Torn between two knives

Benchmade has great CS. Ive sent my knives back multiple times for factory sharpening and the above mentioned spring assist issue and only have to pay for the shipping to them. No questions asked. I've never even been asked where I bought them.
I'm glad to hear that in case I get a pre-owned one!
 
ZT0350 is their old school heavy duty model that was one of few ZTs knives that made their name back in the day.
Id pick this over many other new models, built as tank and very useful.
AO all the way. The main purpose of the AO is to eliminate the human factor from launching the blade till it’s locked, very important thing that is almost always overlooked or underrated by people who don’t look at knifes as a weapons.
Not criticizing, just saying. My choice in this case will be very easy - the ZT
 
If you want to try out Benchmade's Axis Assist, then I recommend the Boost or the Mini Boost. Great stuff.

If you want to try one out, PM me and I'll ship you a Mini Boost to beat on. You won't hurt it, and BM's CS is A-OK.
 
The other one I own is the BM 585 Mini Barrage. Great snappy little knife too. My only gripe with mine is that it has gone back because the assist spring has popped off and had to be replaced/re-seated. I'm sure there is a way for that to be done myself but I couldn't get it back in place.
THIS!! High quality flippers are so common and cost effective these days that I see no real advantage to assisted opening - just more moving parts to "go wrong".
 
THIS!! High quality flippers are so common and cost effective these days that I see no real advantage to assisted opening - just more moving parts to "go wrong".
Any good quality ones under (current market prices) $150?
 
Not junk?

I'd hope that was obvious. The issue is that quality exists on a spectrum. Different people draw their "junk" and "good quality" lines at different places along that spectrum.

Just thinking about steel, some people would call 8Cr13Mov junk and some wouldn't. Some people would call VG-10 good and some wouldn't. The definition might also slide a little relative to price. For instance, I don't necessarily have a problem with 8Cr13Mov in a $20 knife. It gets a lot harder to recommend as the price climbs towards $30 and it rapidly becomes "junk" approaching $40.

Thinking about the knives I mentioned earlier, all of those represent good quality relative to price. For instance, the Sencut Snap in 9Cr18Mov is downright amazing at $40-something. The manual action is good. The steel is better than your average VG-10 in both edge retention and corrosion resistance. The Snap is still good enough to make my EDC rotation despite me owning much more expensive knives.

The WE knives I mentioned are the most expensive folders I own. They are also the highest-quality folders I own. They are far better than "good enough". They are arguably fancier than I need. While the curve of diminishing returns is real, that little bit of extra awesomeness makes me smile every time. If you just want to experience a good manual action, or at least one that demonstrates the obsolescence of assisted action, what are your minimum requirements for EDC?
 
A little of everything. Utility, outdoor adventures, the obvious box opening, maybe even self defense (in case my gun isn't handy for some reason).
At the present, I don't have the luxury of spending north of $175 on a knife.
When I mention "junk", I'm talking about Pakastani or low quality Asian knives.
 
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A little of everything. Utility, outdoor adventures, the obvious box opening, maybe even self defense (in case my gun isn't handy for some reason.
At the present, I don't have the luxury of spending north of $175 on a knife.
When I mention "junk", I'm talking about Pakastani or low quality Asian knives.

That's good news. It really opens up your options. There are lots of good manual EDC knife for significantly less than your max. Since you didn't mention a minimum bar for steel, I'd suggest a floor of 9Cr18Mov and 14C28N. Both can very good EDC steels and I've spent a lot of time with both of them. I generally avoid D2 because of its low corrosion resistance. Is corrosion resistance an issue for you? Also, do you sharpen?

I hate the idea of folding knives as defensive tools. Would it also be worth also looking at some EDC-friendly fixed blades?
 
Benchmade has great CS. Ive sent my knives back multiple times for factory sharpening and the above mentioned spring assist issue and only have to pay for the shipping to them. No questions asked. I've never even been asked where I bought them.


Yeah they're definitely only concerned with counterfeits, not people who picked up a secondhand but legitimate knife. The policy excludes secondhand online sales too, if read verbatim, but that clearly isn't the intent and I have never had any questions aside from 'which models do you have and which kinds of clips do you want for them?' when I have written to them. I haven't sent a knife in for a spa day or re-blading yet, but I bet it would be pretty great too.
 
That's good news. It really opens up your options. There are lots of good manual EDC knife for significantly less than your max. Since you didn't mention a minimum bar for steel, I'd suggest a floor of 9Cr18Mov and 14C28N. Both can very good EDC steels and I've spent a lot of time with both of them. I generally avoid D2 because of its low corrosion resistance. Is corrosion resistance an issue for you? Also, do you sharpen?

I hate the idea of folding knives as defensive tools. Would it also be worth also looking at some EDC-friendly fixed blades?
I’m fat and sweat a lot. Something in my system/skin makes me have to have stainless steel eyeglass frames, otherwise they’ll turn green.
I think I’m set on fixed blade knives.
 
I’m fat and sweat a lot. Something in my system/skin makes me have to have stainless steel eyeglass frames, otherwise they’ll turn green.
I think I’m set on fixed blade knives.

That's what happens to me in the summer. It gets hot with long periods of oppressive humidity. Sweat becomes a fact of life and pockets are not spared. Even with extra effort on keeping my blades clean and oiled, I can still get spots on D2. It's rarer with 8Cr13Mov or AUS-8 but it can still happen. As my dad once put it: why lean into the punch? Steels like 9Cr18Mov, 14C28N, N690, BD1N, and M390/20CV are stainless enough that I don't have to give it a second thought.

EDC fixed blades are a different world. I only do it sometimes, including all of the time when I'm visiting states that violate gun rights.

Forgive me if you already mentioned it but what are your preferences for blade length, style, shape, etc.? Does the handle material matter? Do you have a strong opinion on coated versus non-coated blades?
 
That's what happens to me in the summer. It gets hot with long periods of oppressive humidity. Sweat becomes a fact of life and pockets are not spared. Even with extra effort on keeping my blades clean and oiled, I can still get spots on D2. It's rarer with 8Cr13Mov or AUS-8 but it can still happen. As my dad once put it: why lean into the punch? Steels like 9Cr18Mov, 14C28N, N690, BD1N, and M390/20CV are stainless enough that I don't have to give it a second thought.

EDC fixed blades are a different world. I only do it sometimes, including all of the time when I'm visiting states that violate gun rights.

Forgive me if you already mentioned it but what are your preferences for blade length, style, shape, etc.? Does the handle material matter? Do you have a strong opinion on coated versus non-coated blades?
My old Kershaw has a blade that’s a hair over 3.5”. I like the size. Actually, the only carry knife I have with an smaller blade is an OLD SOG gentleman’s knife.
I like aluminum and G10 handles.
I like coated knives, but it isn’t a deal breaker.
 
Alright, let's start with a couple of Civivi knives. I'll grab pictures from BladeHQ, which is a sponsor here. Notice that these come in at a fraction of your max price. Either would be good enough for EDC in my opinion.

First, this is a more recent version of one of Civivi's first knives: The Baklash. I have a couple of the non-coated versions. It has a 3.5" blade in 9Cr18Mov with WE's excellent heat treatment. I've spent a lot of pocket time with this one and it is still one of my favorites.

https://www.bladehq.com/item--CIVIVI-Baklash-Flipper-Liner-Lock--103161
 
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Both of those are good looking knives. I'm not really crazy about the clip point blade, but it's not a deal killer.
 
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