daily carry knife reccommendations?

[esrice]

In my continuing quest for "the" knife, here are my recommendations:

Spyderco
Emerson
Benchmade

These are well-made hard-use knives. They are not cheapie flea market finds, but they also aren't high-end customs.

I will echo Rhino's choice of the Spyderco Endura (or Delica). I purchased (from KokomoDave, actually) the waved version, and I absolutely love it. Its nice and flat, rides well in the pocket, has a thick blade, and quickly comes into action.

 

[rhino]

To add to what I said before . . .

You can also go the other direction if you like to be old school. I would say that the 1911 of knives is the Buck 110. It's an absolutely fantastic cutting tool and it feels great in your hand. The down side is that it's heavy and doesn't have the tacticool features like one-handed opening, a pocket clip, etc. But they feel great in your hand. The Combat Commander of knives would then be the Buck 112, which feels even better in your hand.

The knife I use the most and carry around the house is a Buck 110.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Leatherman Wave

 

[Jeremiah]

My two cents ( as a 22 year old with more spydecos than I have pockets, A microtech and a chris reeve) is to go with a waved( or emerson opener ) partially serated delica by spyderco, the delicas are thiner than the enduras ( thin=sharp). The wave feature allows for FAST on hand opening and the delica is small and light enough not to ever get uncomfortable. If you happen through Fort wayne Ever make a trip to my buddy mikes shop tell him I sent you and he will take care of you .he will help you find your knife. or atleast give him a call the man has mad a living making, selling, and sharpening knives. http://grindstonecutlery.com/ without a doubt spyderco makes a knife for you anything with VG-10 is almost rust proof and there exotic steels are it I have a millitary in CPM d2 and CPMS90V both indestructable edges

 

[ATM]

I have a Columbia River M16-12Z that I have carried for 5 years and has taken alot of abuse and I feel that it is alot safer than most other liner locks due to the LAWKS safety feature(basically a manual safety). They are moderately priced and will last. I think they are the best knife for the money out there. Spydercos are good too. Just make sure it is built well and has good steel. Good luck.

I also own the M16-12Z and agree that it is a great bang-for-the-buck knife.

 

[slow1911s]

My everyday carry knife is a Emerson CQC-14 "Snubby". Full size G10 handle with titanium liners and a 2.75" 154CM blade. If anywhere has a restriction on blades, it is usually on the blade length and it is 3" or less. This is EXACTLY why I got this knife. Well made, American made. Cheap? No. But, you can easily spend more on less knife.

As to the Spyderco knives. The Endura is very impressive. Bigger than I thought, but VERY light weight and fantastic blade steel. The Native is smaller, but also light weight and very good blade steel. Also American made.

The ones that I've had that people seem to be most excited about are the Kershaw assisted openers. The Blur is a good sized knife, feels good in the hand and the opening feature is smooth and solid. The Leeks I had were the same.

One last recommendation is the Benchmade Mini-Griptilian. That was the first knife I sold at both the Indiana State Steel and IDPA matches when I got my table setup. Great steel, the AXIS lock is very handy and well designed. Also American made.

The CRKT blades are good, but they are made in China or Taiwan now. The thing that I did note on the new M16s that I've had in and sold is a new secondary lock or safety. It confused a lot of my customers initially and me as well. My 10 yr old M16 doesn't have that feature. However, it didn't stop me from selling both of the ones I had in.

If anyone ever has questions on these, please PM me. I will probably be putting in an order this week and can get something custom if you know what you want.

 

[esrice]

You can also go the other direction if you like to be old school.

The knife I use the most and carry around the house is a Buck 110.

Holy crap Rhino, you aren't kidding when you say "old school". . .

 

[Marc]

Kobalt box knife i got from lowes.

 

[rhino]

Holy crap Rhino, you aren't kidding when you say "old school". . .

And it's a freakin' CLASSIC, dude!

My personal Buck 110 has been customized (addition of a BG-42 blade and a "one armed bandit for one-handed opening), just like a personal 1911! You can also get really nice custom Buck 110s (and now I think 112s) from the Buck Custom Shop, built however you like it. In addition, Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops have their own special versions. Cabela's Alaskan Guide version has a CPM S30V blade and Bass Pro Shops has one with a 154CPM blade (not to be confused with 154CM, which is a great steel, but not as good as 154CPM).

Re: the CRKT M16 series . . . be aware that different model designations (and dates of manufacture) feature different blade steels. The best of them have AUS8A, and you can have others in AUS6A and AUS4A and perhaps some others depending the country of origin. They are a great design (Kit Carson rules!) overall, but make sure you're getting exactly what you want as they are not all created equal.

In addition, many of the later CRKT knives that rely on a liner lock to keep the blade open have the additional "LAWKS" system (which slow1911s mentioned). The LAWKS is a very clever and simple gadget that blocks the liner lock in place so it can't fail. Liner locks work very well . . . when they are properly designed, constructed, and maintained. When any of those are not present, under pressure in the right direction, the liner can slide past the blade's tang and the blade might close at an inopportune time (like when your fingers are in the way). To prevent this, the LAWKS physically obstructs the liner lock from moving, which makes the overall system very solid. The latest knives will have the "auto LAWKS" which goes into place under spring pressure and is a bit tricky to deactivate until you know how. Older versions have a LAWKS that you can choose to move into place or not, and are easier to deactivate since no spring is holding it in place.

Don't forget that slow1911s (info@indygunracers.com) is an excellent vendor (and a site supporter) of just about any kind of knife you want to get. Disclosure: he's my friend, but he's also a good vendor for anyone else. Furthermore, I guarantee that you can trust him.

 

[Fenway]

Thanks for all of the responses. It looks like a Spyderco Delica might be a safe bet.

Now to wave or not to wave. Plain edge? Combo edge?

 

[Soundslikejosh]

Now to wave or not to wave. Plain edge? Combo edge?

I cannot answer about wave vs. no wave.

As far as edge design goes.... I have had several plain blades and one combo (60/40 plain/serrated). The combo I carried for over 2 years, and I won't buy another combo. I espoused all the same great ideas about the functionality of a serrated blade and how having it there could be such a great benefit, etc.... truly, I rarely used it. On the other hand, there were times where the serrations were in the way and I'd wished I'd had a full plain blade.

Choose as you wish, and I am sure others will disagree, but for me, there is no practical utility in a serrated blade, and at times it is a liability.

 

[Chefcook]

I only want to reiterate one thing. Before you choose check out the spring assisted opening knives. I used to carry Spyderco. And no doubt they are awesome knives I would never dispute that. However the way the Kershaw spring assist feels as it opens, just how incredibly fast it is changed my perspective. Not to mention how flat it is. Guys I know when they first tried mine were like woa hey dude isn't that illegal that's a switchblade man. Its legal and its not a switchblade. But it does feel like one...JC

 

[rhino]

Thanks for all of the responses. It looks like a Spyderco Delica might be a safe bet.

Now to wave or not to wave. Plain edge? Combo edge?

The Wave feature is very cool. If the primary use is as a defensive weapon, I'd strongly consider it (and going with the Endura instead). If it's going to be primarily a cutting tool, maybe it's not as useful. I've never compared the two side-by-side, but if the waved blade is thicker near the edge (which is possible since it's not as wide), then I'd go without.

Plain or combo edge is a personal preference thing. I think a plain edge is more versatile and slices and cuts just as well as a serrated edge through fibrous material if it's sharpened properly. If you need to whittle or do some other kind of push cutting, plain edge is the way to go. I sharpen my knives frequently, so serrations don't offer much for me.

 

[rhino]

Choose as you wish, and I am sure others will disagree, but for me, there is no practical utility in a serrated blade, and at times it is a liability.

I share the same opinion in general.

Serrations are probably best for those who can't or choose not to sharpen/retouch their edges frequently. Given that, once serrated edges get dull, they're not fun to resharpen and it's not easy to restore them to their original sharpness even with the appropriate tools.

Is anyone else amused by the irony when comparing my apparent obssessive attention to the maintenance of the edges in my knives in contrast with the "maintenance" I do on my firearms? One of the reasons I carry multiple knives is so I can have the edge I want to use at any time. If I used a knife for a while, it's simpler for me to have another knife than to sharpen/hone. That and I really like knives, so I carry a bunch. You never know which you might need at any given time.

 

[Soundslikejosh]

Rhino, I suppose that Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville TN might be considered Mecca for you. An interesting place, lots of junk but a decent variety of "good" stuff. Not sure if they have any top tier products.

 

[rhino]

Rhino, I suppose that Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville TN might be considered Mecca for you. An interesting place, lots of junk but a decent variety of "good" stuff. Not sure if they have any top tier products.

Indeed!

That region of Tennessee used to have quite a few similar places. I think the Acorn Shop is now defunct, but it was at one time the biggest knife store in the world.

 

[Chefcook]

I am a chef. And I lived and worked in and around Knoxville, Morristown and Gatlinburg TN for 15 years. The Smokey Mountain Knife Works is pretty cool. I used to go there on weekends allot. They have a knife sharpening station downstairs where allot of the local chefs take their knives to have them sharpened they charge a dollar a blade. They use paper grinding wheels.... One to hone and one to polish. The honing wheel has a light and very fine coating of emory and removes surprisingly little material. The other paper wheel is just that paper with a moderate coating of a special compound they came up with over the years. These wheels are available for purchase on their website and in the store. However its a little tricky learning how to use them. Also last time I was down there they had purchased a machine to laser sharpen serreated edges. I remember the guy tellin me how the machine cost 35000 bones lol.... A sharp knife is mandatory and Rhino is right about serrated edges being hard to revitalise. I keep the normal edge of my knife sharp with regular maintanance and use the serrated edge only for certain applications. My Kershaw is 2 years old and the serrated edge is closer to pristine even though Ive re-sharpened the conventional edge many times... As far as sharpness and the way a knife cuts... Most blades are concave. Gerber makes a series of knife that is convex. No blade is sharp enough to split atoms so any cutting motion is part cut and part tear. The convex blades feel much smoother. It you look at any normal blade under a microscope all blades are serrated at a microscopic level. During use the serrations become bent or leaned over the act of sharpening only serves to re-alighn them...JC

 

[epsylum]

I carry a Spyderco Delica 4 on my every single day. I love it. I have a matching Endura 4 also (both have foliage green handles and are half serrated), but find the Endura a tad too big for anything other than self defense uses. I sometimes will switch it up and carry a Spyderco Native or Benchmade Griptilian, but the Delica just carries so much better (thinner and lighter).

I also highly reccommend the Spyderco Sharpmaker sharpening kit. It doesn't matter what kind of blade you have, it'll be sharp as hell when you are done with it.

I will keep sharing this little secret with people as it is too cool. With any tip up Spyderco (actually any of them with a thumb hole, which is probably 99% of them), put a small zip tie on the top of the hole and cut off the excess. The left over little tab will act as a Emerson wave opener allowing you to open the blade as you draw it from your pocket. If you don't like it, cut it off.

 

[Wagswook]

I've been looking at the KBAR TDI Large Serrated Tanto like this one:

... and it comes with it's own holster:

 

[jeremy]

I've been looking at the KBAR TDI Large Serrated Tanto like this one:

... and it comes with it's own holster:

I have one carried it in Iraq for a year. I now dub it as scrap metal. With a different sheath may have a different opinion.