Best sub-$200 folding pocket knife for edc?

[MikeDVB]

Looking at picking up a nice quality knife to keep for edc. All I've ever had are the cheap Walmart knives so I have no idea what is good or not.

 

[traderdan]

It probably should say Benchmade or Spyderco on it.....

 

[Fishersjohn48]

It probably should say Benchmade or Spyderco on it.....

Or maybe Zero tolerance?

 

[Dtrap]

Look at zero tolerance folders. I like the 350 and 301. They are great knives with excellent warantees and are built like tanks. Spyderco is another company that offers some great stuff. I like the para military a lot. It's a nice size to cover a wide variety of EDC tasks.
Either way you go be sure to give Brads knives a call or shoot him a pm and he will have what you need at a great price.

 

[dubsac]

Look at zero tolerance folders. I like the 350 and 301. They are great knives with excellent warantees and are built like tanks. Spyderco is another company that offers some great stuff. I like the para military a lot. It's a nice size to cover a wide variety of EDC tasks.

Second the paramilitary, sweet knife. The ZT's are great knives also built like tanks.

 

[Indy 1911]

I have a Kershaw assisted opening

 

[magic man]

My Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is my favorite EDC knife so far.

 

[.356luger]

I've been abusing my bench made barrage tango for close to a year and a half and its still solid as ever

 

[MikeDVB]

My Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is my favorite EDC knife so far.

Looks a bit strange in the pictures, but I'm not a 'knife' guy [well, not yet].

Would have to hold it in my hand I guess.

 

[tradertator]

Your going to get a bazillion guys telling you get product _______, because that's what they did and it's the best. Or buy _______, because it's cheap and works for them. Probably the most sound advice I can think of is attend a gun and knife show, and get your hands on as much stuff as possible. Unfortunately, every big box store I've been in around here carries cheap ****ty stuff. Brads Knives is a site supporter on INGO, has a big inventory, and attends most of the big shows. Also, don't be afraid of picking up something used that is good quality. > $200 is a great budget for a quality folder. Benchmade and Spyderco are probably going to offer you the widest range of steels, locking mechanisms, and grinds. If your not concerned about that and want something beefy, Zero Tolerance is tough to beat. There are also some knives that are not as massively produced, such as Emerson that you might be able to get into.

 

[slowG]

Zt 0551 or 0550 period

 

[DaKruiser]

Zt 0551 or 0550 period

Yep, do yourself a favor and at least check these out, they are very well made with some of the best materials!

 

[BJones]

Kershaw makes a great knife, Brads Knives carries those and many others. Brad will be able to help you.

 

[MikeDVB]

Where is Brad's located? I wouldn't mind going by a shop that has a good selection and somebody knowledgeable to talk to.

I'm looking for a few basics but, not being a metallurgist or having much experience with knives, I'm not sure if I'm asking too much or too little.

• Quality opening/closing mechanism. Obviously I want it not to close on my fingers/hand when in use and I don't want it to open in my pocket on it's own.
• A durable and corrosion resistant finish. While I would hope I take good care of the knife - in the event it didn't get all of the attention it deserved I don't want it to rust apart in my pocket in short order.
• Something that holds an edge well. I've no issues learning to sharpen/keep it sharp but the longer I can go between maintenance in this regard the better. I'm not just thinking about being lazy - if I were ever in a situation where I needed the knife and sharpening tools were not handy/available I would like it to remain as useful as possible for as long as possible.

My current knife is a cheapie I picked up at Wal-Mart a while back. It does the job, but I'd like to find something a bit nicer/more durable. Here's the current: Gerber STL 2.0 (Amazon.com).

 

[45lcrevolver]

I would talk with brad. He is very knowledgeable on knifes. I recently bought a spyderco matriarch for edc "defense" from brad and got a great price for a fantastic knife. Now I only carry for defense vs everyday use, for every day use I would go with a spyderco endura or military. It also depends what size you are looking for. Take my info with a grain o salt. I am still very new to the knife hobby.

 

[buckstopshere]

Where is Brad's located? I wouldn't mind going by a shop that has a good selection and somebody knowledgeable to talk to.

I'm looking for a few basics but, not being a metallurgist or having much experience with knives, I'm not sure if I'm asking too much or too little.

• Quality opening/closing mechanism. Obviously I want it not to close on my fingers/hand when in use and I don't want it to open in my pocket on it's own.
• A durable and corrosion resistant finish. While I would hope I take good care of the knife - in the event it didn't get all of the attention it deserved I don't want it to rust apart in my pocket in short order.
• Something that holds an edge well. I've no issues learning to sharpen/keep it sharp but the longer I can go between maintenance in this regard the better. I'm not just thinking about being lazy - if I were ever in a situation where I needed the knife and sharpening tools were not handy/available I would like it to remain as useful as possible for as long as possible.

My current knife is a cheapie I picked up at Wal-Mart a while back. It does the job, but I'd like to find something a bit nicer/more durable. Here's the current: Gerber STL 2.0 (Amazon.com).

Brad is out in greenfield but I don't think there is a store front. Send him a PM, he will definitely help you out.

As for the topic, I really don't have a good opinion to help on this matter. I don't know much about folders at all. I hear Striders are amazing but not sure if one could be had for under 200$.

Good luck

 

[tradertator]

Where is Brad's located? I wouldn't mind going by a shop that has a good selection and somebody knowledgeable to talk to.

I'm looking for a few basics but, not being a metallurgist or having much experience with knives, I'm not sure if I'm asking too much or too little.

• Quality opening/closing mechanism. Obviously I want it not to close on my fingers/hand when in use and I don't want it to open in my pocket on it's own.
• A durable and corrosion resistant finish. While I would hope I take good care of the knife - in the event it didn't get all of the attention it deserved I don't want it to rust apart in my pocket in short order.
• Something that holds an edge well. I've no issues learning to sharpen/keep it sharp but the longer I can go between maintenance in this regard the better. I'm not just thinking about being lazy - if I were ever in a situation where I needed the knife and sharpening tools were not handy/available I would like it to remain as useful as possible for as long as possible.

- Probably the 2 strongest locks you will find are frame & axis. That's not to say they can't fail though.

-Most knives will come in either coated or uncoated finish. The toughest finish I have found is Tungsten DLC (Diamond Like Coating) or TiNi (Titanium Nitrate). Even if it isn't one of those two, any coating is better than none in the realm of protection.

-2 proven and very common steels are CPMS30V and CPM154CM. Some of the more exotic "super steels" (which also translates to <$) are are S35VN, S90V, M390, CPM4, CTSXHP, 20CV, ZDP-189, Elmax,..................... In general, higher carbon = longer edge, stainless = less corrosion.

 

[LGDawg]

First, like many have said, Zero Tolerance makes great knives. I personally don't carry such an expensive knife for EDC. I personally carry Kershaw knives that are made in the USA (Kershaw is owned by the same company that owns Zero Tolerance). They both come with a lifetime warranty and can have Kershaw's SpeedSafe assisted opening.

For years I carried a Kershaw Leek (about $35 on Amazon). I thought this was a great knife and I have quite a few. Then, I purchased the larger Kershaw Shallot for a birthday present for my cousin. He typically carried a larger knife and that is why I went with the Shallot. After looking at the knife for a few days (and trying it out in my pocket) I realized I much preferred the larger knife. I picked one up at the Indy 1500 for about $50 (Has the black DLC coating). I checked Amazon and you can pick the black DLC coated one for about $56, less than $50 for the non-coated. I have carried mine for about 6 months, and have no reason to go back to the smaller Leek. I don't even notice a difference.

Overall I think the Kershaw Leek and Kershaw Shallot make great EDC carry knives for the money. For under $60 you can get a solid knife with:

A Lifetime Warranty
Solid Frame Lock
SpeedSafe Assisted Opening
Though DLC coating
Made in USA

 

[MikeDVB]

I went ahead and ordered the Shallot as it's not super expensive and looks to be about perfect for my hand. Got it in DLC for $46 with free shipping - it'll be here Friday which is my birthday so I have a good excuse .

May not be 'top of the line' but it should be worlds nicer than the little Gerber I've got in my pocket now.

Kershaw Shallot Black DLC

Now to look for some directions on maintaining/sharpening the blade properly. This should be fun .

 

[MikeDVB]

Also note, Amazon is currently running some sort of special. I got $10 off of the listed price so it was $46 instead of $56 making it an even better deal. Forgot to include that detail.