Recommend me a knife

T

therulebookman

Joined
May 10, 2007
Messages
199
I am looking a very tough EDC that meets the following specs as best as possible:

Non-negotiable
- TOUGH
- ~$100 but the cheaper the better
- 1/2 serrated edge
- 3"-4" blade
- non-reflective blade

Negotiable:
- cool looking
- Fast deploying (not assisted opening)
- black coating
- variety of carry positions

To give some insight into what I'm looking for, by fast deploying I like the "carson flipper" on the CRKT M16 and the "wave" of Emerson knives. I need it to be tough because i am prone to do non-knife duties with my knife :grumpy: . I have looked at the benchmade 707, 710 and Griptilian. I like the Emerson CQC-15 (too expensive) and Mini-Commander - I love the blades on these two, I like recurve. People rave about how tough the 710 is, is that because its D2? and if so, should I be looking for a knife in D2? How tough is ats-34/154cm? Is it similar to D2? Alright, someone talk me into buying their favorite knife. Thanks alot!
 
I love the 710. D2 is a ery good steel and that is one of the reason why people like the 710. However, its axis lock and durable build is also what people like. Overall it just feels really nice in the hand. You will not be dissapointed with this knife.

gl:)
 
yeah, 710 all the way :D
axis lock, recurved blade - excellent slicer, G10 handles, bronze bushings, etc etc
 
For something a little cheaper try a BM Griptilian or the BM cabelas Grip that also has D2 steel. The spydero delica and endura are good tough folders too but I think a BM with D2 steel is toughter. Also the BM's have the axis lock. All of the knives i listed are are in the 50-80 dollar range.
 
i have not had the opportunity to handle a 710, maybe that would convince me. But can someone describe the axis lock and why its so great. And my main question is how difficult is it to close, do you have to push the button back on both sides or just one? and I guess the reason people love it is because it locks up real good? Oh, and I didn't really notice the recurve until i saw a real close up picture of it. I like a bigger recurve than that, but it should still do.
 
maybe the best review of the 710 i've seen here and proof of reliability of the axis system here
people like axis because:
- it is fully ambidextruos
- when opened & locked, the knife feels like a fixed blade
- it offers the huge advantage of improvisation: when confronted with a failure of the system in a survival situation, all you have to do is grab a stick and push it from side to side behind the axis bar and you’ve got yourself a fixed blade. No other system (compression, liner or lock back) can match this potentially saving life capacity - imo

the 710 rides fantastic clipped inside pocket or iwb and delivers a good punch
i'd say jump on it, especially if you find an offer on a 710 in M2
 
If you're willing to spend a little more, Benchmade 520 Presidio. As with all things Benchmade, you can rest assured that whatever you pay, you will reap the benefits. Tough. non-reflective Black-Ti, which only comes in partial serration. Dual-sided thumb studs. Clip is two-way adjusting (for right or left-handed people). 154CM steel.
 
The Spyderco Manix would fit the bill. Extremelt tough and strong, good cutter, comes 1/2 SE, and 4 position options for carry.

Mike
 
My full size EDC is a 710 with 154CM steel. I had to look around for it, 710's are currently produced with only D2, but D2 is a good steel. I have owned the 151, 550, 551, 556 Grips, and now I own all of the Ritter Grips. They're great too.
 
As far as I'm concerned, just about any Blue Class Benchmade should fit your bill. Keep in mind the 707 is a small knife, just under 3", though it would perform well for its size. For a knife that's going to see lots of non-knife tasks, I'd generally prefer full liners, though I have confidence in the FRN handles of the Griptilian (and I've never heard of those scales breaking, which has got to be a good sign). Also, on a cosmetic level, the handle of the Griptilian is likely to stay looking unscathed much longer than any other Blue Class knives.

As for the 710, I agree with everyone else here that it's a superb knife. I use mine for warehouse work every summer, and it's so far the best knife I've found for that. That being said, when handling the 710 I don't have as much confidence in it as, say, a prying device as a number of other knives. So for non-knife tasks, I'd recommend something more along the lines of a 420 or 520, or an HK 14200. A non-Axis lock knife that may work well would be the 635SBK, though it'll probably be pricier than the other BM's mentioned.

All things considered, I'd have to recommend the 551SBK (or the Cabelas version with D2, if you prefer). Reason: for most tasks I think general-use performance would be pretty comparable to any other Blue Class BM, and if your hard-use or non-knife tasks ever end up damaging the knife, it'll be cheaper to replace than, say, a 710. And the Axis lock is about as good as it gets for non-assisted opening and closing.

Oh, and concerning blade steels, D2 should be noticably more durable than 154CM/ATS-34, but for me, that increase in strength isn't quite worth the lower corrosion resistance (not that I'd mind somone giving me a free D2 knife...). So I'd say if you're getting a knife that you plan to do lots of heavy cutting with, but can take a little time every now and then to maintain it with Militec or whatnot, go with D2. By contrast, if it's more of a "general-use" knife to have around for anything you may encounter, something that you want to drop in your pocket everyday and not think about lubing it regularly, go with 154CM/ATS-34. My personal preference, however, is S30V: the edge-holding of D2 with the corrosion resistance of 440C.
 
I say get a grip/mini-grip and use the extra cash to pick up a sharpmaker! Than you will be set for a while! All of which should beable to get under 100$.
 
I would check out the full sized combo-edge rtter griptillian. I have a plain edge one and this thing can slice better then any of my given knives.
 
Can't go wrong with Benchmade. I like the 556 Minigrip.The holes to open a Spiderco or other Minigrips just don't do anything for me.
 
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