Small & lightweight EDC? (BM 530 or Dragonfly?)

Indoril said:
Actually, I changed my mind again. And this time it's final, because I placed the order. I went with the Kershaw OD-2 for an EDC knife.

I had the Chill in the past and really liked it, but gave it to a friend. If the OD-2 is anything like that it should be a great carry addition
Click to expand...

And congrats on your Kershaw! After following your thread, you kinda threw me for a loop with that one haha. I'm sure you'll love it. Pics when you can :thumbup:
 
I would go with the dragonfly it has a excellent traction plan and a more usable blade shape but the pardue has reach.
 
grownstar said:
And congrats on your Kershaw! After following your thread, you kinda threw me for a loop with that one haha. I'm sure you'll love it. Pics when you can :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Thanks. I've had good experiences with Kershaw in the past, and I figured I can't go wrong paying under $20 for the OD-2. In total, I've dropped over $250 in SOG Flash's in the past, and I figure spending so much on just a small carry blade has got to stop at some point. From now on I'm carrying small inexpensive knives, and I have a good feeling the OD-2 will pay for itself and more

thefirstsuspect said:
I would go with the dragonfly it has a excellent traction plan and a more usable blade shape but the pardue has reach.
Click to expand...
I would have tried the Dragonfly at the right price, but as I said I couldn't justify it at the prices that were available to me.

I can't keep spending so much on little utility knives. Else I will never be able to afford a BM 531 or venom green Izula!
 
I had a flash 2 the od2 is what the flash wants to be except no blade play...
 
I have both knives. I've the Dragonfly in ZDP-189 and the 530 combo edge black coated. I carry the Benchmade more I'll admit. I use the dfly when I'm wearing a suit or going into Chicago, where 2.5" is the max blade length. Both are great knives, can't go wrong.
 
I carry a BM 707 and a Dragonfly... very different knives. I do find the Dragonfly to be too small and I hate carrying more than one knife but with the Dragonfly it's almost necessary, but it is sooo handy!

I still am amazed that the Sequel does't get more love round here. That knife has it all IMHO, and on the secondary market is not much over 100. Totally worth it. The only people that scoff at the price tag of the 707 are people that don't own and carry one.
 
Yes... I've seen the 707 and Sequel, both very nice and desirable. But I'm afraid I will always be more of a 94X type of guy for a "do it all" folder. If I ever go anywhere where I know I will be using a knife, I bring my 940. In fact If I were to limit myself to one production folder for the rest of my life, I would go with the 940.
 
Wow, that didn't take long. Got my OD-2 today, and so far I'm digging it. From now on this thing stays in my pocket. It is pretty small (you can ever really grasp the size and proportions of a knife until you physically hold it right?), but should be the perfect size for EDC. Centering and finish were all good and I barely had to adjust the pivot screw. Grind could be better, but it's adequate for this type of knife.

I must say the "overdrive" system really works. Every time, the little blade snaps open as fast as an assisted. It does require a bit more force than expected though. It is not a smooth, fluid opening like the Chill, but more of a sudden burst, like the blade is saying "don't wanna come out.... don't wanna come out... HA! Tricked you!". The flipper stud thing almost feels more like a button than a traditional flipper like the Chill. On those knives, the flipper just sort of disengages the detent and gets the blade going, requiring you to sometimes flick the blade out the rest of the way. But not on the OD-2. The detent is so strong for the little blade that, when it finally does give, it affirmatively *SNAPS* open straight to lockup (which is tight, I might add). It's an interesting opening system, and I like it a lot so far.

When I was comparing the OD-2 and Chill side by side, I noticed the Chill's handle is actually thinner, by 1.5 - 2 mm. Personally I think the OD-2's handle scales would benefit if they were about 1 mm thinner, but that would probably compromise comfort and ease of opening for people with thicker fingers. I actually find that I prefer the handle style and ergos on the Chill, but I rarely carried it because it was a tad too long. Had the Chill been a bit shorter, with a 2.5 inch blade, I would have kept it instead of giving it to a friend. Therefore the OD-2 is closer to my ideal carrying knife. All in all very pleased with it so far. Now to just get rid of that pesky bead blast finish - anyone have any tips here?

Here's a poor quality comparison pic:
OD2andothers.jpg
 
Last edited:
I like the look of the OD-1 but the one thing I worry about is that its flipper might make it a switchblade in the eyes of some police or judges. It doesn't open with a spring but because its not just an extension of the blade it could be seen as a button in some jurisdictions. It shouldn't be a problem most of the time but its something to keep in mind.

If you don't like the bead blasted finish I guess you could try to stonewash it if you have the equipment, or maybe try and polish it with a Dremel but be careful trying either.
 
vwbigmike said:
I carry a BM 707 and a Dragonfly... very different knives. I do find the Dragonfly to be too small and I hate carrying more than one knife but with the Dragonfly it's almost necessary, but it is sooo handy!

I still am amazed that the Sequel does't get more love round here. That knife has it all IMHO, and on the secondary market is not much over 100. Totally worth it. The only people that scoff at the price tag of the 707 are people that don't own and carry one.
Click to expand...

I love my sequel. Its a fantastic knife. I love my dragonfly too. They get about equal time. I dont really have use for a big blade daily, and either can break down an apple quickly :)
 
I know the OP already choose the knife he's getting (the OD-2, which is a nice knife), but I wanted to keep this thread going. Keeping in the spirit of the original post, I already own a DF-2 and should be receiving my First Production run of the 531 any day now. My hope with that knife is to make it my new EDC, due to the nice long blade and light weight. This picture is not mine, but this is the FP 531 that I'm referring to. When the future batch of the 531 get's released in a month or two, it will be the exact same thing without the engraving.


1506600_225360314319431_502114124_n_zps6f7d145b.jpg
 
this_is_nascar said:
should be receiving my First Production run of the 531 any day now.
Click to expand...

Man that is a good looking blade. I am seriously jelly. I am wrestling with the idea of pre-odering one now, or waiting for a possible limited run with different color scales or something later.
 
Indoril said:
Man that is a good looking blade. I am seriously jelly. I am wrestling with the idea of pre-odering one now, or waiting for a possible limited run with different color scales or something later.
Click to expand...

Assuming you can fund it, I'd say get it now. Like I said, it's still another month or so from being available, so I don't think you have to worry about another version coming out in the near term. I'm glad I heard of the 531. I was ready to pull the trigger on the 530, but then when I saw the 531, I decided to wait. I just got lucky that someone posted here about the First Production run being available at KW. They since have sold and shipped the (12) or (15) they had.
 
this_is_nascar said:
I just got lucky that someone posted here about the First Production run being available at KW. They since have sold and shipped the (12) or (15) they had.
Click to expand...
Nice, wish I knew about that. I didn't know KW got some in. I know it's probably a long shot, but does anyone know if there are any first productions still available somewhere?
 
squarebox86 said:
If you need something simple, have you considered the Victorinox Bantam?
Click to expand...
I have a couple of SAKs already, but the reason I started this thread was because Im seeking a small EDC blade that locks, has a pocket clip, and one handed opening.
 
The thing I love about the dragonfly is that even with my XL hands I can still one hand open it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top