What was your "step up " knife?

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Megawatt308

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Dec 15, 2013
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I have been carrying a delica 4 for many years. I always found it to have all the characteristics I look for in a EDC. Size, lightweight, 4 position pocket clip so I know I can carry it the way I want to, grippy handle, excellent steel choices, good price at $65, thumb hole, etc. Now I find myself looking for something nicer to EDC. For me it was the ZT 450CF. About the only thing it does "better" than my trusty delicas is the blade material. However I find myself wanting to take a "step up" in what I carry, so for me it is the ZT450CF.

So my question is what was your "step up" knife. It might be a step up in cost, length, manufacture, etc. It doesn't matter the reason, it can even be "because you wanted it", so let's hear them.
 
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I consider my "step up knife" (the first one I spent more than $100.00 on) to be the Spyderco Paramilitary 2, digi camo, black blade.

You could say that was my entry into the "high end".
 
I'm just getting into more expensive knives and for I long time before I did my research I was happy and content with the bear grylls line, my first good knife was a crkt elishwetz ftws which is a nice production tactical/survival or outdoor use knife especially at the price point and my first nicer edc was a GEC 25 that I carry every day, I don't have a lot of money to fund my hobby, which was fine when I was only buying 20 dollar blades but nowadays my knives are few and far between because once you know what a good knife is, you don't go back. So I just plan ahead and think about what my next purchase will be when I allocate enough funds and keep reading the forums
 
Just stepped up to a Buck Ahpha Hunter folder myself. Bought a Gerber Freeman years back but not being a drop point left much to be desired for skinning purposes. Guess the Sog Trident Tanto was not a bad purchase for EDC. I know Benchmade is tough to beat and they make knives for different puropses. Trying to build a collection of "quality blades even if only a meager collection. Like to own a few different models for intended purposes for hunting and tactical. Like folders but a good fixed blade like a Buck Woodsman is a decent choice. Sure are plenty of choices. Pays to ask opinions.
 
My father gave me a Buck Strider 880 in ATS-34 for Christmas. Absolute beast of a knife that I carried for a long, long time. Unfortunately, I was young and stupid and it disappeared during my young, stupid divorce. As a replacement I picked up a Kershaw Tyrade and it was all downhill from there.
 
I'll never forget the day! The year was 1999 and I was a freshman in high school. I was also working at a furniture warehouse on weekends to earn some coin. At that point I had used and carried a few lower end knives i.e. Smith & Wesson, Gerber, Victorinox, to name a few. Never had a blade in my pocket that was more than $40 or so.

I stopped by a local knife & tool shop and they just got in the new Benchmade 710. The first of its kind and "knife of the year" - Axis lock, 154CM, and space age G10 handles. I was blown away by its nearly $200 price tag, but I knew I had to have it. Worked all summer long and bought it near the end of the year. To this day it has been my go-to EDC and has yet to let me down. I now collect BM knives almost exclusively.

Job well done Benchmade... Job well done indeed.
 
Kershaw S30V Blur for me, my first "modern" folder, then ZT0350SW started my journey into higher end folders. That Blur is now one of my 2 under $150 knives (Delica ZDP-189 being the other)...
 
I went from Benchmades & Spyderco's to a large BG42 Sebenza, that I bought in Solvang, CA. in 1990's.That was my first foray into more expensive knives. It just got worse from there. :D
 
Spyderco Sage 1

Before researching that knife I had no idea what s30v was and the thought of spending more than $30 on a pocket knife was obscene to me. Before that my collection consisted of mostly junk knives and a few good Kershaws. Looking back now I could have stopped right there, kept that as my permanent daily carry, and that would have been just fine for decades of use. But noooo... I had to continue to browse all the pictures, videos, and reviews you people kept posting and now I cringe just thinking about all the money I've spent on my collection.
 
I ordered a TOPS neck knife, for about 65 bucks and discovered that I liked looking for unique designs but they had to be functional or what was the point? so, i believe my next purchase was a ZT 700 that i loved and carried everyday for my freshman year of college. I ended up needing money this last August and sold it. And damn if i havent been regretting that decision ever since...kind of like, you realize that you appreciated the knife much more than you thought you did.
 
An Endura zpd189. A step up from my Buck Strider. My first great bargain knife as well.
 
It all started with a kershaw blur...within two years knives ate up about 10k. Despite customs, mid techs, my sebenzas and such - I still pocket it and enjoy it. I dont really look down on any knife as long as its not unsafe. I give all my friends cheapo kershaws or a leatheman wingman as theyre just gonna pry and scrape and do whatever with em. steel is soft enough to get serviceable quick.
Just cause I have a problem doesnt mean I expect the rest of the world too.
 
Honestly, I don't think I've "stepped up" yet. I mean, it's felt like a step up from what I had... But all of what I have is considered bargan/budget stuff by most of the forum. A Becker bk2 was my "step up", and is just about the most expensive knife I've purchased (technically the tojiro DP I got my wife is $5 more... ).

Anyway, it's interesting to see what everyone else has said.
 
ocnLogan said:
Honestly, I don't think I've "stepped up" yet. I mean, it's felt like a step up from what I had... But all of what I have is considered bargan/budget stuff by most of the forum. A Becker bk2 was my "step up", and is just about the most expensive knife I've purchased (technically the tojiro DP I got my wife is $5 more... ).


Anyway, it's interesting to see what everyone else has said.
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Beckers are excellent knives at any price. I have two of them, and they aint goin' anywhere. :)
 
At about the same time I ended up with a Butch Vallotton Timberwolf manual/automatic and titanium Spyderco Salsa compression lock. S30V and ATS-34, great looking, I have almost never carried them

The first time I got something "nicer" that I actually used was a damascus Kershaw Skyline. I still love this knife.


I was looking around just this morning for an idea of something with a premium steel, nicer handles and more interesting lock mechanism that doesn't look ridiculous and wasn't $400. I didn't see anything I was excited about. I'll probably just build another custom SAK and not worry about stepping up.
 
In the past 2 months I stepped up from a couple small Buck folders and a Leek to about a dozen Spydies and a couple Benchmades. Sage 3 arrives tomorrow. Now I'm starting to look at a small Seb and a ZT. Those will have to wait though.
 
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