Choose my next pocket knife

[ez bake]

I would go with the mannix 2 myself. One of these days we should sit down and discuss steel. I have a pretty vast collection and have handled/owned/traded/sold more knives than I ever care to count. I always end up with a spyderco. I have been sold on them.

Another option would be the Al Mar SERE I have carried one of those for 3 years and it is beyond all accounts the perfect pocket knife for me.

Man - if I could find one that wasn't Saber grind, I'd probably get it, but the Sprint runs with flat-grinds are super-expensive and I've not seen any that justified the nearly $200 that folks are asking for them used (since it was a limited edition).

I'm looking at the Kershaw PackRat and the Spyderco Sage for a couple of smaller knives.

I think I may end up with a few to play with before this is all over with.

 

[ldp4570]

This is a knife thats going to be used right!! Save your money, hold your breath, and get yourself a Medium or Large Cold Steel Voyager with the clip point blade. Sharp as hell, and easy to sharpen. Clip is strong as heck, has a back lock so you don't have to worry over a slide lock slipping, and you can abuse them to hell and back.
The one in the center has rode in my pocket since before I retired from the US Army, served while a LEO, and did two tours in Iraq, and is still with me, same goes for the VSAK under her. Both tough as nails!!!

 

[ez bake]

Well, I couldn't decide, so I ordered 3. LDP, I wish you had posted about a day sooner

I got the Gayle Bradley because I've heard too many folks talk about how beefy it is (and for a liner-lock, its seriously strong - huge liners). I also was interested in the CPM-M4 carbon steel blade, so that had something to do with it.

I was looking for a cheaper knife and had heard good things about the Kershaw Packrat (don't know too much about the 14C28N stainless steel, but its supposed to be hold an edge better than AUS8). Its supposed to be ergonomically awesome and I like the blade-shape for doing intricate cutting (and the orange G10 scales are pretty cool too - especially given my knack for loosing flashlights/knives).

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=KS1665OR

I also wanted a smaller knife (and Spyderco knives seem to be like ants at a picnic - you don't just have to deal with one, there's more of them lurking around and trying to sneak back home with you), so I went ahead and got the Spyderco Sage in Carbon Fiber

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/store_detail.html?s=SP123CFP

If I can find a Manix with a full flat grind, and possibly a super-leaf, those might be in my future, but I think my next knife is going to be a hard-use folder (frame-lock or spring-ball-bearing-lock) so I'm more looking at the Kershaw Tyrade or maybe a used HEST/f if I've got the time/money

Thanks for the input fellas.

 

[ez bake]

I have to point out a bit of good customer service. The Kershaw PackRat was $57 when I ordered it, and I was poking around knifecenter.com (the place I ordered my knives) and saw that the same knife was on sale for $29. So I emailed them and almost immediately they issued a credit and updated my order without delaying anything.

I've used them in the past because they've got a pretty good selection and pretty good prices, but that was very good customer service (and fast) and I got a killer deal on the pack rat.

 

[Gunrunner45]

I really like my Kershaw's.

The one I have been carry recently is my Kershaw Clash.

Other favorites:

SOG Flash II
Spyderco Tenacious


If your just using it for opening boxes, cutting rope etc.. The Clash is a good buy and you won't be kicking yourself if you loose it. I think I paid $29 for mine.

 

[ez bake]

Crap. Just found a brand new Tyrade for a good price.

 

[ez bake]

Knives came in today (and I ordered a NIB Kershaw Tyrade and a Blem'd Kershaw Rake that should be here next week.

My first impressions are that Spyderco makes a damn good knife (both of these models are Taiwan made knives, but the QC and fit/finish is well above any other folder I've owned).

The brass-bushing is visible from the top of the knife when folded and its presence is truly felt - these things really do feel like a ball-bearing on oiled glass when opening.

The line-up of the blade when closed is perfect - no favoring either side, dead centered. No visible tooling marks or imperfections (even minor edges on the Carbon fiber or inside the liners) anywhere on either Spyderco.

Both Spydercos have perfect lockup with no play, very solid and the closing is very solid with the ball-bearing/detent holding the blades firmly in-place when closed. I didn't really like the way that the Bird's Eye thumber-hole was cut - very sharp edge, but when I realized that it was the only point at which your thumb get's hold of the blade to open it, I figured out that it needs to grab and having a very sharply cut edge on it allows for your thumb to really get hold of it.

The Sage is super-light weight (thin Carbon-fiber scales with thin liners that have been skeletonized). Its got a little 3" blade on it that actually only has a cutting edge of about 2 5/8" long (with a jimped choil making up the remaining 3/8"). It is by all accounts the perfect size - it looks/feels very similar to my ESEE Izula w/scales (only with about an inch longer handle - so probably very similar to the Izula II). S30V steel blade makes for a user/keeper for sure.

It has an ambidextrous wire-style clip very close to the bottom of the scale (but only tip-up on either left/right side) that allows for a very low carry. I'm very much digging this Sage. It is razor sharp.

The Gayle Bradley is pretty much what I expected (only even bigger in real life). A big hard-use liner-lock knife (I know that doesn't sound right, but the liner in this thing is bigger than 4 of my frame-lock folders - its ridiculous). It is noticeably heavy, but aside from the even-more-than-usually thick blade on most Spyderco knives, its got those huge liners which despite the attempts to skeletonize them, are pretty darn beefy. The blade is CPM-M4 steel - I'm pretty excited about that fact alone.

Had I not just ordered the Tyrade, I'd probably keep this one for sure just for hard-use folder needs (its got a razor sharp edge with a flat-grind, but the grind doesn't go all the way up to the spine - I'd describe it as a more traditional drop-point blade shape with the Spyderco birds-eye/jimped thumb-support sort of sticking up off of the spine in an awkward attempt to Spyderco-ize the blade.

I'm digging the traditional drop-point shape / blade-grind though and pretty much everything about this knife (full tip-up/tip-down left-handed/right-handed clip-mounting holes). Its got a shielded lanyard-hole (basically a steel tube that protects the lanyard from the blade).

I just don't know if I'll end up keeping it over the Tyrade - I'll have to see if the Tyrade is just too big or not first I guess. This is definitely a knife I would trust for hard-use based on the reviews and tests I've seen online (and in person - its just a big chunk of steel man).

The Kershaw Packrat (orange). This is the best deal/value I've ever gotten on a knife. For $30 (at knifecenter.com) you get an American made assisted-open Kershaw with G10 scales (that you definitely won't loose in the woods).

As much as I hate the fact that Kershaw makes cheaper knives with lower-quality steels, this thing is a very good value. Its definitely not one of the above Spydercos (then again, its almost $100 cheaper than the other two). Its got some visible tooling marks in quite a few places, the lack of a brass bushing is noticeable (not that it matters on an assisted), and the blade favors the left scale when closed - just a hair more than the right. Big fat ugly pocket-clip, but its sturdy and it does the job well. Blade was very sharp from the factory (though not as sharp as either Spyderco - also, it wasn't polished to as fine an edge).

I like the blade shape on this PackRat as it is skinnier than the leaf and the drop-point and allows for some intricate work. It is only 3 1/4" long, but feels noticeably longer than the Sage's blade. The liners and spine of the blade are very thick though - its an impressive knife for $30 for sure (its an impressive knife for the standard price of $60). Has what looks like a G10 insert in the back of the knife, so its not an open-construction model. The thumb-studs are almost useless for opening, but the flipper is what I always default to on a Kershaw with a flipper anyways.

All in all, I'm very happy with all of these knives, but if I had to give one up, it would be the Gayle Bradley - but only because the Rake and Tyrade I'm getting are both supposed to be larger beefier knives and I just don't need but one or two of those.

Here's some pics:

[Broken External Image]


[Broken External Image]


[Broken External Image]


[Broken External Image]


[Broken External Image]


[Broken External Image]


[Broken External Image]

 

[ithrowicecubes]

I might be a little late here, but I'm a huge CRKT fan. I wore a Kit Carson M16 out to the point where the AutoLAWKS safety didn't work anymore. After a short email exchange with CRKT, I boxed up the broken knife to send back, and they sent me a brand new one. They're around $50-$70 depending on the blade, and they've been great EDC knifes.

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

[Broken External Image]

 

[ripnbst]

I've got a Kershaw Clash and I really like it. Mine is the combo blade. I wish I had gotten the full straight blade though.

 

[Gunrunner45]

I've got a Kershaw Clash and I really like it. Mine is the combo blade. I wish I had gotten the full straight blade though.

I got mine @ Bass Pro for $29. I went there with the intent of getting the combo blade but all they had left was one straight blade. Now I'm glad I got the straight blade, I really like this knife.