Folding knife suggestions

[SoonerShooter08]

I should've known better than to check this thread. I'm away for months and I stop here one time and end up ordering the Knifeworks Exclusive Spydero Manix 2XL with CPM-S90V steel and carbon fiber peal ply scales.

I also randomly picked up a Cold Steel Recon 1 XL...just because.

My main carry rotation seems to bounce mainly between my ZT 0561 and my Digicam Para2 out of the knives I have.

I actually strongly considered the exact BM Contego that EZB just got, but I decided I wanted to try the Manix 2 more. I am, however, interested in hearing thoughts on the BM AFCK with M390 steel (806-1101?). Wondering if it's worth seeing if they do another run at some point or what the prices are like on the secondary market. BM seems to be in love with M390 lately.

The 0561 has ruined me. It carries so well for the blade size. Now, anything with a blade less than 3.75" or so feels like a SAK Cadet.

 

[ez bake]

Geez. Knife porn.

I know, right? I never cared for the original texture/pattern on the Domino, but that Blue CF is bad ass.

I should've known better than to check this thread. I'm away for months and I stop here one time and end up ordering the Knifeworks Exclusive Spydero Manix 2XL with CPM-S90V steel and carbon fiber peal ply scales.

I also randomly picked up a Cold Steel Recon 1 XL...just because.

My main carry rotation seems to bounce mainly between my ZT 0561 and my Digicam Para2 out of the knives I have.

I actually strongly considered the exact BM Contego that EZB just got, but I decided I wanted to try the Manix 2 more. I am, however, interested in hearing thoughts on the BM AFCK with M390 steel (806-1101?). Wondering if it's worth seeing if they do another run at some point or what the prices are like on the secondary market. BM seems to be in love with M390 lately.

The 0561 has ruined me. It carries so well for the blade size. Now, anything with a blade less than 3.75" or so feels like a SAK Cadet.

Well, I'm not a huge-folder type of person, my two biggest folders before the two huge Benchmades were the Southern Grind Bad Monkey (probably one of the most perfect folders ever made and one of the few large folders I actually enjoy carrying), and my 0561 (which I've stopped carrying since I can't put anything in the same pocket without cheese-grating that other thing on the 0561's 3D machined scales/frame-lock).

So, the M390 Contego was too big overall, the M390 AFCK was too long (and the damn pivot is nearly 3/4" from the end of the scales - which just makes the handle way too long for the blade for absolutely no reason at all), but the M390 Barrage... well, it's just overall 100% perfect (thanks again Backstrap, once I saw yours, I knew I had to have one).

I've already torn it down, de-assisted it and removed the safety lock (cleaned up and lapped/polished the washers too - there are more and more folks complaining about Benchmade's slowly falling QC, and I can say that from these washers and tang-surface, I understand). Added some Lucas Assembly Lube and adjusted it all back up to perfect opening/closing, and put on one of the Satin Butterfly low-rider clips I ordered from Benchmade.

I'm thinking of having the bolsters anodized Blue since they're aluminum, and I'll probably polish the liners and stone-wash the lowrider clip.

Now I just have to sell a few of these huge folders to make back some of the money I spent playing folding-knife Goldie Locks and pick up the next few smaller folders on the list.

 

[ez bake]

Oh, F@#$ me - First Benchmade enforces their MAP pricing, and then they release this:

http://www.gpknives.com/benchmade940-1osbornecarbonfiber.html

[Broken External Image]

 

[SoonerShooter08]

I've really been trying to like Benchmade. I have the flipper which is excellent build quality and durability, but a bit heavy for the length of blade. I also have the Nimravus fixed blade with desert sand scales which I like a lot. It does appear, however, that the enforcement of MAP might push Benchmade's pricepoint up to a point where the value proposition decreases a bit too much. EZB, are you saying that the dealer's typical strategy of only showing the actual price in the shopping cart or having to apply a discount code are no longer going to be acceptable to Benchmade? If that's the case, then it seems that Benchmade is really going to have to revamp their QA as the consensus seems to be that it's lacking lately.

As far as carrying large folders, I typically always wear cargo pants with large pockets that either have a hidden pocket inside a main pocket or a divider within the pocket. That negates the risk of me having to carry anything else along with whatever main blade I'm carrying. If I'm wearying dress pants then I just downsize what blade I'm carrying similar to how I downsize from concealing a fullsize pistol to a compact. Typically, carrying a folder up to 4" isn't that big of a deal for me. Otherwise, I can downsize to a Kershaw Blur, Skyline, etc. That's only my personal preference though.

I'm also typically not one to buy multiple versions of the same knife, but I can see the draw. I'd rather collect representative versions of different designs as I like to have knives with different capabilities or uses. I've been thinking about making the jump to try a custom knife or similarly highend, but it's difficult for me to imagine spending much more than $200 for a knife since you start approaching the price of a firearm or payment towards one. I've been liking blades between 3.5 and 4" lately. Actually, I'm bummed about ZT not being able to ramp up production for their blade of the year blades. The quickly retired 777 ( now 0777M390) all seem to be unattainable at anywhere close to retail unless you pre-ordered as soon as the design was released and sell on the secondary market more like full customs than production blades due to the heavily limited production. Unfortunately, the 0454 didn't really interest me as it's a composite blade of two common steels and I usually enjoy trying new blade steels. That was part of the reason I went with the Manix 2 XL with CPM-S90V and CF scales. I currently don't have anything in S90V and nothing utilizing CF.

 

[ez bake]

I honestly wasn't that into Benchmade until I finally found a few knives that I actually really liked (despite my thinking I would hate them from pics). I'm currently tracking down the last few that really peak my interest (just traded into a Volli and am looking for a 943 and possibly that new upcoming CF/S90V 940-1) and trying to get rid of any knives I own that I just had to own, but won't carry/use because of impracticality.

Yeah, MAP pricing ended that super secret BM25 (and the awesome BR549) code that used to get you the 25% discount. I posted about it here in an attempt to get everyone to buy what they needed before it was too late, but in December most retailers online had to tow the line or stop selling BM. That honestly pushes a lot of the models I wanted out of my price-range. I've been lucky so far - I've only had one Omega spring break on me and only experienced one poor quality Benchmade, but from what I hear on the forums - they must really be slipping up. Sad thing is that I hear a lot of complaints about the Golden, CO made stuff from Spyderco too - Spyderco at least has the excuse of being a smaller company and experiencing a super-surge in demand recently though.

I used to try and spread out my folding knife experience, but I'm starting to come full-circle and realize that even the knives that have one or two features I absolutely love aren't going to get carried if they are just too impractical for me (that 0561 is a classic example). I end up carrying what works for me, and oddly enough, that ends up looking the same again and again (3.5" blade, thin in the pocket, lightweight, G10 or CF on the handles, pokey-tip, plain edge, non-coated, etc...), so I end up buying knives that look/feel similar (or in the case of the PM2 - same knife with different steel/G10). I've owned enough by now that I can usually guess what I'm going to love and what I'm going to hate before I even get it into my hand.

I'm with you on the above $200 knives. I own a Southern Grind Bad Monkey, a Strider SNG, and a Chris Reeve CF large Sebenza, and they are pretty much the only mid-tech knives I can justify owning right now (especially since Rick Hinderer is doing such awesome collabs with ZT/Kershaw - I will pretty much never own a Hinderer XM-18), and I carry/use every one of them.

The ZT 0561 is one of the last production knives I own that cost more than $200 (aside from my Sprint run Paramilitary-2s) and it is large enough that I'm limited to where I can carry it (office environments are not fans of a big knife, much less a big scary knife, and really not so much one that flips out on ball-bearings with a super-loud "thwak"). I hate to let it go, but I've got so many Hinderer Collabs right now that they all get carried before the 0561 does.

 

[otis147]

Oh, F@#$ me - First Benchmade enforces their MAP pricing, and then they release this:

http://www.gpknives.com/benchmade940-1osbornecarbonfiber.html

[Broken External Image]

well, hell. maybe i should go ahead and sell my 940 cfd2 before these hit the shops.

 

[ez bake]

well, hell. maybe i should go ahead and sell my 940 cfd2 before these hit the shops.

PM me if you are serious.

 

[SoonerShooter08]

I totally feel the same way about the Hinderer knives. His collabs with Kershaw/ZT offer so much value that I currently don't see the need to pay twice as much or more to get an XM-18 or XM-24. There's a few knives I've been looking at recently, but probably best to put knives on hold since I just ordered a semi-custom 1911.

 

[SoonerShooter08]

Crap. Maybe I spoke too soon about pausing the knife buying. Some nice stuff being intro'd at SHOT. Kershaw/ZT is releasing tons of new stuff. 2014 is going to be a good year! Of particular interest are some new Hinderer and Emerson collabs. Yes, Emerson! New knife details are making their way to the appropriate KAI site.

http://zt.kaiusaltd.com/knives
http://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/knives

This stuff was just posted and it looks like some of the info is in error. For example, the ZT 0620 CF details say Elmax steel, but the filter options show M390.

 

[ez bake]

Crap. Maybe I spoke too soon about pausing the knife buying. Some nice stuff being intro'd at SHOT. Kershaw/ZT is releasing tons of new stuff. 2014 is going to be a good year! Of particular interest are some new Hinderer and Emerson collabs. Yes, Emerson! New knife details are making their way to the appropriate KAI site.

http://zt.kaiusaltd.com/knives
http://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/knives

This stuff was just posted and it looks like some of the info is in error. For example, the ZT 0620 CF details say Elmax steel, but the filter options show M390.

I was just starting a thread about new goodies at SHOT 2014 when I saw you beat me to it in this post, man. That Emerson collab looks awesome, doesn't it? And the new Hinderer Flipper in 3.5" looks amazing (I'm loving the pocket clip). They've got a few fixed-blades and a tomahawk too.

Benchmade released their 2014 catalog right before SHOT - looks like we get a new 3.5" 477 Emissary, a new 531 Pardue (with G10), and an unnamed Nakamura design listed as the 484 (and a couple of new Gold-Class offerings as well as some new in the "hunt" class). Oh, and a new Axis-lock 909 Stryker that folks have been asking about for years now.

(Benchmade PDF 2014 catalog)
https://www.benchmade.com/products/catalogs/2014benchmade.pdf

Still no word on new Spydercos at SHOT, but they really kept a lid on things at BLADE last year, so I wonder if they're doing the same and we'll get descriptions only from someone who was there.