Looking for some advice on knives; I know absolutely nothing about them.
I am trying to find a nice folding pocket knife type…knife. Something I can keep on me and can be used for all sorts of different stuff. I currently have a cheap ass one and the blade recently broke almost in half so I decided to pick up a quality one and be done with it.
Doesn’t need to be super tactical or anything, just high quality and small enough to be easily carried in a pants pocket daily.
Thanks!
What is your budget?
What kind of attire will you wear? The reason I ask, is that something that goes fine with jeans and boots may make you constantly hitch up your belt in a business suit.
How pissed off will you be if you break it? Do you have a tendency to use a knife as a prybar? Fine if you do, but it is more stress on the blade.
Do you need any other tools - aka a Swiss Army Knife or multitool?
How discreet does it need to be?
Emerson 
or A multitool
Generally just jeans and everyday casual wear; nothing fancy.
I honestly don’t know what to expect as far as a budget goes. I would assume a nice lasts for a very long time knife would be relatively expensive. With that said I am not looking to go over the $150 range.
I am looking for something that will last, so I would be pretty pissed I ended up breaking it but with that said I do understand if you abuse anything it will eventually break.
I already have a multi-tool it is just a little large to slip into a jeans pocket and I don’t like walking around with a bunch of shit strapped onto my belt.
emerson mini-commander. you can pick them up on ebay for like 125 shipped. i think it might be my next purchase.
I have a Swiss Army (Victorinox) Soldier I have carried daily for the last few years.
It doesn’t cost $150 but it does everything I need on a daily basis. You really need to think about what you expect the knife to be used for.
You don’t have to spend $100+ to get a good everyday use knife that will open boxes, cut string, peel fruit or whittle a stick. The Vic is hard to beat for utility and compact size. It has a flat tip screwdriver, awl, bottle opener, can opener and of course a blade…all in a size that easily fits in a front pocket.
Price is around $30 as I recall.
Agreed, a waved Emerson Mini-Commander is a nice knife, and you can get one for under $150 shipped off fleabay.
http://www.emersonknives.com/ekMini_Commander_BTS.php
Personally, I am not a gigantic fan of serrations. YMMV.
I think I have 5 or 6 Emersons, I’d have to check the safe. They are nice folks, have a great product/warranty, and are awesome supporters of LEO/military.
I probably have 30-40 folders, but an Emerson keeps finding it’s way into my pocket for EDC. 
Given the amount of folding pocket knives I have owned and lost (the most expensive was a spyderco police edition and a Benchmade auto, I almost shed a tear when I lost them) I have found that the Remington F.A.S.T. series of folders (the largest one) is more than adequate. No they dont hold an edge as long as a Spyderco, Emerson, or Benchmade. It will get sharp enough to shave with, I can skin three deer b4 needing to sharpen. Yes its made in china. Yes you can buy 6 or more of them for the cost of one of the others. They open extremly fast with one hand and are very light. Just my opinion they are the best value in a pocket knife that can be had (19.95 for the large).
I like Emerson’s. How hard is sharpeninig the Commander?
Thanks
I like my Kershaw Leek (many different colors and blade options). I carry it in my dress slacks. It is very thin, light and most practical.
When I am not in dress slacks for work, I usually carry a SOG Trident. I will also probably get an Emerson at some point.
There are many good options. I think it comes down to style and feel because there are dozens of knives that will fit your need. It would be best to go to a store so you can feel and handle them before you decide.
I’m a big fan of the Benchmade AXIS locks.I’ve bought a few $100+ knives recently that have caught my eye and ended up regretting it.They end up sold,in a range bag,safe,or stashed arround the house.Because none of the locks come close to the AXIS.
My favorite is my plain edge 950 Rift.It’s a little big though…For something like cutting a balloon off of a stroller at the mall(got some looks).I make sure to use the Skeletool CX for that type of thing now.
Emersons are nice blades and of high quality, but I find them excessively thick for utility use. To me the knife is a daily use tool, and its primary function is to cut stuff. As such, I want it to cut with the least amount of effort and be easily resharpened.
I really like CPM S30V and 154CM steel for pocket knives. Good edge retention and easy to sharpen. I like straight edges- serrations are fine for those that usae their knives quarterly, but resharpening serrations is a pain in the ass. I stay away from recurved blades since you need to sharpen them with a rod, and a big flat stone will sharpen a traditional blade profile way faster than a rod will sharpen a recurve.
The Spyderco Military are good to go, as are the Benchmade 907-91 Mini-Nitrous, and the 740/745 Dejavoo/Mini-Dejavoo. There are many options, but I have carried these for extended periods of time and they have performed to my requirements. I am, of course, always on the lookout for the perfect knife, and when I find it I will be screaming from rooftops.
Bear in mind that what one person uses a knife for may be completetly different than how you want to apply yours, so what is perfection to some may be abysmal to others.
I could not agree more! I see people all the time buying “fighting” knives and then trying to force them into daily use, but I prefer to work it the other way 'round and buy knives that work for the purposes which I encounter most often first.
I’ve posted this before elsewhere but…
I prefer thumb-holes to thumb-studs. I find that thumb-studs limit the cutting ability and utility of the knife and can get stuck as well as gunked-up on deep cuts in many materials while the hole does not.
I prefer the Benchmade Axis lock to be the best locking mechanism. I do not like liner locks and frame locks because they require you to put your finger or thumb in the path of the sharp edge of the knife blade in order to close it. Old-fashioned frame-locks are better than liner-locks for this reason as well. But the Axis lock allows you to keep your standard grip but also keep your fingers completely free of the path of the blade.
Like F2S, I prefer a plain edge to serrations or partial serrations. Having owned serrated knives I haven’t found anything I couldn’t cut with a non-serrated blade if kept properly sharpened, up to and including chopping extension cords in half right through the rubber and wire(s).
I prefer a traditional blade style to a tanto or other fancy style. One, continuous, smooth cutting surface without any angular breaks or strange bellies etc. provides the best utility in my experience.
I also believe strongly in coated blades. I have been buying Benchmades since they were still using Birdsong Black-T and carried on through their current coatings. I find BM’s claims to be completely true re: rust prevention and I have knives where the finish is worn almost completely off but still refuse to rust, and knives that came brand new without the coating that start rusting almost immediately.
The only knife I’ve found that meets all of the above requirements is the Benchmade 555BTOD (scroll down to the bottom of the page). Unfortunately they only make it with the green handle for some reason. They do, however, make other models of the Griptilian line like the 550HG and the 555HG in multiple blade types and finishes as well as sizes.
My one other gripe with the Griptilian line is the handle material and in turn the overall thickness. Having the plastic handle in lieu of the G10-type handles makes it a little thick in the pocket. I find the 710 to be a viable alternative albeit with a stud instead of a hole.
BM also has a new knife, the “Bone Collector” in the 15020 model with 3.36" blade and 15030 with 2.95" blade that looks interesting but has no coated model yet.
It’s unfortunate that they had to discontinue the 806 as it was about perfect but now commands too high a price on the collector market.
ETA:
I also want a knife that goes in the pocket tip-up, not tip-down. Either the clip needs to be attached at the base of the grip or reversible.
Only folder I carry these days (after carrying just about everything else) is a Kershaw Tanto Blur. http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=85&brand=kershaw
I like it because I hardly notice it’s there. It is thin and light, the handle panels have Trac-Tec inserts (think deck tape) to aid in grip and retention. It’s assisted opening mechanism is as smooth as a Swiss watch.
I have a Millie with carbon fiber handles and BG-42 steel. Weighs nothing, and slices like a straight razor. It’s wickedly fast.
I do have a spare in the safe, new in box…
I agree as well about the lessened utility of a thick blade. It’s why I appreciate the full flat grind that Sal puts on a lot of the Spydercos.
And CPM-S30V steel seems to work really well. Retains an edge like D2, but with much greater rust and stain resistance. I like the “toothiness” of the edge, for lack of a better term. It will take a very fine edge, but grab into the material and cut, and not slide off.
Sal is coming out with a redesigned Paramilitary very soon, that may be of interest to both F2S and rob_s.
I have a BM 806D2 also. It is a great design as well, and a fine competitor to the Spyderco Military. But I agree with Rob, the price is stupid on them now.
Hehehe - maybe I should sell that one?
Grant’s a BM dealer. If he got 20-30 people in on a group buy, they might do a run of coated blades for him.
Just sayin…
I’m good for one.
Wow, thanks for all of the responses. Seems I have a lot of options; I like the way the SOG Trident looks and from a little google work can be found for like $70 or so. I think I may go that way.
There’s a secondary problem with the knife, which is that the handles are thicker even than the Griptilian! I hate when a company uses a material that should be thin and then makes it thick.
Indeed.
I think a great knife would be the Mini-Grip, with that same sheepsfoot blade, without the fecking serrations, and tan handles. They don’t make it. :eek:
But a slim, sturdy AXIS knife always sells.
It would be very inconspicuous when wearing a pair of Dockers or other khaki pants. And lots of folks wear exactly that, but like to carry a knife.
I just got this Benchmade and like it.
http://www.rei.com/product/737699
