it works just find on my 566. It is a bit bigger than all the other knives, and I'd kind of like to stick to 3" or under blades (0770 has 3.25" blade), just to give me a little more legal wiggle-room depending on my jurisdiction. And I'm not quite sold on the aesthetics of the handle. Still, I like the 566 so much, I'm very intrigued by the 0770. Though it's not as "dressy" as the Kizer or Enzo Birk, if one could consider either of those dressy. Well compared to my CQC-7, yeah, they're dressy.

Still thinking the Kizer or Enzo Birk are at the top of the now not-as-short-list, but these 3 are also of interest.

Any thoughts from owners, present or past, appreciated.

 

[Noddy]

That 770 looks good, eh? In terms of uncompromised purpose, Enzo make the best knives. The price point just compounds matters. Get a PK70 too

Did you look at the Fallkniven ModP? Wonderful blade. But I found the structure ever so slightly flexy. New scales fixed that and made into one of my favourite lockers.

 

[Bigfatts]

Between your original 2 choices I would take the 3404. I had a Birk and while I loved the knife it was an awkward size for me. I also just got a Kizer Ki401T and am really enjoying it. The 3404 is on my short list. Strictly speaking on value, the 3404 is the better of the two. Full Ti frame lock with S35VN vs a liner lock and D2. Also, many of Kizer's models have been updated with tip up clip positions. That's a big deal for me. I absolutely will not carry a tip down flipper, no tip down at all if I can help it.

My pick of your new 3 choices would be the AG Russell. So basically my choice would be between it and the Kizer.