The search for my perfect EDC folder continues... any advice?

Sounds like you might like a G-10 Delica, Caly 3, &/or a Sage. I haven't tried the G-10 Delica, but I have owned both a Caly 3 & a Sage. I only have the Sage now as it's just more comfortable, to me, than the Caly 3. I also like the choil better on the Sage, too.

Good luck on whatever you get.
 
Looking for the perfect work EDC was what got me involved in knives.

After purchasing and trying dozens, I found the perfect knife for me, It was the Spyderco Yojimbo.

Now I am trying to find the perfect weekend knife, the perfect camping knife, the perfect farm knife etc etc - so my shopping continues.:D
 
I have tried so many that I can't start to remember them all but the Vic Farmer sure is at or near the top for practical users.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and pick up a CF ZDP Caly3. I looked at the other nearby Spydercos like the Sage and Stretch, but I think you guys are right and the Caly 3 is what I'm looking for.

Thanks!
 
VG10 Caly 3, Sage, or mini-RSK (FRN-type handle) seem to be in the category you're looking for. If you don't mind aluminium scales, you might look at a BM 707 as well. Personally, I'd take the Caly 3 first and the Sage first-and-a-half. My Caly 3 has been through some rough stuff... it's certainly not just a "gentleman's knife" as far as it's toughness.
 
I've got the perfect knife for you! Kershaw Ken Onion Tactical Blur
Tanto Blade which means 2 straight edges! Its an assisted opener as well and the blade is 3.375 inches.
 
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get your hand around one of these. It's a Kershaw Shallot. Yes it has a bit of recurve and a metal handle, but what a great knife. Mine is a standard finish PE Shallot that I paid about $38 for at Davi's in Raleigh, and it's just fantastic. It's assisted open, it has Ken Onion's famous ergos, it's a framelock with rock-solid lockup, and it maintains a hair-shaving edge quite well. You really should try one out.

Blade length is right around 3.5", it weighs 4.2 ounces, is right-hand-only but can be tip up or tip down.
 
Well I see you have made up your mind...for now. I know the para-military might be out of you price range but I think it might be almost perfect. Its been spending alot of time clipped in my pocket. If you like the griptilian but not the handles I just read in Tactical Knives about custom upgraded grips, the pictures look really sharp, so you might want to think about that as well.
 
I don't know if you went ahead on ordered yet, but I figured I would post anyway.

Tough to find one for under $100, but I would recommend Benchmade's model 943 (Osborne). S30V steel, black anodized Aluminum handles with stainless steel liners, Axis lock, 3.4" blade, 7.87" overall. Cheapest place I could find was Knifesupply.com; you might be able to find one cheaper on Ebay.

I don't own one, but I'm seriously thinking about getting one. I had the chance to handle one at Blade Show West 08 and I was really impressed. Smooth action, excellent fit and finish, not too thick or heavy. For a nearly 8" knife, it felt much smaller in the hand. My Emerson HD-7 is also a tad under 8", but it feels perhaps 2x larger. Cheers.

BM943
 
Noshtero said:
OK... I'm still in search of the perfect everyday carry. Let me tell you what I've tried so far, and why it didn't work.

BM 710 M2HS:
Too long
Had troubles sharpening the recurve blade

SOG Twitch II:
Too little

Kershaw Lahar:
Too beefy
Had troubles sharpening the recurve blade

So here's what I'm looking for.

Size:
I want a 3" to 3.5" blade. I don't want a super wide blade like the Lahar. I'd prefer if it wasn't a big tactical beefy folder, as that is overkill for my EDC. On the other hand I don't want a delicate gentlemen's folder.

Blade:
I want a straight edged blade, no recurves.

Handle:
I don't like plasticy feeling handles, like on some of the Spydercos. They just feel cheap to me. I generally stay away from bare metal as well. I don't like a super rough handle because it tears up my pants. I like a finger choil of some sort. I like the style of the Kershaw ENER-G II, Spyderco Caly III, Benchmade Skirmish. That sort of intergrated finger choil.

Clip:
I like LOW profile carry, but still clipped to my pocket. I surely would not want a huge clip like on the Kershaw JYD, for example. I'm not against sending the knife to STR to have a lo-pro clip put on it, but if all things are equal I'd like a low-pro clip out-of-the-box

Use:
Predominently a slicer. If I want to do some heavy cutting I'll get out the Lahar or something. My EDC generally slices open packages.

Grind:
I am best at maintaining a convex edge with sandpaper and a strop. I'm not completetly against sending the knife to Tom Krein or somebody if it comes with a hollow ground or something like that though. If all things are equal, I'd prefer to just sandpaper and strop the out-of-the-box knife though. Of the normal production grinds, I guess flat would be best.

Price:
Under $100. I know that limits me somewhat, but with the performance I've seen from $50 Spydercos and Kershaws, I just can't justify spending $300 for an EDC folder.

Steel:
Not real picky here. I'm one of those sacriligious fellows who can't really tell the difference between different steels. I'm not the best sharpener in the world, and my EDC doesn't see much hard use at all. So I guess something that fairly easily takes a super keen edge would be best for me. I'm not overly worried with retention. I'll strop regularly like a good boy.

So any advice would be appriciated.
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If you have the dollars I would suggest the stretch 2.:thumbup:
 
How about a Kershaw Skyline? It sounds like it would meet most of your wants. Good Luck! Kevin :D
 
I just got a few knives this week and two of my faves are:

BM Mini-Griptillian with satin PE blade - A classic
Spyderco Tenacious - Awesome knife for $32
 
Since you mentioned Kershaw why not the Junkyard Dog? Comes in two sizes, has a slight curve to the blade but shouldn't be difficult to sharpen and with the larger size you have the option of choosing the composite blade (CPM D2 edge) option.:thumbup:
 
I think you made a good choice with the Calypso III, either the cf, zdp model, or the g-10, vg-10 model. Either way I have not read any bad about this knife and I see it reccommended many times when a question such as yours is asked.:thumbup::thumbup::)
 
Ive got a sog visionary 2 and a kershaw JYD 2 on the way, ill let you know when i get them.

The visionary 2 might be in area. $100, its a 3 3/4 inch blade, not thick or beefy, quality arc lock, bayonet pocket clip for low carry. VG-10 steel, feels very comfortable.
 
You are never going to find a perfect EDC for $100. Instead, you will end up after a few months realizing that your $100 knife is just not exactly what you want, and you will buy another. After you have been thru 5 or 6 iterations of this, you'll realize that you have spent just about enough money that you could have had your dream, perfect custom.

What is that old saying, something like 'a fool learns from his experience...the wise man learns from the experience of others.'
 
wutitiz said:
You are never going to find a perfect EDC for $100. Instead, you will end up after a few months realizing that your $100 knife is just not exactly what you want, and you will buy another. After you have been thru 5 or 6 iterations of this, you'll realize that you have spent just about enough money that you could have had your dream, perfect custom.

What is that old saying, something like 'a fool learns from his experience...the wise man learns from the experience of others.'
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You know what, I'm getting to that point as well. haha, Ive told myself that alot lately and finally decided to get one custom made. Now I do have a few im ordering but im starting to merge into customs after those purchases. I like the ability to get the steel I want, the size i choose and my design. Hell you cant beat that!! lol...unless you made it yourself.
 
wutitiz said:
You are never going to find a perfect EDC for $100. Instead, you will end up after a few months realizing that your $100 knife is just not exactly what you want, and you will buy another. After you have been thru 5 or 6 iterations of this, you'll realize that you have spent just about enough money that you could have had your dream, perfect custom.

What is that old saying, something like 'a fool learns from his experience...the wise man learns from the experience of others.'
Click to expand...

I'd say the caly 3 is just about perfect and it's $100. Though I did have to go through 4-5 knives before finding it :(
 
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