Hi all,
I've had an account for a while but haven't posted mostly because I just don't know a whole lot about what is available for off the shelf knives. I carry a knife every day but it's generally not a good one. Recently I lost yet another knife - this one probably the "best" knife I'd had, a CRKT folder that was a gift from my ex years ago. It just so happened that the same day I lost it I ended up at a housewarming party given by a friend of mine who's kind of a gear snob (as am I, really - I like good tools, good flashlights, etc... just don't know much about knives) and went to open a bottle of whiskey when I had to apologize and ask for a knife to remove the seal, as I'd discovered mine missing earlier that day. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a very battered SOG Flash II and told me to keep it as it had a busted clip, the safety didn't work, and he'd already replaced it and had been basically keeping it around to find the right person to whom to pass it on.
I immediately discovered that even with its flaws, it was significantly better than anything that I'd carried before. A little searching online and it seems to be well regarded although obviously at the low end of "good" knives.
What I *do* like about it -
- it feels like a quality made piece. Everything's pretty much tight, with one exception, and I am not afraid at all that it'll fold up in use.
- seems to have a nice edge on it, although obviously it's been resharpened before. My CRKT would dull very quickly.
- despite its large size for an actual "pocket" knife, it's pretty light and doesn't take up that much pocket real estate.
- it's not a liner lock. I'd rather have an old school lockback than a liner lock, there's just something about putting my thumb in the way of a closing blade that I don't like.
What I *don't* like about it -
- while the thumb stud and assisted opening is fantastic, the release to allow the blade to close requires a large amount of force to the point that I need to use my thumbnail to reliably pull the catch back - I can't get enough grip with the ball of my thumb. Any problems cutting a coil or two off the spring?
- possibly because it *was* EDC'd for years, there's a little bit of play in the blade, not laterally, but in the direction of closing. You can't *see* it but you can feel it, kind of like the barely perceptible play in a wheel bearing.
- It's still a little bit on the large side at least for me, and the style is not me, I'd probably go for something a little more understated and less "tacticool" (it's got camo scales and a combo blade, so it probably looks like overkill to non-enthusiasts.)
I did find that SOG will replace the clip for free, and "service" it and replace small parts that it needs and resharpen the knife for a $20 flat fee. This seems like a good deal; I'm pretty sure all it needs is a new clip, a blade pivot screw (head slightly stripped) and the spring and ball for the safety detent. I think the fact that it's beat to hell adds character.
But this has me thinking... is there something that's still in an affordable price range that would be a better fit for me personally? I've been looking at some Benchmade models (e.g. Mini Griptilian) but the sheer number of choices is a little overwhelming, since I don't have any kind of knife background other than cheap Buck and Schrade models and the one aforementioned CRKT which wasn't really ideal for me other than in size and appearance.
Any input appreciated an I apologize for posting yet another thread that is undoubtedly similar to ever other noob's first post
I've had an account for a while but haven't posted mostly because I just don't know a whole lot about what is available for off the shelf knives. I carry a knife every day but it's generally not a good one. Recently I lost yet another knife - this one probably the "best" knife I'd had, a CRKT folder that was a gift from my ex years ago. It just so happened that the same day I lost it I ended up at a housewarming party given by a friend of mine who's kind of a gear snob (as am I, really - I like good tools, good flashlights, etc... just don't know much about knives) and went to open a bottle of whiskey when I had to apologize and ask for a knife to remove the seal, as I'd discovered mine missing earlier that day. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a very battered SOG Flash II and told me to keep it as it had a busted clip, the safety didn't work, and he'd already replaced it and had been basically keeping it around to find the right person to whom to pass it on.
I immediately discovered that even with its flaws, it was significantly better than anything that I'd carried before. A little searching online and it seems to be well regarded although obviously at the low end of "good" knives.
What I *do* like about it -
- it feels like a quality made piece. Everything's pretty much tight, with one exception, and I am not afraid at all that it'll fold up in use.
- seems to have a nice edge on it, although obviously it's been resharpened before. My CRKT would dull very quickly.
- despite its large size for an actual "pocket" knife, it's pretty light and doesn't take up that much pocket real estate.
- it's not a liner lock. I'd rather have an old school lockback than a liner lock, there's just something about putting my thumb in the way of a closing blade that I don't like.
What I *don't* like about it -
- while the thumb stud and assisted opening is fantastic, the release to allow the blade to close requires a large amount of force to the point that I need to use my thumbnail to reliably pull the catch back - I can't get enough grip with the ball of my thumb. Any problems cutting a coil or two off the spring?
- possibly because it *was* EDC'd for years, there's a little bit of play in the blade, not laterally, but in the direction of closing. You can't *see* it but you can feel it, kind of like the barely perceptible play in a wheel bearing.
- It's still a little bit on the large side at least for me, and the style is not me, I'd probably go for something a little more understated and less "tacticool" (it's got camo scales and a combo blade, so it probably looks like overkill to non-enthusiasts.)
I did find that SOG will replace the clip for free, and "service" it and replace small parts that it needs and resharpen the knife for a $20 flat fee. This seems like a good deal; I'm pretty sure all it needs is a new clip, a blade pivot screw (head slightly stripped) and the spring and ball for the safety detent. I think the fact that it's beat to hell adds character.
But this has me thinking... is there something that's still in an affordable price range that would be a better fit for me personally? I've been looking at some Benchmade models (e.g. Mini Griptilian) but the sheer number of choices is a little overwhelming, since I don't have any kind of knife background other than cheap Buck and Schrade models and the one aforementioned CRKT which wasn't really ideal for me other than in size and appearance.
Any input appreciated an I apologize for posting yet another thread that is undoubtedly similar to ever other noob's first post
