Small-Medium EDC under $50

R

RIFirefighter

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Mar 18, 2014
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Looking for an EDC knife that I can carry day-to-day. My current EDC is a Flash 2 Rescue, but I am cautious about carrying it when not in uniform, since it is illegally-long (granted with a blunt tip its not really offensive).

Some of my ideals/requirements:

Spring Assist (ideal)
Piston/button lock-- ie: arc lock (had liner locks in the past, and they were always a PITA)
<3in length (required)
Fine Edge-- Serrated okay, but kind of useless under 3in
Discrete-- I like how SOG clips are
Weight doesn't matter, as long as it's under 1lb... haha!

I was thinking the SOG Flash 1 but I have heard horror stories; is the blade play really that bad? My rescue has a little deflection on it, but then again it's not a practical issue.

Another thing I was thinking, can slipjoints work just as well? I mean I am talking about for packaging and stuff, not construction labor... It was drilled into me as a child that slipjoints are bad. But I was wondering if something like a UKPK might work for me. I mean most of the time my knives get used for opening stuff, and cleaning my nails! lol I am NOT looking for a self-defence knife, so that is not even a consideration!!

One of the most important bits for me to say is: I am not a collector. I don't care about the fit and finish of a knife, all I care about is that it works. I use it, I sharpen it, I use it some more, and when it no longer suits my needs, I upgrade/junk it.
 
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i know it doesnt fit all of your requirement but at that price its hard to beat a delica. i own knives that cost a lot more but i prefer the delica.
 
id highly recommend a kerschaw scallion, I have the black on black and I love that little bugger, also buck 55
 
Check out the dragonflys from spyderco I got one for my dad for Christmas and he loves it and it's sheeple friendly.
 
For $50 you can do better than SOGs. Have you tried a Spyderco? You would have to scrap your first two requirements but you might find you don't need them if you try a decent quality knife. There's also the Ontario Rat 1 or 2 for well under $50. Either would be a good medium-duty user.

I can't imagine why slip joints would be bad. Personally I've moved away from modern folders and have begun to enjoy slip joints again. A Tidioute Barlow I recently bought has knocked the PM2 and/or my William Henry E10 out of my pocket. The Tidioute is twice your budget but there are plenty of good slippies out there for $50 or under. Take a hard look at the Case line up.
 
the blade length is 2.875. i love the delica 3 due to the weight. i will admit when the 3 was out i wanted a liner. while i have both i prefer the 3. from a carry standpoint i prefer it over my starbenza.
 
Thanks for the ideas! Keep em coming in!

As for slipjoint addylo, I was referring to modern ones like a UKPK. I like the pocket clip too much to resort to something like an Old Timer haha!
 
I read it as under 3" blade so nogo on the scallion... utilitac 2 would get my vote.. or save up for a para2
 
The Delica and dragonfly are great. 10-15 over your budget, but worth every penny. As you like the sog pocket clip, I would say go with the dragonfly. I think the wire clip is fantastic. Kershaw scallion/leek are nice (I think the scallion is 2.25, leek is 3in), and I have a few, but I don;t carry the leek because of the pocket clip, too high and odd for me. And I don't like A/O knives much. Check out the Spydercos, A delica and dragonfly are both great knives imo.
 
You should check out liner locks again. Kershaw and Ontario are 2 companies that make quality knives with trustworthy liner locks. Plus, a good amount range from $20-$50. If the ones that failed you were "gas station knives" you would be doing yourself a disservice by judging ALL liner locks based on the crap. If not, You can't go wrong with a Dragonfly. I love mine. Its small, but thanks to the choil it fits fine in my L/XL hands. It takes a great edge and holds it. And its sheeple friendly. I actually had a woman refer to it as "cute" when I pulled it out at a wedding. If its too small go for a Delica.
 
Slipjoints are definitely up to most cutting tasks you could need a folding knife for. There are some good quality traditional slipjoints from Case in CV within your price range, try one out (even if they have no clip).

Cold Steel has some cool small folders, like the Tuff Lite. There's the Byrd Robin and Meadowlark , too. Benchmade Mini-Pika II.

Honestly, I think you should gice linerlocks a chance. Some of the best modern budget folders are linerlocks (Ontario RAT and Utilitac, several Kershaws, Spyderco Tenacious family).
 
The two liners that I had were the Gerber EVO and a cheapo Smith and Wesson-- the SW was the better of the two! Not gas-station ones but hardly gold-plated....
 
If that's your liner lock experience then you owe it to yourself to check out Kershaw. They have too many assisted openers that are under $50 to mention here (Check out the Thermite). Also Ontario Utilitac II may be manual but that sucker flies open just as fast as an AO. I would take my Utilitac II over the Flash II any day. Thicker and wider blade, Full steel liners, multiple choices for blade and handle configurations and It also costs about $20 less. If you still insist against liners check out the H&K Soldat
FYI I am not a snob against SOG. I carried a Vulcan for years. I just feel that for under $50 there are waaay better choices out there than what they have to offer.
 
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