What's Your Preferred EDC Knife?

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daberman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 4, 2021
134
599
Atlanta, GA
living in NYC, we are very limited last few years on what we can legally carry.

Basically only sub 4 inch, clipless slipjoints are legal. Similar to the UK I understand.

Basically were left to choil style locking blades for defense.

The best Ive found is the Boker Chad Los Banos XL Drop point slip joint choil lock knife after removing the clip.

It's crap steel, but cheap and if it gets taken away I wont cry...


and this is the kinda thing you have to worry about in my neighborhood:

 

ChippewaAce

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2021
215
415
Tennessee
I have a Spyderco Sharpmaker as well as a DMT diafold sharpener. Both work pretty well for a noob in sharpening like me.
Cool. I've heard great things about those Spyderco Sharpmakers. I'm definitely a noob in this world as well, but I want to get good enough to just do it at myself when needed.
 

ChippewaAce

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2021
215
415
Tennessee
I think you’ll be happy with it.
I sharpen on my belt grinder, and then either buff off the burr with a buffer or strop on leather with Flitz followed by pink no-scratch compound. But Benchmade does have a sharpening service if you do choose. I think you pay $5 or so to send the knife to them and they’ll put a factory edge back on it. I’ve always done it myself though. ?‍♂️
I'd eventually love to have a shop area at home with a bench grinder! For now I'll find something I can learn with and grow into before the shop arrives!
 
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ChippewaAce

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2021
215
415
Tennessee
The Benchmade knives are hard to beat for a production knife. I have what amounts to a small collection of Benchmade knives, but I only carry my original Mel Pardue Griptilian. It’s got years on it now and answers every time I call.

Purchased a mini Grip to replace it, thinking the smaller size was more practical, but old habits die hard and the bigger Grip has stayed on faithfully.

My daughter recently gifted me a Bugout and although it is a great knife, it remains in a box on my nightstand. Guess I’m pretty well set if I were to lose my EDC.
Very nice! Yeah those Griptilians were appealing too, I think the Osborne just seemed "classic" to me, but definitely open to other stuff in the future -
 
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ChippewaAce

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2021
215
415
Tennessee
living in NYC, we are very limited last few years on what we can legally carry.

Basically only sub 4 inch, clipless slipjoints are legal. Similar to the UK I understand.

Basically were left to choil style locking blades for defense.

The best Ive found is the Boker Chad Los Banos XL Drop point slip joint choil lock knife after removing the clip.

It's crap steel, but cheap and if it gets taken away I wont cry...


and this is the kinda thing you have to worry about in my neighborhood:

Dang :/ I didn't know there were restrictions on knives like that in NY as well. Yeah I definitely have a backup edc knife for travel as well for the same reason.

Hard to fight back a hatchet attack with a toothpick.
 
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May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
I'd eventually love to have a shop area at home with a bench grinder! For now I'll find something I can learn with and grow into before the shop arrives!
A belt grinder is nice to have, for sure, but a couple of decent stones and a strop (of some kind) with some Flitz or other compound is really all you need if you know how to use them.
 
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ChippewaAce

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2021
215
415
Tennessee
A belt grinder is nice to have, for sure, but a couple of decent stones and a strop (of some kind) with some Flitz or other compound is really all you need if you know how to use them.
Ok cool. Yeah I'm looking at that sharpening puck somebody mentioned before as a kind of starting place. Was at Bass Pro the other day as well and they had a rack of different models of a belt sharper called Work Sharp that looked intriguing, I'll have to do more digging on that. Fairly affordable too -
 
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ChippewaAce

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2021
215
415
Tennessee
Benchmade 590, assisted opening which I like better than a flipper (e.g., Rich Hinderer design). As a lefty I find the Axis style lock more to my likely than a framelock.

When I want something smaller I’ll carry an old (1980’s version) Buck Stockman
Excellent! Yeah I'm getting pretty fond of the Axis lock style as well -
 
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ChippewaAce

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 20, 2021
215
415
Tennessee
Like Troutface, another Boker Kalashnikov fan, I have two (Black and green), both under $30. I only carry what I can afford to lose. (yet oddly, have never lost one of these).

Fair enough! I invested in the aforementioned Benchmade Osborne but traveled to Milwaukee this pabst weekend, so I checked my Smith and Wesson 1st Responder instead of the Osborne - just in case!
 
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Reactions: Country Bladesmith
May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
Ok cool. Yeah I'm looking at that sharpening puck somebody mentioned before as a kind of starting place. Was at Bass Pro the other day as well and they had a rack of different models of a belt sharper called Work Sharp that looked intriguing, I'll have to do more digging on that. Fairly affordable too -
I’ve seen those Work Sharps, but never messed with them. I have no idea how fast they run or if the speed is adjustable. If you go that route, start with some cheap knives you won’t care about ruining. There’s a learning curve with belt grinders, and as with all power tools, they can either get stuff done quickly or f*** stuff up quickly.