Recommend a quality <2.5" belt clip folder

[Derry 1946]

Can anyone suggest a quality folding knife with a belt clip and a blade less than 2.5 inches? It would be in addition to an existing assortment of good knives (Buck, Leatherman, Victorinox, Wenger, and the like).

It should be:
Reasonably sturdy (not loose and cheap-feeling);
Have a belt clip (yes, I know some eschew that: I have a special purpose in mind);
Have a blade less than 2.5" long.

Other than that, no limitations. Can be any material, will consider any price range, new production, or vintage-but-findable-on-eBay. American-made is always a plus, but not a requirement.

Thanks in advance for the benefit of your collective wisdom.

 

[hso]

I'm not aware of any folder with a belt clip.

Pocket clips, yes, but those won't tolerate being clipped to a belt. They could be clipped in the waistband without damaging the clip, though.

Do you want a locking blade one hand opening or assisted or traditional nail nick?

Do you want a nail nick, thumb hole, thumb stud, or flipper opening? Look at the Fallkniven U2, Spyderco Cat, SOG Bluto, Kershaw Chive.

Do you want the handle to be bigger than the blade? Flat? Contoured?

You also haven't set an upper limit on price and that's critical to avoid being recommended $300+ folders (which will certainly be sturdy and shouldn't feel "cheap").

 

[Derry 1946]

Thanks, HSO. Good points all. Pocket clip is fine. Any opening action is welcome. Flattish is better than fattish. I never contemplated a sub-2.5" blade costing over three bills, so that shows you what I know about knives. Let's say $100 or less. Locking blade is desirable, but not the sine qua non. I'll get to work looking at your helpful initial suggestions. Thanks again.

 

[Derry 1946]

I see that all four above are being sold on Amazon for under $100, and they all look good. So far, the Chive is looking closest to ideal.

 

[jdh]

Gerber mini para frame less than $10.00.

 

[hso]

Derry,

If you like the Chive with the flipper take a look at all the variants offered by Kershaw and you're likely to hit something that appeals with good steel and fine ergonomics.

These are all between 2 and 3 inches for blade length. - http://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/knives?bladeLength=150

 

[Derry 1946]

Thanks!! The Gerbers and the Kershaws are all really good looking.

 

[rcmodel]

3" Kershaw Leek.
$50 bucks!

You will never look back.

http://www.knifecenter.com/kc_new/s...ershaw Leek&waDESCRIPTIONdatarq=Kershaw Leek&

As HSO said, there are very few pocket clips that won't get sprung when forced over a belt.

You can't have it both ways.

rc

 

[Derry 1946]

Thanks, RC. That Kershaw line looks really good.

 

[glistam]

I have a few I rotate in that sub 2.5" range (I work on fed land so all blades have to be that small). The Boker SubCom line is excellent and has several variants depending on your blade preference (including wharncliffe and hawkbill). They have very solid mechanics. If you want to push as close to 2.5" as possible, I like the Cold Steel Tuff Lite. It has a wharncliffe blade that is probably one of the sharpest I have ever handled out of the box and the handle has good ergonomics. All of these have pocket clips. Kerhshaw are ok too but I just am not fond of their appearance and shape. De gustibus non est disputandum.

 

[ugaarguy]

The Kershaw Leek is cool, but the blade is 3" long. It's little brother, the Chive, is too small to be truly useful. The Boker Plus Subcom line are flat, thin, and have tall handles that make for a much more robust grip. The Cold Steel Tuff Lite / Mini Tuff Lite are great options as well, but they're thicker in the grip. The should-be-available-any-day Hinderer designed Kershaw Ember looks promising. It's a chopped down Cryo that appears to have a more useful grip than the Chive.

 

[Derry 1946]

Thanks, glistam and ugaarguy. Very useful information. Right, the Leek is too long, and good to know the Chive has been found too small. I hadn't looked at Boker yet. I'll check it out. Thanks.

 

[Speedo66]

I'm not a knife expert like so many here, but I've had good service from a SOG Twitch II. It's got alum. scales, assisted opening, and mine has a partially serrated blade though a plain blade is available. The blade is 2.65", and the knife has a pocket clip. It is a very solid knife with nice action, and a tight lockup. There is also a Twitch I with a 2" blade. The weight of the II is 2.6 oz., the steel is AUS-8.

While the II MSRP is $72, they sell for $36 for the II, $32 for the I on Amazon.

 

[Derry 1946]

Thanks!

 

[GLOOB]

Sanrenmu 704

Take a look at the Sanrenmu 704. 8Cr13Mov blade. Thin hollow grind. G-10 scales. Liner lock. Good action on the thumb stud. Quality Torx screws, top notch construction, and precise blade grind. Weight is 68 grams. There's nothing cheap feeling/looking about it.

Cutting edge is exactly 2.5". But it's a little longer if you include the 3/16" of exposed tang. Not sure what your limit is, there. Legally, this is >2.5" in some jurisdictions.

Clip and thumb stud are RH only. (But the knife is easily flicked open left-handed).

 

[hso]

It's little brother, the Chive, is too small to be truly useful.

That depends upon what you use it for. I've carried one and have put several into the hands of folks that work at the office and they've used them at home and in the office without complaint. OTOH, if you were wanting to use one other than light duty office/household applications, I'd look for something with more grip to it.

Take a look at the Sanrenmu

Not too sure Sanremu/Elan can be recommended with confidence, but the price is low enough to purchase several and replace them if they break. That would annoy me too much and there's no customer service to stand behind them that I'm aware of. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=732478&highlight=sanremu

 

[Derry 1946]

Very helpful info. There's much more out there than I knew. One so often needs a blade to open a box or package or cut a bit of twine, light duty stuff that only a blade will remedy. I'm looking for a knife that I can clip on, carry pretty much everywhere (but an airplane) and forget, until, voilà! the need arises. Clipped on, it won't interfere with front pocket carry or cell phone carry as a SAK can. I plan for it to be the least knife I'm ever carrying. Within reason. I usually strap on a Buck 110, but sometimes that's out of place or out of bounds. Thanks for the great leads.

 

[GLOOB]

Not too sure Sanremu/Elan can be recommended with confidence

I'm not sure they're all good, but I can recommend this model with confidence. Unless I got lucky 4 times (with 4 different quality control numbers), this one is really, really good.

there's no customer service to stand behind

Not everyone wants customer service on a sub-$15.00 piece of steel on a hinge. Some of us would rather just purchase a really good knife without paying a surplus to cover the cost of a service that we will never seek. I didn't buy 4 in case of breakage. There's at least a 50x greater chance I lose all four of these knives as there is I break one. No customer service? Great. <deleted>

 

[DNS]

Kershaws OD-2. 2.25" blade.

I've got it's big brother, the Chill, with three 3" blade. Both have flippers, weigh nothing, and are very thin. Also both are under 20 bucks and are the usual Kershaw quality.

 

[Derry 1946]

Thanks, DNS!

 

[tiamat]

Spyderco Dragonfly C28 has been my all time favorite useful EDC folder. Can be had in either G10, FRN, or in stainless (they also made a carbon one for a short time that had tip-down carry I believe). Plain blade or fully serrated leaf blade with a full flat grind that tapers nicely from spine to tip, giving both excellent slicing while not sacrificing too much strength. I like the FRN for it's light weight. Fits perfectly in the hand and is as agile as a paring knife. Can be had for $40 street price (ok, maybe a tad more), or less in the used market. Everything you need - nothing you don't. Perfection.

 

[Derry 1946]

Thanks for a very detailed review, Tiamat, and the pics. Looks like an excellent contender.

 

[tiamat]

So... decide on one yet?