Pocket Knife: For all around purposes.

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jeremy2792

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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Hello I am new the forums I am located in Tampa, FL. I have been doing research on knives for days and days and I just feel rather over-whelmed and would like to read from your personal experience/recommendations from what I tell you that I personally will be using the knife for. I can tell you that my buddy is a cop and he just bought the Emerson Commander. I love the look of the knife, the handle, and I love the wave feature. However I have yet to use the knife for any purpose other than holding it and checking it out. I am willing to spend a little over $200.00 but if there is a knife that is cheaper and will serve all of my purposes I don't mind saving money either. :D

Here is what I personally would be using my pocket knife for.

I am an avid fishermen, and also a hunter. Most of my hobbies consist outdoors.

I would be using the knife for fishing, general use for cutting things in the woods, while hunting or exploring. I like to widdle while I'm hunting on those days where you're letting the 8 pointers walk by because you want a 10 pointer or better. I would also like to use my pocket knife for self defense. I would pretty much use this knife for EVERYTHING for that I use my cheap Gerber pocket knife for anything, but I would like to upgrade my knife. The length does not matter. I don't want a huge bulky knife, for that I want to be comfortable while carrying.

I particularly like the Commander, but I feel as if there are better knives out there to serve purposes more fit to my needs.


I appreciate all advice and recommendations.

I hope to become part of the forums for that I have a huge interest in knives and hope to learn more.


Thank you,
-Jeremy.
 
Hi, and welcome

I am sure you will receive many recommendations. However, I think most of us have not really found the "perfect" knife. :D

That's why we still hang around, discussing knives and checking on what's new.

Of course, I would recommend the Sebenza, but it is not within your cost parameters.

Good luck, I hope whatever you decide is the "one" for you.
 
I would invest in a small folder maybe something from Spyderco or Kershaw and then I would grab myself a nice fixed blade knife. with $200 or so to spend you can get yourself a couple decent knives.

There are some great members here with lots of knowledge and experience to help you make a good choice. Welcome to the forum my friend! :)
 
My interests pretty much match yours, and if I had to carry just one blade, I would either say Zero Tolerance 350, or Izula. Obviously there are better knives for individual tasks, but my 350 is just big enough for almost everything, while still small enough to carry comfortably. The izula is small, but very tough, and i find it carries in pocket even better than my 350, because it is so light.


I also have an XM-18, which I would say is worth a look, but those do not fit your price range.

ZT350 or ESEE knives Izula, both very capable and can have both well under 200.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums Jeremy, you'll find some of the nicest and most knowledgeable people here :thumbup:

A lot of people would read fisherman and immediately recommend a Spyderco in H1 steel. It is completely rust proof and extremely tough, making it very suitable for low maintenance outdoors and aquatic use. I think this is a good choice and would suggest the Pacific salt for a folder or the Aqua salt if you can rock a fixed blade.

With a budget of $200, you have a TON of options to choose from, and every one of them will be worlds better than the Gerber you currently have. Really at this budget and for your wide range of uses it is more about finding a knife that suits you rather than something that will get the job done. What I'm trying to say is that you can afford to experiment to find something you really like, because there is a whole slew of knives that will be more than suited for the tasks you described. Personally, I'd pick up a Spyderco folder (Pacific salt/Military/Endura/Stretch/etc.) and pair it with a small fixed blade like a ESEE RC-3 or 4. Alternatively, spend more on the folder(s) and get a mora instead. Moras are the best fixed blades you'll ever buy for $10. I'm sure others will suggest them as well.

Good luck!
 
I would get a carbon fiber caly3 for my folder and EDC knife and than use that in conjunction with a nice FB for my outdoors use.
 
Welcome! I'd like to say that there is one knife for everything but once you get one nice knife you eventually get another..and another..etc. My advice would be to cut to the chase and look at a couple of blades for your $200.00 budget. For outdoor use get a fixed blade like an ESEE Izula and for edc get a good folder like a Spyderco carbon fibre Sage. There are some good Youtube vids on these knives. You'll probably get a lot of suggestions so good luck and let us know what you end up buying.
 
my $0.02....

i just can't stand a folder as an outdoors knife. in fact, the only folders i own are a SAK and a Leatherman Wave.

for US$200 you can get an awesome, awesome 4"-6" fixed blade that will handle all of your outdoors needs AND a decent folder for edc.

i'd look at the offerings from Fallkniven for a fixed blade (F1, S1 or A1, take your pic). otherwise there are a lot of people who swear by RAT Cutlery blades (or whatever they call themselves these days).

don't discount the good old Ka-Bar USMC model. it is a proven performer at, imho, a very reasonable price.
 
I really really like my H1 spydies, I have had the Pacific salt and i currently have the Salt 1. They are fantastic knives you can get a Salt 1 fairly cheaply. I also have a ESEE RC-4 that i really like as an outdoors knife. I wouldnt go for the commander, im not a fan of the grind(i have 2 emersons) and i it leans more to the tactical then the practical.
 
I love the commander but I would get a spyderco military (since you do outdoors, get the orange one!) and a sharpmaker.

the military can do everything and it really shrinks on you. good ergos, good materials and good f&f. if you want smaller, instead of the paramilitary I would suggest the benchmade 940. Smaller than that and I would suggest the new benchmade 755 that is coming out at the end of this month/early next month.
 
Buy a Spyderco Salt or Pacific Salt for use around water, general abuse, and with anything messy. I got my Pacific Salt for under $70 on sale. At that price I'm not worried about hurting it and have used it heavily on plants and tree branches. The Pacific Salt is big enough that it may scare people a little...but see the other posts on knives and self defense.

With the money you have left over buy something with a small flat ground blade for whittling--could be anything from a classic slip joint with a carbon steel blade to any number of Spyderco or Benchmade products. (I also like the Spyderco Caly 3 and Sage.)
 
Spyderco military or p-millie......nuff said.
 
I would get one of the Spyderco Salt series like has already been reccomended and a DMT aligner kit which will be very helpful to keep your knife sharp.
 
jeremy2792 said:
I love the wave feature. Jeremy.
Click to expand...

Hi Jeremy and welcome to BF. The Emerson knives are excellent, but as the names of the various models suggest, they are designed for the special situations that Law Enforcement officers may face and would not be my first choice for the uses you outlined.

Since you like the Emerson Wave feature, suggest you consider the Spyderoc Delica and Endura with the Emerson Opener - I don't think you'll be disappointed with either and they are well within your budget. I often carry a Waved Endura and am extremely happy with it - in fact it has become my goto EDC when I wear elasticised pullup shorts - which is most of the time.

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=227

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=227
 
For a knife that can do everything, truly everything, here are my criteria:

-Folding. I live in an urban area, so a pocketable folder is important.
-Tough, but not extremely overbuilt. I've found that lightweight knives with Zytel/FRN handles take less damage from drops than heavy, full-linered blades.
-Good edge geometry. My test for this is how easily it carves and shaves wood. I'm guessing that for someone who likes the outdoors this will be important.
-Strong clip, good steel, good ergos. Doesn't really need explaining.

My Spyderco Military has handled all the cutting tasks I've thrown at it, both urban and outdoor. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. I think I would prefer a Paramilitary though-it is smaller and better for delicate work. For a "beater" knife I would take a Spyderco Pacific Salt.

Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps.
 
It seems like you would be better served with a small quality fixed blade like the rat cutlery rc-3. but if your set on a folder i think there's probably a knife in the spyderco line that would suit what your looking for something like the military seems like it would be just the ticket.
 
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