smaller pocket knife recommendation

xyrium said:
That Neutron still haunts me. It could easily knock my Para 3 out of the stable.
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My little neutron is second only to my sebenza. One could get two neutrons for a sebenza, that said the sebenza is little better . Why ? A lot more machining and its all done right .
On the steel the 35vn that reeve uses is fine. A little hard to sharpen because of the hollow grind .
The neutron has 20cv in a flat grind and comes sharp . An stays that way, three passes on a golden stone and its back to perfect. I believe that the neutron with its super thin blade is the perfect knife for edc .
I can report back in year or two . But i dont think my opinion will change.

Jake
 
Just getting into knives , the knife I have the blade is 154CM . Out of the box the blade is as sharp as a Razer , it's a Hogue EX-01 tanto . I was just looking for a strong knife to wood carve , I like everything about the knife , doesn't get as much talk as other brands but it felt just right in my hand . Since I got it I can't stop handling it , my new toy.

Chris
 
MSchott said:
Are there a lot of S30 folding knives for $80.00? I’ve not been active recently but don’t remember this being the case. Also, with a CRK you well know that you paying for a lot more than the blade steel. There is something special about holding and using a knife that’s well designed and built.
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I agree build quality is always worth something, how much varies by user.

There's not a ton of S30 knives available at $80 or less, knifecenter shows about 20 under the $80 range, extend that to $100 and there's 60 or so, extend it to $150, add in S35VN and there's almost 400 options.
 
Benchmade G10 Mini Grip is a good option. Either the 555-1 or 556-1. Under 3 inch blade, nice G10 handle, under $200, and CPM-20CV steel.
 
Hackenslash said:
Do you prefer steel specs over fit, finish, performance and a lifetime of support? I’ve played with knives for a lot of years and honestly can’t tell the difference between S35VN that’s properly HT’d and adamantium. I can, however, tell a well made knife from a poorly made knife. There are incredible customs and mid-techs made in S30V, RWL-34 and D2. By your standards, you’d be missing them.
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Some people prefer pocket jewelry. Some people prefer performance. Neither is wrong. CRK have always been a statement and never about performance.

MSchott said:
Also, with a CRK you well know that you paying for a lot more than the blade steel. There is something special about holding and using a knife that’s well designed and built.
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FiveToes said:
Some people prefer pocket jewelry. Some people prefer performance. Neither is wrong. CRK have always been a statement and never about performance.
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We'll have to agree to disagree concerning your stance on CRK. People who own and carry them would disagree also. They're about as far from pocket jewelry as a knife can get.

Of course, you're entitled to your opinion. Incorrect opinions keep the world interesting :p.
 
With blades just at 3 inches are two Monterey Bay Knives Laconico designs, the frame lock EZC in S35VN, and the slipjoint EWC in M390. Both made in China by WE Knives.

I have them both and am equally impressed. I have large size hands and both are four-fingered grips.
 
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Hackenslash said:
We'll have to agree to disagree concerning your stance on CRK. People who own and carry them would disagree also. They're about as far from pocket jewelry as a knife can get.

Of course, you're entitled to your opinion. Incorrect opinions keep the world interesting :p.
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While you may not like it, you cannot argue with the tests. The majority of which put S35vn in the middle of the pack.
 
FiveToes said:
Some people prefer pocket jewelry. Some people prefer performance. Neither is wrong. CRK have always been a statement and never about performance.
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Any pricey knife can be considered pocket jewelry. Few spend 100’s on everyday users that see abuse. A PJ or Micarta Sebenza works well as a daily user. Sure the more expensive custom model are more jewel like but that’s not unique to CRK.
 
I plan to put a ZDP Caly 3 up for sale today, blade is 3" but that is close enough?


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FiveToes said:
While you may not like it, you cannot argue with the tests. The majority of which put S35vn in the middle of the pack.
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You're all over the place in this discussion. First you go after CRK for being pocket jewelry. Then when I challenge that stance you come back with S35VN being "middle of the pack" in steel specs. I had already stated (in fact, you quoted me) that steel specs are low in priority as selection criteria for many knife knuts. In fact, for this knife knut, steel chemistry is way behind grind, heat treat, ergos, ease of carry, build quality and support. However, I do place steel chemistry ahead of packaging. I'm not sure were you're going here.

The argument could be made that a "middle of the road steel" is a better choice for a novice knife knut due to ease of edge maintenance. I'm not that great at sharpening/stropping and I find 20CV and M390 a pain in the butt to work with. But again, that's probably not as much due to the molecules as it is the higher hardness that usually comes with top of the line steel.

This all started with my advice to not fixate on steel composition when choosing a $200 knife and we're jousting over an unrelated $500 knife? Maybe you need to go to the CRK sub-forum and share your feelings on CRK there? I can bring popcorn for both of us.
 
Unfortunately not, I'm not a fan of any of the smooth textured scales, be them Ti or CF, I prefer having some texture/grip. I've also tried to find ones with long'ish handles, to me too often a shorter blade means a tiny handle that is uncomfortable to use. The tiny handles have their place for a pocket knife that's a non-clip design though for sure.

I'd say right now the "short list" is:

Spyderco Lil Native
MASSDROP X FERRUM FORGE GENT
Maserin 377
Spyderco Brouwer
BM Valet

I may just have to give in and try a slip joint, lot of really great designs in those lately it seems.
 
Hackenslash said:
The argument could be made that a "middle of the road steel" is a better choice for a novice knife knut due to ease of edge maintenance.
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That's absolutely a fair statement, and it's been stated for years that CK used softer, easier to sharpen steels for this reason, though I'm sure the fact they are also much cheaper and easier to grind/manufacturer never hurts. While I don't fall into this camp anymore there was a time where I did avoid harder steels because I struggled to sharpen them. As I became more proficient in sharpening the higher end steels performance increased significantly compared to "middle" options. As such they started dominated my purchases. I can understand CK's desire to offer a mid level steel that is easy to sharpen for users in the field or that simply are not that great at sharpening, though I do question how many people are really beating up and sharpening $450 CK knives in the bush. I do wish he offered a higher end steel option for those that put a high value on maximum cutting performance. However, that's no different than I feel the vast majority of factory knives these days have too thick of blades and edge geometry for typical everyday use.

People value different things in products, and sometimes you have to save people from themselves. It's why they have "dummy" buttons on sports cars to make them driveable by the average person whose driving skills are far below the cars capability.
 
Not all EDC users are “beaten on the bush”, I’m an engineer so my main edc is in an office, Im also a collector so I may be biased, but CRK is an incredible knife holding its own against customs 3x its price
 
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