Pocket knife help

Advertise with us
Miura knives
Japanese Knives - by Tokushu Knife
Find deals on amazon
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
R

RonB

KKF Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2017
Messages
418
Reaction score
674
I just did it for the second time - I forgot to leave my pocket knife at home and the TSA said thank you very much for another knife. :mad:

So I need another knife now and am looking for a thin knife, (hopefully less that 1/2" from the outside of one scale to the outside of the other scale). Blade around 3" and a decent stainless steel. I keep it in my pocket most of the time and need the rust resistance. I also want a clip because I use it as a money clip. I'm not too concerned about price, but want to try to keep it below $200.

The thing is that I keep knives where I use them the most, so the pocket knife actually sees very little use. However, I have carried one almost every day for almost 70 years and it feels wrong to not have one in my pocket. BTW a knife was in my pocket almost every day of elementary, middle, and high school as well as 4 years of college and I never once stabbed anyone. ;)
 
it's maybe just over budget, but I think the Spyderco Para 2 in s110v, the dark blue one, is super cool. you can probably get an s30v or s35vn or whatever theyre using under 200?

like the spydiechef even more but it's pushing into not helpful advice territory

there are really only two companies I bother with anymore; Chris Reeve and Spyderco.
 
tcmx3 said:
it's maybe just over budget, but I think the Spyderco Para 2 in s110v, the dark blue one, is super cool. you can probably get an s30v or s35vn or whatever theyre using under 200?
Click to expand...

^^What I was thinking.

One time at Logan here in Boston I realized I had forgotten my knife in my pocket. I buried it outside by a trashcan. Came back two weeks later after the Holidays and it was still there. :)
 
My edc pocket knife is cheap enough that I can hand it over to security and buy another on the way home without batting an eye. Kershaw Hotwire.

I thin bte as soon as I get home on a 14" wheel.

The steel is crap, but it will take a good edge quickly and I don't mind sharpening it often.
 
Sounds like you use your pocket knives about as much as me, which is to say to hear it go “click” and to open mail. In which case, even AUS-8 or 8Cr13MoV will do the trick for your needs. Unless you live by the ocean, or work on boats they’ll have more than enough rust resistance for you.

I used to recommend spyderco, but over the last 3-4 years they’ve had a few major price spikes. I only recommend grabbing them used or on a large sale at this point, they aren’t worth the premium in my opinion.

In the lower end of the price range, there are a few solid performers.

Ontario rat 2 is pretty well regarded as a lower cost knife. Aus 8 steel (they have an upgraded D2 version, but you’re losing out on corrosion resistance). Blade length of 3” puts it in your desired range. Thumbstud opener. Can be picked up for 30-40 bucks.

Kershaw cryo II comes in 8Cr13MoV. It’s 3.25” blade length so a touch over what you’re looking for, and is a thumbstud, assisted (not automatic) opener which may get funny looks from law enforcement in some areas. I carried one of these for a few years, the assisted deployment is great, so long as you don’t need to be quiet. Has a few assisted opener springs fatigue and snap over the years, but kershaw has fantastic customer service for sending out replacements. 40-50 bucks depending on the sales.

The steelwill cutjack is in your blade range. It’s a flipper running on phosphor bronze, with surprisingly great action for the price point. Only downside is it’s D2, so you’re losing some corrosion resistance there. Comes in around 50 bucks.

Up the food chain is the (mass)drop gent, which is a surprising little piece. Super light weight, 3 inch blade in what feels like a tiny package. S35VN steel so a big step up from the others on this list. It’s only let down by having one of the single most retarded engineering decisions I’ve seen made in a pocket knife design, which is to make the pivot a Phillips head screw combined with a smooth side. This makes it so you A) have a higher chance of stripping screws. And B) you can’t use a second driver to hold the other half of the pivot, which is smooth and difficult to gain any traction on to stabilize. This leaves you with a real chance of it spinning like a merry go round as you grow an increasingly impressive collection of unsavory phrases to voice your displeasure with the design 🙃 Seems to run for about 120 nowadays.

Then there’s the spyderco delica. Available in a rainbow of steel flavors and associated price ranges. Most common is Vg10. Very light, comes in just under 3” blade length. Thumb hole opener which is my preferred method. Only downside is I don’t personally like lockbacks, and the crazy price hikes from spyderco. If you can get it for 80-90 on sale it isn’t as egregious as the companies other offerings.
 
Thanks to all who responded. 3 or 4 stand out, but I will give this a day or two more to see if anyone else has a good recommendation.

Of course, not all on my short list are in stock...
 
If you are staying under 200, I would echo some of the others and choose a spyderco. There are still some pretty good deals out there too.

The Caly 3 is fantastic, but may be pushing the budget a little. The Native or Chaparral may also work for you. The Delica is always a classic and can still be readily found under 100.
 
Naftoor said:
I used to recommend spyderco, but over the last 3-4 years they’ve had a few major price spikes. I only recommend grabbing them used or on a large sale at this point, they aren’t worth the premium in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I appreciate that, but Spydercos are often made in Colorado or Japan, where labor has simply gotten more expensive over time.

I'd love to be paying 2015 prices again but I don't think that's particularly realistic.

JMO, but I still think even post price increases, Spydercos are still a pretty good bargain. I think especially compared to their main competitor (Benchmade) who I think largely make knives with noticeably inferior fit & finish even if I personally prefer BM designs most of the time.
 
I had a similar thing happen at an airport. I was given the option to go back to my car to leave the knife there, so I said ok. Not really wanting to go all the way back to the car, I found a hiding place high on top of a large wall mounted sculpture (I'm 6-4). You couldn't see it up there unless you were on a ladder. Went back after I returned from my trip and got my knife.
 
I love Spyderco, and everything they stand for, my Manix 2 S110V G10 is one of my favorite knives, I just really wish they hadn't 'screwed up' the Advocate.

I was really excited about it, then read about some bearing/washer problems in the first reviews. They brought out a revised version with different washers, but whoever I asked only had old stock or said they couldn't supply a specific version. Shortly after the whole thing was discontinued, and I never got one :(
 
Like my Spyderco full size CPM S30V is my workhorse. Super blue carbon is thinnest grind seen on spdy. That & flat hap40 you can't get anymore. Out of production & stock.
 
IMG_20220402_161312712_HDR.jpg
 
The Spyderco Chaparral uses stainless CTS-XHP steel. It's intended as a nod to the gentleman's pocketknife, and nicely thin for pocket carry. I have two, and I love 'em. The more recent acquisition was in maple, and I think it's gorgeous, as well as very functional. Haven't checked lately, but when I got mine, it was well within your price range:
SMALL Chaparall.JPG
 
Send a picture when you get it.

My Protect Godfather carbon fiber switch blade. Not legal in Hawaii but bought it on line.
It's good quality strong spring lock fast opening.
IMG_20220407_192417026.jpg
IMG_20220407_192210902_MP.jpg
 
Yeh some places won't sell to illegal states. Others don't care. Always wanted one. Did research best automatic knife PRO-TECH kept coming up. American company had video's on line how they are made. It is thin body, but this isn't a small knife 4" blade, 5.5" closed. Has a strong plunge lock you can feel in your hand when it snaps open.

I saw on line how they cut the bevel then hone it on leather wheel. It's sharpness not up to my
Picky level. Took it to a 8K edge. Lift blade after each stroke didn't want to mess up black coating on blade. Couldn't find burr because bevel was pretty steep. Continued until got spine high enough to get a burr. So it's a blended bevel. Quite a bit sharper than our of the box.
IMG_20220408_103053818.jpg
 
Nice knife! Yes, Spydercos come with a generic ground edge that must be sharpened by any user who cares about having a good edge. Sometimes there is a bit of overheated steel at the edge that needs to be sharpened off before you will get a great edge. Sometimes not.
 
I carried a Chap daily for a year or so. Very nice and capable knife.

The edges of most all factory knives are not the best. They are massed produced for the masses. If they make them appealing to us knife knuts, they'd be too fragile for the average user and they'd be dealing with complaints all the time.

With all due respect in regard to the overheated edge steel, this is largely internet lore oft repeated by so-called knife reviewers on YouTube. The fact is, in all of their owned and contracted facilities, all Spyderco knives are sharpened under coolant. Sal himself has confirmed that and said he doesn't understand this assertion. I know guys like Outpost76 says he has to sharpen two or three times to "get into the good steel" but I just don't understand that. Maybe it's happening but I don't know what the cause is.

I've absolutely had many Spydercos with uneven grinds and burrs remaining but again, I could say that about many of the popular makers.

Now Bark River Knives? Yeah, there's a good chance you'll have damaged steel from the sharpening process. Heck, there's a fair chance with them that you won't even get the steel they say it is, but that's a discussion for another place. :)
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
With all due respect in regard to the overheated edge steel, this is largely internet lore oft repeated by so-called knife reviewers on YouTube. The fact is, in all of their owned and contracted facilities, all Spyderco knives are sharpened under coolant. Sal himself has confirmed that and said he doesn't understand this assertion. I know guys like Outpost76 says he has to sharpen two or three times to "get into the good steel" but I just don't understand that. Maybe it's happening but I don't know what the cause is.
Click to expand...

For clarity, I was repeating the lore I'd heard, not speaking from personal experience. I have more Sypdercos than I'd care to admit. I've sharpened all of them, and never had the impression I had to get past bad steel.
 
Chopper88 said:
Great choice!

As I already mentioned earlier the Manix 2 is one of my favorite knives, I think the leaf shape and full flat grind work well for a pocket knife.
Click to expand...

A modified Endela finally kicked a M2LW out of my pocket but I'm starting to get twitchy to get back to it. With my back issues, I've arrived at a place that no matter how slim, I just can't carry a wallet in my back pocket and so it shares real estate with my knife and keys. That made the Manix a touch wide but I love that knife so much I have no doubt I'll go back to it before too long.

xfY55PR.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top