Recommendation? One knife to rule them all!

J

JDX

Joined
Mar 2, 2014
Messages
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Hello everyone, let me preface by saying I know some of you are annoyed by my multiple recommendation threads, I just always seem to have different needs for a knife or i run into a sum of money then realize I have to spend it on bills. So honestly I apologize for all that. And partially I've realized now that I was less looking for recommendations as I was looking for information on knives since I'm not in an area where knife stores are nearby, unless you count walmart....


ANYWAYS I got cash as a graduation present, finally have my bachelors and I'm ready to start life with a trustworthy knife.


I don't want to blow all the money on a knife however, so my budget will be $150. I'm flexible with that though...


Anyways, here are some specs I'd like you all to try and apply to this knife:
-s30v steel or similar (or better)
-g10, micarta or another sturdy handle material (no FRN or plastics please)
-blade length 3-4"
-no recurves
-any locktype really, but would love to stay away from linerlocks
-no black coated blades
-no preference on pocket clip
-thick blade, I like beefy knives. But not a zt 0350 or most of cold steel for that matter
-Blade grind I'm open to
-no clip point or spear point.



I've been looking at benchmade, spyderco, brous (which I don't know much about) kershaw (for cheaper options) and zero tolerance. I'm open to anything though.

Also, I'm most likely going to look on a certain auction site we all know about, where I'll buy it used if it's one of the more expensive knives typically.


Anyways thank you for taking the time to read all this. PS the most comfortable knife I've ever held is a spyderco Manix 2 G10. The blade was kind of thin for me and I'm not a huge fan of the leaf shape blades. Makes me feel like I should be a chef haha.
 
The one thing I'd tell you is that with your budget, stay completely away from eBay, way to easy to get a knock off in any price range.
Look on the sales forum here and be patient, the right deal will come along.
With that being said, look at the Spyderco Southard and the ZT562
 
JDX said:
What's the difference between that and the 940-1?
Click to expand...

The 940-1 has Carbon fiberscales, the 940-2 has G10 scales. The 940-2 has an S30V blade compared to S90v on the 940-1. The 940-1 is also usually $40-$50 more.
 
Ajack60 said:
The one thing I'd tell you is that with your budget, stay completely away from eBay, way to easy to get a knock off in any price range.
Look on the sales forum here and be patient, the right deal will come along.
With that being said, look at the Spyderco Southard and the ZT562
Click to expand...
I thought I needed a subscription to buy and sell on here? Or am I misinformed? If I can buy here, how do people tend to do transactions? PayPal or...? Thanks for the info though!
 
JDX said:
I thought I needed a subscription to buy and sell on here? Or am I misinformed? If I can buy here, how do people tend to do transactions? PayPal or...? Thanks for the info though!
Click to expand...

You can buy all day long, you can make a thread in the Want to Buy forum. You cannot sell without a gold or higher membership.
 
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I like my ZT 0909 quite a lot. It fits my personal needs quite well, ymmv. 3.8" s35vn blade with very slicey geometry. At $180 it's a bit outside your stated price range, but I'd think you'd be able to find one on the exchange to fit the budget.

0505171255a~2.jpg
 
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0505171359a~2.jpg

It is a liner lock, which isn't my favorite either. That said, it's a pretty darned stout liner lock. I use this knife for work, frequently pretty hard, and have had zero problems. Since you only said you'd like to avoid liner locks instead of completely eliminating them, I took that as meaning you'd consider one for the right knife and lock type was about the only of your boxes this wouldn't tick.
 
Ajack60 said:
The one thing I'd tell you is that with your budget, stay completely away from eBay, way to easy to get a knock off in any price range.
Look on the sales forum here and be patient, the right deal will come along.
Click to expand...
I also strongly recommend that you follow this advice.
 
Spyderco Gayle Bradley 2 is an excellent reliable knife. I think you can find them in your price range. It is also a linerlock but extremely stout.

You could try and find a Manix 2 of some sort, I think you would be very happy with either the Ball Bearing lock or Backlock model.

I like my Benchmade 940 alot but it seems a common problem with them is pivots that you can only adjust from too tight to open easily or too loose and allowing blade play.

There aren't many ZT models you could go wrong with.
 
From all I can tell, a Benchmade Volli meets all your needs except the desire for a thick blade.

Personally, I would pick up a Ritter Griptilian ( while you still can) and swap out the handle sometime down the road.
 
Can someone explain to me the pros and cons of the higher up steels? I'm familiar with s30v, s35vn and i have a small amount of experience with both CTS XHP and CTS 204P from when I had my southard and techno.

I've heard d2 is prone to cracking? And I hear the gayle Bradley has M4 which I've heard is pretty good stuff for the price point.
 
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