Recommend me a folder please

LEDBE
J

jondru

Newly Enlightened
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Feb 23, 2004
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I have an old Gerber EZ Out that has been a faithful companion for years now, but it's a combo blade and I want to augment it with a somewhat shorter and non-serrated partner. It's also just a tiny bit big for EDC.

I read through a few threads and got some good ideas...I've also been prowling around A.G. Russel and other sites with a wide selection, so now I'm ready for input from the experts.

Ideally, I'd get a Sebenza and be done with it, but that is way outside my price range. Here are my parameters:

-- its job will be EDC, but also should be capable of survival use in a bug-out situation
-- drop point
-- smooth (non-serrated) edge
-- no holes in blade
-- one-hand opening
-- very strong, secure lock
-- blade not over 3"
-- under $100
-- open frame is intriguing (for ease of cleaning)
-- I'm also curious about all-metal knives

So far some knives that have caught my eye include:

-- CRKT M21, Point Guard, and Long's Peak
-- Joe Pardue Toggle Folder
-- BM Monochrome, Griptilian 556 (or the larger model...not the ones with holes), and Presidio
-- Gerber Harsey Air Ranger II, X-frame

Looking forward to your guidance...it has been invaluable in the light arena!

thanks,
vv
J.O.
 
I just bought a Browning ICe Storm, and have been very satisfied with it. about $40.00 new, sometimes less.
 
Kershaw Leek? It opens very fast, but is 1/4" over 3" though. One hand opening with it is a snap.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Nerd said:
Kershaw Leek? It opens very fast, but is 1/4" over 3" though. One hand opening with it is a snap.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto! It's been my EDC for over a year now, and I love it! Use it all the time at work, and brought it camping with me this past week. I used it to cut up the veggies, sharpen our marshmellow sticks, open up countless packages...for under 40 bucks, it's a steal!!

-Smono
 
jondru, before I make a recommendation, can you touch on what kind of "survival use" you're talking about? Do you mean whittling fuzz sticks, cutting cordage, food prep, and possible field dressing, or are you envisioning some kind of harder woodworking (although that's hard to imagine w/ a 3" blade)? Do you mean defensive use as well?

Also, wondering why you specify no blade hole.

Joe
 
Benchmade Mini-Griptillian with D2 steel at Cabelas.
Nice knife, compact, strong and easy to open with the thumbstuds. The D2 steel holds an edge better than the 440c for the 5-6 times a year I need the knife for more than opening boxes.
 
lol im so stupid i read this title of thread i though he meant folder like where u store papers .i thought to self what a od thing to ask.well back on topic i aint a knife person i have a knife i payed 1 buck for
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far. Those models look like they have potential, but they're slightly pointier than I have in mind.

Joe, by "survival use" I guess I mean mostly general utility in a 72-hour-type scenario or emergency encountered while hiking...not "plane crashed in the wilderness" level survival. So, I'm not envisioning heavy woodworking or field dressing.

I want something sturdy though, hence my desire for a really trustworthy lock and healthy blade thickness close to the tip (to avoid breaking it off). I'd like to avoid holes in the blade for strength considerations...altough I have to admit, the hole in my Gerber has never ever been an issue, so maybe I'm being silly.

On reflection, I probably should have called this topic "what is the poor man's Sebenza?"

I've kind of narrowed it down to these:

CRKT Point Guard (a little short, possibly too pointy)
CRKT M21 (just about the right blade shape...how is the lock?)
CRKT Bladelock 2 (another good-looking blade shape; don't know about the lock)
BM Monochrome (just about perfect blade shape; again unsure of the lock)
BM Mini-Griptilian (outstanding reputation, blade is a little pointy)

I'm open to any suggestions...there are probably makers I've never heard of that might have just the thing.

Of course, now I've got to find a local source where I can go handle these things to tell for for sure!

thanks much,
vv
J.O.
 
Camillus/Darrel Ralph CUDA EDC in CM154 for approx ~ 50 USD

Kershaw/Ken Onion Vapor for like 20 bucks at Wallyworld

Buck/Tom Mayo Northshore #173 if you don´t consider the opening thinggie a "hole" in the blade

I own the EDC, the Vapor and one #172 which is the higher-end Buck/Mayo and all are very nice full metal knives which won´t let you down IMO

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The Vapor is not as tiny as it looks in these pics - its just the last one in the back and my perspective pic shooting just sucks - sorry for that.

Klaus
 
Hmmm, if you give us an extra half-inch to 3.5" blade, there's way more options. And, BTW, you are being very silly about the hole in the blade compromising blade strength /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif. You will almost certainly pop the pivot, frame, lock, or blade tip, before you pop the (usually-full-thickness) area of the blade near the hole. In fact, in all the years I've been reading about knives and knife failures on the internet, I don't recall a single failure this way. Last I heard from Spyderco, they had never seen one either!

I personally avoid liner locks (unless they have a safety like the LAWKS) for hard use. frame locks, lockbacks, axis locks, arc lock, compression lock, etc., all okay.

The Mini-griptilian will get you what you want: Mini-Grip . Good blade shape, steel liners, awesome lock. Slightly higher in price than what you wanted, and slightly bigger blade (3.25") is the BM Pardue: Pardue Maybe the best choice would be the Mini-Axis: Mini-Axis 705

Moving onto Spyderco, the Pro-grip lightweight is also outstanding:
Progrip
 
Definately get a benchmade. The mini griptilian is great, and the axis lock is the best lock out there IMHO. I have used my bm 735 and 705 for splitting kindling off of ash logs by driving the blade through with another log, and I have not had a problem. Benchmades are very well made knives, and they look cool too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Herzlichen Dank an Klaus!

Thanks also for the perspective on blade openings...and also on liner locks. I had been wondering about the relative merits.

The Mini-Griptilian is a clear leader in my calculations. That 720 Pardue is sure nice-looking too...I'll have to check out street prices.

Totally irrational, I confess, but I just don't care for the look of the Spydercos. Can't justify it at all, it's just an aesthetic thing.

Joe, any feelings about the new BM Monochrome or the CRKT M21?

And let's say I do open the field up to 3.5"...what say you then? The length issue isn't major, but I figured that since my EZ-Out is already of that size, I'd go a little smaller for a second knife.

thanks again for all the input,
vv
J.O.
 
jondru:

I haven't handled a Monochrome, but all reviews have been very positive. It seems to meet your needs fine.

The M21s are excellent. CRKT's stuff is very good. I would make the minimal steel I get in this kind of knife to be 8A or 440C or something in that class, which the M21 has. Don't drop down any lower, and if possible, get something a bit harder. If you were talking about 3 days of camping, the lower-tier steels would be fine. But 3 days of possible heavy use, and no ability to re-sharpen, and I start to want a bit more edge strength, such as something like 154CM or better would provide. My fave CRKT is the Point Guard, and the small one meets your size limit, but I think it might be 6A, so I'd rule it out.

BTW, Klaus's framelocks are all also top-notch, though two of 'em are over 3", and the Mayo is a tad over your $100 limit /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
The only thing I would add is that the althought I like the Camillus EDC, I would not want to have to count on it in an emergency situation.

I had one as an EDC and it very quickly developed a dangerous amount of blade play that could not be addressed by simply tigtening the pivot. I eventually sent it back to Camillus and am now waiting on its redelivery.

Stick to Benchmade and count yourself very happy.

Added: I have started to become a real fan of the CRKT BladeLOCK and BladeLOCK 2. I picked this knife up in a trade, not because I really had that great of a need, but it intrigued me, and now I'm very glad I did. Very solid in construction and lock-up and I like the fact that it locks both open and closed. The BladeLOCK 2 seems to fit your requirements, and it doens't have the pointy tip of the BladeLock.

-Fernando
 
OK, so steel-wise: the Mini-Grip is 440C, so that's still a contender. The M21 is AUS-8 and the Monochrome is N690...how do those steels compare?

One other question: I'm not coming up with many places around here to handle these. About all there is is the Excalibur Cutlery mall store and I don't think they have many of these models.

Can anyone recommend a good trustworthy online dealer, preferably someone with a fair return policy in case I hate it when I get it in hand? Or even better, a dealer that would let me order three different ones (paying for all of course) and send back for refund the ones I decide against.

thanks,
vv
J.O.
 
Jon,
I would get the Mini-Griptillian from Cabelas.com. It has a D2 blade which in my experience holds an edge better than the 440c Mini Griptillian.

If you don't like it I'm sure you would be able to sell it on B/S/T
 
Man, y'all just about have me sold. Cabelas only seems to have in a black blade though.

Does the D2 Grip exist in a natural finish?

vv
J.O.
 
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