Folding knives--educate me

[steve garro]

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I also have the Spyderco navaja... Great knife. It does look formidable.

Sometime formidable is good.
For personal carry I'd get a smaller one, this is why I have a Navaja on my vest, that and entanglement dangers.
Man, I really dig the steel it's made of!
- Garro.

[Chad]

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thanks all.

i work for myself, so no worries about freaking anyone out.
i don't think i want serrated.
aesthetically i like the tanto blade shape, but it seems like they range from an almost 90 degree angle to more subtle; i like more subtle. so either tanto or traditional blade shape. one sided; no spearpoints.
i like the integrated clip as on the benchmade above
i have large hands, if that's a factor in terms of one-handed use/locking/opening

chad, can you post a link to the kershaw?

thanks again.

kershaw lever | eBay

Link to one on ebay. It appears they make a serrated and non-serrated blade. I'd never seen the serrated version before.

[Lewis Moon]

I have a Kershaw that has served me well. I'm not a fan of the serrated blades either. I think thin is key for everyday carry. Mine is a little thick, but it went to war with me so it won't be replaced anytime soon.

I also really like the Kershaws, particularly the Ken Onion models. I have arthritic hands from years of rock climbing, so the assisted opening (AKA: switchblade) feature works well for me.

[steve garro]

I've had a couple fine Kershaws......and, I have to throw out the Leatherman name - I think we have at least eight in the family.
- Garro.

[Curt Goodrich]

I've got a Kershaw Skyline that I like. It's quite thin especially after I removed the clip. Still I find it get left on the work bench and my Opinel goes in my pocket. The Kershaw sometimes feels a little too tactical for me.

[Eric Estlund]

Again, just like with bikes, you might want to set a budget to help narrow things down. There are fantastic knives at every price level. Are you after the most bang for your buck on a $25 budget? Are you debating between mid range $200 folders in different patterns? Interested in hand made users, or handmade "gentleman's" pocket knives? Within your budget range, how are you going to use it? Sporting, hunting, glorified letter opener, "executive toy"? Do you feel more of an attraction to granpa's whittler or a larger locking style with more modern lines?

You can't really answer any of these questions incorrectly, but you sure can mix and match to end up with something very nice that isn't what you want.

Few people end up with just one pocket knife. I have a main user that has been my primary pocket knife for almost 15 years, but every now and again I'll pick something up because it's fun or to stick in the glove compartment. Some guys have a heavy rotation of daily users (like watches, or, yup, bikes).

[AngryScientist]

after years and years of carrying a swiss army knife, i recently acquired a made-in-germany Boker camp knife. the build quality and finish is simply tremendous, and i cant say enough good things about it. for me, the screwdriver/bottle opener are used all the time, so they are pretty indispensable for me. Boker makes a LOT of knives, ranging from high quality to lower. Anything in their line that is still German made is going to be very good, including a number of "blade only" knives of all varieties. worth a look, for sure.

this is the one i currently carry every day:

[al415]

I've used many of the knives already mentioned in the thread. I've had pretty good experience with Spyderco, though I broke a few. I've also broken SOGS and most of the other mass market "tactical" knives at one point or another. My current favorite work knife is the Buck CSAR I've been using for the past couple of years. I can't break it and it's more than earned the title of Key to the City:

Amazon.com: Buck Tops/CSAR-T Knife (Black/Silver, 8 1/2-Inch): Sports & Outdoors

It's bulky and heavy and not the most discreet thing for urban or suburan use but a fantastic real-world working knife.

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