SnG, Para-military or?? for a hard use knife

spiralarchitect said:
I work about 60% inside and 40% outside and I usually carry a 6-7 in FB when out on a farm. That size, with the right sheath, fits fine in a jeans pocket and works even better in Carhart work pants or Overalls. Hope you find what you are looking for. :thumbup:

Edit to add: an assortment of 1/4 inch hex bits in a rubber carrier in your pocket and any piece of steel (knife or otherwise) with a corresponding hex hole and a couple of notches for some O-rings to hold the bits can be worth their collective weight in gold sometimes. The great thing is that you can get almost anything you might need driver wise in a 1/4 inch bit.
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I bought a Mini Canadian last year to try as a work knife. I even had a custom made, front pocket low ride, clip on sheath made for it. But for me, it just took up too much pocket room, and that is a small knife! As for wearing it on the belt, I try not to add anything else besides my phone to it. I'm in crawl spaces, climbing on scaffolds, and crawling around in ditches so too much stuff on my belt are just items to get snagged onto, and could become a safety risk. Now I did have a BRKT PSK and a Micro Canadian2 that I carried in my front pocket, with a Kydex sheath and special belt loop chain which would hold the knife upright and ready, neat little setup...but I think those knives would be to small to be useful, especially with gloved hands. i do agree that a fixed blade is the perfect hard use tool, but not for my situation.

Great idea with 1/4" bits and o-rings..these get used almost daily, and that is a great idea to fasten them to tools we commonly use with o-rings so they are readily available:thumbup:
 
if you went with a ZT i believe you can take the torsion bar out to remove the AO feature. the 0350 has a blade length of 3.25 but it does weigh 6.2 oz.
 
Might want to look at the BM presidio or mini persidio. They also have the "ultra" versions for bit less. -Other than those, the manix-2 looks to be a good knife for the money, or a griptilian of your choice.
 
Buffalohump said:
Ritter Grip.

Tough!

Now in high viz orange in case you drop it.

OrangeRitter004.jpg
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I like that
 
The ZT 300 series is a beast...thick blade, Ti framelock, heavy duty, and the handles fit so well in your hand. I think they are way more sturdy and robust than an SnG. Lock up is tight as a vault too.

Other options:

Benchmade 585 mini-Barrage
Spyderco Sage 2
Benchmade mini Skirmish

Something in a tanto blade like a BM Griptilian or 722.
 
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Of the two the OP mentioned, I'd go with the SNG.

Others that may work:

Spyderco Delica--surprisingly tough

Cold Steel Voyager (pick a flavor)
 
Of all the suggestions I'm really leaning toward either the Manix2 or sticking with a SnG.
I just traded a G10 Delica, and while it was a nice knife, I thought the blade was still a bit thin to consider a hard use environment. Maybe the standard Delica with a sabre grind would be more stout but I still want a full length handle, and a choil is a huge plus. also made in the good ole USA is a Major:thumbup::thumbup:

Dave
 
DaveReb said:
I'm an Electrician and my company finally just landed a job too carry me over the winter...YAHOO!!!!. The job is from the ground up, and going to start this fall/winter. It will involve alot of underground and outside piping, so I'm looking for a knife to handle the extremes of a NE Ohio winter, along with exposure to dirt, mud, and water. I know the SnG is up too the task, I've owned a couple, but due to short work weeks this summer, I was forced too let them go:grumpy: these have some strong robust blades that IMO can take just about anything. I've also owned a few P-militaries over the years, and while I think they are good work knives the thin tip concerns me. I owned a S30V version and the very tip chipped off cutting thin plastic sheeting:confused: Maybe I just had a bad one, so I'd definitely like to hear about others using the P-militay for a hard use knife. I'm also open to input on other knives that might fit the bill. What I am looking for would be a fairly light weight ~4.5oz+/-oz, Full size G10 handle, open construction, a thick blade, i don't need a slicer for the work this knife will be seeing, with a sturdy lock. I'd also like too keep the blade length as close to 3" as possible, but not exceeding 3.5". As I mentioned I have owned SnG's before and it is the knife I would buy, however I'm not sure I can afford a new one at this time...so cheaper alternatives are definitely a :thumbup: right now!!

TIA
Dave
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:thumbup:Small Sebenza or SNG
 
I also am an Electrician in Colorado and presently we are building the largest hospital in the state. It has been going for 15 months and has a year and a half to go. Anyway enough shop talk. I have been in the trade 37 years and have used several type of knives over the years but at present I am using a Kershaw " needs work " that I picked up for $20.00 and I really like it. Holds edge well. I clip it in my bibs and it is always ready to strip wire or sharpen a pencil.
 
I am an electrician.

I have searched for the ultimate knife and tool combo.
I've had Sng's Hinderer xm-18 large and small. Sebenza Large and small. All kinds of Spydercos. Tasman salt, new spyderhawk, military, paramilitary, superhawk, lum chinese, caly 3, stretch 2 carbon fiber and frn in zdp-189, Dodo SE, rock lobster, cricket, p'kal.......
Benchmade 710, afck, 940, 530, 960, 930 kulgera........
Kershaw Leek, chive, s60v blur, needs work
Bark river little creek and two different tusks.
All kinds of different multitools, gerber, sog, leatherman charge tti......

These days I carry a fallkniven U2 in my pocket. a victorinox swisstool spirit on my belt and a mora electricians knife that cost me about 10 dollars if I remember right.
I live near you just north of detroit, mi.

My favorites besides what I am carrying today were the Kershaw Needs work, and the Bark river TUSK. As an electrician I always have my tool belt on or nearby, so a fixed blade works pretty well for me.

GOOD LUCK!!!! I've probably lost a thousand dollars buying and selling knives to get my own personal favorites. But you will have to figure it out for yourself in the end methinks!
 
someone else recommended the lone wolf T2 3.9inch blade but i have the T1 thats a 3 inch blade out of CPM S30V and ive used it as my hard use edc and have put it thru hell and it keeps coming back for more. its still in excellent shape and locks up nice and solid just like new. give the T1 a look!
i have a dumb question..is the sng they are referring to the buck/strider sng? im assuming this is the 1 because the strider sng is a $500 knife.
 
If you must have a folding knife then go with an SNG or take a look at some of the offerings from the Zero Tolerance line. But if I were you I'd go with a small fixed blade.

Blindhorseknives or RAT Cutlery have some tough knives that will be stronger than any folder and less expensive than the ones suggested. If you go with an RC knife then I'd recommend grabbing the Izula or the HEST. Bark River is also coming out with a new necker that looks promising.
 
DaveReb said:
If the ZT500's blade was more in the 3.25"-3.50" range, I'd definitely give it a try, but as it stands, it's bigger than I want to carry. the thing that draws me to the SnG and P-Military is there lighter weight. Plus both have a fairly simple proven lock, that are easy to keep dirt free.
The custom knife idea is a good one but more for a general purpose electricians knife. I don't really need screwdrives, and stripping notches for the underground/outside work. But for most of the other work, a small fixed blade, sized like a BRKT Mini Canadian, with a small hawkbill blade, maybe some type of screwdriver attachment in the handle with exchangeable tips, philips and slotted similar to the LM Skeletool...hmmmm your getting me thinking....lol

Dave
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How about the slightly smaller Kershaw cousin of it, the RAM? The price is certainly right---you could buy 7-8 of them for the price of the Strider.
 
David M said:
I also am an Electrician in Colorado and presently we are building the largest hospital in the state. It has been going for 15 months and has a year and a half to go. Anyway enough shop talk. I have been in the trade 37 years and have used several type of knives over the years but at present I am using a Kershaw " needs work " that I picked up for $20.00 and I really like it. Holds edge well. I clip it in my bibs and it is always ready to strip wire or sharpen a pencil.
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I haven't been in the trade as long as you, but I do have 24yrs under my belt IBEW LU38. I sure wish I was on that job! work has been pretty spotty here in Cleveland, and I've been off and on since mid July...Starting a small minimum security prision here and the job should last well over a year, and we'll be hopefully breaking ground in a week or two. It figures right when winter starts so does the outside work.

My usual work edc is a Strider PT, a Kershaw OD-1, and occasionally I carry a skeletool on my belt. I keep my blades under 3" because that is all I really need for my job. Since the underground portion will be starting up I'm mainly looking for a larger handled knife for gloved hands. Mainly for cutting the duct tape on pipe ends, which can be a PIA when it is freezing out side and the fingers are cold. As well as clearing debris from around the pipes before gluing and reaming cut pipe. Sure there are lots of tools I could use in my bag but what fun is that??...lol.

Dave
 
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DaveReb said:
Of all the suggestions I'm really leaning toward either the Manix2 or sticking with a SnG.
I just traded a G10 Delica, and while it was a nice knife, I thought the blade was still a bit thin to consider a hard use environment. Maybe the standard Delica with a sabre grind would be more stout but I still want a full length handle, and a choil is a huge plus. also made in the good ole USA is a Major:thumbup::thumbup:

Dave
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You'll love the Manix 2--and you could buy 4 of them instead of the Strider.
 
If your gonna go with an SnG, I recommend a Gen5 Tanto. Half flat grind, and robust tip that will not snap off. And the flat edges are great for utility work. Although a pocket sized fixed blade would no doubt work better, and in a craftsman sheath, would blend in better. For most folks on this forum, I would recommend a Busse Game warden. Or if it was me personally, I would have Justin Gingrich make me a serious 5160 beater.
 
by nature of its lock (ball bearing lock), isn't going to develop play like the SNG will over time.
 
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