Help me find a good folding knife.

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

Northslope Nimrod

Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
585
Location
Northern Utah
Requirements/traits:

1. Folding blade
2. Clip - I carry it with a clip in my front pocket.
3. Part regular blade. Some can be serrated...but I'm open to discussion.
4. Steel must be quality....that CAN be sharpened.
5. Blade assist....helps blade spring open. (Do any of these keep working? My current Kershaw will not spring open fully anymore....spring must have lost its strength)
6. Fairly light weight.
7. Blade designed for self defense. (not sure what I mean here, but what they heck)
8. Blade must lock
9. Under $50 (I'm cheap)

If brand names are not common, please indicate where I should purchase it.
 
CRKT M16. Aluminum or zytel scales. Buy off-of eBay for ~$20-30.

Fits all of your needs.
 
I'd say with all those needs and the somewhat low price point you need a Kershaw Leek. Fantastic little knife, combo blade at WM is under 40 buckaroos and can be made razor sharp in seconds if maintained. Assisted (fast) opening.
 
The CRKT M16 is not an assisted opener, which was #5 on the list ;)

First: if your Kershaw was working, would you be happy with it? If so, send it back to them. Kershaw have some of the best customer service I've experienced. They'll most likely either send you a brand new knife, or replace the spring, give you a spare one and sharpen her up for you. The parts on assisted openers will wear out eventually, it's nothing to do with poor build quality or QC.

If you definitely want a different knife, I'd reccomend another Kershaw. Their A/O range is quite big now. There's also the Camillus ROBO series which are great.
 
There are plenty of knives that have everything you want in non-assisted openers, but not too many that have it all in that price range.

If you give up the assist you can do much better.

BTW, any knife can be used for self defense.
 
CRKT M16-13z
and yes, it does have an assisted opener.

partially serrated, high quality knife, has a lock switch aswell, awell as the normal spring lock..


best folder Ive had, thru MANY!

Ill dig up a pic..


ip.
 
Last edited:
I won't try too hard to talk you out of an assisted knife but I personally don't care for them. My Benchmade Mini Griptilian is so smooth and much easier to open compared to any of the assisted folders I have tried.

If you shop around, you can get the Mini Griptilian in the $50 range and you will be getting a product that is first class.
 
heres a pic of it opened.
its the lower knife in the Pic.
Ill add, its NOT a spring assist, so it WONT wear out, it also can be opend with the regular flick of the thumb.
this knife is the best of all worlds imo.

serration is verry important for certain cutting techniques. tho I would not recommend a completely serrated knife..

the clip is tight enuff that I carry it 'upsidedown' on my belt, witout it EVER dropping, yet it still draws fast and reliable..

2 part blade, light, thin, and more sturdy than any other knife Ive owned..

yes, I too, have gone thru kershaws', Spyder's and Gerbers..

IME CRKT is the best Ive found so far..

again, this is all just IMO,, and youll get lots of IMO's..lol

ip
 

Attachments

  • CRKT.jpg
    CRKT.jpg
    102.3 KB · Views: 73
Last edited:
Though an excellent knife, the CRKT M16 is not an assisted opener. It has a flipper which you use to open the blade manually, and also a thumb stud for the same. An assisted opener like the Kershaw leek opens automatically, much like a switchblade, with the assistance of a spring.
 
sm said:
Whups! I think I surprised hso ...
Click to expand...

What's the world coming to!!!:what: SM suggesting not just one knife without wooden scales and with a pocket clip and thumb stud/hole, but several?!? Someone run a DNA test to see of the Pod People done snuk him off!:neener:
 
you might want to check out the benchmade red box line. i have the 10410 mini-pika and love it. they have all your requirements met and there pretty cheap for benchmade quality, this one is made in tiawan but dang if i can tell. it goes with me everyday, a good all around pocket knife, tight action, the 440c holds an edge real well. i picked mine up for 35$
 
I'd take a hard look at the waved delica/endura line. I have a waved E4 and an assisted-opening Kershaw; and I like the wave feature much, much, much better. These blades seem to meet your other requirements, as well.
 
hso,
be nice to me or I will send your wonderful daughter pictures of 28 gauge shotguns. :)

Hey- I am like Quigly - just because I do not own, or prefer to use some stuff, does not mean I have not or can. ;)

Serious Test Folks on these EDC knives.
No guarantee when one has to use them , environment will be nice and dry, warm and all.

Prepare Food, especially use your knife with Fresh Chicken. Cold, wet , slippery and all, can you control the knife safely and effectively?

Roast and whatever, running water while fixing veggies and fruits.

Your knife, might be all you have to use to survive elements of bad weather, having to start a fire, clean fish, game, make a lean to, cut open a can of Soup, Can of Pears- whatever.

More serious use, wet from rain, sweat, blood...and blood is slippery and then gets tacky.

I won't mention the knife - only to say it was all metal, assist opening, pocket clip. It was slim, okay comfortable to use (clip hindered some) and carried easy in the pocket.

Dangerous as all get out to use when hands sweaty , wet, fixing food and doing serious chores with.
Totally forget using when hands cold , cold in snow, and gloves did not help much at all.

Fit.

Gets back to fit for user.
 
You might want to look at the spyderco ''do do'' it doesent have the assist but its a good self defence blade, the crkt M-16 i have weighs a ton, and its uncomfortable, it and my kershaws have some pretty soft steel,[ yet I still hear people bragg about theirs all the time ]. Gerbers easy out model is very intuitive and smooth, as well as fast, its not to big so it aint going to scare any one [ they cost about fifteen or twenty bucks ]
 
What kind of clothing do you wear normally? If it is casual jeans or khakis it is easier to conceal but if you have to dress business it is harder to conceal. I find that the clipping of blades can wear out my dress pants. I am also not familiar with your states knife laws so perhaps you or someone can fill us in on what kind of blade limit is in effect. Personally I think a 3 to 4 inch blade is what is useful but something is better then nothing. Like some have suggested a hawkbill shaped blade like the dodo or the spyderco tasman or harpy would be easier to defend as a defensive knife should the situation arise where you have to explain it to an officer or even a court. I live in the sheeple city of San Francisco so I have to take these into consideration when carrying. Heck my coworker freaked out when I whipped out my small spyderco cricket to open a box.
 
7ranquilcitizen: I don't carry these type of knives at work. I do carry one on my all my key chains. They are Swiss Army.
When not working, I wear levis or military BDU's.
I live in Utah. We don't have specific knife laws. We have concealed weapon laws that give factors to determine whether it is a "concealed weapon." I have a permit, so the issue is moot. I can carry a 10 inch blade with knarly serrations if I so desire.

I do want the blade to be 3" to 3 1/2".
 
Hmm if I had a concealed weapons permit I would carry a small fixed blade instead. I'd love to be able to carry a spyderco bill moran or a falkniven survival knife.

As for your assisted opener perhaps take a look at the SOG Flash I or II. Might want to search about it over at bladeforums as I think I recall some folks mentioning a dislike for the quality of the handle but I do recall some folks saying they were able to modify the knife to a full auto knife pretty easily. The Sog trident is a little more as well but I don't know much about that one.
 
ORIGNAL POSTER:

Self defense was only a bonus use for the knife.
My family has a farm and a cabin. I hunt and fish quite a bit. I use a knife almost daily and I also carry a Multi-tool (Victrinox is best IMO for serious stuff...but I have a Gerber and a small Leatherman for "light" days. The Victrinox is pretty hefty) .....I digress.

THANKS FOR ALL THE INFO. Today I picked up a CAMILLUS "HEAT" with half serrations. It had everything I wanted. The assist works well. I tested some Spyderco's and CKRT's that did not have assist. They were awkard for me to open and some were difficult to close with one hand. I don't like the lock on the back of the knife. I often don't have two free hands and I'm not that coordinated with one. It needs to be easy. The HEAT was only $45 with the sale going on. The blade is just over 3" I think.

THANKS AGAIN.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

F
  • Locked
Lost my knife; need replacement
Replies
4
Views
628
coelacanth
C
J
  • Locked
folding knife help
Replies
24
Views
1K
The Deer Hunter
T
J
  • Locked
Looking for a folding knife & bottle opener...
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
Leadhead
L
Mot45acp
  • Locked
Decided On My Next Knife, Need Some Help.
Replies
6
Views
541
The Tourist
T
C
  • Locked
Angle of knife edge, and hand sharpening tips
Replies
4
Views
1K
hso
hso
Back
Top