Spyderco Salt 1.
I bought this knife on eBay almost by accident. I was looking for something else, came across it, read up on it a little bit, and because the current price was really low, decided to bid on it. I ended up winning the auction, and getting it for $30 (including S&H). When it arrived, I still thought the blade shape was kind of funny looking. . . I remember commenting a couple of times that it reminded me of a pelican's beak.
That was well over 2 years ago now, and my Salt 1 has been my EDC knife for the past 2 years straight. The first day I carried it, I didn't really expected it to stay in my pocket for more than a week, but every day I found myself liking it a little bit more. The size is perfect, the blade shape is awesome[0], and the fact that I never have to worry about rust, no matter what I cut, is wonderful.
[0] I actually bought a Delica 4, even though I have a Delica 3, largely because the blade shape on the Delica 4 had moved away from the needle point to be more like the Salt 1 (If you put a Delica 3, Delica 4, and Salt 1 all right next to each other, the Delica 4's blade looks like it is taken about 50% each from the Delica 3 and Salt 1).
Spyderco Byrd Robin (G-10)
This is just a great little knife, and when you factor in the price, it's really hard to beat. This has become one of my two prefered "gift" knives (along with a SAK). Most of the knives I've given as gifts recently have been one or the other.
Victorinox Farmer or Soldier in Alox
Almost identical knives, except for the saw. If I want light, you can't beat the Soldier. For added functionality, the Farmer. Always a great knife, and few can compare to their usefulness.
Anza
I saw a comment from someone here on BFC about an Anza knife, and it made me curious. A knife ground out of an old file? What an odd idea. So I looked around, and eventually decided to pick one up.
Although they may not be conventionally beautiful, and a lot of people bitch about the sometimes gaudy colors on the handle scales, this was one hell of a knife. We're talking a true workhorse if ever there was one. It came razor sharp, held an edge well, sharpened as easy as any knife I've got, and will take just about any abuse you can throw at it.
Also, I want to take a moment to note that Charlie Davis is a great guy to deal with. I had a couple of questions that I sent to Anza's customer service, and was surprised and impressed to hear from him directly, and to get such a great response. Although I haven't personally ordered a custom Anza yet, I think a lot of people forget how great (and economical) of a custom knife you can get from them.
