Looking for a New Knife

[MisterBadger]

You could do worse than get one of these. German army issue, made by Victorinox but much cheaper than the Swiss army equivalent. Still some US service personnel get posted over there, otherwise what you save on purchase price you'd lose in postage. Knife blade keeps its edge well, can be opened one-handed, makes a good reamer as well as a plug/flake cutter. Saw blade is awesome, also has two screwdrivers, can opener, awl, and a bottle opener which is also handy for prising open new vacuum-packed tins of tobacco. Also has a split ring on the butt end of the handle you can attach a lanyard to.

 

[ak2000]

The classic Buck 110 or the smaller variation are hard to beat.

 

[bullet08]

Dependable folder for south of $50 is kinda hard. Something to cut with, no problem. But dependable? I would suggest Kershaw or Victorinox. Kershaw produce rather serviceable folders for good price, but lot of them are Chinese made now days. Victorinox Spartan or Tinker are simple, but has most things that you will need. Buck 110 above is a good knife, not sure how much they are now days, but I figure above $100. I carry Doug Ritter MK-1 and MK-1-G2 most of the time. But price has gone up ridiculously. Now they have auto. Go figure.

 

[ak2000]

Last under $50 Kershaw I had ended up with a broken tip with occasional light use. I don't recommend. CRKT M21-10KSF is an excellent under $50 knife if you want serrated.



Otherwise, the Buck 110 Folding Hunter LT is a great standard pocket knife at around $40.

 

[JOHN72]

This is the best knife, it's part of my assault kit. My sister-in-law gave it to me as a gift, she always dreamed of having a policeman brother-in-law.

 

[burleybreath]

This is the best knife, it's part of my assault kit. My sister-in-law gave it to me as a gift, she always dreamed of having a policeman brother-in-law.View attachment 347825

That's kind of strange, John. Do you have handcuffs and a little uniform to go with it? None of my business, of course, what you do in your spare time.

For what it's worth, the only literal EDC (Every Day Carry) I can tolerate is a Victorinox Cadet. It's a weight thing. And a utility thing. I use it every day, although not always for the intended purpose of whatever tool I'm using. It's slim and almost weightless. I like that, and it's all I need. Forty-five bucks, USD.

 

[JOHN72]

I agree with you my friend burleybreath.......

 

[AreBee]

I have a knack for overspending on things I don't need, so in that vein I have been looking at this French cigar cutter to do double duty as a tobacco knife.

 

[tracerbullet]

Case Mini trapper for EDC. Just a nice little do it all knife which sits nice in a pocket

 

[woodsroad]

Last under $50 Kershaw I had ended up with a broken tip with occasional light use. I don't recommend. CRKT M21-10KSF is an excellent under $50 knife if you want serrated.

View attachment 347808

Otherwise, the Buck 110 Folding Hunter LT is a great standard pocket knife at around $40.

View attachment 347811

I carried a 110 for years, especially when backpacking and canoe lake tripping. It's a sturdy, simple knife that never let me down. Nowadays, I carry a USGI Gerber multi tool and this little gem. perhaps the handiest cutting tool I've ever owned.




Out-the-front makes for safe deployment and retraction while my hands are full with whatever it is that I'm doing (like cutting down boxes for recycling or opening a box o'baccy).

About $70.

 

[woodsroad]

 

[AreBee]

I have a knack for overspending on things I don't need, so in that vein I have been looking at this French cigar cutter to do double duty as a tobacco knife.

There’s a big sale going on at the Les Fines Lames right now 10% to 40%. This particular pattern was 40% off so I bought myself a Christmas present. Free international shipping to boot!

 

[bullet08]

Last under $50 Kershaw I had ended up with a broken tip with occasional light use. I don't recommend. CRKT M21-10KSF is an excellent under $50 knife if you want serrated.

View attachment 347808

Otherwise, the Buck 110 Folding Hunter LT is a great standard pocket knife at around $40.

View attachment 347811

Which Kershaw was it? I have a Skyline that I abuse the crap out of, cleaned up and and gave to my son, and still going strong. Must be 10 or more years old. Then again, there are number of things that will ruin the tip. I used to remove chips off motherboard at work. If nothing was around, I would use my Swiss army knife. Yeah it will eat up the blade, but nothing a file and sharpening stone can't fix.

 

[ak2000]

Which Kershaw was it? I have a Skyline that I abuse the crap out of, cleaned up and and gave to my son, and still going strong. Must be 10 or more years old. Then again, there are number of things that will ruin the tip. I used to remove chips off motherboard at work. If nothing was around, I would use my Swiss army knife. Yeah it will eat up the blade, but nothing a file and sharpening stone can't fix.

It was a Leek, weakest steel I've ever seen in a knife. I also have a Skyline and it's actually held up well over the years. Of course I only use it to slice plugs.

 

[johnnyflake]

The Famous Victorinox Rostfrei Knife is a super nice efficient tool. They can be found often on eBay and ETSY in excellent condition for under $50. I recently purchased one for $40 with free shipping. Overall, it's 3 3/4" long. It's in like new condition.

 

[buroak]

I always have a Mercator K55K with me. Thin, sharp, and unchanged since 1867. German perfection in my eyes.

I like the Mercator, but for the OP I would recommend one of theses carbon steel options from Case: Case XX Knives -Yellow Synthetic CS - https://www.shepherdhillscutlery.com/Handle/DisplayHandlePageFH.asp?MaterialAutoID=78

 

[Sig]

Which Kershaw was it? I have a Skyline that I abuse the crap out of, cleaned up and and gave to my son, and still going strong. Must be 10 or more years old. Then again, there are number of things that will ruin the tip. I used to remove chips off motherboard at work. If nothing was around, I would use my Swiss army knife. Yeah it will eat up the blade, but nothing a file and sharpening stone can't fix.

Like many brands these days, Kershaw have different levels of quality. Mainly to do with steel, but also other parts.
You can get a Kershaw folder for $30. You can also get a Kershaw folder that looks almost identical for $300.
There is a huge difference between low end tool steels like D2 and much better high speed steels like M4.
Not to mention all the boutique carbon steels around today.
I personally won't buy a knife with anything "lower" than Nitro V for tool steel or a 1095 carbon variant.
The Nitro V is perfect for a pocket knife for light-med use. For camp/hunting or bushcraft 1095 is king.....in my opinion. Higher carbon for extreme strength, lower carbon and higher other alloys for edge maintenance and less corrosion.
No steel is perfect, that's why multiple knives is a must.

 

[buroak]

A Case Stockman has been my only knife since the 90s.

View attachment 347586

Case makes the best traditional folders, bar none. I haven’t seen any other maker get close, aside from an old Kutmaster Purina ad knife that belonged to my grandfather. Even that knife’s blades fall short of the Case standard.

 

[AreBee]

My Les Fines Lames just arrived. Beautiful, extremely well made and sharp as hell!