Uh oh, just sold my guitar so now I'm flush with cash...so begins the search! Hehe

Skimmed through this thread and it seems to me that a Spyderco Southard is the way to go. You like Spyderco and seem interested in a beefy but not too-beefy folder; the Southard isn't tanky like a ZT, but it's not exactly dainty either. Also, it's a great knife. I'm not fond of brown scales, but that's nothing a few dollars worth of black RIT dye can't fix . . .
 
If you want a ZT that isn't too big but will definitely handle heavy-duty tasks, get a 550. Mine slices really well. It's my heaviest folder at around 6 ounces but I don't notice it in my pocket. Maybe not suited for neck carry. I found mine for $154
 
evilgreg said:
Skimmed through this thread and it seems to me that a Spyderco Southard is the way to go. You like Spyderco and seem interested in a beefy but not too-beefy folder; the Southard isn't tanky like a ZT, but it's not exactly dainty either. Also, it's a great knife. I'm not fond of brown scales, but that's nothing a few dollars worth of black RIT dye can't fix . . .
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Well Greg, for just "skimming" you've nailed it closer than anyone else! You just described what I want better than I could! The zts look kind of cool...I WANT to like them but they just seem a bit "much". I think I'd feel a bit...umm..."mall ninja" carrying one. Not trying to get myself flamed by the zt fans. That's not a knock on the knives! By all accounts they are superb, and i might buy myself one someday, I just can't see myself chopping up mackerel with one!

The Southard huh? Yup I've looked at that one before. Looks like a good call but man, it's pretty pricey! I don't know anything about that steel either. I would assume there's something special about it given the price point?
 
It's a cool steel. It's Carpenter's analog to M390, which is probably my favorite steel for small knives. Holds a fantastic edge, fairly easy to sharpen, and fabulous edge retention. Very fine steel, if it's done well, and Spyderco certainly will.

That being said, here's a few of my HTM/DDR blades. Customer service has been a little iffy since the move, but I do love the knives. Disregard the fixed blade on the right. I hope to get an AXD at some point, but that's expensive, ya know?


The Todd Begg Bodega and the Will Zermeno Azrael are also ones I'd like to get at some point.

For that matter, you might consider looking at the exchange and consider getting a custom.
 
The Southard is extremely well made by an excellent factory in Taiwan, great reputation for making some of Spyderco's classiest knives. Personally, I think it's ugly. Too bulky for you.

Seeing you want minimal, neck carry, light weight, I think you should research neck knives. They are not necessarily tiny. ESEE and Becker are worth checking out. (They even have a collaboration :)) Consider skeletal versions, which are even lighter, no scales to hide rust, very flat carry.

I've even got a couple of Mission titanium neckers, but I think you need better sharpness than those provide.
 
evilgreg said:
Skimmed through this thread and it seems to me that a Spyderco Southard is the way to go. You like Spyderco and seem interested in a beefy but not too-beefy folder; the Southard isn't tanky like a ZT, but it's not exactly dainty either. Also, it's a great knife. I'm not fond of brown scales, but that's nothing a few dollars worth of black RIT dye can't fix . . .
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If you guys find a company selling a new southard at a decent price, let us know.
I'm on several e mail list waiting for about a month. $ 210 $ 250 price range
 
Buy a CRK Sebenza 25. Its lock geometry is superior to, and stronger than, any other production knife. It will literally last a lifetime.

 
I've carried a Manix2 for about a year now, just bought a ZT 0550 for another to throw in the rotation. This one is a brute but a beautiful display of ZT's quality. Not too large, and for the bulk it can still hide in your pocket relatively well with the low ride clip on the newer generation. S35VN is a great maintainable slicer and mine came like a razor out of the box. I am a Spyderco fan too, but ZT set the hook also with this one.
 
If I were in your shoes I would buy one custom knife. I would initially spend a lot of time asking yourself questions like: what are you going to be doing with this knife (edc or collectable), do you want a flipper vs. non-flipper, blade length, type of blade steel, tip up or tip down carry, type of grind as if your buying a custom you can pretty much choose, what weight of a knife do you prefer, what finish, framelock or other method, IKBS, handle material, that is just to list a few of the major questions and I know that I am forgetting some and leaving some of the major ones out. I personally would go with what many people have said and just buy a Sebenza 25. Buy it brand new, you can find them a lot easier than in the past as now they are more available. It will set you back $445.00 plus shipping but you have top of the line customer support, lifetime warrenty, and with trips to the CRK spa it will last forever. Plus, IMO, its an almost flawless knife and feels great in the hand and cuts like a champion. However, if you are looking to go more of a custom route, which means more $$$, then there are endless makers to choose from. Good luck and keep us posted with what you decide.
 
If you want a "hard use" folder, I'd look at something from CRK, Hinderer, or Strider. That is, if you have the cash to blow on it. My current favorite is a Strider SNG that has kicked my XM out of my pocket. I even traded off my Sebenza 25 because I didn't carry it once I got the Strider. But really, any knife from the "Big 3" of mid-techs is worth owning at least once.
 
Well, this has been very educational, as each time someone suggested something I wasn't familiar with I googled it. So if nothing else, I've learned a thing or two. I appreciate all the suggestions from everyone! A lot of the high end stuff looks cool, but the truth is, I'm just not going to spend 4 of 5 hundred on a knife. I understand those who do, but its not the right call for me. Aside from treating my knives pretty rough, I live in Costa Rica where nice things have a way of "disappearing". Less is more down here! Actually, my absolute favorite knife at the moment is the dragonfly salt. I beat it like a rented mule and it keeps comin back for more. Steel is soft so I have to sharpen daily, but I'm ok with that. I'm probably going to just pick up the larger pacific salt for now. Hell, it's only $65 and if my experience with the dragonfly is any indication, it should be tough as nails. I'll keep eyeballing all those fancy suggestions though...maybe one day. :-).

Hey, btw, even though I'm not going to buy one right now, I gotta say, that strider sng looks awesome!! If I ever get a wild hair I think that knife is going to be near the top of the list!
 
Moxy said:
Buy a CRK Sebenza 25. Its lock geometry is superior to, and stronger than, any other production knife. It will literally last a lifetime.



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As a former CRK dealer this is simply not true. I have pushed these knives way past their limits producing really bad lock rock, and it didn't take much. I have a HEST 2.0 that handled 10x what the sebenzas did. I'm not trying to start a flame war here at all, just giving facts.

It's possible the Hinderer and the ZT locks are much stronger than the Axis lock, because I haven't owned either one, but as far as Axis locks go they are stronger than the sebenza lockbar. By far. :)
 
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southernknives said:
As a former CRK dealer this is simply not true. I have pushed these knives way past their limits producing really bad lock rock, and it didn't take much. I have a HEST 2.0 that handled 10x what the sebenzas did. I'm not trying to start a flame war here at all, just giving facts.

It's possible the Hinderer and the ZT locks are much stronger than the Axis lock, because I haven't owned either one, but as far as Axis locks go they are stronger than the sebenza lockbar. By far. :)
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I find that hard to believe from my experience.
 
moxy, what makes you think there is something in a Chris Reeve knife that makes it disobey the laws of physics? of course it can be used to lock failure, any knife can be. and there is nothing inherently better in a Chris Reeve frame lock than any other frame lock from a good manufacturer. In fact, I'd give that nod to frame locks with a steel insert (like my spyderco military) as far as longevity goes.

Surfingringo said:
Oof! That 0566 is pretty sweet looking! I'm kind of thinking over the spyderco military idea too. I keep feeling like the military would be the more useful, but im a spyderco fan and probably a bit biased. Caly 3.5 has always looked nice to me too. I appreciate the opinions and thoughts as I live outside the u.s. and don't have the chance to see these knives before I buy!
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if you plan to actually cut things then you are right, the military or Caly will be more useful. the ergonomics and blade geometry on both models just scream to be used all day.

4ptnoi.jpg
 
southernknives said:
I know I would too, give me a few days, I will try to post it on my YouTube channel if it's still open. If not I will open a new one. Thanks.
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I'm intrigued and would like to see that. Please post a link somewhere around here when you do!

On topic, There are a lot of good suggestions around here, and I think the list is pretty good. Living in the tropics and being around all the glorious salty air and water, I'd make sure to do a little research on how whatever you choose should be maintained and how it's steel holds up. Pretty much anything that is actually used and maintained will be totally fine, but it could be a nuisance to pick something you want to carry and use and end up having to worry about what a pain it is to break down or clean up if you use it as you should.
 
NjHart said:
I'm intrigued and would like to see that. Please post a link somewhere around here when you do!

On topic, There are a lot of good suggestions around here, and I think the list is pretty good. Living in the tropics and being around all the glorious salty air and water, I'd make sure to do a little research on how whatever you choose should be maintained and how it's steel holds up. Pretty much anything that is actually used and maintained will be totally fine, but it could be a nuisance to pick something you want to carry and use and end up having to worry about what a pain it is to break down or clean up if you use it as you should.
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Yep, I totally agree, and corrosion resistance is always really high on my list. I completely rule out tool steels like d2. The Gayle Bradley, for example, is nice but it's not even on my radar because of the blade material. And yes, I know I could sit down and oil and polish my knives each night, and always wash and wipe them the moment they got any saltwater on them, etc...but I also know myself and I know I'm not going to go to extremes for "knife maintenance". I take care of em, but the less care they need, the better! That's why I'm so happy with the spyderco "salt" series. So yeah, I'm looking
to branch out into some knives with different kinds of steel (ideally with better edge retention than h1), but you are right...corrosion resistance is ALWAYS a priority where I live!
 
I made the video uploaded it from my phone (twice) and I can only view it from my desktop when I log into my user name which is 3vcpmsteel.
The video title is Sebenza lock rock, but nothing comes up when I type that in. I don't know what it's doing?
 
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