New collection, looking for direction

Bought a 553 Tanto Griptilian!

Sold the Delica though :( Maybe again some day. I liked the knife but needed to free some cash to expand my horizon.
 
If you want to go a different direction I'd recommend a DPx H.E.S.T. 2.0....great bush knife. If you can afford a little more, check out the Grayman Dua. Both would be a decent departure from what you list.
 
Why don't you start with a nice collection of 1095 carbon steel.folders ? I got.one.Vintage.Imperial.Ireland.Carbon steel.camper knife that can.cut.like a razor and damn easy to sharpen as.well.
 
I would recommend you buy the ones you like first, as you pick up a few, your likes will change and you will be able to focus on specifics. I think when I started I wanted every new knife I saw, your tastes in blades with change over time and so will your collection, IMHO
 
hfrog355 said:
Pretty new to the knife scene and pondering my next move. Here's where I'm at now (in order of most to least favorite):

- Spyderco Dragonfly 2
- ZT 0566
- Spyderco Delica 4 FFG
- Spyderco ATS-55 Police with SS handle (early-mid 90's hand me down from dad)
- Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn First Production run (Don't know a lot about it, but it's kinda cool)
- Gerber AR 3.00 (was a giveaway at a company function - shrug)

I'm probably going to look into getting rid of the Delica via trade or sale because I feel like it has some overlap in usefulness with the ZT which is newer and a good change of pace from when I carry the Dragonfly.

Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions on where to go next with my collection. I'm really intrigued by some of the different blade styles I see when wandering around, particularly the tanto, reverse tanto and Wharncliffe. Given the current population of my collection, what are some knives and/or manufacturers you think I should look at? I'd really like to keep it under $200 but I've been known to splurge.
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You should get either the Manix 2 S110V or Paramilitary 2. Both Spyderco knives. Here's where you can buy them:

Manix 2: http://www.soonerstateknives.com

Para 2: http://www.nationalknives.com/servlet/StoreFront
 
BenchCo Spydermade said:
Oh dude, manix or para 2 are great spydies and and will introduce you to some new locks. Any benchmade for the same reason. I don't know how smooth your zt is but unless its way smoother than all your others by a long shot you be pleased with how frictionless some of those allow blades to be! Have fun!
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Gundawg said:
Second to that. Axis locks are just plain fun and the 940 is my favorite slacks knife!
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Have had my hands on the Benchmade for a day or so now. Blade is very nice quality (still deciding about tanto form though) and the Axis lock is very cool but I hate the scale material. Feels very cheap.
 
Scale material coming around a little bit, but still investigating G10 grips in various places. Tough to pull the trigger on custom grips that will double the price of the knife though...

Also, ordered a 275 Adamas deep carry clip for it.
 
Feeling much better about the BM scale material/feel. That and an unexpected bit of financial difficulty means I'm probably not going custom on it...yet.

Not sure I like it more than the Delica 4 I sold to get it, but it is very different, so I'm glad I did it.

Thanks everyone for the tips, I'll be back for more!
 
Get all those modern folders out of your system and then come on over to the good side (i.e. traditional slipjoints). Once you get hooked on GEC, Case, Queen, Canal Street, etc you'll forget about all those one-handers.

Just saying.
 
addylo said:
Get all those modern folders out of your system and then come on over to the good side (i.e. traditional slipjoints). Once you get hooked on GEC, Case, Queen, Canal Street, etc you'll forget about all those one-handers.

Just saying.
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Pretty sure you're not the first one around here to recommend that. I had a couple of Case knives as a teenager that I have fond memories of, so the seed is planted somewhere.

If I were going to buy one slipjoint to get me started for under $100, what would it be?
 
I'd probably start with one of the GEC #15 series. Here's a nice example but there are quite a few variations (i.e. main blade type, number of blades, handle material, etc).

#15 Tidioute - Huckleberry Boy's Knife - Ebony - Two Blade
DSC_7891__87872.1395182030.730.500.jpg
 
salmonkiller said:
How about a Lionsteel TM1?
tm1.jpg

That would take you in a new direction...
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Man, I've come back to this knife/picture several times now. Got on the email list at BladeHQ for it. As I'll get into in this post, I'm very intrigued by ball bearing systems at the moment, so this might make an interesting splurge. We'll see...

BenchCo Spydermade said:
Oh dude, manix or para 2 are great spydies and and will introduce you to some new locks. Any benchmade for the same reason. I don't know how smooth your zt is but unless its way smoother than all your others by a long shot you be pleased with how frictionless some of those allow blades to be! Have fun!
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I also keep coming back to the Manix 2. Spyderco has always been my go to "nice knife" brand (compared to random stuff I had growing up...not really around aficionados) and I don't think I've had a Spyderco I didn't like. I've really liked the Axis lock on the Benchmade y'all talked me into and I'm lead to believe the Manix series has a similar feel/function.

jkwithawave said:
Check out a Benchmade 940. Sounds to be right up your alley.
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Have loved the Griptillian, so I think I'll probably give this a go at some

K.O.D. said:
I really love my Brous Bionic, wharnie style blade, flipper, D2.
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I keep coming back to Brous because I'm currently infatuated with ball bearing opening systems. Gonna look into this one.

~~~~~~~~~

On that note, if you have an recommendations for good ball bearing pivot knives, I'd love to hear them. I realize these can and will be a bit more pricey, so disregard the budget requirements above (as I have with the Lionsteel interest...).
 
The best buy in the knife world right now is probably the LW Manix 2 in S110V. Check out Jim Ankerson's rope cutting tests (it out performs knives 3-4 times the price) for more information. It's an absolute steal considering the S110V steel, excellent weight, strong ball-bearing lock, and great ergonomics.

I also recommend the following:

(1) CRK Sebenza 21 - Yes. It is expensive. But it is worth it, and will save you money in the long run, as very, very few knives approach the fit and finish, functionality, and value of a Sebenza.

(2) Victorinox Pioneer (or any Alox model) - This is, hands down, the best value in the knife industry in terms of price, functionality, and quality.

(3) BM 940 - A classic EDC knife that combines a unique blade shape, long blade, and light handle into a slim profile.
 
Sold the Gerber for a few dollars.

Really wanting to pull the trigger on the TM-1 when it comes out. Partially for the novelty of it, but would also be my first ball bearing pivot knife.

Have been reading a lot about Sebenzas and I'm interested but for the life of me I can't see what justifies that price. Don't know how I'd get a hold of one but I'm going to keep my head on a swivel.
 
Also, installed a deep carry clip from an Adamas on my Griptilian. Looks and fits great. Don't know why manufacturers would put anything but a deep carry clip on a new design.
 
hfrog355 said:
Also, installed a deep carry clip from an Adamas on my Griptilian. Looks and fits great. Don't know why manufacturers would put anything but a deep carry clip on a new design.
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Thought I'd snap a picture since TCU and Virginia have given up scoring for the night. Clip looks right at home.

IMG_20140617_224453_zpsef7mhcpa.jpg
 
Thought I'd bump with an update. Here's where the collection lies:
- Spyderco Dragonfly 2
- Zero Tolerance 0566
- Benchmade Tanto Griptilian
- Spyderco ATS-55 Police with SS handle (early-mid 90's hand me down from dad)
- Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn First Production run (Don't know a lot about it, but it's kinda cool)


Sold the Gerber and the Delica, though I'm missing both but for different reasons. The Delica because it really was a knife I enjoyed but needed the money to try some other things and the Gerber because I'm getting interested in sharpening and that would have been a perfect knife to learn on. Oops. Oh well, that gives me an excuse to buy something else relatively cheap or used (Leek or Blur?) to learn on before getting into knives I really care about. So I guess that's the direction I'm moving towards right now - sideways into sharpening, lol.

But, FWIW, this is where the wish list stands:
- Lionsteel TM-1
- Benchmade 940
- Spyderco Manix 2 (S110V is possible)
- Spyderco Paramilitary 2

Far off dreams:
- Grismo Norseman
- Franck Fischer Battle
- Todd Begg Bodega
- Andre Thorburn L51

And for addylo, I'm expecting to receive as a random gift (he told me it was coming), an old(-er) school Case knife soon. I'll stick it to the list when I get my hands on it.

Oh, and expect pictures of everything soon. I had to sell a gun and while I was photographing it, I realized I should just take a bunch of pictures of this kind of stuff. Figured y'all would like it.
 
The dragonfly is a great knife. Maybe expand that to get a few Dragonflies in different steels and handle colors. If you want to get a traditional knife, I suggest the GEC 71 Bullnose and of course the flagship, the #73. They're really nice. Mine in cocobolo:
20130821_194702_zps2a05ae69.jpg


My #71 in green linen micarta next to my Vic Soldier.
20131228_130155_zps7e1a0b3d.jpg
 
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