RECOMMENDATION: Ok help me choose a blade

[UpChUcK]

I think I will skip the Buck Vantage Pro as there seems to be some quality issues as noted on some youtube viewers. The Rat 1 may be a bit too heavy, I may get it later on if I do want another if I get a lighter knife now.

Hmm I see. But the leek has a slick handle so I dont think that would be good for me right?

The spyderco native on amazon is about $50 but it is a native 2...not a 3 or 4. IS that ok? Looks good. Heard that the hole is a bit covered by the frame though, so it may be hard to whip out the blade I heard.

I think I won't get the buck because of the quality issues i have heard though...makes me a bit uncomfortable.

How about the Blackout? It is right in between the price between the skyline and the spyderco delicas and natives and blur.

The Native is nice and it has S30V steel but it's pinned construction is a negative.

The Delica is a solid choice too but I don't like the saber grind one the delica and Endura which is why I sold my Endura 4 and bought the G-10 Endura 4 with full flat grind. This is an excellent knife by the way if you don't mind spending $80-100.

As far as the Buck Vantage Pro, yes there are some blade centering issues on some of them. But if you do get one, all you have to do is send it to Buck and they will replace it with a centered one. Check out nutnfancy's reviews on the Vantage Pro on YouTube. I urge you not to miss out on the Vantage Pro. For a sub-$50 knife, it has good quality and a great feature-set. It has a Paul Bos heat treated S30V blade! Mine came slightly off to one side but did not hit the liner. and does not bother me one bit. I have knives that cost much more that are slightly off center.

I don't find the Leek's handle slippery. Especially the black one that you can get from WalMart.

Oh, did I mention that the Kershaw Skyline in my favorite EDC knife? I love it for its light weight, good steel, great handle, nice blade shape and quick/smooth opening.

 

[rydude87]

I will highly consider the delica or endura. Not the native because i heard whipping it out fast is hard and like you said, the pinned construction.

How about the persistance for an edc? It costs only a little more than a skyline but much less than a delica and endura. The tenacious i think would be a bit too heavy for an edc and the blade retention stories horrify me. Or the dragonfly?...but i think the blade is too small for me.

But if the more expensive knife will last forever, then I dont mind spending a bit more I suppose.

Yah i will definitely consider the skyline for a cheap knife. The cheap leeks i can find on ebay for about 35 have the green handle and on amazon, the black handle is about $40 bucks and the handle seems a little slick. (i have sweaty hands for no reason lol) And for 40 i might as well spend a little more and get something nice...

Between the skyline and ner-g 1740, which is better?


I guess I'll take a look at the buck vantage pro again, i just dont wanna spend so much and worried about the off centerness and send it back again..

 

[Gramps]

I will highly consider the delica or endura. Not the native because i heard whipping it out fast is hard and like you said, the pinned construction...........

I personally wouldn't make too big a deal about the pinned construction on the Native. Up until the advent of the latest production models the Spyderco Delica and Endura had pinned construction too. Litterally....thousands and thousands of these were carried and used by our men and women in uniform, and still are....have been thoroughly tested under 'pressure".....sold in just about every PX throughout the world. Many of us still have pinned construction Natives, Delicas, and Endura well over thirty years old that are going strong without a hint of blade play. The Spyderco Native is a "classic" for a reason !

As well, unless you have a handicap....you can indeed 'whip out' a Native. In any event "whipping out" is over-rated; mostly you'll be using your knife like the rest of us do in the everyday world.......to slice fruit, open packages, and cut rope.

- regards

 

[svrider3]

Between the skyline and ner-g 1740, which is better?

I have and use both. They're both great little pocket rockets.
Just me preference, but if I could only keep one, it would be
the 1740. I prefer the ergo's and blade profile on the 1740.

 

[the kid]

Boker exskelibur in the size of your choosing.

The bigger one (the I) has more going for it over the small than just size, btw. I would go with that. I am not in love with anything on your list tbh, and if I were going to spend 50 or less I would go the Boker plus route for sure.

I also don't like most on your list, Spyderco's are ugly and bulky.
I have a Kershaw Shallot and not happy with it, this turned me off Kershaw.

I to would get something from the Boker plus line.
The new Exskelibur looks amazing, gets good reviews and is available in two sizes. It is on my to buy list.

Also check out the Boker Plus Hyper and Trance.
I have the Trance and I think the fit and finish is really good. The Trance is something special in my opinion, it has a flipper, good clip, good ergonomics, its sturdy, good blade to handle ratio, etc.

I also own a CRKT Drifter which is on your original list.
It is my favorite; Perfect fit and finish, smooth action and REALLY affordable ($17)
Mind you though, it is a bit small and the handle probably would get slippery if you go for the stainless version handle when sweating or whatever.

 

[batosai117]

I second what the kid said

Now I'm in the middle of ordering one myself, so I don't have any experience with it, but I can say that I've been drooling over the custom version of it for quite some time Here's the link to one of our bladeforums dealers who has them:

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=BO01BO001

 

[rydude87]

What makes the Boker Plus Exskelibur I Folding Knife 3-5/8" Blade so much better than say the spyderco delica 4 or the rat 1 or blur or blackout etc?

Also, crkt drifter better than kershaw skyline?

Seems that a few of you guys really like the boker...never heard of the brand before and no review by nutnfancy yet lol

 

[Gramps]

What makes the Boker Plus Exskelibur I Folding Knife 3-5/8" Blade so much better than say the spyderco delica 4 or the rat 1 or blur or blackout etc?

...not better necessarily, but another good choice in your price point.

Also, crkt drifter better than kershaw skyline?

.....the Kershaw, in my opinion would be a better choice. I think over-all it is better built.

Seems that a few of you guys really like the boker...never heard of the brand before and no review by nutnfancy yet lol

....IMHO nutnfancy is NOT the end-all/be-all of reviewers (heresy ?). Check this out....this gentleman's reviews are eminently more informative : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz7RPSr2ShE.

-regards

 

[the kid]

What makes the Boker Plus Exskelibur I Folding Knife 3-5/8" Blade so much better than say the spyderco delica 4 or the rat 1 or blur or blackout etc?

Also, crkt drifter better than kershaw skyline?

Seems that a few of you guys really like the boker...never heard of the brand before and no review by nutnfancy yet lol

I just don't like Spyderco's but that is about looks mostly. I think they are bulky when closed, and they look like raw workman knives.
Also a lot have pinned construction and high riding clips and they are expensive. Plus I read about blade play issues with some models like the Byrd line and Tenacious.

I never use my knives hard, I only look at fit and finish, handle blade ratio, size, the clip, etc, basically the same as Nutnfancy does.
I do not know if a Spyderco is a better knife for using hard years after years then a Boker Plus.

I don't have a Skyline and it actually is on my to consider list but I know from pictures I do not like the clip which rides way to high.
I also know my Drifter has (near) perfect fit and finish and it's cheaper. And it has a frame lock and I believe it is thinner then the Skyline which I find important.

The fact you haven't heard of Böker is not that surprising, it is a German knive company from Solingen and like most things in the world American stuff gets a lot more attention. (Big English speaking country)

 

[Limeyfellow]

I gotten all sorts of new in the box Kershaw Leeks with aluminum handles for $35-45 from Ebay. They are much less slippy than the Stainless Steel handles. If you wait around a bit you can pick up a good bargain. You can also pick up Spyderco Delicas and Enduras for not much more. If you get them from stores or many places online you will pay a little more than the auctions.

Also have you checked what size blade do you really need for opening packages, letters, cutting string, slicing food. I find a 3 to 3 1/2 inch blade does all these tasks well so some of the larger blades like the Spyderco Tenacious or Kershaw Blur might be a bit overkill in blade length and the size of the product. Hand size also makes a big difference.

 

[rydude87]

Ic ic. Do you recommend getting a 1550 PE Blackout Blem or a 1550ST combo edge blackout blem or 1670TBLKST blem for your first knife? or would you personally get a brand new skyline for around that price? or a brand new spyderco delica etc. What is your opinion on blems?

 

[THG]

Between the skyline and ner-g 1740, which is better?

I personally don't like the Skyline (anymore) because i saw some review videos and found out that it only has a liner on one side. It's probably not a big deal, but I have a problem with that. Also, it uses thumbstuds as a stopper instead of a stop pin. I'm not a fan of that, either.

Has anyone recommended you the Kershaw OD-1? It's along the lines of the Skyline and maybe the Leek. You can find it for $40 at Walmart.

I really recommend you get the knife that you really want, even if it is a little more expensive. And if you can't afford it, wait. It sucks to get something just because it's cheaper and then regret it down the road.

 

[rydude87]

What do you think about like a kershaw blackout blems.

Yah I should get a knife i really like. Hows the centofante 3's handle for sweaty hands? Does it show fingerprints or sweat marks? Im lookin at that and the delica, endura and blur for the more expensive knives. I like how the centofante is light and has a 3 inch blade.


ALSO, I have decided to choose a knife that is under 3.5 ounces because I do not want a heavy knife. But the endura would pass I think I dont know if that helps narrow anything down though lol

Also if i get a delica or endura or native, should i get the wave feature?

 

[THG]

Also if i get a delica or endura or native, should i get the wave feature?

The wave was cool for a year to me. I mean, it lasted that long being cool. That's a lot, but it has finally lost its sparkle to me.

That one is your call. I still like the blade shape of the waved models a bit better, though.

 

[JCK]

I really recommend you get the knife that you really want, even if it is a little more expensive. And if you can't afford it, wait. It sucks to get something just because it's cheaper and then regret it down the road.

I agree, THG I think gave me the same advice when I asked for help choosing a knife, and really, even though it take more time to save up the money, IMO, its totally worth it getting the knife you really want, as opposed to some 50 dollar knife, that you then might find another knife, or something else (torch, other piece of gear) you want/need thats 50 bucks, but you spent it on a knife which you didn't really want.

In my case I saved up for a mini rukus, and although i took me a while to save the 190 bucks to get it, it was definately worth it. I could have gotten a griptilian or some spyderco, but I knew that the 80+ bucks wasn't spent on a knife I really wanted, and I'm glad I didn't buy a a grip, and got the 615 instead.

ymmv though, especially if you need the knife right away.

 

[rydude87]

Yah good advice. I guess I may spend more on a knife.

I live in Cali, and have heard that the knife limit is either 3 or 4 inches...does anyone know? I dont know why its so hard to find this information. I called 3 Big 5's here in southern california all gave me different answers. One says its the width of you hand, another says less than 3 3/4 inches and yet another said less than 3 1/4 inches...why is it so hard to find the right answer?

 

[THG]

Yah good advice. I guess I may spend more on a knife.

I live in Cali, and have heard that the knife limit is either 3 or 4 inches...does anyone know? I dont know why its so hard to find this information. I called 3 Big 5's here in southern california all gave me different answers. One says its the width of you hand, another says less than 3 3/4 inches and yet another said less than 3 1/4 inches...why is it so hard to find the right answer?

According to CA State law, there is no restriction on blade length. Here's a quick rundown:

1. No blade restriction for MANUAL, FOLDING knives.
2. A manual knife is one whose blade is biased towards closure (wants to stay closed when closed; cannot swing out via gravity, not biased toward open position like an automatic).
3. An automatic knife uses a button on the handle. When that button is pressed, all of the opening is done automatically. (This is why assisted openers are fine).
4. Fixed blades have no size limit, but
5. Fixed blades CANNOT be concealed (you can carry a small fixed blade or a sword; you just have to open-carry it)

I believe those are all the main points of Penal Code 653K, which is the definition of a switchblade. You must, however, check your local (city, county) laws, as many of them impose a 3-inch restriction.

If you're interested in school carry, check Penal Code 626.10. Also check your school's rules.

 

[rydude87]

Thanks THG.

If my local walmart is selling a knife that is bigger than 3 inches...than i assume that it is legal right?

What do you think of a blem blackout?

Ok I have pretty much narrowed down to the blem blackout, a blur (am worried because I heard the torsion bar is prone to breaking? IS THAT TRUE? because I want it to last me my whole life), endura, delica, and native for a more expensive EDC. You guys would get which one? I like the assist on the blur, but the delica and endura and native seems to have such high ratings. Again I may be cutting some boxes, food maybe, maybe envelopes, very occasional hiking, and of course that .0001% in SD.

 

[rydude87]

Wonder if i should pay 10 bucks more for a mini griptilian Man, i can keep adding a couple bucks here and there sighh lol Or look into the persistance?

 

[redisburning]

Thanks THG.

If my local walmart is selling a knife that is bigger than 3 inches...than i assume that it is legal right?

What do you think of a blem blackout?

Ok I have pretty much narrowed down to the blem blackout, a blur (am worried because I heard the torsion bar is prone to breaking? IS THAT TRUE? because I want it to last me my whole life), endura, delica, and native for a more expensive EDC. You guys would get which one? I like the assist on the blur, but the delica and endura and native seems to have such high ratings. Again I may be cutting some boxes, food maybe, maybe envelopes, very occasional hiking, and of course that .0001% in SD.

Out of your list, probably a delica if you want to be discrete or an edura if you just dont give a **** about what people think. I'm biased towards larger folders though, after pocketing a CQC-8 for a few days my usual ~8" OAL length folders feel tiny =/

Wonder if i should pay 10 bucks more for a mini griptilian Man, i can keep adding a couple bucks here and there sighh lol

IMO no. The handle is too small. I dont mind the cutting area but it's really a tiny knife. It's probably what I would get if I was limited to such a small blade though, since I dont like to spend up for small knives.