Sub $100 EDC

[BenL]

I carried a Blur (tanto) for a few years. Light weight and relatively inexpensive. My biggest beef with it was that it doesn't hold an edge very well; I was constantly sharpening it. My daily carry now is either a Benchmade Barrage w/ M390 Supersteel or a Spyderco Military LH. The Benchmade is VERY well made, but a little thick and heavy. The Spyderco is light, but the tradeoff is that lockup isn't super-tight. I wear dress clothes a lot more now, so I need to find another EDC that's smaller and fits in my pocket.

 

[joppaj]

I wear dress clothes a lot more now, so I need to find another EDC that's smaller and fits in my pocket.

Look at the Spyderco Centofante.

 

[NickZac]

ok... so... last call for me.. prob gonna order today...

kershaw blur tanto?

Alucard said it all. Don't get the tanto. It's a terrible blade on a great knife and it makes the best knives less useful. It's a nightmare to sharpen, it has a very short service life, it's not good for precision cutting, and it doesn't even penetrate all that well versus a spear point (spear point will pierce more kevlar than an 'Americanized' tanto. [a true tanto is a very different style])

For a sub-$100 EDC from the larger makers...
-Blur is great if you can find one in good steel...only 40 bucks for this but I agree ones in CPM-S30V are more desirable as S30 is great and Kershaw hardens it very well. The CPM-154 Blurs are also exceptional but hard to find.
-Kershaw Leek Blem in S30V is great and under $40 (composite in D2 as well)
-Benchmade Ritter Griptilian is an amazing blade grind you will fall in love with
-Spyderco Paramilitary2 is probably the best overall knife in its price class next to the Ritter...(Endura and Delica are great too, but the Para is made for heavier usage). I like EDCing my Para2. I also think it's the easiest folding knife to sharpen, despite it being made of very capable CPM-S30V.
-ZT0770 (ELMAX steel which will outperform all of the above by a significant margin) or 0566 or 0350 or 0550


Most knife for your money if you are looking for something for heavy usage?
http://kershawguy.com/products-page/zt-blems/zt0550-1st-gen-blem/
S35VN steel, great frame lock, very overbuilt, use of titanium and G10

 

[NickZac]

My Para...
older video but only recently uploaded it...I've gotten it sharper since. I am now at the point of getting it to push cut toilet paper without ripping it. The CPM-S30V is great steel and Spyderco heat treats it in a fashion which really maximizes performance and the ability for it to both take and hold a razor edge. Their S30V does a better job at resisting rolling and deformation than most others, IMO.

(I like S30V from Spyderco more than Benchmade, Chris Reeve, Lone Wolf, Microtech, Buck, SOG, and most other factory makers using it...)

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[Kevmo]

Ok.. so Amazon has
Kershaw 1670S30V Blur Knife with S30V Steel Blade with SpeedSafe for 70.. I can't find this one with aserrated edge...

 

[LocknLoad]

Spyderco Endura, top notch EDC for around $70.

This...excellent knife. You'll not regret it!

 

[NickZac]

Ok.. so Amazon has
Kershaw 1670S30V Blur Knife with S30V Steel Blade with SpeedSafe for 70.. I can't find this one with aserrated edge...

This...excellent knife. You'll not regret it!

Agreed. Buy it!

The blade shape is great, CPM-S30V steel is fantastic & Kershaw/ZT is very good at hardening it, it's ergonomic, and it's really reliable. There are not many CPM-S30V folders in that price range and it makes pretty good gains over other stainless steels used on most factory knives in the sub $100 class. It's also a good balance of a good performing steel versus one that someone can easily sharpen with a little practice and a good sharpening system like the SharpMaker. Kershaw will also sharpen it for free.

The only downside is that the grips can be a little aggressive on pockets of more delicate clothes. Changing to carry tip-up and removal/insertion to the pocket in a fashion that avoids placing the grippy side on the fabric fixes most of those issues.

The only other thing that came to mind is that if you want a knife you almost don't have to sharpen, a ZDP-189 Spyderco Endura or Delica is under $100. It's among the hardest of steels used on folding knifes and while it takes a while to sharpen, it holds its edge so long that the frequency of sharpening is dramatically less often than that of the standard Delica/Endura steel (VG-10), which is already really good steel. Spyderco will also sharpen for free, but occasional stropping or touchup will maintain a razor edge of this steel giving you an incredibly hard cutting tool that does very well cutting materials that tend to rapidly dull knife blades. The tradeoff is that it is very difficult to sharpen if allowed to get dull and it is not nearly as tough as steels such as S30V making ZDP-189 good for a cutting tool but not ideal for a tool that will see stressors in which toughness is wanted. S30V on the other hand is a very tough steel for a stainless.