Small-Medium EDC under $50

Kershaw cryo 1 or 2. I have the cryo and it's great. You can get it for about 35 dollars.
 
JulianHayes said:
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.
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The Dragonfly & Delica are two of my favorite small EDC knives. Especially the Dragonfly.
 
You really can't beat a delica. Great steel and feels great in the hand. Shoot, I've got the Byrd version, the meadowlark 2 lightweight for like $20 and that thing is a beast. But I like a longer blade now so I just got the zdp189 endura. Wow.

Also, the buck vantage is a great knife. It is a liner lock but the deep carry clip makes it mostly invisible in the pocket
 
The Dragonfly is such a great small utility blade. Totally unobtrusive and barely noticeable (although mine is hot pink, so maybe it's a tab more obvious), and the small blade is perfect for boxes, packaging, tape, fingernails, and all the boring everyday stuff. Also makes a great little whittling knife.
 
Alright so I have definitely decided against the SOG... I love the Flash 2, but I think the 1 would be too small for my hands to effectively use the assist.

So heres what I have narrowed it down to:
RAT 2
Cyro
Ambitious
Byrd Tern
Gerber Mini-fast

Still torn on whether I need a lock or not... and whether I dare go with a liner lock... lol
 
All good choices. Except the gerber. I've never used 7cr13mov steel (which is the what is on the Mini Fast) but I personally wouldn't trust any lesser steel than 8cr13mov (Ambitious, Tern and Cryo). I Like the aus8 (RAT 2) edge retention a bit better.
 
I stand by my original suggestion of a dragonfly, but I must chime in once more. As you like deep carry and A/O, I think you would love the cryo. I had one and carried it often until I lent it to a friend who likes it too much to give it back... Very low profile and a well built knife. I have a SOG aegis as well, and while I love the light weight and deep clip, I did eventually develop vertical blade play and the zytel just did not feel solid. The Cryo is pretty shard to beat for your needs. I also love my ambitious, but from your needs, I must recommend the cryo. It is a great edc with exceptional quality and value from a company I have had only good experiences with (just got a damascus skyline to match my scallion:D). Sorry, I am long winded; I think the cryo would be just right for you. Now I want mine back...
 
Is the Cyro really deep carry? I looked at some images and it seemed to stick out quite a bit; when I say deep carry I mean like the bayonet-clip deep...
 
I think I may have solved my clip delemia... Not to advertise for anyone, but can you guys tell me if something like this would work on the RAT or Cryo (and I just realized that I kept calling it Cyro whoops!) http://usaknifemaker.com/ti-pocket-clip-formed-tumbled-040-low-rider-split-tail.html

I am willing to spend a few bucks more to make a good knife a great knife. That clip looks exactly like the bayonet one, granted adapted for screw-on not slid-in-- can anyone confirm.
 
SOG folders suck. The two I bought(Trident and Flash 2)are definitions of lock rock even though I love SOGs fixed blade stuff. 3 inches and assisted for 50 bucks? Kershaw Leek my friend I own many Leeks all of which came out of the packaging stone cold perfect. I have never bought a sharper stock knife than a standard Walmart black bladed Leek. Lock up is perfect and very strong. The assist on them is lightening fast. I even have the rare G10 liner lock Leeks which are somehow even faster. The Leek was my very first "real" folding knife years ago from Walmart and I still have that very first one. It is beaten half to death but still is just as fast if not faster than new and still holds a terrifyingly sharp edge off my Sharpmaker. You just cant go wrong with it. The standard stainless handled Leeks can easily be had for 50 bucks new...
 
I can vouch for the rat 2, its a solid choice. The liner lock looks thin but it is rock solid, fit and finish is fantastic, carries nice and slim and relatively deep in your pocket, and can handle just about any day to day task. Plus, it comes it a bunch of cool colors
 
The Cryo comes with a deep carry clip. Especially if you carry it tip down.
kershaw-cryo-1555ti-back.jpg
 
I like to carry tip-up whenever possible... that way its in my hand before it leaves my trousers...plus in my experience its more comfortable in the when using it... but then again we are talking an old gerber (pre logo-change, likr 2004...!)
 
The Cold Steel Tuff Lite is a very useful knife and not particularly expensive.

There's also the Mini-AK47, but I'm not sure how well it would fit in your hand. The Tuff Lite with its finger choil is a comfortable four finger grip even with my big hands.
 
It's out of your price range, but I'm going to suggest it anyway. For what your looking for I honestly think the perfect knife for you would be a Benchmade 585 Mini Barrage with a 810 Contego clip mounted on it (you can get a clip free from BM). Its like double what your looking to pay But design-wise, IMO its exactly what your looking for.
Or skip the Assisted opening pay about $80 and get a Mini Griptilian with the Contego clip.

The reason I suggest the Benchmades is the Axis Lock.

That being said, you can't go wrong with the RAT 2 and Cryo.
 
I was actually thinking of that... but on my budget I really can't justify at the moment an $80 edc/beater knife! Especially since I am thinking about getting an auto at some point, for work...

Now I am hating myself again! I keep changing my mind... especially now that I found out I can simply get another cheapo clip...

So: Cryo, Ambitious, or RAT 2... They're all the same price-point give or take a few bucks from Amazon... I like aspects of each. Cryo for the AO, Ambitious for the design-- I feel like the liner lock would be easier to release, and RAT-2 for the sheeple friendliness...

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If I were able to get my hands on an 810 clip, or 750 Adamas clip, would the spacing work on the Cryo/RAT/Ambitious? And would it sit low enough?

Essentially what I would like someone to do is just to tell me 'this one is the best'... Unfortunately nowhere in my local area has the RAT or Ambitious, so part of my problem is I have to order off the net ' sight unseen' ... hence my indecisiveness...
 
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