Under $100 and under 2.5 inches...your pick

kingston73

kingston73

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Oct 14, 2013
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There are a few places I travel to where I’d like to have a knife but because of local laws I want something small and “non-threatening”. I don’t want to spend over $100 and want something in the under 2.5 inch category. So given those limits, what would you pick?

Also, forgot to mention I’m looking for modern suggestions, I already have a traditional I carry sometimes but I’m looking for something with a pocket clip and 1 hand opening.
 
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Kershaw Copper Natrix, if 2.75" is a possibility. (I could probably part with mine if interested) Spyderco Dragonfly 2, CRKT and Cold Steel make a number of possibilities also. Just out of curiosity, is the 2.5" or less a legal requirement in your location? If not, opening up to a 3" or less blade gives you a whole lot more to choose from. If it is, make sure one hand operation, and a locking blade is not also a problem. Good luck on the hunt, and let us know how it goes!
 
Dragonfly, Robin, and I think the smaller Kabar Dozier would come in at 2.5in or smaller. And cold steel tuff lite I think their called which looks like a box cutter.

Gerber EAB or other one like that would be good for travel. Go into a secure area, remove and dispose of the blade and it's no big deal.

Spyderco has some modern one handed slip joints which would be legal in most places, just have to check the blade size. That would one of the most legal one handed knives you could get in my opinion.
 
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Another vote for the dragonfly. There's also the manbug and the cricket. Maybe check out what Great Eastern Cutlery models are available right now?
 
I would recommend traditional knives up and down, but since you aren't looking for those I will vouch for the spyderco manbug or ladybug. I traded all of mine away, but they were very useful and easy to carry. When a lanyard is added they increase in usefulness.

The dragonfly is an appealing option and if I were in your shoes I would give that one serious consideration. They also have the wire clip which is probably the best pocket clip ever. I usually dislike clips because of ergonomics but the wire clip has no issues.
 
kershaw reverb - usually around $22
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Cold Steel Tuff Lite. I own a lot of < 2.5" bladed knives and this one is the champ, until you get to really expensive small ones, as far as I'm concerned.

McFeeli said:
The Spyderco Dragonfly won’t disappoint. It’d be my choice of a “little big” knife. It’s small in stature, but big in cutting performance.
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I like the Dragonfly--I have, I dunno, four or five of them, including a zdp-189 version--as well as a pile of their other small finger-choiled folders, including a couple of really pretty Kopas, but IMO the CS Tuff Lite after a few minutes of sanding the rough spots off the plastic handles and breaking the edges of the blade spine is an altogether superior small knife.
 
Wow, lots of dragonfly’s! I’ll give that a look.
The copper matrix also looks pretty nice, a little bigger than what I was looking at though.
 
evilgreg said:
Cold Steel Tuff Lite. I own a lot of < 2.5" bladed knives and this one is the champ, until you get to really expensive small ones, as far as I'm concerned.
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I used to have a mini tuff lite. It was a great little box cutter; wouldn't mind having it back now that I'm thinking about it.
 
I’m really liking the dragonfly look, never thought of that for some reason. I don’t like spyderco frn but the pakkawood and g10 versions look good.
 
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TheChunk91 said:
I used to have a mini tuff lite. It was a great little box cutter; wouldn't mind having it back now that I'm thinking about it.
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BHQ has mini Tuffs on sale right now, for a whole $22.

And the Tuff Lite is a different beast than the Dragonfly in another way. The pronounced choil on the blade makes it a 2.5" knife with a four-finger grip, which is not common with smaller knives. I find the Dragonfly to be useful, when I can find the darn thing. It is so small I lose it for months at a time.
 
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