Suggestions please

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wbo3

Joined
Jul 17, 2011
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I am looking for a new EDC folder. It will be hard use, dirt, mud, etc. (I work in construction) . My current EDC knife is an ESEE Zancudo in AUS-8. I need something bigger, and something with a steel that doesn't get dull just by letting it see a cardboard box. My requirements are, 3.5"-4.5" blade length, non-serrated .No spring assist or automatic . Budget is $200 or less . Could be persuaded slightly higher, but not much. Less would be a huge bonus . Relatively easy to sharpen would be nice, I don't want to have to spend forever sharpening a knife every few days.

I love the drop point style of my Esee, but will consider others, except for a recurved type blade . I looked at a few SOG knives, but the ones I've seen so far have a recurved blade shape. The two I'm looked closest at are the Spyderco Para Military 2 and the Benchmade Freek. I have also looked at the Rat 1 and Esee Avispa in D2.
 
Spyderco's Manix would be my first choice. Excellent knife to use for extended periods. Lots of different options too, which is great.

The next one in line would be their Gayle Bradley 2. I have no experience with that knife(yet!), but it's a very well respected knife and it's built to be used. One of the better value vs material/quality knives out in the wild.
 
Anything particular about locking mechanism? Right now my top picks might be 2 Viper models the Italo and Fortis one is a liner lock flipper the other a frame lock. I can find both on BHQ for $150-250 in plenty of color and material options. They are in M390 steel which is a great balanced stainless steel.
 
Rat1 in d2... It will last longer edge retention wise than Aus8 and its affordable so if anything happens to it on the job you won't be out two hundo. It's on washers so nothing to get into bearings.

Cold steel American lawman a bit more in cost but they have them in xhp which is being phased out and replacing it with s35vn. Both good steel that should last a while.

I have a spyderco manix 2 and Its a work horse.

Also recommend knives in M4 steel like the Gail Bradley 2 for heavy working knives.
 
There are piles of options. I prefer lighter knives, so my first thought would be the Spyderco Manix 2 LW, in particular the orange + S90V version that one vendor has as an exclusive. For ~$120 you'll get a light knife that is a lot stronger than it looks, and that holds an edge quite a bit longer than your Zancudo ever could. It may look kind of flimsy in photos, but trust me it's not, you can beat on it plenty.

I've gotten mine dirty more than once, and since I couldn't take it apart I just cleaned it out with running water in my kitchen sink and then left it on a floor vent over night to blow dry. Great knife, way more knife than it feels like by weight or price, IMO.
 
wbo3 said:
I am looking for a new EDC folder. It will be hard use, dirt, mud, etc. (I work in construction) . My current EDC knife is an ESEE Zancudo in AUS-8. I need something bigger, and something with a steel that doesn't get dull just by letting it see a cardboard box. My requirements are, 3.5"-4.5" blade length, non-serrated .No spring assist or automatic . Budget is $200 or less . Could be persuaded slightly higher, but not much. Less would be a huge bonus . Relatively easy to sharpen would be nice, I don't want to have to spend forever sharpening a knife every few days.

I love the drop point style of my Esee, but will consider others, except for a recurved type blade . I looked at a few SOG knives, but the ones I've seen so far have a recurved blade shape. The two I'm looked closest at are the Spyderco Para Military 2 and the Benchmade Freek. I have also looked at the Rat 1 and Esee Avispa in D2.
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I'm a big fan of the Freek, so if you're already leaning that direction I'd go for it.

The Spyderco Shaman might also be a good choice. It has a lot of the same features as the PM2, but with sculpted scales and without the pointy, delicate tip.
 
Great suggestions so far. I just left a local dealer where I handles a few of the ones suggested and some of the others I was looking at. I think I can cross the Benchmade off my list in entirety. Two of the ones I looked at wouldn't lock up, one was the Adamas, and I forget what the other one was. Some of them locked fine, those two the lock would hang. I absolutely loved the Spyderco Bradley that was suggested, with the exception of the carbon fiber handle scales, I'm not a fan of carbon fiber. It's the one thing I don't like about my Leatherman Skeletool CX that I also carry everyday. They did show me a few Zero Tolerance models, what is the prevailing opinion on those. They were certainly bigger, which is one of my requirements.
 
wbo3 said:
Great suggestions so far. I just left a local dealer where I handles a few of the ones suggested and some of the others I was looking at. I think I can cross the Benchmade off my list in entirety. Two of the ones I looked at wouldn't lock up, one was the Adamas, and I forget what the other one was. Some of them locked fine, those two the lock would hang. I absolutely loved the Spyderco Bradley that was suggested, with the exception of the carbon fiber handle scales, I'm not a fan of carbon fiber. It's the one thing I don't like about my Leatherman Skeletool CX that I also carry everyday. They did show me a few Zero Tolerance models, what is the prevailing opinion on those. They were certainly bigger, which is one of my requirements.
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ZT makes great knives and has a great warranty to back them up. I'm not the biggest fan just because they don't make anything that particularly appeals to me, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
 
Cold Steel Recon 1 is a beast and right around $100. The American Lawman is a bit less ($80-ish?) and also a good knife, but for your use case, I would go Recon 1.

Other options in the $150 range are the discontinued ZT0620 and Spyderco Gayle Bradley 2.

All four of the above (I own all of them) are honestly built like brick $h!thouses. :thumbsup:
 
When I think of a rough work knife I think of Cold Steel. Check out the Recon1 spearpoint.
 
For what you’re describing, a Cold Steel Recon 1 all the way. Try to find one in CTS-XHP...S35vn is no slouch and nothing wrong with it (very good actually), but the XHP should hold the edge a bit better for you.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
The Para 2 is a great choice, as is the Manix 2. I would also look at the Cold Steel American Lawman, Ultimate Hunter and Recon 1.
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+1 on the Cold Steel suggestions. I own the American Lawman (and a back-up; great EDC knife) as well as a Recon 1. Even though I don't own one, I do not see how you could go wrong with the Ultimate Hunter either.

The Benchmade Adamas is another one of my favorites in the heavy-duty hard use department. D2 tool steel, axis lock and a very comfortable grip for hard use - an attribute that many forget to evaluate when picking a hard use folder.
 
wbo3 said:
Great suggestions so far. I just left a local dealer where I handles a few of the ones suggested and some of the others I was looking at. I think I can cross the Benchmade off my list in entirety. Two of the ones I looked at wouldn't lock up, one was the Adamas, and I forget what the other one was. Some of them locked fine, those two the lock would hang. I absolutely loved the Spyderco Bradley that was suggested, with the exception of the carbon fiber handle scales, I'm not a fan of carbon fiber. It's the one thing I don't like about my Leatherman Skeletool CX that I also carry everyday. They did show me a few Zero Tolerance models, what is the prevailing opinion on those. They were certainly bigger, which is one of my requirements.
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I’m a big fan of the Bradley folders. I believe they would have been better served with fairly grippy G10 scales. Still an awesome working folder.
 
I worked in road construction and roofing when I was younger, and IIRC, lighter weight was always desirable for me. My road construction experience was in marshy/swampy areas in Florida and my roofing was tar-and-gravel stuff, going up and down ladders all day, also in Florida. So I appreciate lighter weight equipment.

I really like EG's suggestion about the Manix 2 LW. Some of the CS entries might work as well. Even with CF scales, I think the Gayle Bradley 1 would be a great choice. Just remember to take a little more care of the blade since it's uncoated CPM-M4.
 
One simply cannot ignore the many excellent atributes of the paramil ii.
Besides, the good folks here have attested to its overall positive dependability
for handling all manner of task for a folder it's size.
It is after all, a highly capable folder which easily fits the bill
as being the top all time sensible folder of choice.
 
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