I need a new pocket knife

[TundraWookiee]

I carry one of the Gerber FAST models...assisted one hand opening with locking blade and partial serration. Its a good quick draw knife for my type of everyday use.

I will second Flash's recommendation of the Gerber "Applegate/Fairbairn" combat folder though. One of my favorite knives in my very large collection.

 

[tequila45]

I used to carry nothing but spydercos, switched to a benchmade presidio then settled on the 710 mentioned earlier (mchenry williams).
Now I carry Kershaw...good value for the amount of knife you get. I'm not worried if I damage it or lose (that much!!)
Look for Kershaw chill on bladeplay.com or amazon.com. $20 shipped, long enough blade, light, thin enough to not even
know its there. Or the new R.J. Martin design kershaws are nice as well. Also learn to sharpen them yourself and the blade steel
is not that big a factor ( atleast for me).

 

[jbcalhoun]

I am really partial to my SOG Twitch II. It holds an edge well. I have carried it for about 3 years and would have nothing else.

This is a well made, not high priced knife. Two things I have that I like, my dog and my knife. Well three if I have to count my wife! LOL

Brad

 

[stx kid]

I've carried a buck for years.. holds its edge better than a gerber imo

 

[stalker19]

For me it's generally a Spiderco Endura 4 in VG-10. Economical and quality. Holds an edge well, extremely corrosion resistand and durable for what it is. I don't get as angry when they get lost, confiscated etc.

Or, if you're feeling like a particularly baller AND brute... I have a Strider SMF in the classifieds.

 

[JavaPatriot]

Ya know I have NUMEROUS William Henry knives that range from $300 to $3000 and carry a Skeletonized cheapo Gerber I bought at Lowe's for $20.... For my daily abuse it knife I would rather know it's going to dull and possibly even get broken than be upset about it. If the latter happens then another $20 and I'm on my way. Plenty tough and will hold an alright edge. IMO

 

[kurt]

I'm happy with my CRKT M16 Z knife I recently purchased.

 

[kfc903]

Sorry, no photos, My pocket knife is a three bladed, medium sized farmer/rancher type, yellow handled made by Moore, Matador, Texas with good warranty. They aren't cheap !

I have a Moore Maker knife with my initials in it. They are good old school knives.

 

[kfc903]

I've been carrying a SOG Spec Elite I everyday for four years (can't believe I haven't lost it yet). I've been looking at the Benchmade Triage, as a I had a Griptilian before the SOG and liked it better.

Benchmade 915SBK Triage Rescue Knife 3.5" Black Combo Blade, Black G10 Handles, Safety Cutter, Glass Breaker - Knifecenter.com

Has a glass breaker and a rescue hook. It received a few awards in 2011 as well.

 

[Tomservo92]

Benchmades are good. I've also owned a couple of SOGs. Columbia River makes decent knives too.

My favorite all time carry knife is my SOG Pentagon Elite I.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Texasjack]

It's all in the steel. Avoid anything that says just "stainless steel" or (worse) "surgical steel". Also avoid, "440" or "440A". (440C is OK.) AUS-6 is like 440A.

Steels with vanadium (like VG-10) will really hold an edge, but don't ever let it get dull or you'll do a LOT of work to get it sharp again. Good steels include 154CM, ATS-34, CPM-5V, BG-42, S30V, and VG-10. Carbon steels are also good, but you usually don't see them in pocketknives. These would include 1080, 1095, and 5160.

 

[deemus]

I have carried a Gerber Paraframe mini for years. I need another. Last one I had to trash at the airport again.

 

[BMiracleTX]

+2 on the Spyderco Delica!

 

[jtriron]

+2 on the Spyderco Delica!

Yes, what BM said

 

[RstyShcklfrd]

I love my Benchmade mini-griptillian.

 

[Bithabus]

It's all in the steel. Avoid anything that says just "stainless steel" or (worse) "surgical steel". Also avoid, "440" or "440A". (440C is OK.) AUS-6 is like 440A.

Steels with vanadium (like VG-10) will really hold an edge, but don't ever let it get dull or you'll do a LOT of work to get it sharp again. Good steels include 154CM, ATS-34, CPM-5V, BG-42, S30V, and VG-10. Carbon steels are also good, but you usually don't see them in pocketknives. These would include 1080, 1095, and 5160.

It's really all in the heat treat. An OK steel with a good heat treat will outperform the newest whiz-bang steel with a poor heat treat. And the more complex the steel gets, the more complicated becomes a proper heat treat.

 

[ArchonXD40]

Love my SOG Aegis Tanto...

 

[deemus]

Getting my Gerber mini today. $8 at Academy. .

 

[Texasjack]

It's really all in the heat treat. An OK steel with a good heat treat will outperform the newest whiz-bang steel with a poor heat treat. And the more complex the steel gets, the more complicated becomes a proper heat treat.

That applies if you're making your own knife. One expects a knifemaker to understand heat treating. My point was to make sure you know what steel is in the blade and not just absorb the sales pitch.

 

[ROGER4314]

I came back to visit this thread and thought I could share about knife shapes as mentioned in the OP. Each shape has a classic pattern and a specific shape and it might be worth a few minutes to research them. Off the top of my head I remember these:
Clip saber blade
Sheeps Foot
Pen blade
Dirk
Stiletto
Spay blade

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade

There is even a "one armed man" blade pattern.

Check 'em out!


On another note, I had a job where the inspection department was located right behind where I worked. At the time, I was big into pocket kinfe collecting so I used the company Rockwell hardness tested on hundreds of knife blades! The Rockwell "C" scale is perfect for testing knife blades. The best? Carbon steel blades are almost the hardness of a gear tooth and can run into the RC upper 50 to 60 range. The case hardened gear teeth ran RC 58-62. The hard case was .010" to .015" deep with softer material beneath it. Hard carbon steel blades hold a great edge but can be brittle and they rust like crazy.

Stainless blades are usually much softer, less apt to chip but don't hold an edge as well. The stainless blades were lower in RC hardness but were very resistant to breakage. The classic knife fight situation is to stab a man and he turns in reaction to being stuck. That snaps the blade of the knife right off. It is very common.

My opinion on the best? A carbon steel blade with a rust preventive coating like black oxide or even flash chrome or plating of some kind. My favorite is the black oxide or similar.

Flash