Recommendation for a high quality small EDC blade

S

spyderco lover

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So the background story here is this. My grandfather is a thirty year police veteran and as a reward for getting my degree in Criminal Justice studies he agreed to buy me one blade as a gift, 125 dollar limit. My question to all of you (Since there are so many incredible knives out there) what would be some of your recommendations for a good knife, sub 3.5 inches, with a great blade steel? Handle material and lock aren't QUITE as important to me, but I really want something that holds a great edge.
 
I'd grab a 943 or a 940 depending on which blade shape you like best. They are really some amazing blades. They have s30v steel, and are around 10-15 dollars more than your limit, however worth it completely.
 
A Spyderco Native 5 with S35VN steel would be a good one. It can be had for around your price limit. Also love the Benchmade 940! Good Luck! Kevin
 
Since your user name is "spyderco lover" I think the natural suggestion would be a Spyderco Paramilitary 2. That particular knife seems to have more followers on these forums than average and can be bought for under your limit. I have several Spydercos myself but I haven't bought a new one in many years. All of the fans and comments here have convinced me that I need to buy a newer one and check it out for myself. And BTW I am also a Benchmade fan and second the suggestion for the 943.
 
Thanks for the input, I am looking pretty intently at the paramilitary or zdp-189 delica. The only question I had for you guys, is does anyone have experience with the bone collectors or the harley davidson hardtail knives? If so what are the pros and cons of the designs?
 
It's not enough for a sprint run in a crazy awesome steel, but you're in Spyderco PM2 territory. S30V is great stuff anyways! You could probably find something fancier in the exchange forums here but I'm not sure how well that works with your gift situation.
 
The Bone Collector knives are quite nice, especially the Walnut handled series. They use D2 which meets your requirement for great edge holding, but D2 can be a bear to sharpen if you let it get crazy dull. I like these knives, and an Axis Lock is icing on the cake. The Para2 is also a great choice, but the Bone Collector with the walnut handle is a very classy knife.
 
Para2 is hard to beat.
Since it's a graduation gift, perhaps something a little more fancy? Like a Sage1. Another fantastic all-around EDC blade, and CF within your price range.
 
Para 2, or go for the better high end knives you will enjoy for a very long time. Take the money and invest in a Chris Reeve large plain Sebenza or Chris Umuz... You won't regret it. BTW congrats on your CJ degree.
 
tjswarbrick said:
Para2 is hard to beat.
Since it's a graduation gift, perhaps something a little more fancy? Like a Sage1. Another fantastic all-around EDC blade, and CF within your price range.
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Sold my Para 2 (dumb of me), but still have my Sage 1. As he states, it is a fantastic blade.
 
TriviaMonster said:
The Bone Collector knives are quite nice, especially the Walnut handled series. They use D2 which meets your requirement for great edge holding, but D2 can be a bear to sharpen if you let it get crazy dull. I like these knives, and an Axis Lock is icing on the cake. The Para2 is also a great choice, but the Bone Collector with the walnut handle is a very classy knife.
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The bone collectors are very much on my radar, my only two concerns are is the weigh a pain in carry, and does the ribbing on the handle make extraction a pain? I don't notice weight much but I hear people saying that the six ounces is rather heavy. As for the steel thats not much of a concern since I touch up my knives frequently to maintain a very fine edge
 
Rockywolf said:
Sold my Para 2 (dumb of me), but still have my Sage 1. As he states, it is a fantastic blade.
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I really like the idea of the sage one, and I love carbon fiber handles. I just have to get one in hand to see if the sizing is good for me and my hands.
 
spyderco lover said:
Thanks for the input, I am looking pretty intently at the paramilitary or zdp-189 delica. The only question I had for you guys, is does anyone have experience with the bone collectors or the harley davidson hardtail knives? If so what are the pros and cons of the designs?
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I have the large Bone Collector, #150201, and have found it to be one of my favorite edc's. The blade spine is .125" almost to the end of the blade giving you a strong blade. The blade length on the large is 3.36", under the 3.5" you requested, but it just feels bigger in my hand. Axis lock is very strong, and very smooth. It has a blade that looks like the reverse tanto that BM does for other models, only it does not drop from the spine to point in a straight line, but rather a curved line, giving it a type of drop point. The steel is D2, a solid feel with a weight of close to 5.6 ounces, and with the Spyderco hole for opening, this makes a snagproof edc.

I think it would make a great choice!
 
If you like carbon fiber and zdp-189(i love it on my endura)you could go with the spyderco caly 3. Very classy blade, but a touch small, I wear a size large glove and the caly 3 suits me fine
 
The bone collectors are very much on my radar, my only two concerns are is the weigh a pain in carry, and does the ribbing on the handle make extraction a pain? I don't notice weight much but I hear people saying that the six ounces is rather heavy. As for the steel thats not much of a concern since I touch up my knives frequently to maintain a very fine edge
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I have and love my Bone Collector 15020 (with thumb hole). It's a beast of a knife, and big doesn't do it justice. The ribs haven't given me any problems. I however don't carry it in the Summer, only Fall and Winter. Here in AZ, it's the Endura for me when it's over 90.
 
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