Noob needs help for EDC!

Bcarp22 said:
One handed opening is certainly something I want. What type of opening mechanism (spyderhole, nail nick, or whatever else exists or would be called) will just be trial and error. I know I want to stay with manual for now as opposed to assisted opening or automatic.
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Hey there, welcome to the forums! There's been a lot of good suggestions on here so far, but if your looking for unassisted one hand opening the ol Spyderhole is hard to beat. Especially if you wear gloves, but that's just my humble opinion.
As far as actually deciding on a knife, I would find a site with an abundance of choices, narrow the search to your preferred price range, grab a cold one and start browsing! :D Once you've found a few you like maybe check out some reviews on the youtube. Hope this helps, good luck on your search!
 
H&K mini Axis 14716

D2 steel, small print when clipped in front pocket (i.e., takes up very little real estate), utilitarian blade shape, g10, and axis lock goodness

Comes in at under $100

Throw a Benchmade deep carry clip on it and you're set :)
 
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Under 100, I would say Spyderco Tenacious, or maybe an Endura are both great starting knives/EDC that you won't ever "outgrow" for lack of a better term
 
I love a good sized traditional, which don't bother me in the pocket at all. I carry two phones, galaxy note 3 in front left and iphone 4 in the rear left. My main knofe goes in the front right and my hard use goes in back right. An opinel in a vertical position in the back pocket is very hard to notice. But if I could only carry one it would be a stockman. A good Buck or Case jack knife or stockman will suit your needs in a very smart way. Keep in mind a lot of people don't like to see tactical knives, and even less people really need them. But if they strike your fancy have at it, I'm an old soul and utilitarian :D.

Pics of my favorites

Mora (fixed blade) and opinel

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My Northfield stockman, maybe not your cup of tea in handle material but I like it and there's many more to choose from.

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Case stockman on the bottom, which is a more accessible knife compared to the premium Northfield.

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Connor
 
Ah, you wanted self defense too. Well I can't say that I would use any of my recommendations for self defense but for that I would say to buy some pepper spray if you're close enough for a knife. Unless you have some training with knife combat it may not be the best choice to pull it out, but again you are you and I yam what I yam, so make your choice of course as you see fit. If it makes you feel safe by all means buy something for potential combat, but also get some instruction as that's what will save you. "Tools don't make a carpenter skilled" so to speak.

Don't take any of this as snarky or anything like that, I don't think it comes across that way but I'll say I'm being sincere and open.

P.S. Start budgeting your knife purchases now, or you may find yourself in financial trouble :D.



Connor
 
Thank you very much to everyone for the recommendations and suggestions. I most definitely have some work and research to do.

ConBon.....appreciate all the suggestions and I agree with you on the defensive front. I carry a firearm everyday and would not do that if I didn't have any sort of training. The same largely goes for a knife. While that is a very secondary purpose for any knife I'd be looking at, I just like the idea of knowing that if my firearm fails for whatever reason and I absolutely had to use a knife for a defensive purpose that I could. My main goal is utilitarian here though. The firearm is the primary defensive tool though and will get the job done for most all situations in my opinion.

And if this goes anything like my 1911 habit has.......I'll certainly need to start budgeting now!
 
Spyderco Delica...
I now you're looking for a folder, but take a look at the Esee Izula...
Different carry options, and keeps your pockets free ;)
 
Bcarp22 said:
Thanks, DPX is another I wasn't even familiar with. I'll have a look.
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I also am a 1911 person. When you get on the DPX website you will see that this knife was developed to be a working knife. Next in line I would do the Ontrio version of the Jeff Randall RAT. I know Jeff personally and he is buddies with the DPX designer, both of them are jungle bunnys.
 
Go to a local Benchmade dealer, put your hands on a 940, 943, or 940-1. They are more expensive than you're looking to spend, but they fit your needs perfectly, and are some of the best all around EDC production knives, in my opinion. The 940s are super slim, yet still have a decent size blade, very lightweight, great materials, and awesome ergonomics. Just do it. You won't be disappointed. The other guy who recommended the BM 530 had a good idea too. It's similar in its size and weight. Personally, I like the shape and materials better on the 940, but either would be nice.
 
G'day and welcome to the forums!
My suggestion is a Spyderco Chaparral. I think it might be very slightly over your budget ($17ish according to knifecentre) but it is an excellent knife. It is slim, on the small side (kind of half way between a Spyderco Delica and Dragonfly), with a blade of great steel (CTS-XHP). Mine fits in my jeans coin pocket as well as my suit pants quite comfortably.
 
I like Pinnah's advice. Get a few cheaper knives. Find out your preferences and then go with a more expensive option later.

If you do happen to look at the Kershaw Leek, I highly recommend you check out Ken Onion's newer design, the CRKT Eros. Basically a Leek but improved in every way.
 
I'd be thinking first about where you want to carry, then the laws, then what fits. I'm going to jump out on a limb that a guy who's a 1911 fan, and who carries has a pretty decent belt. Belt carry has some big advantages, gets stuff out of your pockets, front center locations can be ambi. A multi-tool or small fixed can be really handy. Even a slip case can be ideal for modern folders. Belt is also independent of pants, some pants just don't like some knives. Pocket carry can be clipped, or not, again, depends on what you do. Some guys just cannot make clips work since they are always catching on stuff, and others cannot stand deep carry. If it was me, with what I know now, I'd grab an opinel or three layer SAK (tinker or climber) a small-ish clipped folder like a zancudo, and a leatherman rebar. What we are looking for is stuff that is very generalist, stuff that fits a lot of roles, and you can specialize from there. rotate them around, use them, and see what fits where in your life.

As for SD, your gun is one, so i'd be looking to add a weapon retention tool to your rig like a kuboton or a kabar tdi, ideally something you can practice defending a gun grab against. I'd put that as a separate thought, and think of that as a weapon accessory since it needs to fit that role, and let your EDC knives be for general utility. That's just from a guy who spent only a couple hours learning to defend a three-way retention holster and got his a$$ repeatedly handed to him. so your mileage will vary.
 
Since you mentioned possible self defense - perhaps a Kershaw Emerson collaboration?
They have a wave for quick deployment.
 
Alfazulu said:
Go to a local Benchmade dealer, put your hands on a 940, 943, or 940-1. They are more expensive than you're looking to spend, but they fit your needs perfectly, and are some of the best all around EDC production knives, in my opinion. The 940s are super slim, yet still have a decent size blade, very lightweight, great materials, and awesome ergonomics. Just do it. You won't be disappointed. The other guy who recommended the BM 530 had a good idea too. It's similar in its size and weight. Personally, I like the shape and materials better on the 940, but either would be nice.
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+1 What he said.
 
Gadgetgeek, you hit the nail on the head. I have some very sturdy, high quality belts. I found over the years that not only 1911's, but any gun really carries much better with the right belt. I think the idea of treating any sort of defensive knife as a supplemental and keeping my EDC focus on something utilitarian right now is absolutely the way to go.

So many great suggestions here and so many things I never even thought of between carry methods and brands. This is fantastic. Thanks again to everyone who has chimed in so far. I have a Cabelas local to me that carries a large number of the suggestions made so far so I think a trip to just handle and try some things out might be in order.

The $100 price point is not a hard line. It's just a rough guide. There seem to be a couple schools of thought here and I like both. One seems to be get a few less expensive but different knives to figure out what I like and not like, what works and doesn't work. The other seems to be go try some stuff out at the store and pick one......since I'll end up with a bunch anyways. Both seem like great ways to go.
 
Your money. Your call. Totally.

My only reason for suggesting cheap knives at first is because of my own experience. I have gone through a bunch of knives that rationally, I thought would be perfect. But, after a few weeks of carrying, they started to frustrate me and in ways I couldn't predict.

For me, what works only got revealed after a lot of trial and error.

I've gotten to the point now where I can eliminate knives of certain styles and with certain features that I know won't work for me.

My hand knows knives better than my eyes.
 
If you're a 1911 addict I'd have thought you'd go with Ultimate Equipment's M1911 folders. They're $25-$40 over your ceiling and can share grips with your pistols. Hopefully this isn't too stupid for my 1000th post.
 
If you want to carry for self-defense, then first check the laws in your state. I know that my state doesn't consider carrying a knife for self-defense a legitimate use for example... After you know what you can carry, how, and when, you might be better equipped to make a decision.

That said, for self-defense, and if allowed by your laws, I would carry a flipper folder (easier to open under duress) or a small fixed blade. You got many suggestions for folder... For fixed blades, you may want to look at the Cold Steel spikes as they are beefier and yet lighter than Moras. The sheath is also more versatile.
 
What about the Spyderco Cat G-10? They go for about $47 on Amazon I think and the blade is just under 2.5". I ordered that one to carry at work since we can't have blades longer than 2.5".
 
Sharp Guy said:
There are a lot of good choices out there. For general EDC and occasional dress I'll recommend the Spyderco Chaparral Carbon Fiber. They're a little over $100 new but if you keep an eye on the Exchange here they can be had for less.
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+1 :thumbup:
 
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