- Joined
- May 29, 2012
- Messages
- 56
...I am quite happy with my purchase!
Hi Guys,
I would like to thank you for all of the advise I received and also thank you for the wealth of information I was able to gather on this website. It all made my decision easier.
At first, I was considering the Benchmade Mini Griptillian and SOG mini Vulcan, but since I could not find them locally (Montreal), I decided to see what else could be had. I did not want my 1st "good knife" purchase to be sight unseen. I still do not know enough about knives to trust my judgement... yet... Though I have read nothing but good things about these knives. Still, I wanted to hold and feel the knife before I committed to it. This would be an EDC knife that I plan on wearing for a while to come.
So of the available knives, I weeded it down to the following:
Kershaw Mini Zing Tanto
SOG Mini Aegis
Cold Steel Hold Out III
Buck Vantage Pro (small)
Spyderco Native FRN
While the Kershaw is really nice, the store that was supposed to have it, had none in stock, so I saw a similar knife from Kershaw and it did not click for me. Maybe the Zing would have, I do not know, but this one sure did not. It was also sub 30$ retail, so it defenitely was inferior.
The SOG Mini Aegis was really nice, but the handle felt... well.... cheap. Again, I have NO EXPERIENCE here, maybe it is supposed to feel that way. It definitely was light, that's for sure! I also found the blade a little on the fragile side, especially near the point. The model I was viewing was black coated (PVD or DLC or other, I do not know). Having experience with coated watches, I know this will eventually wear off and that was the deal breaker for me.
The Cold Steel Hold Out III was a neat knife, but the shape when closed just did not do it for me. Also, it was the serrated version, which barely had any straight edge to work with. Oh and it was so darn hard to close! Heck, I have been weight-lifting for over 20 years, so I am relatively strong and I had to REALLY squeeze the lock to release the blade. In fact it was the 1st thing the sales person had to say when he handed it to me. I also noticed the handle material was SUPER grippy and the pocket clip to small / tight. I can see how that would be a problem for daily use.
The Buck Vantage Pro was VERY nice. Unfortunately, they did not have the small version, so I "fondled" the full size. Very impressive blade for the $. Love the finish on the blade. The scales were a little slick, so not too grippy. It was very heavy, but for a full size knife, I did not mind. It open and closed with a distinct thwack. I really liked this one, but for me, it was just too big for an EDC.
The Spyderco Native was a surprise. I had recently seen a Delica 4 and while it was extremely functional, I just could not warm up to the shape. Now having read up on it and watched a few Youtube vids, I knew this one had S30V steel, so I had to give it a shot. Man, it was like love at first fondle! I could not believe how incredibly perfect it fit in my hand. Now I know the 2nd choil is not for everyone, but for my hand it was absolutely perfect. I loved the way it opened and closed with authority and the gimping on the top was really well designed. Overall this was my FAVORITE and well.... I TOOK IT HOME!
It is almost the exact same length as my Leatherman Crater when closed and slightly lower profile, so it fits nicer in the pocket. The grip is a great mix of grip and smooth. Hard to explain, but if you have owned a Spyderco, then you probably know what I mean. The more you squeeze it the more it grips. I know some dislike the blade shape and especially the swedge, but I like it... in fact, I like it a lot!
Some have said I should look into Chris Reeve and Lionsteel blades. Baby steps gentlemen, baby steps. I first started with Seiko and Citizen watches, then made my way to Swiss watches and now daily wear a 4100$ dive watch, with several other 4-digit watches in my collection... took a while, but I got there. Hopefully this knife bug is not as contagious... IT PROBABLY IS!
THANKS AGAIN GUYS!!!
.
Hi Guys,
I would like to thank you for all of the advise I received and also thank you for the wealth of information I was able to gather on this website. It all made my decision easier.
At first, I was considering the Benchmade Mini Griptillian and SOG mini Vulcan, but since I could not find them locally (Montreal), I decided to see what else could be had. I did not want my 1st "good knife" purchase to be sight unseen. I still do not know enough about knives to trust my judgement... yet... Though I have read nothing but good things about these knives. Still, I wanted to hold and feel the knife before I committed to it. This would be an EDC knife that I plan on wearing for a while to come.
So of the available knives, I weeded it down to the following:
Kershaw Mini Zing Tanto
SOG Mini Aegis
Cold Steel Hold Out III
Buck Vantage Pro (small)
Spyderco Native FRN
While the Kershaw is really nice, the store that was supposed to have it, had none in stock, so I saw a similar knife from Kershaw and it did not click for me. Maybe the Zing would have, I do not know, but this one sure did not. It was also sub 30$ retail, so it defenitely was inferior.
The SOG Mini Aegis was really nice, but the handle felt... well.... cheap. Again, I have NO EXPERIENCE here, maybe it is supposed to feel that way. It definitely was light, that's for sure! I also found the blade a little on the fragile side, especially near the point. The model I was viewing was black coated (PVD or DLC or other, I do not know). Having experience with coated watches, I know this will eventually wear off and that was the deal breaker for me.
The Cold Steel Hold Out III was a neat knife, but the shape when closed just did not do it for me. Also, it was the serrated version, which barely had any straight edge to work with. Oh and it was so darn hard to close! Heck, I have been weight-lifting for over 20 years, so I am relatively strong and I had to REALLY squeeze the lock to release the blade. In fact it was the 1st thing the sales person had to say when he handed it to me. I also noticed the handle material was SUPER grippy and the pocket clip to small / tight. I can see how that would be a problem for daily use.
The Buck Vantage Pro was VERY nice. Unfortunately, they did not have the small version, so I "fondled" the full size. Very impressive blade for the $. Love the finish on the blade. The scales were a little slick, so not too grippy. It was very heavy, but for a full size knife, I did not mind. It open and closed with a distinct thwack. I really liked this one, but for me, it was just too big for an EDC.
The Spyderco Native was a surprise. I had recently seen a Delica 4 and while it was extremely functional, I just could not warm up to the shape. Now having read up on it and watched a few Youtube vids, I knew this one had S30V steel, so I had to give it a shot. Man, it was like love at first fondle! I could not believe how incredibly perfect it fit in my hand. Now I know the 2nd choil is not for everyone, but for my hand it was absolutely perfect. I loved the way it opened and closed with authority and the gimping on the top was really well designed. Overall this was my FAVORITE and well.... I TOOK IT HOME!
It is almost the exact same length as my Leatherman Crater when closed and slightly lower profile, so it fits nicer in the pocket. The grip is a great mix of grip and smooth. Hard to explain, but if you have owned a Spyderco, then you probably know what I mean. The more you squeeze it the more it grips. I know some dislike the blade shape and especially the swedge, but I like it... in fact, I like it a lot!
Some have said I should look into Chris Reeve and Lionsteel blades. Baby steps gentlemen, baby steps. I first started with Seiko and Citizen watches, then made my way to Swiss watches and now daily wear a 4100$ dive watch, with several other 4-digit watches in my collection... took a while, but I got there. Hopefully this knife bug is not as contagious... IT PROBABLY IS!
THANKS AGAIN GUYS!!!
.
