Thanks venomous, that sounds like it might be good fit for me, now to try and find one to hold in hand and know for sure... anyone know of good blade stores on the west side of Michigan? Don't have anything good in my hometown, local hardware store can order anything, but don't keep much in stock...
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
What;s next after CRKT?
- Thread starter MIGUY
- Start date
Benchmade can be quite the pricey brand, but is totally worth it (I'd recommend the Mini-Griptilian (it has a 3 inch blade, the regular size Griptilian has a 4 inch) for a starter into Benchmade) and Spyderco is another high-quality brand, although I can't say I find some of their knives ideal; like the hawks-bill style blade or the all-serrated blades. However, some of their knifes are just perfect, like the paramilitary 2. If you are more into tactical, take a look at Cold Steel. They make good knives at a relatively decent cost, and have one of the strongest knife locks on the market. Kershaw is a great brand for people like you, especially because if you like one of their knives you'll probably like them all. That, and they aren't that expensive.
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I went full circle. And went from some of my first knives, S2, apache and marzitelli prowler. Tried every knife on the market and just backed up to buying two ATS 34 Apache originals. But that is old school crkt.
It goes in two groups. ( CRKT, Cold steel, Buck, SOG) ( Spyderco, BM, ZT, Kershaw)
Love it.
It goes in two groups. ( CRKT, Cold steel, Buck, SOG) ( Spyderco, BM, ZT, Kershaw)
Love it.
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After CRKT, I think --> Spyderco --> Zero Tolerance makes sense. Benchmade makes great knives, but Spyderco gives you more knife for the money from $50-150, and above that price point Spyderco and ZT both beat BM in my opinion.
That's not to trash BM's work. I love a lot of their stuff, but for the price of a Sequel, I can get a Manix 2 *and* a Sharpmaker.
That's not to trash BM's work. I love a lot of their stuff, but for the price of a Sequel, I can get a Manix 2 *and* a Sharpmaker.
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- Mar 22, 2013
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- 322
get some loctite blue and it will solve those problems.
I'm pretty high on Ontario folders because they've got such bang for the buck, although they're not necessarily a step up the quality ladder, just the value ladder. As others have said, Spyderco makes a wide variety of blades with different materials and blade shapes to cater to your preferences, as does Benchmade, Kershaw, Zero Tolerance, and many others. In the end, I feel like it comes down to isolating the qualities of a knife that make you want to carry it more than your other blades. For me, this is often expressed through materials (blade steel and handle material), pocket profile (how easily does it slip in my pocket? is there room for my phone next to that blade?), smoothness/ease of opening closing (I love the PM2 compression lock because its so slick to open and close with one hand), blade shape/grind (sure, that slab of steel looks cool, but how well does it actually CUT), and finally, value (if its cheap and feels good, great. If its expensive and I know the manufacturer stands behind the product, great.)
Figure out what's important to you and go from there.
Also, do you keep your blades sharp? Might be worth thinking about a sharpening system to care for the blades you already have. Always money well spent (you can take care of other peoples edges for cash or trade once you're proficient, which is a bonus)
Welcome to the fourms.
So, any knife is legal to carry (besides the dirks, double edged blades blah blah), just in a defensive situation anything over 3 inches is considered a "dangerous weapon"?
Steel Stickler-
Thanks for reminding me to look exactly into what I need and find the knife that fits just that, and yes I do keep my blades sharp, I myself have a dual sided diamond stone (coarse and fine) and a strop, and I have friends who have over more sophisticated methods if I need to re-profile/get exact angles, but I find the diamond suffices for me 95% of the time, and the strop just keep things tidy and gives a bit more edge retention.
To everyone, I am thinking about saving up for a bit and jumping to a ZT, I think they look great, and have heard nothing bad about them, and many of them seem to be a bit bulkier, because of their tough build, which would fit my larger hands well... While it may take a bit to save up another hundred or hundred fifty, I think it will be worth it. With the current ZT models, what do you guys recommend?
Thanks for reminding me to look exactly into what I need and find the knife that fits just that, and yes I do keep my blades sharp, I myself have a dual sided diamond stone (coarse and fine) and a strop, and I have friends who have over more sophisticated methods if I need to re-profile/get exact angles, but I find the diamond suffices for me 95% of the time, and the strop just keep things tidy and gives a bit more edge retention.
To everyone, I am thinking about saving up for a bit and jumping to a ZT, I think they look great, and have heard nothing bad about them, and many of them seem to be a bit bulkier, because of their tough build, which would fit my larger hands well... While it may take a bit to save up another hundred or hundred fifty, I think it will be worth it. With the current ZT models, what do you guys recommend?
That's what I gather. I regularly carry knives over 3 inches. How ever there may be local restrictions in your area.
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- 19,385
I would look at Cold Steel knives for value since you aren't crazy about the looks of the Spyderco line. The CRKT line never really impressed me that much even though they offer a wide range of knives. If I am going to get a knife with lesser steel, I want it to be cheaper than most of the CRKT line.
But if you want a real step up, I think I'd look at the ZT line. Certainly they are good knives, most are plenty big, good QA/QC, and good materials; but pretty expensive to me. I really like the recent ZT 0770CF but it is nearly double your budget. It has a 3" blade. My normal carry knives are Spyderco Delica (Endura and any of the others with a similar sized blade are too big for me), Cold Steel Tuff Lite, and the ZT 0770CF. I always have a SAK on me and sometimes carry a traditional knife in place of a modern. I like the GEC line and the bigger ones usually run $100-$125. I keep the larger GEC knives in a leather pocket slip. I love the Tuff Lite; it has fantastic ergos for such a small bladed knife. But at about $30, you have to understand that you are not getting top of the line materials and QA/QC.
But if you want a real step up, I think I'd look at the ZT line. Certainly they are good knives, most are plenty big, good QA/QC, and good materials; but pretty expensive to me. I really like the recent ZT 0770CF but it is nearly double your budget. It has a 3" blade. My normal carry knives are Spyderco Delica (Endura and any of the others with a similar sized blade are too big for me), Cold Steel Tuff Lite, and the ZT 0770CF. I always have a SAK on me and sometimes carry a traditional knife in place of a modern. I like the GEC line and the bigger ones usually run $100-$125. I keep the larger GEC knives in a leather pocket slip. I love the Tuff Lite; it has fantastic ergos for such a small bladed knife. But at about $30, you have to understand that you are not getting top of the line materials and QA/QC.
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The spyderco native 5 is a fantastic knife. It has a 3" blade.