Thinking about entering the world of spyderco

Endura is back lock whereas both Military and Vallotton are liner lock. Seems like you're looking for something with a blade length of 3.75"-4".

Starmate is 3.75", a liner lock and quite well-balanced.
Navaja is 3.875" and a liner lock.
The new Hungarian is 3.63" (only slightly shorter), a liner lock and great looking.

Only Military fits within your $150 max budget if you're buying brand new.
 
Also, just to throw it out there, Military is made in Golden, Colorado so it's not an 'import'. That being said, like other have said before I'll just echo that anything coming out of the Taiwan plant is simply put some of the best production quality on the market right now. Designed by Sal and Eric or custom knifemakers with premium steel and materials shipped from the US to there for manufacture. It's almost silly how good the Taichung stuff is.
 
I was in your shoes last week. I pulled the trigger on the Ulize, and it arrived yesterday. It is the knife in my avatar.

Inspired by a German police officer who aided in the design, it has a slightly more than 4" recurve blade and it came razor-sharp. It is a lockback design, which some like, others do not like, but it is extremely thin in design. My only lockback (and Spyderco knife) and I actually really like it.

I got that model to carry at work (in an office environment) with an inside-the waistband carry method. It is so thin you can't tell I'm carrying it with dress slacks on, but I'll tell you, if I pulled that thing out in a defensive situation (if I were ever in one) just seeing it would scare off a lot of perps, it's that intimidating.

Plus, it looks like a pteradactyl, which is cool!

I'd also look at the Benchmade 710 in M390, D2 or CPM-M4. It is 4" and one great knife, too. It looks great, too.
 
Have a look at the Chokwe. They were discontinued for 2013, but you can still find them around if you know where to look. 3.75" blade, around 4 oz. G10 by Ti frame lock, very unique, and despite not looking it a very comfortable grip.
 
stonproject said:
so i think ive narrowed it down to the endura, vallotten, and the military. what types of locking mechanisms do each of these have? im partial to the simplicity, and reliability (atleast for me) of the liner lock. Do these use liner locks? if not, what do they have, and hows it compare to a liner? thanks again for bearing with me guys, super helpful , and youre giving me a lot to think about.

PS. Endura with the emerson wave, anyone?
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They have been making the Military for a long time now and they have really got the liner lock dialed in on this model. The lockup on every Military I've owned has been super solid and the handle shape makes it easy to deploy and disengage if you're wearing work gloves. The Military is probably my favorite knife and I think it is ergonomically superior to any folding knife I've handled so far.
 
Have to concur on the military. The handle is amazing and provides you with so many options. Easily flicks open, great slicer and for its size it is very light. It is also nice and slim. The vallotton is a stunner but it is thick and heavy and the blade is also very thick, not a slicer like the mili.
 
A lot of great choices. The military is a great choice for a large folder. For it's size it carries very light and it is a great slicer with that FFG blade. The Police 3 is another one that fits your specs but hasn't been mentioned yet. It's solid but has been around a long time and people take it for granted. Hold one and it will be difficult to take it for granted any more.

Joe
 
The Mastiff said:
A lot of great choices. The military is a great choice for a large folder. For it's size it carries very light and it is a great slicer with that FFG blade. The Police 3 is another one that fits your specs but hasn't been mentioned yet. It's solid but has been around a long time and people take it for granted. Hold one and it will be difficult to take it for granted any more.

Joe
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Love the Police 3. You can't appreciate how big the blade is on it until you hold it. Makes my Enduras feel small :) Great fit and finish as well, G10 handles, smooth operation.
 
I prefer the back locks on the Endura and Delica models.
I have several Military models but the liner lock is not my favourite.
For a more exotic lock, get a Manix 2 or Dodo.
The newer Ulize model looks really cool. Something i will be looking at early next year.
 
The military has one of the best liner locks I've seen. They're amazingly strong.
 
It seems everyone is apprehensive about Spyderco at first, I didn't purchase my first until 2 years ago. Since then I have almost exclusivly purchased spyderco knives. It all started with the Tasman, then Endura, Native, P'kal, Smallfly, Equilibrium, Yojimbo, Manix, and most recently the Navaja. My favorite knife that exists is the Native, although it does not fit withit your specs. So I would stick with the Endura.
 
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