Which knives don't I know about?

I'm reminded of a saying "Buy once. Use smart."

A quality knife used as a knife could very well last you a lifetime. A knife that is broken because it was used as something other than a knife is just a broken knife and a financial loss.

I can certainly understand using knives in extreme ways when you're in a tight spot, I've done it myself. But if you keep braking knives, I think you're doing something very wrong with them and I think you need to rethink your choice of tools.

Hows the saying go- "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result..."
 
I didn't notice any mention of the Benchmade Adamas yet, that might be one to consider. It uses D2 steel; it's pretty huge though. One slightly smaller knife that seems pretty stout to me is the Benchmade Bone Collector. I have the G10 mini version and I've been happy with it. I haven't used it very hard though. The full-size version might meet your needs; it's also D2.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm not scratching my head wondering why my knives are breaking. I'm fully aware that I use them for things that they're not designed to do, but at the end of the day, for me, it's something that I wear for convenience sake, instead of carrying the perfect tool for every job.

I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. I broke the tip off of my Spyderco Police trying to pick a nail out of my buddies tire in a parking lot. That same friend lost his own Spydie Police, borrowed a spare that I had (an older one without the word Police stamped on the blade), and broke the tip somehow during the construction of my office. We never figured out how. We just saw it on the floor broken, and the last 1/2" of the blade was never seen again. I recall breaking my issued Benchmade after I dropped it from a wingtop doing a preflight, and I broke a cheesy Smith and Wesson boot knife trying to chip the ice off and open an overwing fuel receptacle on a Casa 212-200.

Point is, I have a great set of Craftsman and Snap On tools in the garage, but they tend to stay in my garage. Most times, when I tell these stories of how I broke a knife, I don't have other tools available to me. I dig knives too, but I use them until something happens to them (either break, get stolen, or lose them), and I replace them.

I guess that I should explain that I do military contract work, and I probably put too much stress on most of the things that I use daily (which is why I'll never use Oakley boots again, since they tend to delaminate the soles after 2 months of abuse. And thats not an isolated incident, but an entirely different story alltogether.)
 
It doesn't meet your blade length requirement, but have you considered the Leatherman Skeletool CX? It has a pocket clip, so it meets that requirement. The other tools it includes might reduce the beating that the knife blade would take. I carry the standard version to work every day and the only complaint I have is that the blade is half serrated but the CX version doesn't appear to have serrations. Most importantly, it does have a bottle opener! I can assure you that feature works just fine. Something like this might work in conjunction with a "real" knife.
 
I really haven't. To be honest, I'm just not much of a fan of multi tools, even though it would make sense to carry one. The bottle opener may change my mind though =)

In all likelihood, I'll probably try to resharpen the tip on my current AFCK, and try to find my D2 one. I read Benchmades warranty about replacing a blade for only a couple of bucks, but I seriously doubt that they would replace one after I used it as a chissel, and I wouldn't expect them to.

Really, I'm just using the broken tip as an excuse to get something new. I've had an AFCK in my pocket everyday for over 2 years now, and I'm really ready for something new. For what it's worth, they have lasted me longer than anything else, so I guess I could be called a bit of a BM fanboy.

As for carrying a fixed blade openly in California, I would rather not. Just a personal preference. I have alot of exposed tattoo's, and even though thats nothing new in San Diego, I'm not really trying to draw attention to myself. Especially since I usually have a beer or two when I go to lunch, which just adds to the sketchyness of having an exposed fixed blade.

Anyhow, I'm learning alot while I'm cruising through the threads here. I'm also trying to dig through the "For Sale" section to see if I find anything from another member. If anybody sees/has a post there with somethign that fits in my standards, I'd love a link.

Thanks again everyone.
 
Get a Strider folder in 3V. SNG or SMF depending on what size you prefer. If you ever mess it up, Strider will fix it.
 
Doc, I've really been leaning toward the striders. Whenever I read the heavy duty folder type threads, their name keeps popping up. I knew a couple of guys who carried those and Emersons, and I never heard any complaints. Then again, we never really talked about knives either. I've seen a couple of them for sale in the classified section here too, which makes them seem a little sweeter.

I looked at their website last night, and it turns out that their office is a few minutes from a buddies house, so I asked if they have a storefront. I'll post their answer as soon as I get one. Their SnG looks like a winner, but I'm having trouble finding one with the 3v steel. Otherwise, I think I'll be just as satisfied with the CPM154 or S30V that they offer. As kind of a side note, does anybody make custom aluminum scales for them?
 
The Spyderco Tuff is probably a good one if you are going to be prying and chiseling with it since it is made of a tougher steel than most folders. You can find small fixed blades from companies like TOPS in 1095 and those would be tough for prying too.

I think the ZT 0200 and Benchmade Adamas are both pretty tough knives. The Spyderco Gayle Bradley is supposed to be tough too but it is a bit smaller.

These CRKT's are very tough, at least the blades are. The pivot might be questionable and the lock is certainly questionable although their LAWKS system supplements the regular lock.

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