Never ending EDC search....

I don't know that the Leek is the best you can find, but I certainly love mine. I've carried it every day for the past 3 years or so and I still love it. Occasionally the main screw the blade pivots on works loose, but that's my only gripe.

G10 Spyderco Endura or Delica. Also I suggest carrying a small Dragonfly/Ladybug for utility work so the larger folder stays razor sharp for defensive or backup needs. You could buy both knives for less than $100

Kershaw Chill or Kershaw Blaze (3") if you don't mind liner locks. Good, affordable knives.

Leeks are nice, I carried one until the clip bent from icy cold water (I think thats how it happened, dunno). So it now stays in my car as a backup. If the clip would've never lost it's spring, I'd be wearing it right now.

Very lightweight, thin, sharp knife thats made in the USA. Highly recommended for light cutting tasks.

If you want slim and slick and a real quality knife in a "gentleman's" form factor, but with a 3.5" blade, look at the Benchmade 940, 941, 942 or 943 variants. I'm a knife snob and usually carry much more expensive customs, but absolutely love the Benchmade 94x series. Warren Osborne really hit it out of the park with that design. You should be able to find a plain Aluminum Black handled one close to your price. The limited editions will run more and can get quite expensive depending on which one. OOps! Looks like my pricing data is a little old. Still a great knife, but expect to pay more.

For down and dirty cheap, a Spyderco Native is a great buy. There again, available in several levels of construction and materials at various prices. I own one of the old WalMart $39.00 ones and it's a really useful compact knife with an S30V blade that holds a great edge. I have a few other variants of that design and they all rock. For around $200.00 you could probably score one of the new Ti scaled Natives. That looks really sweet.

For a little more, there's a Chris Reeves Small Sebenza.

Benchmade 555 is my EDC and is perfect IMHO. Very nicely sized and also quite light with a rugged and outstanding clip design that holds the knife securely and places in low in the pocket so it stays in place. They blade comes very sharp, holds an edge very well and locks securely in place with the excellent axis lock. It is also very easy to manipulate with one hand for both opening and closing.

I'm looking at a Kershaw Cryo or Cryo II as my next "office" knife. Looks like a good size knife without being too big for dress slacks.

Q

I carry a Spyderco Delica. Like it. I also carry a SOG Twitch II or the slightly larger Twitch XL. I like the Twitch II when I want a small fast knife in my pocket.

P.B.Walsh said:

Leeks are nice, I carried one until the clip bent from icy cold water (I think thats how it happened, dunno). So it now stays in my car as a backup. If the clip would've never lost it's spring, I'd be wearing it right now.

Very lightweight, thin, sharp knife thats made in the USA. Highly recommended for light cutting tasks.

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You can get a replacement clip from Kershaw (Free with the screws)

1. Thin (think wearing dress pants all day)
2. Lightweight
3. 3.5ish" clip point like blade (no serrations)
4. Simple one hand opening
5. <$100

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You migth look at the Spyderco Delica. Its my personal favorite EDC choice and I think it hits all your listed reqirements. Comes in a couple different blade steels and multiple handle materials and colors, with or without serrations.

Opps. I meant VG-10, not G10. VG-10 steel is designed to stay sharp longer than other steels. FRN version is light, thin and sells for about $65 - $70. (I paid $50, I guess they've gone up). Or the Delica version if the Endura is too big for your taste.

My Benchmade 530 might fit the bill. I have tried Osbornes and Delicas, but the Benchmade 530 goes everywhere, never bulges a pocket and is completely noticeable until you need it.

I will occasionally carry another knife EDC, like the delica, or the mini griptilian, or larger, but when Ai do the 530 is also with me. It accompanies my pocket change and has been used for everything from office envelopes to food prep to bushcraft.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/530

I went through this not long ago.

I was looking for a Wharnecliffe folder for around 75 bucks. I wanted something stout and thin with about a 3" blade. I wanted a bombproof locking mechanism that was easy to open and close one handed.

Really, the only thing going for me that fit this criteria was the Yojimbo 2. You could find them for under a hundred if you were real lucky. Well, that is what I got for a little over a hundred.

Moral of this strory is you should figure out what you want and find the best bet for what you can afford...not the best deal for how much you want to pay.

Given your criteria, and if it was me personally, I would have a hard time not buying a Paramilitary 2.

However, I do really like Delicas too and they also fit your parameters very well.

The Benchmade 556 MiniGrip has replaced all of my other EDCs. I think very very highly of it.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/556

The 94x series of Benchmade is only at .410 in the center of the handle scales. Much of the scale is relieved to much less than that in most areas. I have had probably a half dozen variants from base production to exotic Limited Editions. This design carries with a very slim footprint in your pocket. Much smaller than a Spyderco Native or Benchmade Griptilian even though it has more cutting edge than either. The minimum steel is 154CM, which is a premium US made steel and the options go up from there to D2, S30V and other variants including Damascus stuff.

They feel great, but good luck finding one for $100.

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I should have mentioned I bought mine off of here secondhand. And another off bladeforums a week prior both for around that price. Gotta buy used.