Recommendations for a utilitarian folder.

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Inspectorlee

Joined
Nov 1, 2002
Messages
11
Hi everyone. I lost my last knife while jogging in the woods and am looking for a replacement now. I only have a few requirements.

1. No thumb studs. I just don't like them. I need a knife that has a thumb hole for opening.

2. Wet performance is very important. I go fishing every weekend and the knife will get dunked in the stream at least a dozen times if not more every weekend. I will also be using the knife with wet hands (I rarely wear gloves).

3. I like liner locks. I can close the knives with one hand and that helps a lot when you're holding a fishing pole in the other. I will consider other types of locks (axis lock for example) but am worried about getting dirt and grit in it from the river dunkings.

4. I carry all my knives in my pocket, no sheaths, so pocket comfort is very important to me.

5. The knife will be used mostly for cutting. I prefer a plain edge but will consider a partially serrated blade. The knife needs to be able to cut through things like carpet and 1/4" plant stems.

I was thinking of the Spyderco Military and the Benchmade AFCK. Any others I need to be aware of? Budget is limited to $200 also. Thanks in advance for any advice.


Inspectorlee
 
I've been more than happy with the Buck\Mayo 172. It's thin,rides in the pocket well and cuts like crazy. Has an oval hole, a plain edge. It's a frame lock that's easily found below the $200 mark. I had mine soaked in water most of a day fishing in fresh water to no adverse affects. I also have used it to cut plants, fish, birds and mammals. I was concerned initially at the thinness of the blade, but I haven't encountered any chipping. It really hold it's edge well and works hard for a not very burly looking knife.

Mike
 
I would go for the Blade-tech Wegner designed "prohunter"

A thread about this knife can be found here:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...&perpage=20&highlight=pro hunter&pagenumber=2

and

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=244502&highlight=wegner

ba02296.jpg

Bladeart has them for $94

The specs are:

• Blade Steel S30V (Flat ground)
• Blade length 3 5/8”
• Overall Closed Length 4 7/8”
• Overall Open Length 8 ½”
• Blade-Tech V-Hole
• Eccentric Pivot Pin
• Ambidextrous tip up / tip down pocket clip
• nested radius ramp liner lock
• Choice of G-10 or Carbon fiber scales
• G-10 MSRP @ $139.95
• Carbon Fiber MSRP @ $169.95.
• Weight 4.3 oz

It is constructed like the Spyderco Military except it has dual nested liners instead of the single liner on the military.
 
The Military is a great knife for your intended activities, as long as the fish you catch aren’t too small. The knife is a little too big for cleaning six inch brook trout, but it’s perfect for anything in the 12 inch and larger range. I’ve cleaned fish as large as 36 inch northern pike with the Military, and never felt underpowered. The edge has held up very well, even when cutting through walleye and largemouth spines. I use a small slipjoint for the tiny brookies.

The G10 scales on the Military also happen to grip very well under slimy conditions.

My 440V Military has NEVER shown any sign of rusting whatsoever. I’m not sure about the new S30V model, but I wouldn’t worry about it. Spyderco generally has very good heat treatment.

The full flat grind of the Military has even allowed me do some impromptu filleting. It wasn’t the prettiest fillet job I’ve ever done, but much better than I’ve accomplished with other knives. The full flat grind is awesome.

The only problem I see is if you carry stuff other than your knife in your pocket. Reaching into the bottom of your pocket can be a little uncomfortable if you’re wearing something like denim jeans. The textured thumb ramp on the blade can scratch your hand a bit. It’s not as big an issue if you wear cargo pants which tend to have larger pockets.

I should mention that I thinned out the edge on my Military. The stock edge thickness, behind the bevel, was a little too thick for my tastes. I was much more concerned with cutting efficiency than sturdiness.
 
Get the Spyderco Military. I'd still own one, 'cept for it being a liner-lock...(I'm a "lefty", and right-handed liner-locks just aren't for me.).
 
I have a Mini AFCK, and I enjoy it very much. You can get one with a coated blade but it only comes in a combo edge. Mine has a plain edge, satin finish. The only damaging liquids that get on the blade are just sweat and fresh water. So far I haven't had any stains. Great knife.:)
 
Dude, just take a look at my sig. It is my favorite knife hands down. Go for the AFCK and thank me later :D
 
I echo the sentiments about the AFCK because I have one in ATS-34, plain edge, G-10 scales, Linerlock, and I am pleased with it. It did not come with the greatest edge grind but I touched that up and it's better now.

It was my first large folder. I'm generally more comfortable with Mini-Griptilian or Delica-sized folders, but you sound like you need something bigger.

Since you're talking about using this knife in wet conditions, I worry for the ability of any folder to be totally cleanable after such use. Have you considered a fixed blade? Sounds like you could use a Benchmade 100SH20 dive knife (H-1 steel very corrosion-resistant) or a Benchmade Nimravus or Nimravus Cub. No need to worry about gunk and fish-guts and water getting in between your hand scales and your liner lock, etc.

I've never really handled a Military, but it seems comparable in a lot of ways to the AFCK. I think I'd like to get one eventually. Meantime, I'm still smitten with my newly purchased Spyderco Gunting. :p

---Jeffrey
 
I have a BM Mini-AFCK and a Spydie Delica that I like alot. I have a neck sheath by Mike Sastre for the Delica, but it's so lightweight that it disappears in the pocket....it's very useful. The Delica with the neck sheath works great for many outdoor activities....the price is right too.
Jim
 
Check out A.G. Russell's One Hand Knives. I've been carrying the K-93 general purpose at work for several years now. It is by far my favorite zytel handled knife. A very usable design that cuts exceptionally well.

Paul
 
Have you looked at Boye Boat Knives? Except for the lockback they seem to match your requirements perfectly! And the knife can be closed with one hand quite easily.

knives-map.jpg


It features an opening hole and a titanium pocket clip. The knife is thin and very light (2.2 oz). Cost is currently around $100.

Unlike any of the others that have been mentioned, the Boat Knife is completely unaffected by corrosion. Even long term immersion in salt water won't do anything except help clean it. :)

The blade and lock are both made of Boye Dendritic Cobalt, which has properties similar to Talonite, including its aggressive edge. The handle is FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) patterned for a secure grip. I think the pointed and non-serrated version would probably serve you best.

These don't ever get talked about much on these forums, but whenever they have come up I've heard nothing but good things about them.

--Bob Q
 
If a utility folder is what you want, you can't get anything better than the Spyderco Military, IMO. As Buzzbait mentioned, there are many perks that allow this Spydie to excel where other folders fall short.

Main attributes of this great Spydie are

Full flat grind(excellent slicer)
great ergonomic handle
grippy G10 slabs
nested linerlock
spacers between scales allow for easy rinse of field dirt and grime
enlarged SpyderHole for easy opening/closing
textured spine, behind the Hole, allows a safe and comfortable grip for controlled cutting

Here are a few reviews of the Millie;

Fred Perrin review
Military goes to South America
Knifecenter review

With the Spyderco Military, I know that you won't be disappointed. ;) :D
 
"The blade and lock are both made of Boye Dendritic Cobalt, which has properties similar to Talonite, including its aggressive edge. The handle is FRN (fiberglass reinforced nylon) patterned for a secure grip. I think the pointed and non-serrated version would probably serve you best."

All i have to say is holy crap the steel to make the blade on that knife costs me about 1/2 what the knife costs itself
 
Originally posted by bryce
All i have to say is holy crap the steel to make the blade on that knife costs me about 1/2 what the knife costs itself
Click to expand...

It's good to know that I'm not the only one with that reaction. :eek:

My impression is that Boye essentially manufactures his own cobalt alloy, so it probably costs him less than buying Talonite. Even so, the Boat Knife looks like a heck of a deal to me!

I'm not sure why every knifenut out there hasn't bought one yet. I mean, the Camillus EDC in Talonite costs a lot more and is significantly less resistant to rust (because of the steel frame).

--Bob Q
 
Another vote for the Military here. I lead a fairly amphibious lifestyle and it's been great to have a knife that goes everywhere with me because of it's light easy to carry design, is as rust-proof as I need (I rinse it, along with everything else after I've been in the saltwater and drop some oil in the pivot from time to time), is a seriously good cutter (almost as good as any knife own - but when compared to diving knives and the like it is out of this world) and is big and strong. It's a winner. I wish I had bought one a few years ago.
 
BM AFCK, look no further, to this day one of my EDC's, and it can't be beat for utilitarian uses, nice belly for skinin', wicked point for pokin', supports multiple SD styles/grip styles, blade heavy enough that it is capable of hackin', still balanced enough to twirl between your fingers, and to this date the fastest manual knife I own.

One of the most comfortable knife for pocket clip carry, the nice curve in the G-10 scales follows my pockets contour perfectly, and one final thing I'd like to mention this knife can be immediately oriented with cold wet hands or even gloves, there is no mistaking where the sharp edge is when this knife is in your hand.

I own several knives that I've modified just so I know which end is which. Several companies make blades that have homogeneous contours making it difficult to orient your knife in a high stress situation, this could lead to problems, or even injury in certain instances.

BM AFCK will not let you down.:cool:
 
Actually, I like the BM 710 Axis better than the AFCK and the Military... but since you don't like thumb studs, I'd go with the AFCK... but why?:

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1. Military is a bigger knife than it has to be. The handle-to-blade ratio is larger than for the AFCK. So you get this HUGE handle and a blade that is plenty big, just not commensurate with the handle size (the Military's pivot hole is drilled farther back in tang and so the pivot is farther back in the handle than on AFCK... plus the Military has a lot of handle butt left sticking out in a normal grip). Now if you have really big hands, you would prefer the Military.
sidebar
Some would argue "you can choke back on the handle, hold it hear butt, for more length when using a chopping motion", and I'd argue you shouldn't be freakin' chopping with a folder. Better off using a stick as a club to hit the back of the blade to chop.
Click to expand...
2. Military is a taller (wider) knife that it has to be... that big ol' hump gets in the way when clipped to your front pocket... it definitely makes sticking your hand in your front pocket to reach to the bottom more of a hassle, and more abrasive than it has to be. The AFCK is a more efficient design, size-wise.

3. Military is a full flat, distally ground blade, which is ok. However, the resultant grind makes the tip more delicate than necessary, but the AFCK's tip is only very slightly better, also a bit delicate (and why I prefer the grind on the 710). (I realize this point doesn't separate the Mil & the AFCK... subtle lobbying for the 710 ;) )

4. You'll hear much debate, but I find the softer 440V steel (@Rc55-56) to allow edge roll type dulling sooner than does ATS-34/154Cm at Rc58-60.

Having said that, the recent BM's in 154CM are not as well heat treated as the older ATS-34 blades. They are still hard, but are also harder to sharpen for some reason (can only surmise it's the higher tempering temperature since ATS-34 has 2 typical zones).

So, for my Military, I put a convex edge on it to combat edge roll (per Buzz's apt suggestion), and it helped, but I'm not so proficient at getting a super sharp convex edge BACK on it when it dulls, so I went back to a 30deg angle both sides, and again, it is harder to get a hair popping edge on at 30deg angle both sides. 440V is a nice fine grain structure, and it is abrasion resistant, just too brittle to be run hard so resist rolling. If you can do a convex edge, you can narrow the gap.

Still, for me anyway, I'll take 154CM at Rc58-60, or D2 at Rc59-61 over 440V at Rc55-56.

Now, having said all of that... Sal & Spyderco are moving the Military over to S30V, and if you can wait for these to start shipping in S30V, this whole point #4 is moot assuming Spyderco runs S30V at Rc58-60 or higher. Of course #1-#3 are still valid.

Postscript: Spyderco's ATR knife indicates that S30V will be run Rc58-59 on that particular knife. Would think the Military would be run same hardness... we'll see.
http://www.spyderco.com/dealer_prod...1010&mscssid=K6VKP8859L4C9J1TDDBELKC4K6LGAQCC

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Both knives have other pros and cons... above is the short list that separates the two in my head, and hands.
disclaimer:
I own one Military in 440V, 3 AFCK's in ATS-34 (not 154CM), 1 AFCK in M2, and 2 BM 710's in ATS-34, and 1 710 in M2. My population doesn't drive my opinion... the population was built after I solidified my opinion on the Military.
Click to expand...
 
I bought one of these recently on the advice of 'shootist16' from a previous thread.

I like this knife a lot, but a couple of points not mentioned before:

1. There are 3 'thumb serration' areas on top of the blade- behind the hole, in front of the hole, and out towards the tip. Together with a serrated arc formed by the liner and choil (on the bottom) this is a great feature.

2. The carbon fiber scales (which are on mine) have a finish that looks like it's been varnished. I don't think it can get this way by polishing alone. Not only is this ugly (to my eye) but it is slippery. I lived with it for about two days, then sanded it off and worked it down until I finished wet-sanding it with 2000 grit paper. This is what carbon fiber is supposed to look like:

http://www.manicreader.com/gallery/latest/bladetech-wegner.jpg

3. Which brings me to the 'eccentric pivot pin'. When you re-assemble this thing, you have to iteratively push-out, rotate slightly, tighten and check blade lockup. It took me many tries to get this just right. It works, but none of my other folders have this 'feature'; I just throw the pin in and lockup is tight.

Overall, a great knife for the money.
 
For pure utility use you will have a hard time finding a better knife than the BM Griptilian series.

Either the 550 or the smaller 555 is a good knife, but the 555 is somewhat more solid and considerably thinner.

If you don't mind lined FRN scales (no reason you shouldn't on a utility folder) then I'd recommend picking up a 555 and giving it a shot before you spend twice as much on a Military or AFCK. Odds are it will do everything that you want it to, and then some.
 
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