Whell, I'm looking for a replacement for my mini AFCK...

[Andrew Wyatt]

I sent my mini-acfk off for repair (the liner spacer at the rear cracked and came apart) at the shot show, and UPS ate it on the way to my house.

I'm thinking of replacing it with two knives, one a 4 inch-ish unserrated blade, and the other a smaller fully serrated/half serrated blade.

the smaller blade would be more of a "utility" knife, saving the edge on the big knife for more important tasks.

what would be a good pair to carry?

 

[mercop]

Emerson Commander for cutting people.
Al Mar SERE 2000 for cutting things.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

The little knife is a no-brainer. You want a high-performing, rugged knife that doesn't cost a fortune because you'll use it hard. Spyderco delica -- very light and easy to carry (important now that you're carrying two knives), not too expensive, better steel than any knife that's going to be recommended further down in this thread , spyderco hole for easy opening. This is the full package.

For the big knife, there's loads of great options. My top recommendations would be to look at the Benchmade 710 Axis and the 806D2 Axis AFCK. Of the two, the 710 is the easier carry (again, since you're carrying two now, perhaps you'll find that important).

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

I've been looking really hard at the 710. it's got charm.

benchmade's making some new knives that are in the 35 dollar range which look nice, too.

does the 710 have a reversible pocket clip for left hand carry?

 

[arinvolvo]

You could get in on the Sebenza wholesale group buy i am holding.

 

[Inspector Callahan]

I second the Spyderco Delica suggestion. For the larger knife, I highly recommend the Spyderco Military.

 

[pwrtool45]

Yeah, the 710 has two sets of holes for putting the clip on either side. I think there are only one or two exceptions to this, but the overwhelming majority of Axis locks have the second set of holes. It was one of the original selling points, since it made the knife "totally ambidextrous."

 

[45R]

How about a full size AFCK with the carbon fiber treatment

 

[Joe Talmadge]

I've been looking really hard at the 710. it's got charm.

Not just charm! The recurved blade, when sharpened well, will out-cut even a serrated blade in materials like hard poly rope. The handle is one of the most comfortable I've handled for extended hard use. For defensive purposes, it is secure and comfortable in any grip, including forward, reverse, and pakal. Not much needs to be said about the axis lock, which is as strong and reliable a lock as you'd ever need.

Add on top of that the option to move up from the standard ATS-34/154-CM fare to a tool steel blade. The 710 is an awesome knife.

For defensive purposes, for forward grip only, the Axis AFCK (806D2) feels more secure. But the tradeoff is that the handle is much bigger so the 806 is a bit more uncomfortable to carry, plus the 806 doesn't work well in pakal for me.

Joe