Looking for a new EDC knife

[Batuche]

Been carrying an Ontario Rat 1 for over 5 years & it has been dependable. Many choices & won't break the bank.

 

[jz6342]

One of my favorite work knives is the QSP Penguin; inexpensive, sharp and easy to keep that way, light, easy to deploy and the sheepsfoot blade is people friendly

 

[Fuzzywuzzies]

Oh fun, all the knife knuts coming out in this thread. :guilty: I've been through a few knives, and handled and sharpened many more than my fair share. I always come back to the Zero Tolerance 0562 TI in CPM-20CV. It's the right size, carries deep, feels amazing and cuts brilliantly. It's a great tool, holds its edge very, very well, and you can't break the darn thing.
I'll fight anyone who says there's a better EDC folder out there. (Kidding. Sorta)

@Dontsleeponit, if you can stomach the price, I think the ZT 0562 would ace your search for the perfect EDC. It gets a lot of looks in the motorsport industry, too.

 

[ampdude]

I recommend getting a folding box cutter and carrying that along with your EDC knife. They make smaller folding box cutters with the tiny blades which I really like. I don't use my carry knives for such mundane tasks as opening boxes, dulling the edge and getting glue on the blades.

 

[desert.snake]

Olfa very good knives for box

but he has a very thin handle. For heavy work, it is better to take something with replaceable blades of this type and a thicker handle

 

[ampdude]

Nice. I don't understand why people insist on using their expensive EDC to cut stupid boxes open, seems like they're just bored.

 

[hsa]

Because they would have no use for them otherwise?

 

[desert.snake]

Nice. I don't understand why people insist on using their expensive EDC to cut stupid boxes open, seems like they're just bored.

I have a special small construction knife for dirty work, since glue and other dirt pollutes the blade quite a lot and you have to carry more alcohol or thinner with you to clean it, it's not convenient. Apparently they are not bothered by dirt or they always have a cleaning agent on hand. I have a friend who does everything with his Damascus knife, even removes screws, lol

Spoiler: knife

This is Victorinox ranger 55 damasteel 😄 😄 😄

 

[Monocrom]

Hopefully the O.P. has found a new EDC knife since making this topic 12 years ago! 😆

But what the heck, I was recently very happily surprised by the Gerber Zilch. Quite inexpensive, and quite good overall. Highly recommended. I bought four of them in different handle/blade color configurations.

 

[experimentjon]

Crazy how spoiled for choice we are now.
I still remember in the early 2010s when the SOG Flash 1 was Nutnfancy's blade of choice, one of my first knives, and CRK/Strider/Hinderer were the holy grails in the market...

That said, a few things from that era have aged very well:
- Benchmade 940 - still an all-time-great
- Spyderco Delica - excellent value / size / weight
- CRK Sebenza - improved w the 31 and still just about at the cusp of where you hit the pinnacle before seeing significant diminishing marginal returns on your spend

 

[ampdude]

I have a special small construction knife for dirty work, since glue and other dirt pollutes the blade quite a lot and you have to carry more alcohol or thinner with you to clean it, it's not convenient. Apparently they are not bothered by dirt or they always have a cleaning agent on hand. I have a friend who does everything with his Damascus knife, even removes screws, lol

Spoiler: knife

This is Victorinox ranger 55 damasteel 😄 😄 😄

I have a few crappy knives as well. I don't mind using them for everyday tasks. I just don't carry them a lot.

Never could get into the Benchmade 940. Just too small and dainty. I have a 710D2 which is like a tank in comparison. I've had that knife since about 2007. Plus I don't purchase Benchmade products anymore because of their politics. They should have just left their hat out out of the ring.

 

[desert.snake]

I have a few crappy knives as well. I don't mind using them for everyday tasks. I just don't carry them a lot.

Never could get into the Benchmade 940. Just too small and dainty. I have a 710D2 which is like a tank in comparison. I've had that knife since about 2007. Plus I don't purchase Benchmade products anymore because of their politics. They should have just left their hat out out of the ring.

Looks like search engines are following me, ads for box knives have started popping up))

The Japanese have small neck knives, only 3 cm blade, but they are expensive

MOKI "MINI PENDANT Knife Collections"

Beautiful Moki Mini Pendant knife collections. When I was young age, I met this tiny, yet precise and finely handcrafted Moki Pendant Knife. I personally decided to purchase the one for my personal collection. 20 years passed since then, still Moki knife is my favorite knife collection.

japaneseknifedirect.com

But in general, knives should be used carefully, once I ordered 219b LEDs, they came in a bag with pimples, there should be a cut strip inside. I chose a corner where there seemed to be nothing, cut it off - and as it turned out, I cut through all 4 LED domes with a blade

 

[jz6342]

Hopefully the O.P. has found a new EDC knife since making this topic 12 years ago! 😆

But what the heck, I was recently very happily surprised by the Gerber Zilch. Quite inexpensive, and quite good overall. Highly recommended. I bought four of them in different handle/blade color configurations.

I just noticed that the OP hasn't been seen here since 2012... 🙄

 

[Monocrom]

I just noticed that the OP hasn't been seen here since 2012... 🙄

Hopefully still alive and well somewhere out there. 🥳

 

[Poppy]

Hopefully the O.P. has found a new EDC knife since making this topic 12 years ago! 😆

But what the heck, I was recently very happily surprised by the Gerber Zilch. Quite inexpensive, and quite good overall. Highly recommended. I bought four of them in different handle/blade color configurations.

For a few years I carried the Gerber Paraframe as a money clip, EDC. Then one year I drove my Dad's car to Florida for him. I realized that I couldn't carry it on the plane ride home, so I gave it to him. To my surprise, he EDC'd it.

I went back to the Gerber EAB and have carried it for years. I use it as a money clip in part to reduce the thickness of my wallet, in part to keep my cash separate from my wallet (if I ever get mugged). I use it to open boxes, and other plastic packages, sometimes to strip wires. Once the blade gets dull, I flip it over, and when needed, replace it.

EAB | Gerber

The Gerber Exchange-A-Blade pocket knife employs contractor grade utility blades that can easily be replaced, keeping you ready and on the go. Learn more here.

www.gerbergear.com

Note: I keep the small bills on the outside to lessen myself as a target.

 

[Fuzzywuzzies]

I carried a Gerber Paraframe 2 for years, they are great knives until the shoddy frame lock slips and cuts your finger half off. I threw the knife away, and a couple of weeks later when the stitches had set and it had started to heal over, I took my spare one out of its brand new packaging, checked the lock, tested the edge… and it promptly slipped as well and half cut my thumb off. (Yes, to the bone both times, I keep my knives razor sharp and the pivots well oiled.)
I gave the bloody knife back to the shop I bought it from - much to their horror - and I'll never own or trust another Gerber anything as long as I live.
My wife bought my the Zero Tolerance 0562, and it's never let me down.

 

[Poppy]

I carried a Gerber Paraframe 2 for years, they are great knives until the shoddy frame lock slips and cuts your finger half off. I threw the knife away, and a couple of weeks later when the stitches had set and it had started to heal over, I took my spare one out of its brand new packaging, checked the lock, tested the edge… and it promptly slipped as well and half cut my thumb off. (Yes, to the bone both times, I keep my knives razor sharp and the pivots well oiled.)
I gave the bloody knife back to the shop I bought it from - much to their horror - and I'll never own or trust another Gerber anything as long as I live.
My wife bought my the Zero Tolerance 0562, and it's never let me down.

WOW!!!
I recall needing to tighten the pivot bolt, and being challenged by that task. IIRC, I had to use a hacksaw to put a groove in the one side so I could hold it with a screwdriver, while tightening it from the other side with a torx screwdriver.

 

[keyholder]

I have been edc Kershaw Freefall 3840 for years. Really like it. Sturdy, holds an edge, good solid weight. Feels good to hold. Thumb serrations. Opens in a flash. Metal clip is still great after lots of abuse. Clip can be moved to either side. Usually $40-$70. Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3DWJxpC

 

[Lawman VII XIV]

I had a Benchmade Barrage that was the best knife I've ever owned but I lost it and it's no longer made. Benchmade cut their inventory way back. I found a Gerber that was supposed to be a thumb operated knife but it took two men and a boy to open, so it went right back.

Maybe one day I'll find an EDC that suits me. I'm not holding out any hope.

 

[Monocrom]

My QSP Knives Swordfish arrived in the mail very recently.
My new EDC knife. And, first ever EDC Wharncliffe folder.
Here's a short demonstration by Someone much more pleasing to the eyes than I am:
(P.S. ~ Got the same variation of blade + handle color in the vid.)