Looking for a recommendation for a Folding knife, with a blade made from a higher end steel alloy.

I am not a knife snob, for the most part. I usually just carry a multi-tool but on the weekends and out in the woods and similar situations I usually add to my multi-tool a good medium size locking blade knife.

My current favorite is a Kershaw Cryo II, bottom knife in the picture below.


What I am looking for is a recommendation for similar knife to the Cryo II but with a blade made from better steel. The Cryo II has a 3.25 inch drop point blade. I like this blade shape as it has proven robust and a useful shape for me. I really appreciate the assisted opening, as I seem to find myself in situations were one hand opening is convenient. A pocket clip is a must as it will be clipped to the front pocket when carried. The Cryo II is a frame lock, A locking blade is required, but I am open to other lock mechanism as long as I can open and close the knife with one hand.

I don't need any fancy, as you can see the Cryo II is a pretty plan knife from an aesthetic point of view. The handle is just steel and there is no engraving or grip panels etc. Makes for easy cleaning when it gets slimmed and it will get slimmed when I use it.

The big thing is I want to step up to one of the higher quality steels. The Cryo II is made from 8Cr13MoV which is decent but I want something on par with at least CPM-S30V and maybe even stepping up to some of the super premium steels like CPM-20CV. It does not have to be those specific alloys but I am looking for a blade made from one of the higher end steel such as those two and configured as similar to my trusty Kershaw Cryo II as I can find.

Price, lets try to keep it under $200.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Thanks guys, many of those look like they check all the boxes. It's not going to be an easy choice. Keep the suggestions coming.

What do you guys think of this knife, is just S30V blade but that is still pretty good steel if my research is right.

https://www.bladehq.com/item--Zero-Tolerance-0350-Assisted--117438

Just looking at it, it seem to be extremely similar to my Cryo II. Anything jump out good or bad?

greyling22 said:

Recurve blade is hard to sharpen. 6.5 oz is very heavy. I'd look for something else.

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Thanks I will keep those features in mind. I do nearly all of my of my maintenance sharpening on a set of crock-sticks. They are very forgiving to a recurve blade shape. 6.5 oz is a bit heavy but only an ounce heavier than my current knife. That weight is not too much assuming robustness commensurate to that weight is there also. This will be a heavy/hard use knife if I do buy it.

SteadyD said:

If you aren’t dead set on a stainless steel, I’ve been very pleased with the Spyderco Stretch in K390. That steel has been excellent for my uses. I also second Spat’s recommended knife of a Spyderco Native. The lightweight in S30V is a great all around knife for fairly hard use. If you don’t mind waiting a bit, you can order the same knife in Magnacut. Knifecenter has preorders and it’s a steel that does it all.

Are you looking for edge retention in your upgrade? 8CR already has pretty good toughness. Are you planning to use the knife hard? Your expected usage could help me make a steel suggestion.

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I know Spiderco knives are good knives but I struggle with the looks they are ugly for sure.

Not set on stainless, a good high carbon steel is just fine with me. I am less worried about corrosion and more about edge retention. Since this knife will be carried a lot, it has the advantage of body heat to keep is dry even if it occasionally gets wet.

Use will be the typical everyday stuff. Cutting open boxes, cutting rope, and plastic banding on shipments. The occasion heap of card board boxes that need broken down. I used my pocket knife last week to cut to length heavy duty rubber hose for a parts washer repair. It may also get pressed into service for field dressing a deer in a pinch and other woods application like cutting a marshmallow stick or working up a kindling bundle.