recommend 2-3 EDC for $200-250

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kswis001

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Sep 20, 2010
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I'm new to knives and am looking to start a collection. The only knife I have is a Spyderco saver salt. I have it for the specific purpose of a rescue knife on my small sailboat. It is not an EDC knife.

I want to get 2-3 more knives to start my collection but dont want to spend too much and want to get a variety of sizes, shapes, blade steels, handle materials, locks, brands etc so I can see what I like and what I dont.

$200-$250 is a loose estimate and I am willing to go more or less than this depending on the quality. Obviously less would be better as long as I am getting good knives, as I would like to get a sharpmaker also.

The saver salt I have is a great knife for its purpose but I dont really like the frn handles. They feel kind of cheap to me, maybe because the one I have doesn't have liners. Here's some that I've been thinking about...

Spyderco:
Para 2
Manix 2
Caly 3.5
Sage

Benchmade:
525
556
551
707
710

Kershaw:
Leek
Chive
Scallion
Blur

Right now I'm leaning towards a Para 2, a mini grip, and a chive. I think this will give me a good variety of all the things above.
Para 2 would be the large knife with s30v ffg blade, g10 handles, compression lock
Mini grip would be the medium knife with 154cm blade, frn handles, axis lock
Chive would be small knife with 420HC blade, stainless handles, speedsafe frame lock

I could probably get these for right around $200 or just a little bit more. Am I going to dislike the frn handle on the mini grip since I dont like the one on my spyderco? If so, I'd be willing to pay the extra for the 707 as that seems like the pretty much the same knife but with different handles.

Does anyone else have any good recommendations for a variety of EDC's?
 
If I stick to your list, I'd get a Para 2, a 710 and a Blur. That's a great sample of the big three...some of their best.

In my humble opinion, I'd rather have one awesome knife than three good ones. And in that sense, I'd recommend the ZT0300 line, goes for about 230, but it's really got all the bells and whistles. Big though.
 
I think I'd get the Benchmade 710, Kershaw Leek composite blade or RAM, and Spyderco Gayle Bradley.
 
You dont need to stick to my list, if there is something else you would recommend, by all means, let me know.

The 3 knives you picked are all large knives, about the same size. I'm trying to get a variety of sizes otherwise I would just get 1 awesome knife. Thanks for the suggestions though.
 
You should take a look at Kershaw's composite blades and speciality (sprint run) Blurs. CPM 154, ZDP-189 composite and S30V blurs are a few of them, and CPM D-2 and S30V leeks would be right up there as well.

orng_kershaw.jpg


From KD:
1660cb1.jpg


1660cb3.jpg


Also take a look at the composite bladed JYD II.

1725cb.jpg


I also wouldn't rule out the Zero Tolerance series:

0200:

ZT0200_1.jpg


0551 from MQQN:

DSC_6300.JPG


DSC_6312.JPG
 
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The 710 is awesome, but it doesn't fit your criteria as the blade is 4".

Personally I'd get a William Henry EDC-6 or a Para 2
 
A 4" blade is fine, as stated, just looking for variety

1 large, 1 medium, 1 small

Oh, and they all need to be stainless. I live at the beach and dont want to have too much maintenance.
 
The Para 2 looks good as does the Kershaw Blur. I'd like to suggest a Buck 110 as your third choice.
 
kswis001 said:
Am I going to dislike the frn handle on the mini grip since I dont like the one on my spyderco? If so, I'd be willing to pay the extra for the 707 as that seems like the pretty much the same knife but with different handles.
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Well, I didn't have a usual mini-grip but a mini-ritter-grip (same handle, different blade) - and it felt a lot larger. It's thicker and the handle feels much/is broader as well.
The ritter was a great knife but (IMO) it wasn't something nice to play with and what I could always have @ 1 'o clock IWB as a sheeple friendly knife. THe feel of the aluminium + g10 inlays are much more appealing to me, too (but I'd prefer an aluminium-g10 version of the 710 to a regular 710 too, so I guess I'm a bit biased since most ppl seem to prefer g10 only ;))

In the end I sold off the ritter once I got my hands on a 707 in s30v :)

s_f
 
710 ~ $115
Para 2 ~ $115
Leek ~ $45

These prices include shipping and comes out to ~$275, though if you order them all from the same place you can probably save $15 on shipping, which makes them ~$260
 
I'll leave the second half of your budget open but would definitely recommend you pick up a sage1 for $100 or less. It's one of my top three knives overall.
 
Of course this is all personal preference IMHO. I really think it comes down to ergonomics and personal preference...size/shape, materials, locking mech, clip. Try some out; you can always sell them if you do not like them. All your choices are solid. Below are some more details...You might consider buying all of those as they come up on forums, I did and it can save you 5-20% plus collecting (buying/selling) is fun!

Small - BM 707 or 14210 (I prefer 707)
Medium - Sage 1, 525, Para 2, BLUR
large - 710, Gayle Bradley, 14205 and all plain edge

Spyderco - I think the SAGE 1 is the best EDC, here is why:
1. Blade - CPM S30V steel, shape, spydie hole keeping it simple easy opening with all the tricks
2. Handle - Grippy carbon fiber, looks so good you can almost use it as a gentlemen's folder.
3. Lock - Michael Walker liner lock = solid lock up - no blade play. Strength is solid for EDC - I have completed some simple compression/use tests and is more than adequate.
4. Clip - wire clip is strong and sits deep yet won't shred your pocket.
5. Ergonomics, light weight, fits my hand (med sized) perfectly in far, detail and overhand grip, can add lanyard if you like.
6. Fairly sheeple friendly
7. You can get all this for ~90-100 bones - excellent value.
8. Video (among others) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxSCD4w9D9s

Benchmade - I love the axis lock - all of your choices are great but it will come down to your preference and size - what are you willing to carry. Though I own all I carry the 707 for EDC. The 710 is a bit scary if you pull it our to cut some cardboard or paper. I'm not a huge fan of the FRN though its good value - again I prefer the 707 simply nicer action, better balance. I would also suggest you look up STR and get one of his clips for deep pocket fit.

Kershaw - Blur is a solid choice, Leek is okay but I found it a bit wimpy. My blade tip is bent to heck!!

Good luck - try them out - collecting is addicting!!

Sage1_and_707Sequal_02_17_11.jpg
 
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I've owned a Kershaw Chive for going on 4 years now, and while it's a very sweet knife, it's hard to discern from pictures just how small it is. I have pretty small hands, and between the slick stainless handles and the tiny form factor, the knife is difficult to pop open and maneuver into a usable grip without dropping it. Also, the 420HC blade doesn't hold an edge very long if you're cutting open anything other than your mail. However, if you dig the Chive design, I'd step up to a Scallion for your "small" knife...similar design, but just a little bigger (2-1/4" blade) and much easier to control.

For the other two, I'd go with a Benchmade 555HG Mini-Grip for your "medium" (I prefer hollow-ground blades, but the 556 would work fine too), and either a Kershaw Blur or splurging for a Spyderco Paramilitary 2 for your "large".

Kershaw Scallion: $35 (Amazon.com)
Benchmade 555HG: $81 (Amazon.com)
Kershaw Blur: $54 (Amazon.com)
Spyderco Paramilitary 2 $110 (KnifeCenter.com)
 
As a lefty, I have long been a fan of the Benchmade 550 Griptilian. Carried one for years.

I recently retired it in favor of a Spyderco Sage 3. I definitely prefer the Sage 3 over the BM550.

I just received the Spyderco Para-military2 (C81G2) as a gift.

The Sage 3 and Para-military2 seem to fill the same niche. My current thinking is to use the Para-military2 for most EDC tasks and reserve the Sage 3 for occasions where a big scary black knife might not be well received.
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Michael_Aos said:
As a lefty, I have long been a fan of the Benchmade 550 Griptilian. Carried one for years.

I recently retired it in favor of a Spyderco Sage 3. I definitely prefer the Sage 3 over the BM550.

I just received the Spyderco Para-military2 (C81G2) as a gift.

The Sage 3 and Para-military2 seem to fill the same niche. My current thinking is to use the Para-military2 for most EDC tasks and reserve the Sage 3 for occasions where a big scary black knife might not be well received.
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Click to expand...

How is the compression lock as a lefty, I'm lefty as well I can disengage liner and frame locks very easily but not so sure about the compression. Its the only thing stopping me from getting one.
 
I have the benchmade 556 and love it. I have been carring it almost daily for almost two years. I can't say anything bad about it. Besides just the regular shapening the only really maintance work I had to do on it was tighten the pocket clip :)
 
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