Small edc fixed blade

marchone said:
I have one of these. Condor Primitive Mountain Knife. They're about $75. It's as basic, hand filling, and indestructible as can be imagined. It also won't break the bank. Just under 4-inch blade, 1/8-inch thick 1095 steel. Micarta handle. Scandi grind and micro bevel. Comes with a leather sheath. Keeping an edge is a breeze with any pocket sharpener.

http://www.condortk.com/productos-detalle.php?producto=144&cat=837
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It sure is a nice knife, but it's about the same lenght as my last EDC (Drop Forged Hunter), while having bulkier handle and sheath which would make it harder to conceal. It also has no guard, meaning it would be a trouble if I ever needed to stab something.
I see it more as a bushcraft knife than a knife for urban areas.
 
So I purchased the Bradford g-necker in black dlc coating. Out of the package I was very excited. The knife looks good, plenty sharp, etc. the closer I looked though, the less happy I was with my purchase. The grind was noticeably uneven from side to side, and there are waterjet markings all over the handle. The only reason I know they are waterjet marks is I used to work for an aerospace machine shop and it looks exactly like blanks fresh off the jet. I also do not like the sheath one bit. I will likely buy some kydex and attempt one on my own. The knife is VERY loose in the sheath...it has never fallen out, but it’s uncomfortably loose. After about a week of carrying the knife in my pocket the two halves of the sheath have started to separate. Can I do better? I do not know but I am long to try. If it does not work out I will have a leather belt sheath made and be done with it. I say all this not because I dislike the knife, I just do not feel the value is there for the price paid. I wish there had been a review when I bought it but again, I am not disappointed, I just need to put in some work on my end that I did not expect. If anyone has any specific questions I would be more than happy to answer.
 
Contact the manufacturer, I’m betting they will be able to help
 
For a long time, the little Anza was my constant companion, at least whenever I was on a motorbike. About 10 yeara ago, I started dropping it in my pocket, very easily done with the thin, close-fitting sheath. I will do that with the 2BU once I find a suitable pocket slip. The crossdraw sheath it came with is just too bulky.

Over this past winter, my usual FB carry was the Mini Skrama. The pocket slip I made worked pretty well, cost me nothing, and looks it. Varusteleka sells a nice leather neck sheath/pocket slip for the bare tang knife, but I found that with the knife in it, it takes up another inch and a quarter over the home made rig. So far, I am sticking with my own work of art until I come up with something better.

More recently, I have been carrying the BK14, of which I still can’t get a decent picture. In the stock sheath, it rides nicely in a tool pocket, but I would like to come up with something slimmer for this one, too. The flanges on the plastic sheath take up a lot of room in a front pocket and take the overall length of the rig to more thsn eight inches.

This knife takes a good edge, and seems to be tough enough for the sometimes abusive tasks I have for a fixed pocket knife.

I think,the Becker is a top choice, while the other ones deserve consideration and haven’t been mentioned.

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Thank you for the reply. I did contact the manufacturer and they were very responsive and offered to have me return it and they would pick a “best example”. I declined as it took about two weeks from the order being placed to it arriving at my mailbox. I did not want to wait another two to four weeks for one with an even grind but likely still having waterjet marks. My complaints are all cosmetic really so I did not think it was worth the time. But you are absolutely right, that is the first thing that should be done.

i am really leaning towards some nice leather. I wanted to carry this cross draw but have not been able to trust the retention of the kydex. I only have one other kydex item and it is VERY tight and requires a FIRM tug to release...I assumed that’s how kydex was supposed to be though?

edit: I like those sheathes, i REALLY need some leather!
 
Cosmetic except for the sheath of course. Well made kydex sheaths hold a knife very securely. I don't know if they wear "loose" as I generally favor leather sheaths. But I have enough kydex to be comfortable with it if the knife comes that way and it is well made.
 
jcoffey784 said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I have looked at the patriot as well as the backpacker. I actually put a lot of thought into the backpacker and still may, but I am thinking smaller. I have looked at the benchmade but I think at this time I want to move away from folders. You are absolutely right though, I exert a good amount of force. I don’t feel the grip will be of huge importance to me though as I typically pull my knife out, cut something, and put it right away. If I am breaking down a lot of boxes I typically just deal with it. As I said in my first post, I have VERY small hands...I wear a medium mechanix glove and could in all likelihood wear a small. My full grip (on a yard stick) comes to 2-7/8” so I feel I could have a full grip on either I am looking at. I have a good amount of time using a friends kabar marine knife on fishing trips and I liked it but it was much larger than I would carry daily, and much more handle than I prefer. My thickest knife is my endura and I can get one and a half hands on that thing! Thanks for the suggestions so far, keep them coming!

ps, I have read every thread on the internet I could find about edc fixed blades...I’m a special use case for sure!
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I know I'm late but you can get the bradford guardian 3 in aebl or n690 instead of m390 amd it's around 100 bucks I just actually got one on Amazon for my pops and it was 113 for the aebl steel
 
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