Suggestions pls.

S

snapcap

Joined
Jun 30, 2005
Messages
9
Hello,
I'm am looking to buy a new knife for work in the $40 to $100 range. Daily use involves cutting electrical tape, cardboard, duct tape and various sizes of rope from 5/8"s to 1" thick nylon or manila rope. I would like it to have either a liner or axis lock ( bad experience with lockback), and a pocket clip on the bottom of the handle. Also would like it to be 3" to 4" long with smooth or half serrated edge. I'm not a big fan of pegs, I prefer holes to open (not a big deal, I'll use either one).

In the past I have carried a Cold Steel Scimitar fully serrated, for 2-3 years.
Very nice cuts thru anything that I needed to at work, somethimes I even used it on drywall/sheet rock to cut out holes and outlets. Very sharp, tuff knife. The video sold me, but it lived up to some ruff standards in my hands.

I currently carry a Buck/Strider Tarani partial serrated edge about 1 1/2 years it took the Scimitars place. Damn, it's thick, good prying knife but sux big time for cutting (thats why I'm looking for a new folder). I still like it, but not for work use. Nice sturdy knife.

OK, now that you have a lil info. on what I have and what I would like to get, do you have any suggestions?
Any would be appreciated...
Thanks.
 
Spyderco.....
Stretch, Manix, Paramilitary, Delica, Native,
You name it, it'll be worth it.
Or you could also get an benchmade (I recommend the 705)
Or the flat ground Ritter-Grip.
 
Yes, what walking man said I agree, you cant go wrong with a spyderco, endura, paramilitary, delica are all reasonably priced with your choice of handle materials and blade steel, my personal choice would be the ss comboedge police model (vg-10 steel). They are tough as hell.
 
thanks for the replies.
i like the spyderco para military and the yojimbo folder (very nice).
i also like the ritter-grip, where can i find one at a good price?

what do you know of the sog trident? i looked at it briefly yesterday.

emerson and mod how would you compare them? what kind of quality, higher or lower than spyderco and bm folders?

does anyone have any 'tried and true' stories about their edc?

let it rip.

thanks
 
Axis-lock, 3"-4" blade, a hole rather than pegs?...You are looking for a Benchmade 550 Griptilian.
 
The Ritter Grip is a great knife, but you would probably be happy with a regular Griptilian or Mini Griptilian, which you can also get with an opening hole, for less money.

If you can overcome your aversion to lockbacks, I'd recommend the Spyderco Native III.

For a similar knife, also a lockback, check out the Ka-Bar Dozier line, thumbstud or opening hole, $20.
 
I think the Para-Military is a great candidate. The lock takes some getting used to but once you get passed that it is a great knife and a great lock also. Certainly a step up from the liner lock.

There is nothing at all wrong with the BenchMade RSK Mk1 and/or the Mini RSK or any of their other axis lock knives either though.

I think for cutting a lot of rope and cardboard a 50/50 combo edge for both a serrated and plain edge available to you would be a great knife to have IMO.
 
forgot to mention that it will get dirt and sand on it. does the axis locks work well in dirt/sandy conditions? what other locks are recomended?
 
Any lock with small parts inside the handle has a problem with dirt and sand. That includes liner and axis locks. Framelocks are similar to liner locks, but being open, the dirt will just fall away.

A lockback will only jam where the blade tang meets the backspring, which is easy to see and easy to clean. Any dirt inside the handle, in the blade channel, can be cleared by blowing it out or pushing a scrap of rag or Q-Tip through it.

The MOD folders with the plunge lock are top quality, in my experience, and are also pretty much immune to dirt, but they are much more expensive.

Another folder that is practically immune to jamming is the balisong, but there are often legal or perception problems with them. As a balisong's handles rotate open or close, dirt will be flipped out and away.
 
Well, open designed linerlocks or integral locks shouldn't have any problems with stuff getting inside of them. Also easier (and less necessary to clean). The M16 is a pretty good choice, but you can probably do better for your needs.

I think you're the perfect candidate for the mini griptilian. Any of them. It has an axis lock, which I love, but might not be perfect for your situation. Nonetheless, even in sandy conditions, I haven't heard reports of them getting unreliable, though they do apparently require some cleaning.

I've never had a lockback jam, per say, but they've failed on me before. Some of my very old knives are at best slown down by the lock. However, I would imagine a spyderco would hold up much better than those cheap old beaters. I never worried about stuff getting into the lock either...and as far as I know, nothing ever did.
 
Walking Man said:
Spyderco.....
Stretch, Manix, Paramilitary, Delica, Native,
You name it, it'll be worth it.
Or you could also get an benchmade (I recommend the 705)
Or the flat ground Ritter-Grip.
Click to expand...

I'll second that! Any of these.
My favorite is the Paramilitary, though.
 
Hmmm... how about a Kershaw framelock? Most any of their assisted openers have a framelock and they are supposed to be quality products. The one major drawback that I see is their steel choice - as far as I know, it's usually 440A which, from my experience doesn't hold an edge well. But, other'n that, their knives are pretty good and definitely reasonably priced.
 
THe Military and Paramilitary are fantastic knives that's meet your needs... But both are over your budget and have tip-down clips.

Enduras and Delicas are fantastic knives that're right down at the low end of your price range... But they're lockbacks.

The Griptillian or mini-Grip meet _all_ of your criteria, but the AXIS lock _may_ be more suceptible to sand and dirt.

...

In your position, I'd stretch my budget and my clip preference and go for the Spyderco Military series. Honestly, tip-down works really well for this kind of knife, and I've had no trouble switching carry style for _my_ utility knives when the right knife's come along in my non-preferred configuration. And these guys are definitely among the lightest, best-cutting folders available.

OTOH, them's two of your criteria bein' stretched...

You'd be very happy with a Delica/Endura if you could get past your aversion to lockbacks, and the AXIS lock'll probably be no problem as long as you don't mind rinsing it out every week or so. There're honestly no wrong answers on this list.
 
thanks for the opinions.

right now i am leaning towards the griptillian. the axis lock is the only thing i am thinking twice on.

does anyone carry expensive edc's to work and use them? such as in construction work.

when i pull my folder out at work everyones eyes pop out and they say "damn thats a mean looking knife" lol. i tell them it's my "gut puller".lol.
 
I could almost build a house with my Victorinox Swiss Tool. Best heavy user I've owned. For construction, putting in chain link, cutting boards in a pinch or a quick job a pliers can only do that thing is great, and the serratted blade has proven to be one hell of a work horse blade also.

I may occassionally leave the house without my single blade knife and sometimes my pistol also, but that Swiss Tool is on my hip everyday.
 
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