need a nice pocket knife.... help please

[iGas]

The best pocket knife is one that you have on hand.

IMHO, a cheap good steel knife is all you need and it doesn't hurt if you lose it.

MTECH USA MT-378

440 Stainless Steel

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

This is a nice knife using an excellent steel

s30v is a first rate alloy.

You really can't do better than the Sage I in my view, as an overall package. FYI these are only $103 on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Spyderco-Carbo...3889058&sr=8-2

 

[SpatiallyAware]

You had me sold until I got to "Made in Taiwan" for a $100 knife.

 

[Oyeve]

Wow, you guys would spend 100+ on something made with 1.00 worth of metal. Pathetic.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Wow, you guys would spend 100+ on something made with 1.00 worth of metal. Pathetic.

There is some value in a knife with good metal for the blade.

While I enjoy the process of sharpening with oil and water stones, I don't want to do it more than once or twice a year.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

You had me sold until I got to "Made in Taiwan" for a $100 knife.

Why? Taiwan is an important strategic ally of the US and the Taiwan-made Spydercos are beautiful quality. It's not like we're talking about China . . . Also, it's made entirely of American-made components - it's just assembled in Taiwan. I actually own several Taiwanese Spydercos (Sage I, Sage II, Chaparral, Cat, Chicago) and they're all great.

 

[Howard]

Kershaw Tilt.

Oops, not $150.

 

[xaeniac]

Why? Taiwan is an important strategic ally of the US and the Taiwan-made Spydercos are beautiful quality. It's not like we're talking about China . . . Also, it's made entirely of American-made components - it's just assembled in Taiwan. I actually own several Taiwan Spydercos (Sage I, Sage II, Chaparral, Cat, Chicago) and they're all great.

agreed, some of the best built spyderco's are from taiwan. Another vote for Spyderco as they make great products.

 

[alkemyst]

There is some value in a knife with good metal for the blade.

While I enjoy the process of sharpening with oil and water stones, I don't want to do it more than once or twice a year.

QFT.

You can get a cheap KAI/Kershaw knife and it's not going to have as good of a blade as those that are more expensive.

A sharp knife is a safe knife and FAR TOO MANY people use dangerously dull knives.

Also like SA said, you will spend far more time sharpening a cheaper blade.

I have a KAI knife that is a Kershaw Clash clone that Woot.com had for $11 one day shipped.

For my needs, mostly opening Cisco boxes and cutting nylon packing straps it does it's job adequately, but after each real day of use...it needs to be sharpened a bit.

Same thing can be said for my Swiss Army Huntsman Lite...however; that I use mostly for the screwdrivers, the pen occasionally, the LED light a lot, and the tweezers at times.

 

[CurseTheSky]

$150 for a pocket knife? Sounds like a rip off if you pay anywhere near that (or even half of that). Imo Mora knives are some of the best on the planet; pay $15 and get a camp knife that will last forever... don't think I've ever seen a folding Mora though.

Someone mentioned Spyderco knives, which are nice, but they do have some highly overpriced models.

Moras are good knives, but they're not difficult to break. They're a bit thin for serious camp tasks, unless you have another dedicated blade (larger knife, machete, hatchet, axe, etc.). The blade itself is somewhat flimsy, and the tang isn't great. Still, for the price, they're excellent.

I do agree that Spyderco has some outrageously priced knives, though most of their "mid range" stuff ($50-80 or so) are great bets for the price. I just can't get into the design on most of them; I'm not a fan of the leaf-shaped blade, and I prefer a thumb stud to the thumb hole.

The same can be said about Benchmade, however. The Griptilian / Mini Griptilian are great for the price, and spending more will get you an even nicer knife (my favorite is the 707 Sequel), but you reach diminishing returns very quickly.

Wow, you guys would spend 100+ on something made with 1.00 worth of metal. Pathetic.

Do some research on high-end steels, the difference in composition, stain resistance, toughness, etc. Then do some research on heat treating, grinds, and knife features. THEN come back and give an opinion. If you really think a well known $100 knife has $1.00 worth of steel, you have absolutely no idea what goes into them.

 

[ProchargeMe]

I recommend gerber for a good knife. I have had mine for about a year with heavy use, it's still sharp and works very well.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

havalon knives are really useful cuz you can replace the blade to make it sharper or change the blade shape. its also cheaper than sharpening or replacing a nonreplaceable knife. a sharp knife is way better than a dull one. the meat eater dude steve rinella uses them and says once you use one youll never use anything else

http://www.havalon.com/

i have a couple swiss army knives but youll never get the blade factory sharp on a steel or stone, its better to have a havalon and have a razor sharp blade all the time

 

[waggy]

I recommend gerber for a good knife. I have had mine for about a year with heavy use, it's still sharp and works very well.

I have Gerber multi-tool. I have had 3-4 years and it has gotten heavy use. i'm amazed at the quality of the tool. I have had to sharpen the knife twice.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

agreed, some of the best built spyderco's are from taiwan. Another vote for Spyderco as they make great products.

My daily carry is the latest iteration Delica zdp-189, a steel people love/hate. Since I've figured out how to best sharpen and maintain the edge it's fabulous. It's not a "beginner" knife though in that it's the devil to sharpen.

 

[Oyeve]

Do some research on high-end steels, the difference in composition, stain resistance, toughness, etc. Then do some research on heat treating, grinds, and knife features. THEN come back and give an opinion. If you really think a well known $100 knife has $1.00 worth of steel, you have absolutely no idea what goes into them.

I have, long ago, hence my opinion. I collected knives back in the 70s and 80s and other than the workmanship that goes into knives, the materials are pretty much the same.

 

[roguerower]

Milwaukee utility knife. Cost me $15 and another $10 for extra blades. As soon as the blade goes slightly dull I chuck it and put a new one in.

http://www.milwaukeetool.com/hand-tools/utility-knives/48-22-1901

 

[natto fire]

I keep this SOG on me. Had a serrated blade before that, and prefer the Tanto style blade. The opening action is very good and the lock works well, although I have accidentally turned the lock on a couple times(I prefer keeping it unlocked).

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

My daily carry is the latest iteration Delica zdp-189, a steel people love/hate. Since I've figured out how to best sharpen and maintain the edge it's fabulous. It's not a "beginner" knife though in that it's the devil to sharpen.

I carry a ZDP-189 Ladybug on my key chain. It's a great little utility knife. I don't know that I will ever use it enough to need sharpening, and I hope not given the hardness of the steel . . .

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Moras are good knives, but they're not difficult to break. They're a bit thin for serious camp tasks, unless you have another dedicated blade (larger knife, machete, hatchet, axe, etc.). The blade itself is somewhat flimsy, and the tang isn't great. Still, for the price, they're excellent.

I do agree that Spyderco has some outrageously priced knives, though most of their "mid range" stuff ($50-80 or so) are great bets for the price. I just can't get into the design on most of them; I'm not a fan of the leaf-shaped blade, and I prefer a thumb stud to the thumb hole.

The same can be said about Benchmade, however. The Griptilian / Mini Griptilian are great for the price, and spending more will get you an even nicer knife (my favorite is the 707 Sequel), but you reach diminishing returns very quickly.

Do some research on high-end steels, the difference in composition, stain resistance, toughness, etc. Then do some research on heat treating, grinds, and knife features. THEN come back and give an opinion. If you really think a well known $100 knife has $1.00 worth of steel, you have absolutely no idea what goes into them.

I own probably about 30 knives, and over time have come to favor Spyderco over all others. While I don't think the Spydie hole makes for a particularly pretty knife, functionally I think it's much safer and more ergonomic than any thumb stud. I also really like the leaf-shaped blade functionally. I actually briefly owned a Chris Reeve Sebenza (small, snakewood), but sold it after concluding that I liked my Sage II better in pretty much every respect, other than aesthetics.

So many knives I have owned (particularly the Sebenza, but also a Benchmade Nagara) have tiny, slippery thumb studs that I consider borderline dangerous because they offer so little purchase. The Spydie hole is just a more secure, ergonomic way to open a blade compared to any thumb stud I've ever used.

I also like it that Sal and Eric Glesser seem like such modest, decent people, and run the company in such an ethical way, including doing a ton for charity and donating product like their whale rescue blades to make the world a better place.

 

[D1gger]

I carry this for all around usefulness.

Leatherman Skeletool

 

[CurseTheSky]

I have, long ago, hence my opinion. I collected knives back in the 70s and 80s and other than the workmanship that goes into knives, the materials are pretty much the same.

The materials have changed significantly since the 70s and 80s. While I agree that the workmanship is the most value-adding feature, (I'd be willing to pay more for a handmade blade in 1095 than a mass produced blade in S30V), blade steels have come a long way. The average person may not be able to tell the difference between 420HC and S30V in normal usage, but that's not to say that the better steel is only worth an extra dollar.

You generally used to see 420 and 440A / C grade stainless, with something like 154CM on the very high end. These days, 154CM is more like a mid-range stainless steel compared to the latest offerings. VG-10, S30V, S35VN, S90V, CPM 154, and several other powdered steels are the new high end, and even those are already being succeeded by ZDP-189, Elmax, and others.

Carbon steel hasn't changed as much, though an increasing number of knife makers are using O1, A2, D2, W1/W2, and other tool steels instead of the common 1095, 1075, 1065, etc. There are some exotic carbon steels, such as CPM M4 and CPM 3V, but they usually don't get as much buzz as their stainless counterparts.

That's not even touching upon Sandvik steels, Chinese steels, grip materials (Dymondwood, exotic hardwoods that are becoming more available and common, G10, Titanium), and much, much more. I'm not saying that all of these things have only been available for a short time, but they've really only made it into "common" production knives within the past 10-20 years or so.

 

[alkemyst]

I carry a ZDP-189 Ladybug on my key chain. It's a great little utility knife. I don't know that I will ever use it enough to need sharpening, and I hope not given the hardness of the steel . . .

OMG, I want to buy that and stab myself in the head repeatedly reading this.

You give M3's a bad name.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

OMG, I want to buy that and stab myself in the head repeatedly reading this.

You give M3's a bad name.

What specifically are you responding to?

On the plus side, my M3, like my other BMW, is long since paid for. You don't have an M3 any more, huh?

 

[Leros]

Did pocket knives recently become trendy or something? Over the past few months, the majority of people I know have all started carrying pocket knives and talking about them.

 

[TallBill]

I really need to get another, they come incredibly handy at work. Carried a buck folder on my last month long field exercise, and a deer skinning knife is a bit much lol.