Recommendation? The ULTIMATE beater folding knife... (3 choices)

Best "beater" folding knife? (3 choices)

  • Total voters
    90
zfJames said:
Why don't you just buy a cheap knife from a local store? Then you could replace it without ever feeling bad about your pocketbook. That's just my opinion...
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I would, but where I live, we have WalMart and Joe Bob's. Joe Bob's carries Benchmade, but the knives I would be interested in are outside of my budget. WalMart has... nothing I'm interested in.
 
Para 2 dlc m4 is coming soon. I know I’m praying my significant other won’t hurt me when they become available. I don’t think I can resist.
 
Heartland_edc said:
I would, but where I live, we have WalMart and Joe Bob's. Joe Bob's carries Benchmade, but the knives I would be interested in are outside of my budget. WalMart has... nothing I'm interested in.
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Is the 52100sprint still available?
 
People naturally associate beater to inexpensive. But inexpensive is subjective. The OP said 150 dollars top. That is his definition of beater/inexpensive. Based on that, the choice is no brainer: Manix 2 DLC s30v g10. It is overall the better one among the three.
 
Heartland_edc said:
Ok so take the term "beater" lightly
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If you really wanted a beater knife, so you could beat on it hard, I would suggest the Rat 1 because it is lower priced. If we are to take the term lightly but you still want a working knife, I would choose the Manix 2. And actually I have one in my garage that I use as a working knife. I would suggest looking around and trying to find one used, the plain ones can be relatively inexpensive used. I bought one of the saber grind 154CM versions about 5 years ago right before we moved and I used it a lot for cutting tape, opening boxes, etc. I think it is a tough knife that you could use hard and it would never feel it. You might be able to find a used one for half of your budget.
 
P2P said:
Is the 52100sprint still available?
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Yes it is. I was leaning towards that initially but 1% chromium scares me a little, and the knife will likely come in contact with water every now and then. I'm sure the coating would help resist corrosion, though the idea of it being a short run Knifeworks exclusive might cause me to baby it subconciously. My coworker bought it. That gray g10 w/black dlc blade is stunning in person!
 
Heartland_edc said:
I would, but where I live, we have WalMart and Joe Bob's. Joe Bob's carries Benchmade, but the knives I would be interested in are outside of my budget. WalMart has... nothing I'm interested in.
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That's the idea. WellMark blades cut, don't they? If they cut, then they're cheap and good enough to last you. There are some good Gerber knives there sometimes.
 
I’ve got one of each. My “beater” is the Native but only because the 110v is so chippy I can’t use it otherwise. The “best” of the 3 is hands down the Manix (Cruwear) that steel is amazing and the knife is outstanding, but the Rat(D2) is the most versitile as far as the grip is concerned. Of the 3 you mentioned it’s the only one comfortable in reverse or draw cut grip. The Spyderco offerings are great for Sabre or “standard” grip. All of the lock types are solid. There are of course many other options but I’ll keep my post as close to the poll even though I’m not choosing an option in it.
 
Heartland_edc said:
Ok so take the term "beater" lightly. I am trying to decide between 3 knives:

Spyderco Manix 2 - Black dlc - g10 - s30v
Spyderco Native 5 - Satin - FRN - MAXAMET
Ontario RAT 1 - Black dlc - plastic - D2

(I don't want a Tenacious. Just thought I'd throw that in there because I know it'll come up)

We are doing a TON of home projects this spring (building an awning, pooring concrete, building a playset, landscaping etc) and I need a DEDICATED *fairly* hard use folder. I don't want to beat on any of the other knives I currently own, but I've had great luck with Spydercos in the past. I really wish I could get a g10/MAXAMET combo but... nope. Really wanna keep the budget at about $150 max. I hate FRN scales, but aesthetics are not a factor here so I'm trying to put that aside. I have no experience with the RAT 1, but at $40 and the hype surrounding it, its a true contender.

Thoughts?
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:) If it has to one of your list , I'd vote RAT for a beater . If you can spend more : Before I dropped the $$$ for either of the Spyderco , I'd grab a Cold Steel with XHP steel , DLC and Tri-ad lock . Nothing against the Spyderco , but your get more value and performance in hard use from CS . It's your money !
 
The Rat 1 was my vote. I’d get the D2 without the DLC. My Rat 1 is AUS8 and I stopped using it because of how fast it lost its edge. It’s a great knife for the price, very practical blade shape. I replaced mine as my work EDC with the PM2 when they first came out and never looked back. The S30V holds a working edge much longer than the Rat did, plus I greatly prefer the opening hole and compression lock.
 
I have both the rat one and manix, they both make good beaters but to me the manix is the better option, even for the money. The handles have more grip, I think s30v is a better steel, and the manix gets bonus points for being usa made. If you dont want to spend over 100 bucks then the rat one is for sure a good bet. I have put both of these through some pretty rough use, the manix probably more so than the rat. My dlc has held up really good. The manix I think is a little stronger because mine still locks up tight with free action when the rat 1 is pretty stiff and has a little side to side play but not too much.
I am a little worried about the native 5 in maximet... I think they run that stuff super hard so I would be afraid it would chip out on you.
 
Cold Steel: Recon 1, Voyager, Lawman, Ultimate Hunter, Code 4, the list goes on...seriously you're not going to get tougher affordable beaters from any other brand, period.
Spyderco: Manix 2 back-lock

Everything else can still work, but they're simply not as strong if you plan to actually beat them up with years of hard work/abuse. The fact is all knives cut and cut hard, but the weak link is always the tip, the lock and the pivot. Tri-Ad lock and Spydercos new back-lock on the new manix/natives are tough as nails.
 
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Looks like most people are voting on the rat, but I will say that being able to but 2 makes me feel less bad about beating on one of them.
I keep a cheaper version of my edc (buck vantage pro-s30) so I don't feel bad about smashing on my edc.
It's a little silly, but I like to keep it shaving sharp.
It's to the point that I take an uncle henry Skinner to work for this purpose.
I hate box cutters, and it often doesn't do what I want, working at a hardware store.
 
Sorry but I must take this off track. Hands down the CRKT Crawford Kasper (KFF) can't be beat as a beater for $ 20 shipped. Reasonable steel and LAWKS to assure it won't unlock on you.
 
I’m not sure how maxamet is as a steel in terms of chippyness or resharpening.

Honestly I find s30v abit chippy for a beater knife. (Especially Spyderco’s s30v when ground thin, as done on the manix 2) I would almost say the bd1 manix lightweight would make a better beater knife in my opinion. Easier to resharpen at the end of the day too. I think the bb lock on the bd1 manix2 lw is a great lock for a work knife.

The rat in d2 is a good choice too. I love d2 and find once you get a good edge on it that it is fairly easy to touch up, just don’t let it get dull.
 
I voted for the RAT but mostly based on price.... but I carried a Native when I fixed up my place in Oregon
 
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