Recommendation? Seeking gentleman's locking folder

Been on that road last week and ended up buying a Massdrop Gent.
Still waiting for it to arrive.
Can't take the Chaparral out of my mind though.
It's a great knife, had two before, just not too fun because of the backlock.
I'm one of those guys who can't flick Spyderco backlocks.
However before deciding on the Gent i was considering:

- Boker FR
- Boker mini Trapper
- Boker exskelibur II
- Chaparral

Crazy how the Gent features s35vn and still is cheaper than all those models.
Anyway, i hope i helped somehow
 
Guys, thanks so much for all the great suggestions! Keep 'em coming!

Let me respond:

Leek: I had one before; it was great. Don't know why I sold it. It's kind of small for cutting the cheeks off a mango, but would do an apple well enough. This is why I'm looking at blades around 3.5" this time.

From the reviews, Kwaiken send higher-end than the Urban Trappers, but I like them both...

I'll take a look at the Kizer Splinter and Matanzas. It was a brand I hadn't considered.

Never heard of Massdrop; I'll look into them as well.

A.G. Russell: There's a brand I remember seeing catalogs from in my youth. I'm looking that Hunter model a lot. Watching the videos, I like Mr. Russell too; reminds me of my grandpa, and he seems to have good priorities and good personal integrity.

Slim Buck 110/112: I like that they're US-made and favorably priced, but they just don't look elegant to me.

Never considered Fox, I'd never heard of them until this week. I'll look into them.

Mini Crooked River: added to the list. I'm not sure how I feel about the clip point blade, but it does look good!

Al Mar: I forgot all about this brand! Those look great. The red blade branding is a bit over the top, but it's not a deal killer.
 
The William Henry E10 is always my immediate thought when someone wants a modern gentlemen's folder:

pama1oZ.jpg


IMO, it's an amazing knife. Ultra light, ultra slim, looks great, deep carry clip that looks like a pen, and it out-cuts 99% of the knives I carry. It's so thin and light you forget it's there but when you need it you suddenly have >3.25" of thin-behind-the-edge cutting power.
 
I’m quite fond of my ZT 0460 for gentleman’s cary. It’s about the same price as a BM 940. I could do without the billboarding on the lock side, but the Ti & CF milling, action, pocketability, and weight are fantastic. (And it’s bronze, not poo-brown dammit! ;))



 
Smaug said:
.....Never heard of Massdrop; I'll look into them as well.....
Click to expand...
Massdrop is just a marketing thing. The MD Gent is actually a Ferrum Forge design that's made by WE. IMO, not bad lineage for what I’d call a budget knife. If you do take a look at it, also check out the MD/FF Buc. It’s an eclectic little thing that I think may be fairly close to your desired parameters.
 
evilgreg said:
The William Henry E10 is always my immediate thought when someone wants a modern gentlemen's folder:

pama1oZ.jpg


IMO, it's an amazing knife. Ultra light, ultra slim, looks great, deep carry clip that looks like a pen, and it out-cuts 99% of the knives I carry. It's so thin and light you forget it's there but when you need it you suddenly have >3.25" of thin-behind-the-edge cutting power.
Click to expand...
That's beautiful, dude. Not sure if he'll pick one of those up for less than $200 dollars, closer to $100 preferably... ;)
 
Apologies for the poor photo, but you could pick up a Mcusta Tactility with Damasteel and cocobolo for less than $200. The new ones have a hole rather than the thumb stud. The F&F is totally outstanding and it carries very light and discreetly.

OzKbbWk.jpg
 
Pilsner said:
Apologies for the poor photo, but you could pick up a Mcusta Tactility with Damasteel and cocobolo for less than $200. The new ones have a hole rather than the thumb stud. The F&F is totally outstanding and it carries very light and discreetly.

OzKbbWk.jpg
Click to expand...
Its not damasteel but VG-10 sanmai. It's a Big difference. I have that one also and like it. I got the coriander scales though.
 
That's
Stumpy72 said:
Massdrop is just a marketing thing. The MD Gent is actually a Ferrum Forge design that's made by WE. IMO, not bad lineage for what I’d call a budget knife. If you do take a look at it, also check out the MD/FF Buc. It’s an eclectic little thing that I think may be fairly close to your desired parameters.
Click to expand...
That's what I thought; but second guessed myself.

I ruled out the Ferrum Forge knives on Massdrop because I don't think frame locks are elegant.
 
Pilsner said:
Apologies for the poor photo, but you could pick up a Mcusta Tactility with Damasteel and cocobolo for less than $200. The new ones have a hole rather than the thumb stud. The F&F is totally outstanding and it carries very light and discreetly.

OzKbbWk.jpg
Click to expand...
Looks good. I added that to my BladeHQ list and will look closer at them later.
 
Smaug said:
That's what I thought; but second guessed myself. I ruled out the Ferrum Forge knives on Massdrop because I don't think frame locks are elegant.
Click to expand...
The specs on the FF/MD Gent call it a frame lock, but the scales completely cover both sides of the handle, so it has the exterior visual appearance of a liner lock. I’m not sure if the specs are incorrect or if there’s such a thing as a frame lock without an exposed lockbar, but at any rate the lockbar isn’t visible. For the record... I’m not any FF/MD maniac and I don’t mean to come across as any major fanboy here, but I do think their Gent is a “hard to go wrong with this one” knife for a small $80 flipper with a S35VN blade.
 
silvaticus said:
I'll throw in the Fox FX-525 Terzuola in either birch, olive, or bocote . Same size/ form factor as the 940 but more gentlemanly (at least to my eye). That being said, I also love my 940.

As for Boker, I had the SD2 (smaller cousin of the SD3) but sold it again. The F&F was great (these are made in Germany, hence the premium in prize), but it was too beefy for my taste... YMMV
Click to expand...

Here's a comparison pic of the 940 and the Fox Terzuola (this one in Ti)
0EWIuzy.jpg
 
The odd time I have to wear a suit I like to carry my Spyderco Caly 3.5 CF ZDP189. It’s slim, light, looks classy yet can be put to work if necessary. The action is super smooth with a satisfying clack. It’s a great slicer so perfect for the fruit cutting you mentioned. On mine I sanded the edges from the sharp 90 degrees it came with to nice and round. It makes it more comfortable and looks nicer, more finished or high end imo.
 
Pilsner said:
That's beautiful, dude. Not sure if he'll pick one of those up for less than $200 dollars, closer to $100 preferably... ;)
Click to expand...

I wasn't saying it was a fit for OP's specs exactly, just that the E10 is what I always think of for anything like modern gentlemen's folder.

That said, of the two I bought used, I got one of them for $225, so you never know what you might find . . .

On a budget let me also recommend the Maserin 392. They're inexpensive and I really like mine. I don't have a photo of mine handy, but it looks just like this:

ME392CG.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top