Thinking about an EDC fixed blade… 2.5" - 3"…

For a great deal. LT Wright Great Plainsman. it is #5 down in picture. One for sale from JSR Sports in Brown Bone for $119.00!! What a steal. If you want a custom both JK & Horsewright are approved here on BF. Both are great guys and do
fantastic work. The second down in the above picture is a Schrade dropfinger from the 70s. I got it off the big auction site for 35 bucks. A Classic. The two Krein in the picture don't fit the criteria, they are over the price limit. Fantastic knives
 
I prefer bird and trout sized knives for EDC. LT wright coyote, crkt mossback B&T (based on Tom Krein design if you want something from him for more premium), Nicholas Crawford has a very nice B&T that recently were available on the maker's market, and many others. I've paired several together with a collector knives clip sheath to create a presentation similar to a folding knife and I've had some custom sheaths made as well that I really liked.

L to R: Crawford B&T, CRKT mossback B&T, AF EDC
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Wharn stinger from Hard edge knives on forum w/ custom pocket sheath
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Buck ops boot knife is interesting if you don't mind a small handle or tanto tips. Here it is clipped onto the sheath of the larger orange knife from above.
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Caper knives are also nice, the tend to be a little wider and have a little more belly than B&T and center around slicing and less stabbing.
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IMO, the esee candiru and izula are thicker than I care to have in EDC role. However, the camplore series are nice looking and the camplore cr2.5 has had my interest for a while except that I would prefer a stainless steel for that design of knife and price tag.
 
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hhmoore said:
You didn't mention budget; so I'll throw out a few of my favorites in that range:
Bradford Guardian 3, LT Wright Patriot, Dozier Modified Personal, BRKT Mini Fox River
Click to expand...
Bradford 3 is too big. The blade is 3.5" and 3" cutting edge. LT Wright has a few that fit the bill, Frontier valley, The Great Plainsman, Etc. They have about 8 in that price range. Great knives.
 
Awesome replies.

Current Shortlist:

* Lionsteel M1
* LT Wright Patriot
* Buck 113 Ranger Skinner
* Arno Bernard (e.g. "bush baby", "small hunter")
* Charles Roddenberry/ Suwannee River Knives (OhMai)
* Hazen Small 1095
* Whiteriver Caper


The Bradford Guardian 3 is too big, alas.
 
For slicey, with a 3 inch max, it's tough to beat the Dozier Modified Personal...though $200 leaves you waiting for one to appear on the exchange (which happens, just not with the regularity of some other options). The main issue would be The less than pocketable stock sheath (easily remedied). The AG Russell would have been a great option; but it is no longer available on the site (I checked yesterday).
The Mini Fox River didn't make your short list; but it is probably my favorite of the group I posted. Back when the LT version of the Little Creek appeared, I inquired if one would be coming for the MFR. The reply was semi-affirmative, but included the phrase no idea when that might happen. I anticipate that one being a winner.
That leaves the Patriot from my list. I've seen it offered in a few blade steels (only D2, when I got mine). It's surprisingly comfortable and useful for such a small knife... and I often pocket it with the stock sheath. The only real disclaimer I would add about it is something I've already said "such a small knife". I wear XL gloves, palms are longer than wide, and I have slim fingers - my preference is for a more hand filling grip... but, for my typical day to day usage, the Patriot does just fine. I rarely find myself NEEDING a larger knife.

(I had a picture of my patriot next to a traditional, as a fun size comparison - I'll try to dig that up.)
 
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hhmoore said:
The old image was on photobucket, and is inaccessible; so here's a new one for size reference.
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Click to expand...

Looks just about right.

The exclusion thus far of Bark River is ironic, because I’ve been looking at their small knives for years. City knife, for example.

We’ll see. Still pondering.
 
Dozier D2 wins.

The knife is incredibly comfortable in hand (for me, at least). It is small, but not too small. I can get a full grip on the Modified Personal (and the Mini Fox River, btw); whereas I can only get 3 fingers on the Patriot, with my index finger up against the modified choil/ricasso. The hollow ground blade excels at slicing, which is most of what I want a blade this size to do. Oh, and it's Dozier D2, in case I didn't mention it :thumbsup:

Honestly, it's difficult for me to use it because it's so nice. That's why I carry the Arkansas Toothpick far more often. The blade is a little longer, but the handle still fits me well...and the micarta doesn't have the same aesthetic appeal as the wood of the MP.

Here are a couple of pics for comparison. For the first one, I lined up the cutting edge; for the second, I lined up the grip
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hhmoore said:
Dozier D2 wins.

The knife is incredibly comfortable in hand (for me, at least). It is small, but not too small. I can get a full grip on the Modified Personal (and the Mini Fox River, btw); whereas I can only get 3 fingers on the Patriot, with my index finger up against the modified choil/ricasso. The hollow ground blade excels at slicing, which is most of what I want a blade this size to do. Oh, and it's Dozier D2, in case I didn't mention it :thumbsup:

Honestly, it's difficult for me to use it because it's so nice. That's why I carry the Arkansas Toothpick far more often. The blade is a little longer, but the handle still fits me well...and the micarta doesn't have the same aesthetic appeal as the wood of the MP.

Here are a couple of pics for comparison. For the first one, I lined up the cutting edge; for the second, I lined up the grip
Ciz8JPo.jpg

13VZlAk.jpg
Click to expand...
3" is a hard upper limit.
 
You already said that, lol.
I'm not trying to push you over, and I wasn't suggesting the Arkansas Toothpick for you. You asked what I liked about the modified personal, and I told you...if you looked at the picture and decided that it was over 3", that's your mistake. Perhaps you forgot my comment about the Patriot? (such a small knife)
Good luck with your search.
 
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