Small knife suggestions

[jrunner192]

I was wondering if you guys could give suggestions for a small pocket knife. I need it for my Dad and am looking for something that is about the size of a Swiss Army Knife but a little more high end with just a single blade of around 2" I guess. I'm looking to stay under $60 but don't know enough about knifes to think of something other than a Gerber knife. Any ideas would be great. I got to get it by Tuesday to so I gotta hurry I guess. Thanks ahead of time!

 

[bigcozy]

My favorite for giving gifts is the Swiss Army signature and the signature with the LED light, whatever its called. You can get them at Wal Mart. I have given away about six of them, and everybody has come back to thank me. The pen in these makes them so popular, everybody has told me how much they use the knife and how the pen has been a big help.

The other knife I give as a gift is a CRKT Delilah's PECK. If you get the 24KT high polish version it comes in a neat metal case. Even the 24KT is $30 and the reguluar version is usually under $20 online. The 24KT coating rubs off very quickly though.

Spyderco Ladybuy is a good choice too.

 

[thesurefire]

A second vote for the Spyderco Ladybug, small, sharp, and it looks slick! I believe they are around $20-$30 now.

 

[bubbacatfish]

Have a look at the Kershaw Chive & Leek, both are pretty close to your price range. The Leek has a 3" blade but is a great little knife (I have 2) never handled the chive but both it's price & size fit the bill. They're both "assisted opening" knives which has become something of a grey area legally depending on where you live.

 

[flashlight_widow]

[ QUOTE ]
bigcozy said:
My favorite for giving gifts is the Swiss Army signature and the signature with the LED light, whatever its called. You can get them at Wal Mart. I have given away about six of them, and everybody has come back to thank me. The pen in these makes them so popular, everybody has told me how much they use the knife and how the pen has been a big help.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's called the Signature Lite II. I carry it every day and love it! Well worth the low price.

[ QUOTE ]
bubbacatfish said:
Have a look at the Kershaw Chive & Leek, both are pretty close to your price range. The Leek has a 3" blade but is a great little knife (I have 2) never handled the chive but both it's price & size fit the bill. They're both "assisted opening" knives which has become something of a grey area legally depending on where you live.

[/ QUOTE ]

I also have the Kershaw Chive and LOVE it. A friend of my husband's bought it for me one Christmas and I have carried it with me every day. Great little knife! It even has a lock on the bottom to prevent accidental opening of the blade - helpful for me since I carry it in my purse where things tend to come open by accident. LOL

 

[lennonsbug]

CRKT VAN HOY R.S.L. SNAP LOCK

I really like mine a lot. Very unique design.
Got mine from 1sks for $32

 

[Flying Turtle]

I've had the Chive now for a couple weeks. It carries well in a pants pocket and will clip, too. Of course, the best thing is the "assisted opening" feature. The smooth finish makes it a little slippery, but so far it's only bitten me once. I found mine at WalMart for $30. The slightly larger Scallion can be had for $35.

 

[notos&w]

No doubt about it . . . Spyderco Navigator. On sale at Smoky Mountain Knife Works for $30.00 last time I checked. VG10 steel, AL handles, can't beat this value.

 

[coachbigdog]

spyderco meerkat is great.It's got what they call the phantom locking system which is really neat once you figure it out.Choice of 2 different style blades also.

 

[chmsam]

Al Mar S.L.B.

Great little knife, very well made, stout, stylish, and sharp.

I love mine and am very, very rarely without it, even if I'm carrying a bigger knife.

-(a different) Craig

 

[paulr]

I have the Spyderco Jester with matching Photon II on my keychain. Very sweet little combo, $31 at Newgraham.

http://www.newgraham.com/jester.htm

 

[jrunner192]

Thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions, now I'm faced with the problem of trying to pick between them all and decide on a winner.

 

[paulr]

Note that the Spyderco Ladybug (suggested by a few) and the Jester are very similar to each other, and there's a Ladybug/Photon combo just like the Jester/Photon. I like the Jester a bit better than the Ladybug because the blade is stronger near the front, and the opening hole is a little bigger. But there's really not that much difference.

 

[ChopperCFI]

Two other knives to add to your confusion/consideration would be the SOG Mini Gentleman and the Benchmade Benchmite. However, the Benchmite is a little over your price target. Both have a classic drop point blade that doesn't look as scary as some others.

 

[paulr]

I think it's hard to make a 2" blade look scary regardless of the shape.

 

[Phaserburn]

I'll second the Spyderco Jester. It's extremely light, small, and works great on the keychain. It's also tough and sharp as all get out.

 

[kitelights]

A razor blade knife is only about 1/2 inch. I find that quite scary if someone wants to harm me with it.

A two inch blade can do some serious damage.

My suggestion is the SOG Flash I. It has a 2 1/2 inch blade, but its overall profile is much smaller than similar knives of that size. It's an assisted open, too. Sells for about $40-50.

I also suggest that you stick with a plain edge. I'm finding that in small blades, a plain edge is more useful and easier to maintain.

 

[paulr]

Well, a typical razor knife (box opener) has a big handle that lets you slash with lots of force. These little keychain knives have handles about the same size as the blade, so there's not much leverage. The Jester has that odd-looking profile but it's really not scary. Even less scary is something like the SAK Classic, which has a tiny fingernail scissors alongside the blade.

I agree about plain edge. I used serrated folders for a while but it just wasn't worth the nuisance.

 

[LEDmodMan]

Spyderco Dragonfly or Benchmade Benchmite. The BM may be over your price range though.

 

[Lurker]

I personally think a great gentleman's knife is the Victorinox SAK Classic with the aluminum or stainless steel handle scales rather than the plastic ones. A very handy little knife and these metal versions are classy and super slim in the pocket. You can even get them nicely engraved if you like.