New to picking knives

Smigjo · Jul 13, 2010

Ok, well I've done some research and I feel sooo overwhelmed.
I can't decide if I want a Tanto tip blade or not, my cousin said it causes weak points in the tip but I'm not really sure. I want an EDC black, no serrated and something that's sturdy, folds, has a clip, and possibly even spring assisted. Oh yeah, and preferably under $50. IF you're still reading this and think you know of some options, I would GREATLY appreciate it. If you have any questions about what else I'm looking for please ask. Oh and the things I'm doing ranges from doing outdoors work to anything you might do on a farm.

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This might be a re-post, if it is I'm sorry I'm new to the forums and didn't see my thread up on the forum.
I found myself overwhelmed in minutes with the selection of knives. I'll get right down to business. I don't know if I want tanto or not. I want it be reasonable, I can't really go much higher than $45-$50. If possible, a spring assisted would be nice. I want a clip the is deep pocket carrying. I need a sturdy knife with at least a 3 inch blade. I would like it to be black and good looking, I tend to be picky as I'm discovering more and more of everyday. It needs to be able to do anything I would need for farm work, so cutting string and rope, but not to much of that so I don't want a serrated edge, all fine edge. If you can help I would greatly appreciate it.

I've decided I don't want Tanto. Now I'm curious into is the Spear point or the clip point better? Or is there a difference? I like the spear point style blade better but if the clip point is better for my needs or is more sturdy I might should go with that.

DonShock · Jul 13, 2010

They don't have any tanto point versions left, but the Cold Steel Recon 1 clip point version is currently on sale for $45 or 2 for $60. A killer deal on a great blade.

As for the tanto blade style, it's actually one of the stronger tip styles. However, it can be more difficult to use for certain tasks. It's biggest shortcoming is if you need to use the tip for more delicate tasks. A tanto point is very difficult to use for that. A normal clip point might be a bit weaker and not take as much abuse, but it is a bit more versatile for most EDC use.

RepProdigious · Jul 13, 2010

Depending on the sharpening system you use tanto blades can be very very difficult to sharpen properly.... If you don't have a valuable reason for a tanto except that it looks just soo wickedly tacticool i wouldn't bother getting one.

If i were you id take a look at the benchmade knife selector. There's plenty nice knives that you can get used, and with a benchmade you'll at least have some form of quality. The presidio series is nice, its available in full and mini size with serrated, plain or combo blades also in automatic version. The grip is also a very fine blade an probably easier to find used in your budget.

Noctis · Jul 13, 2010

A very interesting topic, but I might suggest opening up on your price range to say, just under $100, for a quality knife.

I have an Emerson CQC Super-7w that fits your criteria pretty close, but the price range is far above what you're looking for(cost me $130).

The price mostly has to do with it being a folder with a premium steel(154CM).

Still, you might as well rethink the whole thing.

The coating is primarily for corrosion protection, which may or may not matter depending on the steel, what you're cutting, and how well you maintain your knives. I suppose all black also helps if you want to go "assassin" on someone at night and you don't want them to notice the knife in your hand.

Tanto blades are said to be for tip strength, primarily for stabbing. Cutting string and rope doesn't seem to call for that, nor would any work on a farm.

Spring assist is for "cool" or intimidation factor. For me, it gets old after a while.

What your criteria is right now is for a self-defense knife to scare people with, or something for hard stabbing/chopping. I carry my Emerson for self-defense, and my job sometimes call for me to "stab" thick cardboard with it.

The big questions are:
-What are you cutting with it?
-Does it need stain resistance?
-How do you sharpen your knives?
-How do you cut with your knife(slicing, chopping, straight up and down cut)?

As far as string and rope goes, I have a razor thin Spyderco Endura ZDP-189 that can do that all week long, along with cardboard.

I find I have little need for a big or thick knife unless I'm faced with the prospect of say, cutting a melon or squash(really thick skin). That kind of job calls for a sturdy blade with more meat behind it.

sappyg · Jul 13, 2010

:welcome:

the 1st folder that popped into my mind based on your requirements is the kershaw blur.... especially the K1670BLK. if you shop around you may find one in for the price you want. it does'nt have a tanto blade but i would not recommend a tanto for daily use.

carrot · Jul 13, 2010

Looks like you're looking for a Kershaw. Kershaw makes great knives that are both affordable and made in the USA. Or you could go Spyderco and get better steel and stronger lockup.

IMHO forget tanto. It looks cool and provides a stronger tip for stabbing and prying but is less helpful for normal knife tasks like cutting and slicing. Since you are looking for a knife that "does everything" as your first and presumably only (yeah right) knife, you should look for the most general purpose design you can get.

Some knife recommendations then:
Kershaw Shallot
Kershaw Skyline
Spyderco Endura or Delica (regular or flat ground for better slicing performance)
Spyderco Tenacious or Persistence

I have somewhere to be shortly so I cannot photograph these for you at the moment, but if you wait until Friday I can photograph all of these minus the Tenacious.

CaseyS · Jul 13, 2010

Focusing just on your price point and reading between the lines about what you're looking for in a knife, you might want to look at Spyderco Tenacious/Persistence.

Smigjo · Jul 14, 2010

thanks all for your replies, I know that i haven't been replying very well (or at all) until now, that's because I was busy yesterday. I will attempt to make this all in one post but I will probably end up having to make another.

After reading your posts, Tanto does not seem the tip for me. I know someone asked more details on what I'm using it for. I will probably most likely use it for when I come across a piece of cardboard I want to cut for fun or for something I need. I might need to strip wire when I don't have wire strippers. I mean I really can't tell you what I need the knife for, it's just a EDC knife that I'm looking for. Oh yeah, as for the spring assisted, I don't want possible knives to be excluded because it's not spring assisted. That was just a possible bonus but by all means I don't NEED anything that's spring assisted. Thank you for all the knife suggestions I've recieved, I'm just about to go take a look at all of them.

Smigjo · Jul 14, 2010

Noctis said:
A very interesting topic, but I might suggest opening up on your price range to say, just under $100, for a quality knife.

I have an Emerson CQC Super-7w that fits your criteria pretty close, but the price range is far above what you're looking for(cost me $130).

The price mostly has to do with it being a folder with a premium steel(154CM).

Still, you might as well rethink the whole thing.

The coating is primarily for corrosion protection, which may or may not matter depending on the steel, what you're cutting, and how well you maintain your knives. I suppose all black also helps if you want to go "assassin" on someone at night and you don't want them to notice the knife in your hand.

Tanto blades are said to be for tip strength, primarily for stabbing. Cutting string and rope doesn't seem to call for that, nor would any work on a farm.

Spring assist is for "cool" or intimidation factor. For me, it gets old after a while.

What your criteria is right now is for a self-defense knife to scare people with, or something for hard stabbing/chopping. I carry my Emerson for self-defense, and my job sometimes call for me to "stab" thick cardboard with it.

The big questions are:
-What are you cutting with it?
-Does it need stain resistance?
-How do you sharpen your knives?
-How do you cut with your knife(slicing, chopping, straight up and down cut)?

As far as string and rope goes, I have a razor thin Spyderco Endura ZDP-189 that can do that all week long, along with cardboard.

I find I have little need for a big or thick knife unless I'm faced with the prospect of say, cutting a melon or squash(really thick skin). That kind of job calls for a sturdy blade with more meat behind it.

I tried to answer some of your questions already, but I still missed some. I don't have a fancy sharpener, my mother has a kitchen knife sharpener, I don't know the name but it's got two round sharpening stones the overlap a little that you pull the knife through inbetween the two stones... yeah.. I am no knife expert.

I will probably be cutting with the knife in every way. I do not need stain resistance.

Smigjo · Jul 14, 2010

carrot said:
Looks like you're looking for a Kershaw. Kershaw makes great knives that are both affordable and made in the USA. Or you could go Spyderco and get better steel and stronger lockup.

IMHO forget tanto. It looks cool and provides a stronger tip for stabbing and prying but is less helpful for normal knife tasks like cutting and slicing. Since you are looking for a knife that "does everything" as your first and presumably only (yeah right) knife, you should look for the most general purpose design you can get.

Some knife recommendations then:
Kershaw Shallot
Kershaw Skyline
Spyderco Endura or Delica (regular or flat ground for better slicing performance)
Spyderco Tenacious or Persistence

I have somewhere to be shortly so I cannot photograph these for you at the moment, but if you wait until Friday I can photograph all of these minus the Tenacious.

Thank you for the knives you suggested. I don't really like the Spyderco style of knife, the style of knife I really like is Benchmade 556 mini-gripitillian but the problems I have with it are the price of course and the mini. Like I've said I want a regular sized knife. Gerber had some interesting models but I couldn't find a happy median between the style I like and the price.

Smigjo · Jul 14, 2010

DonShock said:
They don't have any tanto point versions left, but the Cold Steel Recon 1 clip point version is currently on sale for $45 or 2 for $60. A killer deal on a great blade.

As for the tanto blade style, it's actually one of the stronger tip styles. However, it can be more difficult to use for certain tasks. It's biggest shortcoming is if you need to use the tip for more delicate tasks. A tanto point is very difficult to use for that. A normal clip point might be a bit weaker and not take as much abuse, but it is a bit more versatile for most EDC use.

I love the look of the cold steel recon I style and all of it. As you were saying that the normal clip points are weaker, I try to take care of my knives so I shouldn't have a problem there. THANK YOU for posting this, I think I've found my knife. I'm still going to wait and see what else comes up both because I gotta get some cash (lol) and I might find another knife that appeals to me more.

Noctis · Jul 14, 2010

Smigjo said:
I tried to answer some of your questions already, but I still missed some. I don't have a fancy sharpener, my mother has a kitchen knife sharpener, I don't know the name but it's got two round sharpening stones the overlap a little that you pull the knife through inbetween the two stones... yeah.. I am no knife expert.
I will probably be cutting with the knife in every way. I do not need stain resistance.

...Wow. That has got to be the worst sharpener, second to the cheap double sided grinding stones.

You might want to consider investing your money in a sharpener instead. The reason I say this is because even a $200 knife with some legendary "super steel" is going to end up as nothing more than a dull pry bar after a month of hard use if it isn't properly sharpened.

On the flip side, you can use your $8 knife with a plastic handle to cut through rope like butter so long as you keep it properly sharpened everyday.

One system I'm eager to recommend is the paper wheels:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2000219/2000219.aspx?tab=information#information

In all likelihood you probably only need the slotted wheel and the white rouge unless you got some REALLY dull knives. You simply need a Bench Grinder(which can be bought for $80 or less), a wrench, a power outlet, and some really dull knives.

I found the system to be the easiest to use of the 3 I have(EdgePro Apex, DMT diamond benchstones, Paper Wheels), and it's almost ridiculous how fast it is to get a razor sharp edge. I did all of my kitchen knives(10), all of my folders(5), and all of my coworker's knives(4) in about 20 minutes.

I would suggest grabbing the paper wheels and a Mora knife:
http://cgi.ebay.com/MORA-Sweden-FT8...ible_Knives&hash=item53e25afd43#ht_1023wt_868

Yes, it doesn't look impressive, but the steel is excellent for the price, and I use a similar knife(one with a cheaper blue plastic handle) to cut the stalks off corn(which is like wet wood). That little knife has no problem with going through 15 cases of corn(50 corn per case, so 750 corn).

Kershaw knives offers top quality steel for the price, but I think the recurves would complicate sharpening.

Cold Steel knives are ridiculously overhyped. My only experience with them was with their Talwar knife, which left me extremely unsatisfied, tore up the linings of my pocket because the "wave" opener was too tight, and cut my fingers on several occasions because the lock wouldn't engage and ended up dropping the blade on my finger.

I can tell you that there's a reason why the military and police use Benchmade and Spyderco knives.

edelbrock · Jul 14, 2010

I have Benchmades, a Strider, and several other various knives, but I EDC a SOG Trident. To me it seems this will meet almost all of your needs. It is spring assisted, folds, clip, TiNi coated blade and available for about $60. The part I love about it so much is the clip allows it to sit very low in the pocket.

Smigjo · Jul 14, 2010

Noctis said:
...Wow. That has got to be the worst sharpener, second to the cheap double sided grinding stones.

You might want to consider investing your money in a sharpener instead. The reason I say this is because even a $200 knife with some legendary "super steel" is going to end up as nothing more than a dull pry bar after a month of hard use if it isn't properly sharpened.

On the flip side, you can use your $8 knife with a plastic handle to cut through rope like butter so long as you keep it properly sharpened everyday.

One system I'm eager to recommend is the paper wheels:
http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2000219/2000219.aspx?tab=information#information

In all likelihood you probably only need the slotted wheel and the white rouge unless you got some REALLY dull knives. You simply need a Bench Grinder(which can be bought for $80 or less), a wrench, a power outlet, and some really dull knives.

I found the system to be the easiest to use of the 3 I have(EdgePro Apex, DMT diamond benchstones, Paper Wheels), and it's almost ridiculous how fast it is to get a razor sharp edge. I did all of my kitchen knives(10), all of my folders(5), and all of my coworker's knives(4) in about 20 minutes.

I would suggest grabbing the paper wheels and a Mora knife:
http://cgi.ebay.com/MORA-Sweden-FT8...ible_Knives&hash=item53e25afd43#ht_1023wt_868

Yes, it doesn't look impressive, but the steel is excellent for the price, and I use a similar knife(one with a cheaper blue plastic handle) to cut the stalks off corn(which is like wet wood). That little knife has no problem with going through 15 cases of corn(50 corn per case, so 750 corn).

Kershaw knives offers top quality steel for the price, but I think the recurves would complicate sharpening.

Cold Steel knives are ridiculously overhyped. My only experience with them was with their Talwar knife, which left me extremely unsatisfied, tore up the linings of my pocket because the "wave" opener was too tight, and cut my fingers on several occasions because the lock wouldn't engage and ended up dropping the blade on my finger.

I can tell you that there's a reason why the military and police use Benchmade and Spyderco knives.

Wow, a lot of information. Again, I'd like to thank you for all your help so far, and I ask you to bear with my indecisiveness. I found a Buck Bantam BLW (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EHUYP0/?tag=cpf0b6-20 ) that I'm loving. Also, i found an Ontario RAT 1,( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001E8EM2E/?tag=cpf0b6-20 ) a little bit more expensive but I'm still quite interested. Also, the Xikar Eplorer ( http://www.xikar.com/knives_xi780.asp# ) Then your MORA is quite attractive, but it's definately one I will be getting in the near future as I need a fixed blade. Those paper sharpeners seem pretty good. Now I looked up a youtube vid and what I saw was very similar to my father's grinder, I figure if I can just take off his grinder wheel and slap on the paper wheel that'd work. I was just curious if you had any objections or concerns about that? Again, thank you. Hope I'm not too difficult to work with

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