Your opinion on two knives I am debating on

[Joshua1973]

UPDATE!!! I have decided to take a chance with the ESEE Avispa. Mike Perrin contacted me e mail and bluntly told me the frame lock was strong but any locking knife used hard everyday will eventually fail. I liked his honesty. Long story short. I had to send my Spyderco in to get looked over as it had a lot of side to side play and I am looking at 2 different knives in the $30 to $40 range for landscaping and general carry. I am debating between the framelock Esee Avispa in D2 steel and the Cold Steel in Aus 8 Tri Ad lock Finn Wolf. I do not know jack of either blade other than D2 has a longer lasting edge and CS prides itself on the Tri Ad lock which is strong but possibly overkill as I have no experience with frame lock knives. Out of those 2 which would you pick? I will leave this up an hour or so and buy the knife that gets the most votes.

 

[ScooterG]

I would go Avispa because of my preference for flat ground blades. Both good choices though.

 

[Mick_1KRR]

Both will get the job done, personally i prefer tri-ad locks for any kind of hard outdoor work. I've found on many frame locks if you grip the knife handle really hard for any kind of hard cutting the lock bar wedges in sometimes and can be a pain the ass to unlock. This kind of constant lock movement can also put more wear and tear on the lock it's self over long term use. I prefer my frame locks for office carry and tougher fail proof tri-ads for hard work.

 

[Lapedog]

Avispa

 

[22-rimfire]

I would suggest you carry two knives. A folder in the pocket for none rugged use and a fixed blade for the hard use that might occur with landscaping activities. I don't own either of those two knives. Just offered my opinion on the general topic relative to your use.

 

[Joshua1973]

Both will get the job done, personally i prefer tri-ad locks for any kind of hard outdoor work. I've found on many frame locks if you grip the knife handle really hard for any kind of hard cutting the lock bar wedges in sometimes and can be a pain the ass to unlock. This kind of constant lock movement can also put more wear and tear on the lock it's self over long term use. I prefer my frame locks for office carry and tougher fail proof tri-ads for hard work.

Exactly. I love back locks. But in my budget I cannot find a D2 steel or anything better than aus 8 from Cold Steel. The Avispa does come in D2 but it comes in frame lock. I wish Cold Steel would upgrade their steels on their Finn Wolf and a few other budget models. And sharpening the Finn Wolf requires removal of thumb studs which can be easily lost.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

Of those two I'd pick the Avispa. The tri-ad lock is absolutely overkill and makes an otherwise lovely knife a bit of a chore to manipulate.

If I were shopping in your range though I'd actually buy this:

Steel Will Modus. D2, flipper, contrasting backspacer and lightweight.

 

[Joshua1973]

I would suggest you carry two knives. A folder in the pocket for none rugged use and a fixed blade for the hard use that might occur with landscaping activities. I don't own either of those two knives. Just offered my opinion on the general topic relative to your use.

I carry a Mora 546 for a beater blade landscaping. Sometimes I prefer a folder for those easily spooked customers who freak out over a guy that is 6'3 220 lbs and tattooed over 50% of his body. You would be surprised how a fixed blade even a Mora could freak someone out and yet a folder tends to be more easily overlooked.

 

[Joshua1973]

Of those two I'd pick the Avispa. The tri-ad lock is absolutely overkill and makes an otherwise lovely knife a bit of a chore to manipulate.

If I were shopping in your range though I'd actually buy this:

Steel Will Modus. D2, flipper, contrasting backspacer and lightweight.

That is really nice. I must ask though is the Liner lock decent? After going through 2 Rat 1's over liner lock failure in 1 year from opening mulch bags and repeated opening for work I am a bit turned off by liner locks. I do agree the Tri ad is overkill and can be a pain in the butt to close lol. And it is only offered in Aus 8 or Krupp 4116.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

That is really nice. I must ask though is the Liner lock decent? After going through 2 Rat 1's over liner lock failure in 1 year from opening mulch bags and repeated opening for work I am a bit turned off by liner locks. I do agree the Tri ad is overkill and can be a pain in the butt to close lol. And it is only offered in Aus 8 or Krupp 4116.

AUS-8 is fine, but d2 is better. I never had any issues with the liner lock on my cutjack which was essentially the same knife. Carried other liner locks for years and never had an issue with any if them.

Like anything, a good one is a good one and a bad one is a bad one. There's no inherent issue with the mechanism, just with specific examples.

 

[Joshua1973]

AUS-8 is fine, but d2 is better. I never had any issues with the liner lock on my cutjack which was essentially the same knife. Carried other liner locks for years and never had an issue with any if them.

Like anything, a good one is a good one and a bad one is a bad one. There's no inherent issue with the mechanism, just with specific examples.

I am curious is Steel Will has any warranty in case of premature lock fail? I really do like what you showed and the choice of handle colors to help find if dropped on jobsite.

 

[Krippendorf]

I would go with the avispa.The reason being, I work construction, and I've opened alot of bags and usually it's like 100 of them at a time that have to be opened and the one hand operation is soooooo much nicer than a two hand opener.I had a cold steel lawman and got rid of it just bc of the two hand operation.Also,I've heard that the triad lock can fail to engage bc of debris in the knife.Thats my two cents anyway

 

[22-rimfire]

I carry a Mora 546 for a beater blade landscaping. Sometimes I prefer a folder for those easily spooked customers who freak out over a guy that is 6'3 220 lbs and tattooed over 50% of his body. You would be surprised how a fixed blade even a Mora could freak someone out and yet a folder tends to be more easily overlooked.

I understand your point of view. A smile goes a long way with customers who might over react to a knife. My brother in law is a landscaper and he swears by fixed blades for hard use. They are all stronger than most Mora's as he might be cutting sod, burlap wrap around tree soil balls, or splitting plants via the soil ball. He carried much better knives than I would ever use for such things. You generally don't need a long blade, just one that is quite stout and sharp. The ESEE 4 comes to mind even though I am not a ESEE fan overall as I like other stuff better.

 

[Joshua1973]

I would go with the avispa.The reason being, I work construction, and I've opened alot of bags and usually it's like 100 of them at a time that have to be opened and the one hand operation is soooooo much nicer than a two hand opener.I had a cold steel lawman and got rid of it just bc of the two hand operation.Also,I've heard that the triad lock can fail to engage bc of debris in the knife.Thats my two cents anyway

Not to mention D2 is a better edge holding steel. I had one Cold Steel long ago and it was hard to close and at times could not be opened 1 handed. Then as you say you get dust and gunk and the Tri Ad can fail to engage and be very difficult to clean out if you cannot disassemble on job. Not to mention the damn thumb studs on the Finn Wolf have to be removed in order to sharpen Aus 8 to Scandi grind which I bet will be often and a good possibility you could lose the thumbstuds.

 

[Pee Dee Knives]

Rat 1 or 2 in D2. My girlfriend has the Avispa and it it too thin, slippery, and has terrible lock stick. The Rat is a superior knife.

 

[22-rimfire]

My brother in law carried a large slip joint (probably 4.5" closed length). I would choose one with a back lock myself for harder use. I don't want to take a chance of the blade closing on my hand if I am working and not paying close attention.

 

[Joshua1973]

My brother in law carried a large slip joint (probably 4.5" closed length). I would choose one with a back lock myself for harder use.

That is the appeal of the Cold Steel Finn Wolf. I just hate breaking in the Tri Ad and wish they would offer something in the $50 buck range with an upgrade from Aus 8 or Krupp.

 

[Krippendorf]

Not to mention D2 is a better edge holding steel. I had one Cold Steel long ago and it was hard to close and at times could not be opened 1 handed. Then as you say you get dust and gunk and the Tri Ad can fail to engage and be very difficult to clean out if you cannot disassemble on job. Not to mention the damn thumb studs on the Finn Wolf have to be removed in order to sharpen Aus 8 to Scandi grind which I bet will be often and a good possibility you could lose the thumbstuds.

100 percent agree on the d2.Ive found for me tool steels work best.I cut so many different types of material that toughness goes a long way.If you ever step up the price range you should try some knives in cruwear.It has the toughness of 3v and the edge holding of m4.I cut alot of 4inch black corrugated dual wall pipe and it's the only steel that holds an edge all day.

 

[Joshua1973]

100 percent agree on the d2.Ive found for me tool steels work best.I cut so many different types of material that toughness goes a long way.If you ever step up the price range you should try some knives in cruwear.It has the toughness of 3v and the edge holding of m4.I cut alot of 4inch black corrugated dual wall pipe and it's the only steel that holds an edge all day.

My friend. Maybe one day I will move up but right now I can't. I have heard a lot of good things of cruwear and M4. My best steel is my Spydie Endura with VG10. That is my street blade I carry in town.

 

[22-rimfire]

Of those two I'd pick the Avispa. The tri-ad lock is absolutely overkill and makes an otherwise lovely knife a bit of a chore to manipulate.

If I were shopping in your range though I'd actually buy this:

Steel Will Modus. D2, flipper, contrasting backspacer and lightweight.

I carry the Steel Will Mini Cutjack (M390) and think you are on the right track. Their lesser priced line is in D2 and something in the 3.5" blade length might work really well. I think some of their larger folders have back locks too.... I need to peruse their line before going any further with suggestions.

Joshua, my brother in law was a big guy too. Just no tats.

Added: You know, I hate to say this but a Buck 110 might be just the knife. My concern with the Steel Will knives other than price on some in this case is the liner lock not being strong enough. But I generally love their knives.