Looking for an EDC.

MDMOUNTAINEER · Aug 22, 2010

IMHO the griptillian ergonomics are way better.

FWIW, I carry a kershaw junkyard dog II. I love this knife, pretty good steel, holds decent edge, doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to re-sharpen. Overall, great knife.

Prior to this EDC I carried a Kershaw "Needs Work", that is the best $30 you can spend on a knife IMHO. Decent ergonomics, modified wharncliffe blade that is a breeze to keep sharp, and it's an assisted opener.

I have EDC'd a tanto before, twice actually. I had a tanto blur and a tanto gerber of some sort. Both were decent knives, but the tanto is clunky. They take a little more care to sharpen correctly, and they don't skin or quarter game quite as well as a clip or spear point.

Good luck, both are still great knives though.

MDMOUNTAINEER · Aug 22, 2010

angler said:
I'm a big fan of Spyderco's but they seem a little brittle as I have broken 2 of them. My daily carry is a Native III. Awesome knife.

I have a leek with the 1/2 serrated blade and DO NOT buy one. Stick with the non-serrated version. I love the leek design, but the serrations are lousy. Too thin at the edge and tend to fold over when used. Not good. I agree about the safety. I disabled mine the first week. It has a nasty habit of closing and it is pain to open again.

Couldn't agree with you more. I don't personally see the point in serrations. Take care of your blade and it'll cut fine with a plain edge. Those serrations suck to keep sharp (which you can never really get right/ at least I can't keep 'em factory nice).

I have also broken a spyderco, the first and only one I've ever bought. Not a bad knife otherwise, it was just the tip and I wasn't abusing it, though it's been awhile and I can't remember how I did it. It's now in my turnout gear for cutting seatbelts and stuff. I rounded the edge and made it like the "rescue" knives they market. I've not had that problem with any other knife besides a gerber or two.

Kevp · Aug 22, 2010

Accurate Pawn & Tackle in Elkridge. Gus has one of the best knife selections in the area and he will treat you right.

xcavater · Aug 22, 2010

Kevp said:
Accurate Pawn & Tackle in Elkridge. Gus has one of the best knife selections in the area and he will treat you right.

I would agree. The guy constantly makes great deals.
- Caveat - If you deal with him, make sure to get it in writing or do any paperwork at the time of deal.
I lost 100.00 buying a Bushmaster from him because he didn't remember the price he told me.

My fault not his.

Robby The Sheef · Aug 22, 2010

+1 for Knifecenter.

I would get the Griptilian. The steel is better, and the lock is more solid. It also feels way better. I don't own the M16, but I played with one at a gun show. It felt thin and wasn't comfortable. Personally, I say scrap the tanto idea. It's not going to be much stronger, and the edge is hard to maintain. Because it has that sharp angle in the blade it wears a lot in that one spot. Eventually it won't even be a tanto anymore. In a strictly defensive knife that doesn't get used for anything else they're fine, but for EDC there's no point. Also, I like a knife with some curve to it. But that's personal preference. Currently I carry the Kershaw Packrat. http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=KS1665 But I've carried the Leek before and never had an issue really. There's also the Cold Steel Voyager. I like Cold Steel. They come razor sharp(the one CRKT knife I own is, IMO, dull. Cold steel I can shave with) and their steel is quality stuff. http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=CS29MC

All the brands named in this thread are fine. It comes down to preference in steel, handle material, locking mechanism and blade shape. Emerson, SOG, Spyderco(And Byrd), Cold Steel, Benchmade, and Kershaw are all great blades and can be had at decent prices. CRKT makes some great stuff, but I've never been impressed with the sharpness of the blades I've owned/handled and some of their knives are made of crappy steel. Any steel that's in the 400 series (440c, 440hc and so on) is crap IMO. Way too soft. They've been phasing those steels out in recent years it seems, but it's something to remember.

xcavater · Aug 23, 2010

Robby The Sheef said:
+1 for Knifecenter.

I would get the Griptilian. The steel is better, and the lock is more solid. It also feels way better. I don't own the M16, but I played with one at a gun show. It felt thin and wasn't comfortable. Personally, I say scrap the tanto idea. It's not going to be much stronger, and the edge is hard to maintain. Because it has that sharp angle in the blade it wears a lot in that one spot. Eventually it won't even be a tanto anymore. In a strictly defensive knife that doesn't get used for anything else they're fine, but for EDC there's no point. Also, I like a knife with some curve to it. But that's personal preference. Currently I carry the Kershaw Packrat. http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=KS1665 But I've carried the Leek before and never had an issue really. There's also the Cold Steel Voyager. I like Cold Steel. They come razor sharp(the one CRKT knife I own is, IMO, dull. Cold steel I can shave with) and their steel is quality stuff. http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=CS29MC

All the brands named in this thread are fine. It comes down to preference in steel, handle material, locking mechanism and blade shape. Emerson, SOG, Spyderco(And Byrd), Cold Steel, Benchmade, and Kershaw are all great blades and can be had at decent prices. CRKT makes some great stuff, but I've never been impressed with the sharpness of the blades I've owned/handled and some of their knives are made of crappy steel. Any steel that's in the 400 series (440c, 440hc and so on) is crap IMO. Way too soft. They've been phasing those steels out in recent years it seems, but it's something to remember.

5 year old tanto sharpened as needed. Sometimes once a month, sometimes once a week.
Strongest blade designed. Lynn Thompson of Cold Steel put them thru car doors.
I've used mine as a screwdriver, cut #2 copper cable, pried with it, hammered with it, whatever

http://i800.photobucket.com/albums/yy287/xcavater/DSCF5682-1.jpg

hvymax · Aug 23, 2010

My last few CRKT's were made in Tiawan. I would stay away from the LAWKS knives because they turn a perfectly good one handed knife into a two handed knife. +1 on the tanto blades strongest best scrapers if they had one in the Boker+ line I would have one. My first AUS8 tanto pierced 18ga stainless 18-20 times before the tip blunted. I have become a convert to the framelock because EVERY linerlock I have ever used eventually gets tweaked and starts bypassing the blade. For many years while I was more careless I would carry $5 Bud K knives for work because if I lost it it did'nt hurt like loosing an $80 CRKT.

angler · Aug 23, 2010

tss1004 said:
Couldn't agree with you more. I don't personally see the point in serrations. Take care of your blade and it'll cut fine with a plain edge. Those serrations suck to keep sharp (which you can never really get right/ at least I can't keep 'em factory nice).

I have also broken a spyderco, the first and only one I've ever bought. Not a bad knife otherwise, it was just the tip and I wasn't abusing it, though it's been awhile and I can't remember how I did it. It's now in my turnout gear for cutting seatbelts and stuff. I rounded the edge and made it like the "rescue" knives they market. I've not had that problem with any other knife besides a gerber or two.

I broke the top 1/8" off the Native trying to pry a bullet from my 45lc out of a log. Total knife abuse.......Now it is a perfect river rescue knife, cause I can't stab anyone cutting them out of there life vest......

Serrations are hard to keep sharp, but frankly, I've never had a good set go dull (that is before I wear out the knife anyway). I buy serrated blades for river rescue/rope/strap cutting since I do a fair amount of canoeing/rafting and serrations are *much* faster on rope, particularly a loaded rope. Now, though, I worry less about serrations because I carry a Benchmade rescue hook.

xcavater · Aug 23, 2010

angler said:
I broke the top 1/8" off the Native trying to pry a bullet from my 45lc out of a log. Total knife abuse.......Now it is a perfect river rescue knife, cause I can't stab anyone cutting them out of there life vest......

Serrations are hard to keep sharp, but frankly, I've never had a good set go dull (that is before I wear out the knife anyway). I buy serrated blades for river rescue/rope/strap cutting since I do a fair amount of canoeing/rafting and serrations are *much* faster on rope, particularly a loaded rope. Now, though, I worry less about serrations because I carry a Benchmade rescue hook.

Are you with CJPVFD?

angler · Aug 23, 2010

xcavater said:
Are you with CJPVFD?

Nope just an avid outdoorsman. When I lived out West with real wilderness I used to spend a lot of time out where you were the definitive medical care.

I have thinking, on the advice of friends, to join Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group.

xcavater · Aug 23, 2010

angler said:
Nope just an avid outdoorsman. When I lived out West with real wilderness I used to spend a lot of time out where you were the definitive medical care.

I have thinking, on the advice of friends, to join Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group.

I saw MoCo and river rescue and just wondered.

smokey · Jan 12, 2011

xcavater said:
I wish that were true.

The H&K, Harley Davidson and Bone Collector series are all made overseas.Black series is Military and Law Enforcement Made in USA
Blue series is Commercial/ Retail Made in USA
Gold series is collector/ best they make, limited runs Made in USA

I always buy black box Benchmade my EDC is a 9100 Auto Stryker
It's been my EDC for 4 or 5 years and abuse the sh*t out of it.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_list.aspx?category=53

nope...looks like it's made in america. I gotta say, this is by far my new favorite knife. The steel is INCREDIBLY hard. 60-62 hrc and it holds on to an edge for a long time. People have commented that d2 takes a crappy edge and holds it forever. I've been able to put a pretty effective shaving edge on it after polishing up the factory edge a bit(it would shave from the factory, just not well enough for my liking). Cutting through cardboard and a number of other crap, it hasn't dulled up a bit. The thumbhole cutout is familiar to spyderco fans and, combined with the reversable pocket clip, makes the knife completely ambidextrous.

Overall construction punks a lot of other knife makers. Typically one might expect to find some unfinished areas around the axis of the blade. Nope, everything is sharp machined edges and polished surface. Even the spacing of the blade from side to side is perfect when closed. The axis lock engages positively and there is no play in any direction. This knife is solid...which is also the only drawback.

the knife is a bit heavy at about 5.6 oz. and thick at .73" but carries well enough. This is gunna be my edc knife for a long while(unless a more easily carried knife is needed like when i'm dressed fancy...then the spydercos shine). Overall for 100$, you end up getting a whole lot of knife.

Robby The Sheef · Jan 13, 2011

smokey0118 said:
http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_list.aspx?category=53
View attachment 31274
View attachment 31273
nope...looks like it's made in america. I gotta say, this is by far my new favorite knife. The steel is INCREDIBLY hard. 60-62 hrc and it holds on to an edge for a long time. People have commented that d2 takes a crappy edge and holds it forever. I've been able to put a pretty effective shaving edge on it after polishing up the factory edge a bit(it would shave from the factory, just not well enough for my liking). Cutting through cardboard and a number of other crap, it hasn't dulled up a bit. The thumbhole cutout is familiar to spyderco fans and, combined with the reversable pocket clip, makes the knife completely ambidextrous.

Overall construction punks a lot of other knife makers. Typically one might expect to find some unfinished areas around the axis of the blade. Nope, everything is sharp machined edges and polished surface. Even the spacing of the blade from side to side is perfect when closed. The axis lock engages positively and there is no play in any direction. This knife is solid...which is also the only drawback.

the knife is a bit heavy at about 5.6 oz. and thick at .73" but carries well enough. This is gunna be my edc knife for a long while(unless a more easily carried knife is needed like when i'm dressed fancy...then the spydercos shine). Overall for 100$, you end up getting a whole lot of knife.

Wow...that's purdy. What a cool logo. I like D2, but in a folding EDC...ehh...not my favorite. In a heavy duty camp knife or something, it's perfect. Also, it's easier to see on the stock photos, but the handle scales are quite nice looking.

smokey · Jan 13, 2011

Robby The Sheef said:
Wow...that's purdy. What a cool logo. I like D2, but in a folding EDC...ehh...not my favorite. In a heavy duty camp knife or something, it's perfect. Also, it's easier to see on the stock photos, but the handle scales are quite nice looking.

thankya Robby :thumbsup:

. How come you don't prefer d2? Not arguing your point, just curious as to your reasons. My uses for edc mirror camp-knife activity, ranging from cutting up dinner to whittling a smore stick at a bonfire to opening whatever box/package i need to at basspro to whatever. Even though i have access to the wheel at basspro to sharpen my knives, i still just prefer the edge to last long in between sharpenings. I have other knives in 154cm, vg-10, aus-8a, etc....but for $100 i'm liking the d2 in this one. s30v would be another good choice, but aside from the buck vantage..everything else was way more loot than this knife. I didn't like the liner-lock on the vantage and the fitment wasn't as precise and polished as this knife...sooo ehh went with this.

Robby The Sheef · Jan 14, 2011

smokey0118 said:
thankya Robby. How come you don't prefer d2? Not arguing your point, just curious as to your reasons. My uses for edc mirror camp-knife activity, ranging from cutting up dinner to whittling a smore stick at a bonfire to opening whatever box/package i need to at basspro to whatever. Even though i have access to the wheel at basspro to sharpen my knives, i still just prefer the edge to last long in between sharpenings. I have other knives in 154cm, vg-10, aus-8a, etc....but for $100 i'm liking the d2 in this one. s30v would be another good choice, but aside from the buck vantage..everything else was way more loot than this knife. I didn't like the liner-lock on the vantage and the fitment wasn't as precise and polished as this knife...sooo ehh went with this.

I owned leek that was D2 and it just wouldn't take an edge as well as I would like. It was tough as nails though. Once it was as sharp as I could get it, it stayed that way. It's just so tough and abrasion resistant that normal sharpening methods don't seem to work very well. I guess if the idea is to use it for skinning game and the like, maybe D2 is a good choice. I think for the price, this is a quality knife. Looks good, cuts well and I love AXIS style locking systems. My SOG has one, and it's so smooth and quick to both open and close...Love that design. Never again will I EDC a knife that requires both hands to close.

NateTheShake · Jan 14, 2011

Robby The Sheef said:
I owned leek that was D2 and it just wouldn't take an edge as well as I would like. It was tough as nails though. Once it was as sharp as I could get it, it stayed that way. It's just so tough and abrasion resistant that normal sharpening methods don't seem to work very well. I guess if the idea is to use it for skinning game and the like, maybe D2 is a good choice. I think for the price, this is a quality knife. Looks good, cuts well and I love AXIS style locking systems. My SOG has one, and it's so smooth and quick to both open and close...Love that design. Never again will I EDC a knife that requires both hands to close.

My current EDC is a Benchmade McHenry Williams model 710 in black. D2 steel, AXIS lock. I can open AND close with one hand, I keep it hair-shave sharp, and it can take one hell of a beating.

I have also sometimes carry a Benchmade Mini Nitrous Stryker model 907 assisted-opening D2 steel or Benchmade Kulgera model 930 AXIS lock with S30V steel. The S30V can be sharpened to an insanely sharp edge (I mean scalpel sharp!) but doesn't take as much abuse.

In the past I have carried a few Kershaws (Blur, Leek, Blackout) but their steel is very brittle and I don't own one that doesn't have a missing tip or missing serrations. Plus their assisted opening mechanism is a thin wire spring that does tend to break over time. Currently two of my four Kershaws are no longer assisted opening. I know Kershaw has a lifetime warranty, but they have been retired to "toolbox" status so I haven't bothered to have them fixed.

I also have a handful of SOG's, Spyderco's, and CRKT's, but none of them have been near the quality or design of Benchmade.

AXIS lock with D2 for the win. :thumbsup:

Maryland_Shooter · Jan 14, 2011

Buck 110 - $29 at Wal-Mart, have 2 - great knives and great price.

WeaponsCollector · Jan 14, 2011

Maryland_Shooter said:
Buck 110 - $29 at Wal-Mart, have 2 - great knives and great price.

I love the Buck 110, there's some "special" customized ones out there but they are hard to find and a bit more expensive.... :innocent0

rglrguy · Jan 14, 2011

Over the last 4 years i've EDC'ed the following: Gerber Tanto Flipper, CRKT M16, SOG Flash 2, and currently Benchmade griptilion 551SBK. Benchmade is by far the best quality of any, 154CM blade, great balance, and extremely smooth (as others have said). I carried the CRKT m16 for about 1.5 years. I found the 2.5 inch blade too small for my current job and the knife had a weird feel in the hand (not easily gripped).

smokey · Jan 15, 2011

NateTheShake said:
My current EDC is a Benchmade McHenry Williams model 710 in black. D2 steel, AXIS lock. I can open AND close with one hand, I keep it hair-shave sharp, and it can take one hell of a beating.

I have also sometimes carry a Benchmade Mini Nitrous Stryker model 907 assisted-opening D2 steel or Benchmade Kulgera model 930 AXIS lock with S30V steel. The S30V can be sharpened to an insanely sharp edge (I mean scalpel sharp!) but doesn't take as much abuse.

In the past I have carried a few Kershaws (Blur, Leek, Blackout) but their steel is very brittle and I don't own one that doesn't have a missing tip or missing serrations. Plus their assisted opening mechanism is a thin wire spring that does tend to break over time. Currently two of my four Kershaws are no longer assisted opening. I know Kershaw has a lifetime warranty, but they have been retired to "toolbox" status so I haven't bothered to have them fixed.

I also have a handful of SOG's, Spyderco's, and CRKT's, but none of them have been near the quality or design of Benchmade.

AXIS lock with D2 for the win.

agree with everything above. the d2 has so far been tough as nails, but hasn't been as sharp as some other steels. I'm impressed by the overall tight tolerances and clean edges on the benchmades i have. I was looking at and saving up for the osborne axis in d2...but found this for half the price and more metal on the blade and went for it. I loved my SOG spec elite(and still do) but this just flat out punks it in materials, fit and finish for only $30 more.

I can definately tell hardness when i'm sharpening customers kershaws on the wheel. They sharpen up razor sharp in about a minute and a half of sharpening and honing I have to be careful not to round the blade over on the honing wheel because the steel is so soft. SOG's generally take longer to take an edge, but get a little sharper. This D2 takes a LOOOOOOOng time to sharpen and polish. it gets sharper than 99.9% of people keep their knives, but takes a while to get it there. Instead of being mirror polished, the blade still shows the grind striations from the fine grit wheel after polishing. On the d2 blades, i have to be careful to use very light pressure on the stone, follow up on the brillo-pad wheel and then spend lots and lots of time on the honing wheel with white polishing compound to get it where it's potential is realized.

Looking for an EDC.

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