Recommendation, tough construction worker knife

Just buy him a Buck 110 with a leather sheath. Your dad will love it and he will have a VARY strong knife that has stood the test of time. Plus I bet he will know that knife and be excited about it.
 
mini smatchet /thread. in seriousness, I agree with those who recommend steels that aren't super steels. I even notice a big difference in sharpening s30v as opposed to 440c/aus8, and I can chip one just as easily as the other with hard use. I really think it's just a crapshoot on what you get, the knives mentioned in here are great knives, but no blade is designed for abuse/using it in ways a blade is not intended to be used (yes, some designs hold up to it better) but I think the thing to focus on is having a more robust overall knife with a very strong lock up, and lock type that works for him.
 
Byrd Cara Cara
CS American Lawman. etc.

I doubt he'd feel comfortable with a $2-300 knife nor would he likely enjoy sharpening the new high wear steels if he is as old school as you describe. If you spent lots of money on a knife he didn't carry or was afraid to use it would be worse than getting a knife he didn't like but was inexpensive.

The Spyderco Rescue or Byrd Cara Cara rescue is another option with no fine point to snap off, easy to sharpen and repair steel. The Cold steel American Lawman is tough, inexpensive, easy to sharpen and not really expensive.

Lots of knives have the toughness required like the Spyderco Tuff, the ZT 550-560 series, etc. They are excellent knives for knife aficinados like us but for people not into knives they are a bit much once they find out the price. Another possibility is the Queen sodbuster lockback ( they also make non locking but I'd recommend the locking version for at work). It's linen micarta, and a wear resistant and tough D2 so I'd recommend a synthetic stone ( or diamond like the DMT Coarse/Extra Coarse bifold stone to go along with the knife. D2 can be tough to sharpen on regular Arkansas stones.

Good luck. It's a good thing you are doing. :)

Joe
 
A couple that haven't been suggested yet are 1) an Emerson Traveler or Endeavor, and 2) BM's 527 mini-Presidio Ultra. I'm very impressed with the 527 that my wife keeps in her car FAK. I may order one for me to have for pocket carry. I think I like it better than my 525s. The Emerson's will have 154CM steel (easy to sharpen) and a straight edge as opposed to the recurve of a micro-Commander. All will be in your price / size specs.
 
Take a look at the Buck/TOPs CSAR-T.
I have one and would not hesitate to use it for anything, incl prying, digging in wood, batoning, scraping, etc
 
If he's carrying it with a clip, anything as long as it has a strong clip and stays put. A knife dropped on a construction site is a lost knife.
I've carried $10.00 cheapos that worked fine for years. I insist on semi-serrated to saw through pallet bands, rope or stripping insulation from cables; whatever needs to be cut and get back in the pocket to free up both hands. Construction isn't the place to savour the nuances of different edge grinds.
 
Benchmade Axis Stryker (or mini Stryker) or Cold Steel American Lawman. I'd sand down the G10 on both, though.

Look forward to hearing your decision and how it works out.
 
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If you want something built like a tank, ZTs are pretty beefy. Coldsteel Mini Recon is pretty tough as well.
 
o4tg said:
I'm going to get rocks thrown at me, but I don't think Spyderco really has anything good for a tough work knife. Enter my most carried knife, my Ontario Utilitac II.
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First: Yes, that Ontario, like the Rat 1 and 2, is a good, cheap knife.
Second: Yes, ROCKS, MANY, MANY ROCKS. The CPM-3V steel on the TUFF is the same steel that made SurviveKnives famous. I've had several. And the Gayle Bradley with CPM-M4 blade is an outstanding knife with a blade that stays sharp darned near forever. Of course, all M4 blades do.
You are stuck on $30 Ontario knives, and that's great. I have a few of those that I give to grandkids. For serious work, I spend more, get more. LOTS more. It's just a matter of opinion. VW's will get you to work. So will Hummers.
I hope your day is good,
sonny
 
Sonnydaze said:
First: Yes, that Ontario, like the Rat 1 and 2, is a good, cheap knife.
Second: Yes, ROCKS, MANY, MANY ROCKS. The CPM-3V steel on the TUFF is the same steel that made SurviveKnives famous. I've had several. And the Gayle Bradley with CPM-M4 blade is an outstanding knife with a blade that stays sharp darned near forever. Of course, all M4 blades do.
You are stuck on $30 Ontario knives, and that's great. I have a few of those that I give to grandkids. For serious work, I spend more, get more. LOTS more. It's just a matter of opinion. VW's will get you to work. So will Hummers.
I hope your day is good,
sonny
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I'm a spydie fan but I would never trust the locks or strength of the handles for hard use. I'd probably go with ZT or Coldsteel for something that will be abused.
 
o4tg said:
I'm going to get rocks thrown at me, but I don't think Spyderco really has anything good for a tough work knife. S30V is terrible for hard use, internal stop pins are weaker by design, and their tips are borderline fragile compared to other knives.

If you're going to use it hard, don't get a super hard super steel. Get something a little softer that sharpens up easy and doesn't chip. Avoid metal scales if you're a laborer. Last thing you need is to lose grip of a slippery knife when you're 12 feet in the air on a busy job site because your hands are wet or sweaty. Also get a knife you can operate one handed. It will make it easier for needed tasks, and greatly reduce the possibilty of losing it or having it stolen because you didn't have a free hand to close and repocket it.

If it's for work, go for something on the cheap side. I beat up a lot of expensive knives with high end steels doing construction and autobody before realizing I was better served with something that could take abuse AND be expendable. Enter my most carried knife, my Ontario Utilitac II.
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Better start dodging.
I used to work as a handyman for a couple of years.
One of the annual jobs was to trim back the vines surrounding the fence around the yard.
The landowner gave me shears, but quite frankly they were trash.
I used my Native 5 exclusively.
And it wasn't 2 or 3 vines, I'm talking 3 hours of cutting and yanking.
My coworker would pull them out as far a he could, and I would go in and cut off all the connections.
It was a job for a hatchet or machete, and my Native 5 shrugged it off.
 
If you think he'd be willing to go up in size and weight than you said for folder would say benchmade adamas 275. Really is my favorite knife. So indestructable for a folder. Holds an edge really well. I actually love the weight and size of it cause it feels so well built. It's what i carry everyday though will admit will not be a edc for everybody.Being a big guy i barely notice i have it on me. It also is the most comfortable folder I've ever held it really is like it was molded for my hand.
 
SunOfAtom said:
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I worked in construction for many years, and while I always had a quality knife in my pocket, I would be surprised if I used it even once on the job. Construction is just not a job where I see a quality knife being that useful. A utility knife with disposable blades works extremely well for cutting, and when you dull it, you flip the blade around or replace it. I found that I rarely had the time/ability to make sure I was cutting over a soft surface, never cutting things where running into a screw or nail was a possibility, etc. If you need a prybar or chisel, you use the one in your toolbelt. If you don't have one, you use whatever you have, including your knife. Climbing back down off the roof, out from under the crawlspace, to go find the "proper" tool is often not a good option. IMHO, I think you may be better off getting him a knife for carrying when he is not working.
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Best thought out post on the thread. :thumbup::thumb up:

If he's not a knife nut, he's not really gonna care what he's carrying. Like if he does not already have a knife that he cares about, in all likelihood he's not going to care about some knife that you give him except that it looks too nice to beat up on a construction site.
 
If I was to carry something on a work-site that would see abuse probably one of those Cold Steel Recon's, American Lawmen, or Voyagers would be my choice. Beastly lock, easy to maintain blade steel, budget price tag. They seem designed to be mis-used .

For a pure cutting tool.....just about any Spyderco.
 
SunOfAtom said:
View attachment 431128

I worked in construction for many years, and while I always had a quality knife in my pocket, I would be surprised if I used it even once on the job. Construction is just not a job where I see a quality knife being that useful. A utility knife with disposable blades works extremely well for cutting, and when you dull it, you flip the blade around or replace it. I found that I rarely had the time/ability to make sure I was cutting over a soft surface, never cutting things where running into a screw or nail was a possibility, etc. If you need a prybar or chisel, you use the one in your toolbelt. If you don't have one, you use whatever you have, including your knife. Climbing back down off the roof, out from under the crawlspace, to go find the "proper" tool is often not a good option. IMHO, I think you may be better off getting him a knife for carrying when he is not working.
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I agree. Most people who aren't into knives will kill a knife quickly so if you HAVE to get him a knife for the job I suggest something cheap that has a strong lock so he doesn't hurt himself doing dumb things and I would suggest scrapping the whole plain edge idea. A serrated knife is a good choice for people who just don't know how to use a knife correctly...or refuse to use a knife correctly. ;) My suggestion would be one of those new opinels with half serrated blades.
 
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