a good 40$ folding knife

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  • Aug 2, 2007
    1,253
    Harford County
    I'm not doubting you and I'm not trying to be funny, but what are you doing with a kershaw to chip the blade? Which model did it happen with?

    I have quite a few knives (some benchmades even) but I choose to carry a Kershaw. I've put some heavy use on mine and I've NEVER chipped a blade. Perhaps my definition of "Heavy" use is different than yours.

    I regularly chip epoxy off of my various projects with a kershaw. At some extreme angles. I would suspect that should chip the edge fairly easy if it really were that fragile.

    Benchmades do have better metallurgy and heat treating and are probably more durable, but in my experience I've not found kershaws to be too fragile.

    I have chipped my Kershaw Blackout, Blur, and Leek. All of them have small chips in the blades, most are missing teeth in the serrations, and one Blackout is missing the whole tip. Before you ask, no I don't use them as a pry or screwdriver, but that's where my TLC begins and ends. Otherwise I am in the Infantry and have used my knives as carbon scrapers, cooking utencils, first aid tools (properly sanitized), can openers, wire cutters, etc. Is a knife the absolute best tool for these tasks? Probably not, but it's the one in my pocket always so it's the one that will inevitably be tasked with the chore whether I intend it to or not. Lesser knives have not stood up to the task, I have yet to have a complaint about either of my Benchmades (I also carry a mini-Nitrous Stryker, it is currenty on loan to another soldier who lost his knife... and is waiting for the Benchmade he just ordered after using mine for a few days.)

    Today, to point out what I mean by hard-use, we had a sling load of water blivets come in. For safety the valves are all taped shut so they don't open during flight and shift the load. The guys loading the blivets like to be mighty sure they aren't coming open so the tape was just piled on and there is no time to try to unwrap it, you just have to cut through. During this our blades come in contact with the valve bodies, which are metal of some sort. You try to be delicate, but it happens and I have seen a few knives dulled out or chipped in the process. I took point on cutting the valves today and the blade is still hair-shave sharp.

    Like I said, I don't stand to gain one penny trying to sell someone on the brand, I just have my own experience.
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,369
    kershaw uses crappy soft steel on most knives. for not a lot of money, the buck vantage pro with it's s30v steel is probably one of the best values. Buck tempest at around $60 is pretty decent too...but by then you could find a SOG spec eliteII with vg-10 and axis lock in a slim handle. For around $80 in something slimmer/smaller a visionary II would work... http://www.lapolicegear.com/sog-visionary-knife.html .

    I've loved the last few 5.11 knives i've gotten. http://www.lapolicegear.com/511-alpha-scout-tanto.html if you're lucky, you can find a good closeout deal on their knives. I got a $90 journeyman karambit in 154cm for $40 on closeout there. the new model is s30v and am watching it like a hawk for a closeout deal.

    Spyderco and benchmade have a big appeal beyond amazing build quality. Both offer training versions of their most popular knives. If you're looking for an edc you may use for defense, a training version you can drill with safely in hand-to-hand defensive situations can be invaluable.
    http://www.lapolicegear.com/spyderco-c10pbk-endura-knife.html
    ...vg-10 steel on that endura.
     

    futureseabee

    CTT not seabee anymore
    Aug 18, 2008
    4,302
    Va Beach
    I have carried this for a year now and i love it! 25 bucks at walmart. sharp as hell and holds a blade. pocket clip is VERY strong and VERY inconspicuous. very low profile. add to that assisted opening that is lighting fast even compared to my automatics. not lefty friendly though
    0001365801528_500X500.jpg

    http://www.walmart.com/ip/GERBER-VALLOTTON-KNIFE/11071302
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,369
    to knife experts: how "good" of a steel is 440a? thats what my knife has. how do you know what is good?

    depends on who made it. hardening processes vary greatly and are pretty important. Generally 440a will have great corrosion resistance, but at the expense of edge retention. As you move from 440a to 440b, you lose some corrosion resistance but gain a harder edge....move to 440c and get an even harder edge, but less resistance still. Generally speaking, premium knife steels today are typically s30v, d2, 154cm and other variants like ats34, vg-10 and such.
    http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml
    http://www.knifeart.com/steelfaqbyjo.html
     

    futureseabee

    CTT not seabee anymore
    Aug 18, 2008
    4,302
    Va Beach
    depends on who made it. hardening processes vary greatly and are pretty important. Generally 440a will have great corrosion resistance, but at the expense of edge retention. As you move from 440a to 440b, you lose some corrosion resistance but gain a harder edge....move to 440c and get an even harder edge, but less resistance still. Generally speaking, premium knife steels today are typically s30v, d2, 154cm and other variants like ats34, vg-10 and such.
    http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml
    http://www.knifeart.com/steelfaqbyjo.html

    oh well mine is a little gerber cheapy but it works for what i need it to
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,369
    oh well mine is a little gerber cheapy but it works for what i need it to

    gerber generally steals knife designs from other manufacturers(especially CRKT) and then makes them from cheap steel....which is why they're so inexpensive comparatively. They do have very soft steel though. Expect it to round over fast and lose an edge quick. they can take a pretty decent edge, but you need to be careful when stropping off the burr because you'll go from polishing burr to rounding the edge dull in a narrow band of passes and need to glass the edge back sharp.
     

    chad2

    Active Member
    Mar 26, 2011
    629
    depends on who made it. hardening processes vary greatly and are pretty important. Generally 440a will have great corrosion resistance, but at the expense of edge retention. As you move from 440a to 440b, you lose some corrosion resistance but gain a harder edge....move to 440c and get an even harder edge, but less resistance still. Generally speaking, premium knife steels today are typically s30v, d2, 154cm and other variants like ats34, vg-10 and such.
    http://zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml
    http://www.knifeart.com/steelfaqbyjo.html

    yes 440A is a good knife steel not the best but for the price it is great and again yes it really depends on the HT i can have a d2 steel that has a crappy HT on it and 440A will do way better. yes it all depends on the HT but that is with ALL KNIVES! actually 440C is still used buy very big companies but it will do HORRIBLE as a knife edge if the HT sucks, but if done right can out perform 154cm and D2
     

    MDMOUNTAINEER

    Glock, AR, Savage Junkie
    Mar 4, 2009
    5,739
    West Virginia
    I have chipped my Kershaw Blackout, Blur, and Leek. All of them have small chips in the blades, most are missing teeth in the serrations, and one Blackout is missing the whole tip. Before you ask, no I don't use them as a pry or screwdriver, but that's where my TLC begins and ends. Otherwise I am in the Infantry and have used my knives as carbon scrapers, cooking utencils, first aid tools (properly sanitized), can openers, wire cutters, etc. Is a knife the absolute best tool for these tasks? Probably not, but it's the one in my pocket always so it's the one that will inevitably be tasked with the chore whether I intend it to or not. Lesser knives have not stood up to the task, I have yet to have a complaint about either of my Benchmades (I also carry a mini-Nitrous Stryker, it is currenty on loan to another soldier who lost his knife... and is waiting for the Benchmade he just ordered after using mine for a few days.)

    Today, to point out what I mean by hard-use, we had a sling load of water blivets come in. For safety the valves are all taped shut so they don't open during flight and shift the load. The guys loading the blivets like to be mighty sure they aren't coming open so the tape was just piled on and there is no time to try to unwrap it, you just have to cut through. During this our blades come in contact with the valve bodies, which are metal of some sort. You try to be delicate, but it happens and I have seen a few knives dulled out or chipped in the process. I took point on cutting the valves today and the blade is still hair-shave sharp.

    Like I said, I don't stand to gain one penny trying to sell someone on the brand, I just have my own experience.


    Thanks for the input. I guess I'm not as hard on my knives as I thought, it does however make sense. Other than scraping errant cured epoxy, the only time my kershaw gets banged around is cutting airbags and stuff out of vehicles to gain patient access. Cutting tape piled onto metal with regularity is pretty hard on steel. I use mine to cook (camping), cut wound dressings, even open cans on a few occasions, but that pipe deal takes the cake. I just assumed any steel would chip doing that, if benchmades don't that's friggin' spectacular.

    Because of your response I'm going to get one........................no bullshat.

    Thanks



    gerber generally steals knife designs from other manufacturers(especially CRKT) and then makes them from cheap steel....which is why they're so inexpensive comparatively. They do have very soft steel though. Expect it to round over fast and lose an edge quick. they can take a pretty decent edge, but you need to be careful when stropping off the burr because you'll go from polishing burr to rounding the edge dull in a narrow band of passes and need to glass the edge back sharp.

    Is it just me, or was gerber at one time a reputable company with decent steel and decent designs?
     

    MDMOUNTAINEER

    Glock, AR, Savage Junkie
    Mar 4, 2009
    5,739
    West Virginia
    I did also buy one of those Buck Vantage knives too. Just because I haven't bought a folder in awhile and amazon got it to me for $25 shipped (I got the cheapie "Select"/420 steel, plastic scales). I like the design, sharpened up nice, but it's not a benchmade lol.
     

    DZ

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 9, 2005
    4,091
    Mount Airy, MD
    In that price range, the two that WeaponCollector posted are my picks.

    My latest pocket knife is the Lone Wolf Longhorn (plain edge, G-10). Really like it so far.
     
    Aug 2, 2007
    1,253
    Harford County
    Kershaw blur
    /thread

    I own a Blur as do many of my friends at work and in my unit. After a few months of pretty decent abuse I have seen numerous broken assisted opening springs and almost 100% of them have a chip somewhere in the blade if not missing entire teeth in the serrations or a missing tip. Kershaw will replace the spring under warranty, but either you have to mail the knife to them (and potentially be without your knife for a few weeks) or they mail the part to you and you have to do the intricate replacement. The coil spring is quite small, I liken the task to installing the capture springs in an AR15 lower receiver.

    I have also owned a few Blackouts and Leeks that have succumb to a similar fate.

    Thanks for the input. I guess I'm not as hard on my knives as I thought, it does however make sense. Other than scraping errant cured epoxy, the only time my kershaw gets banged around is cutting airbags and stuff out of vehicles to gain patient access. Cutting tape piled onto metal with regularity is pretty hard on steel. I use mine to cook (camping), cut wound dressings, even open cans on a few occasions, but that pipe deal takes the cake. I just assumed any steel would chip doing that, if benchmades don't that's friggin' spectacular.

    Because of your response I'm going to get one........................no bullshat.

    Thanks


    I will say it took me a few years to bite on the concept of paying three to four times the amount of money I was used to on a pocket knife, but I'm glad I did. In fact I got a little motivation for some knife porn...

    My EDC's Benchmade Model 710 McHenry Williams and Benchmade Model 907 Mini Nitrous Stryker:

    img_1327.jpg


    img_1331.jpg


    img_1330.jpg


    img_1332.jpg


    As you can see that Stryker (also D2) has taken some serious abuse over the years and is little worse for wear than when I first bought it. The 710 is starting to show it's age, including an accidental trip into the Red Sea for combat water survival training. D2 is not a stainless steel, but it had surprisingly little rust for having spent the better part of an hour in some rather salty water. Five minutes with a brush and some CLP and you can hardly tell.

    I also carry a Gerber multitool (freebie from Uncle Sam) and a SOG SEAL Pup Elite when we're "working" but my Benchmades are my work horses.
     

    boricuamaximus

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 27, 2008
    6,237
    benchmade 551. Those are great. A little more than $40 but you will be happy with it. Especially, if they are the griptillian models
     

    Jmce3

    Member
    Jan 10, 2011
    68
    tremor is a great blade. It is however a very heavy blade. I also wish it had Some traction on the top for your thumb. But for under $35 bucks it's gold. Now my current fav is my spyderco resilience it's big bad piece of steel. Also $40 bucks and under if you shop around. Knifecenter, Yourcornerstore, knifeworks, are GREAt sites. If your military AG Russel site gives 25% off all blades for military all the time
     

    ToneGrail

    MSI, NRA, & SAF Member
    Dec 18, 2008
    1,397
    Towson, People's Republik of MD
    I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Spyderco Tenacious. You can get it for about $30 on Amazon shipped.

    The great thing I like about it is that it has no springs or anything and open pillar constructions. It's a heftly solid knife that won't break down because of it's simplicity.

    I've been EDCing it for about a year and it has held up quite well.
     

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