What aspects to you like to see most in a EDC?

1. Utility- can it reliably handle my daily activities, and a standard deviation or two from the daily activities
2. Reliability- if I'm worrying about my knife, I'm not worrying about what I'm using it for and that is inherently a problem for me
3. Ease of carry- really a subset of #1. If I feel uncomfortable carrying it (either its too big or inappropriate in situations), that reduces my personal utility
4. Enjoyment- if it meets all three of the first requirements I start the "How much would I enjoy this?" test. I factor in fun opening and closing, aesthetic and tactile pleasure, fun/ease of sharpening, pride in ownership, and overall how the knife makes me feel. I'm pretty specific, exacting, and detailed in 1-3 evaluations (and go into far more detail than is really useful here), but there are more than a couple of knives that adequately fit the bill. Number 4 helps me pick my favorites of the group.
 
For me it has to be around 4" closed, a blade of around 3" and under 4 oz. Not deal breakers but that's my prototype for an EDC.

Good steel like VG-10,CPM S30V and the like.

One-handed opening.

Good ergo handle with good finger choils.

Other than that, not too many requirements.
 
Oooo good thread idea :thumbup:

Haha I like to provide examples so any companies or names I include are just to give you an idea of what I like, not to bash or criticize them in any way, this is just what I like.

1-Size, I like my EDC to be as much blade I can get for the weight, if that means bigger blade smaller handle so be it, I also like to have a very thin profile, not bulky, but I can't stand a knife that feels like it will snap, so a thin/heavy duty profile. Spyderco describes this perfectly.

2-Steel type, I am obsessive compulsive about sharpness/imperfections in blades, I want a hair splitting/even looking edge that will still cut cardboard like a knife through butter, not a steel that takes a mirror polish but has too smooth of an edge to cut or "bite" into anything, it also has to strop nicely and regain it's edge from simply doing that, VG-10, 8CR13MOV, or 440C describe what I like best, depending on the heat treat, CPMS30V being the best experience I've ever had, I do like 154CM but haven't had enough experience to test it, or many other high end steels for that matter.

3-Clip design, I'm kind of an oddball with clips, while many people like a thin ergonomic clip I prefer a flat rectangular or plainer clip, the Spyderco Cricket, Salt 1, CRKT Ripple, good examples of what I like, I would rather not have a clip if it's too "curvy", a three screw clip is also nice, but I hate "floating clips" that move around if the screws get loose, *cough Endura 4 cough*, if so I'd rather have a two screw or box screw clip, the Kershaw Leek is the most "ergonomic" clip I have and it's pretty plain and thin IMO.

4-Blade design, I love a good slicer, with a thin profile and pointy tip, but again, can't stand a blade that feels like it will snap with the slightest pry or if I decide I want to carve or whittle a bit and the tip feels like it will snap off in the wood, oooo I hate that. So a bit thicker but still thin enough for splinters, CS Black Rock Hunter has the perfect tip off the top of my head. I also really enjoy clip-points or sheeps-foot blades.

5-Hot spots! I won't carry it if I can't use it endlessly for hours if I need to, if I do carry a knife with hot spots I'll carry another knife with ergonomics that won't destroy my hand. This also goes for handle materials, Traditional knives with nice bone or plastic have good grip without tearing up your hand from friction, also modern knives with medium traction g-10 (Spyderco again) have enough grip without the road rash (Cold Steel), I also love a good FRN, so far only the brand with the friendly looking "spyder" gets it just right.

6-Opening mechanism/Locking mechanism, I really don't have a preference for an opening mechanism, anything from holes to flippers, or just a nail nick is fine with me, the only preferences I have for locking mechanisms is it has to be strong, not a thin liner lock (notice I said thin), have a good snap, and I don't want to have a lot of maintenance involved, the Ultra Lock being the highest maintenance I've encountered, with the pin getting jammed in the slot and blade becoming undeployable until the pin is rotated back into position with a flat-head screwdriver. I happen to like lock-backs a lot as long as the knife can be deployed one handed, so the Spydie lock-back or CS Tr-Ad lock works for me. Also a slip-joint will work if I can't find a lock I like :D

Well that's all, I think, a huge perk for me is if the knife is chamfered/rounded off, especially the blade spine, the CRKT Ripple continues to be a staple because of this :o
 
The things that I want:

quality manufacturer- I look at Kershaw/ZT, Benchmade and Spyderco mostly
size- 3.25"-3.75" blades are what I'm mostly buying these days
pocket clip- tip down preferably
one hand opening and closing- liner, compression and axis locks mostly but I do have some integral locks
good blade steel- S30V at least
blade geometry- keen point, not too much belly, no recurve
G10 or micarta scales

There are a wealth of models available that fit the above criteria.
 
Good idea.

Assuming that the knife has good enough utility,
1. Aesthetics
2. Fun to play with? Any knife can cut, but I want to EDC something I can take out and enjoying wasting time flipping open and closed. Axis :)
3. Value
4. Blade/Handle ratio
5. Blade length. I don't like smaller knives. If there is a normal version and a mini version, I'll take the full-size one or nothing.
6. Ergonomics
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top